LCD Question, second part...How Do I convince the wife I need a second monitor for my system.

Thank to all the people that helped with my last question.

Here is me next question:

I just got a 22'' LCD monitor. It has a NATIVE resolution of 1680
x1250. My Current POS video card cannot go up that high. I'm due for
a new system sometime in the next 3 months. Question : What does
NATIVE mean in reference to resolution? Will A monitor go higher then
its Native resolution?
Will I have to drop the resolution on games to keep them at a decent
speed? ( I have a 3 GHZ now but plan to upgrade to a 2 Core system of
some kind, or a the lest expensive 4 core if it is out when I buy.)

Question 2:
I would like a second monitor to hook up to my computer. So I'd have
the Big 22" in front of me, and the smaller say 17" on my right.
WHAT SHOULD I TELL MY WIFE TO GET THIS SECOND MONITOR?
I need a reason to buy it. It is an item I do not need, but that I
WANT.

Something like "Honey, I need the other monitor so when I'm playing a
game on this one, I can watch out for your emails on the other."

All help appreciated and I'll keep it confidential.

Any females out there with suggestions?

Thanks

Eric the unready

 

What make/model did you end up with?

 

That if you dont get one, you'll trade her in on a younger blond bimbo.

See above.

Feel free to tell her you got it from me.

 

Q1: You can probably set the monitor to run at higher than it's native
resolution, but it may look like crap. Give it a whirl and see. However,
you may not even be able to drive that monitor in it's native mode with full
graphic glory on a single card, depending on where things are at when you
get a card, and what games you play. Oblivion is good for making you dream
of an upgrade even if you've done one last week.

Q2: After using a dual monitor setup for the last few years, I find it very
difficult to switch back to a single display. I run a 20" WS LCD in front
of me, and a 19" CRT beside it. I think I can point you to white papers
that claim anywhere from a 10 to 40% increase in productivity on dual
displays, although I'll have to do some digging. Of course, if you don't
make money with your computer, being more efficient may be a hard sell.
I also find that many games don't like the dual displays. They want to be
the ONLY thing running, and they'll take over your mouse and displays to
make sure of it. So while you can see what's on the other display, but you
can't really interact with it. I usually run games in full-screen mode on
the primary display; I've been thinking of trying the windowed mode on the
games that support it.

Clint

 

LCD monitors each have what is called its Native Resolution. The Native
Resolution is the One and ONLY resolution that can be used and still get an
optimum image. (CRT monitors did not have this problem.) So you must buy a
higher end video card that will support that high of a resolution.

 

You need a second monitor to look at a picture of your wife while you are
using the other one.

Seriously, a second monitor is one of those things you didn't think you
needed 'till you had it...

Martin

 

Schrodinger's cat said the following on 12/28/2006 3:35 AM:

Can Win2000 run a second monitor with an appropriate video card or does
it have to be WinXP? What video cards work well?

Ken

 

You can run two monitors with Windows 2000 or Windows XP. You can use
two video cards or a single video card that supports two monitors.
There are a variety of video cards, 128MB or more memory is a good
thing but that depends on the PC use.

 

Phisherman said the following on 12/30/2006 6:36 AM:

Is there specific advantages to using one card versus two?
Disadvantages? At present I am just using a Radeon 9000 on an ASUS P4PE
mb and Win2K. I will be upgrading to WinXP at some point in the future.
The one AGP slot is where my Radeon is mounted. A scond card would go
into a PCI slot.

Any recommendations for a card that supports two monitors? I will do a
search but it would be of interest to hear of experience. I would be
looking mainly for more real estate--I mainly do business apps with some
photo editing occasionally.

Ken

 

Ken,

Something like a 9800 pro might suit you. It will support two monitors (I'm
using one for that now) effortlessly. It is an AGP card so you could just
swap it out for the 9000. I used one with a P4PE and it was fine.

I would recommend you look at a utility Ultramon. You do not need it to run
dual monitors but it adds some nice features and simplifies everything. If
you do go for a 9800 pro, see if you can find one made by HIS. They tend to
do the best cooling solution for these cards. That said, any make of 9800
pro will do what you want at a good price point.

HTH

Martin

 

Schrodinger's cat said the following on 12/30/2006 1:23 PM:

Thanks for the info, Martin. Much appreciated.

Ken

 

Schrodinger's cat said the following on 12/30/2006 1:23 PM:

Actually, I must not be looking at the correct unit. The 9800 Pro is an
AGP 8x interface, according to the ATI website. The Asus P4PE is an AGP
4X interface. That means I can't use the 9800 in the P4PE, correct?

Ken

 

Yes, its normally easier to setup with one card driving both monitors.

You're basically limited to what that card supports connector and modes wise.

I'd get a dual head card myself, there are plenty of cheap AGP ones around.

In fact I did just that to get dual monitor support on an older motherboard like that.

Any of the Radeons will be fine unless you are into
gaming and thats not likely given your current config.

I find the Sapphire RADEON 9550 is fine for your type of use.

 

No, it will run fine at the lower speed.

 

No! As I said - I used a 9800 pro in that motherboard myself!

Regards

Martin

 

You do not need a reason to buy it. You don't need to
tell your wife anything or justify it to her in any way. You
might consider whether you can really afford the money for
a second monitor. If so, make a deal with your wife: you
get your second monitor, she gets something she wants
without having to justify it in any way to you.

-- Bob Day

 

Schrodinger's cat said the following on 12/30/2006 3:26 PM:

So an AGP 8X fits in an AGP 4X slot and runs faster? Does one have to
fiddle with voltages or any other settings in BIOS?

Thanks
Ken

 

I'm not sure where you got the "Runs faster" bit but it will run perfectly
well and you do not have to fiddle with voltages or any other BIOS settings
(unless you want to overclock the card but let's not go there...)

There isn't really much benefit with AGP 8X anyway...

http://www.hardwarezone.com/articles/view.php?id=604&cid=3&pg=6


Martin

 

Schrodinger's cat said the following on 12/31/2006 7:09 AM:

I just assumed that 4X was 1/2 the speed of 8X. But the bottom line,
then is that an 8X card will fit in a 4X slot, which would work for me
and explain your use of the card in your P4PE. I had merely assumed that
the 8X standard was a different type of slot. So if the 8X isn't twice
as fast as a 4X, what is its value?

Ken

 

Schrodinger's cat said the following on 12/31/2006 7:09 AM:

Thanks, Martin

I had just assumed that the 4X was 1/2 the speed of the 8X. But the
bottom line is that an 8X card will fit in a 4X slot, which is why you
were running it on your P4PE mb.
Thanks for the article.

Ken