Running Dual LCDs w/DVI - Which Video Card?

MJK

MJK

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Joined
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Hi Guys,

I ordered a couple LCDs that canaccept DVI, 15 pin, S video or component into them. My current card (an ATI) supports simultaneous 15pin and DVI, so I am running one dekstop across 2 monitors. I love this, but the 15pin looks noticably worse.

Anyone running dual DVI output? If so, what video card or combination of video cards? This is for an XP Pro box and I would like to run 1600x1200 on each monitor. Thanks.

Mark
 
Last edited:
Hehe, actually I'm an Apple guy so I don't really pay attention to what's going on the PC side. On the Mac, we've had dual-digital outputs forever and even the lower end cards offer this feature. On the PC, it used to be only on the high end FireGL cards, but I believe there is an x800 based card (might be from an add-in board vendor) that has dual DVI's. I know nVidia also has a 6800Ultra board with dual-DVI's. Either of these will do the job, but are both high end cards that are not cheap. If you don't need the extreme 3D horsepower, Matrox has some dual-DVI cards available that are considerably cheaper.

What is the resolution of the panels that you ordered? You should be running them at the native panel resolution (I'm assuming it's 1600x1200). For this two single-channel DVI connectors are fine. If you plan on running a high end display, eg. Apple's new 30" display then you need a graphics card that supports > 165Mhz on the transmitter, ie dual-channel DVI. We've got a couple of freaks at work driving two of these 30" panels on their desk! :eek:
 
Thanks for the help guys!

I am trying to run 2x Dell 2001FPs @ 1600x1200/ea. I've been cruising through paladin's great list, and there are getting to be many card with Dual DVI. The problem seems to be in running the resolutions at 1600x1200x2 panels.

Matrox P750 looks spec'ed to work, but no confirmation of that.
It looks like the nVidia cards max out at 1280x1024x2 panels via the reviews on Newegg. No decent ATI cards south of the FireGL, so I'll likely do one of four things:

1. sacrifice 3D, go Matrox & hope it works
2. pay through the nose for the FireGL models
3. Get a second PCI card
4. Stay with one display in standard VGA.

I am inclined to go with Door #3. Agree/Disagree?
 
I'd recommend looking into the Matrox Parhelia; the best 2D on the PC Market, dual DVI (can split the second DVI into two analog, if it's ever needed), good enough 3D (not too far behind my ATI 9700).

The Matrox can do 1600x1200x32bpp no problems, and has some good utilities included for multiple monitors (can go stretched screen - 1 taskbar covers all screens, or can go independent mode like other dual-head setups).

Normally Matrox uses better RAMDACS than the competition, which provides the cleaner images. I'm not sure, however, if that also applies/matters for DVI (I would think that it still would, since 1600x1200@any Hz is a good bit of bandwidth).

JMO, of course. :) Oh, and for running dual Dells, this setup works great (had some at work). I'm currently using 3 NEC 22" CRTs at home, but when Matrox has a 3xDVI or 4xDVI, I will move to that card and 3 or 4 Dell 2001FPs (gotta love the recent price breaks!)
 
A few comments:

-Matrox traditionally put on high quality components which gave them an advantage when running analog VGA displays. nVidia cards were notorious for poor display quality, but this was due to the choice of components by the add in board manufacturers, not a defect of nVidia's design. When it comes to DVI, I haven't heard of this being an issue since everything stays in the digital domain.

-The Parhelia is significantly slower in 3D versus the 9700 in most games. If gaming is not a big concern, then this is not an issue.

-I haven't personally used it, but I hear that Matrox has the best multi-monitor support software (as compared to ATI/nVidia)


White94 for your 4 options:

1) If 3D is a concern (especially gaming), don't go Matrox. Not just for performance but also compatibility reasons.

2) Don't go FireGL, that's a waste of your money and total overkill.

3) If you have PCI slots to spare, then this is the best/cheapest solution. I haven't tried this on a PC, but on a Mac I've run up to 5 displays simultaneously this way without any issue. This allows you to keep a high performance card in your AGP slot for your gaming needs as long as you don't need the same type of performance on the 2nd display as well. If you go this route, get a PCI card from the same manufacturer as your AGP card: If you have an ATI card right now, get an ATI PCI card. If you have nVidia, then get nVidia PCI. This will reduce driver compatibility headaches under Windows.

4) Don't keep one display analog -- it'll drive you crazy!
 
burbel said:
I'd recommend looking into the Matrox Parhelia; the best 2D on the PC Market, dual DVI (can split the second DVI into two analog, if it's ever needed), good enough 3D (not too far behind my ATI 9700).

The Matrox can do 1600x1200x32bpp no problems, and has some good utilities included for multiple monitors (can go stretched screen - 1 taskbar covers all screens, or can go independent mode like other dual-head setups).

Normally Matrox uses better RAMDACS than the competition, which provides the cleaner images. I'm not sure, however, if that also applies/matters for DVI (I would think that it still would, since 1600x1200@any Hz is a good bit of bandwidth).

JMO, of course. :) Oh, and for running dual Dells, this setup works great (had some at work). I'm currently using 3 NEC 22" CRTs at home, but when Matrox has a 3xDVI or 4xDVI, I will move to that card and 3 or 4 Dell 2001FPs (gotta love the recent price breaks!)
Click to expand...


Just what I was looking for Burbel, thanks. Any reason to go with the 256mb over the 128?
 
Unless you're heavily into gaming, there's no need to get 256MB over 128MB. Only the very latest engines use footprints greater than 128MB so this is something that will only impact you if you demand the highest possible performance on bleeding edge games coming down the pipe.
 
Any recent nVidia card will make you VERY happy. Even some cheap FX5200's (AUD$81) have dual DVI plugs. I used to be a Matrox fan, but nVidia is beter value, cheaper and HEAPS better for games/3D... and their drivers are just as rock solid as Matrox.

Personally I wouldn't recommend ATi for dual monitors. (Sorry Arshad ;) )

But if you get an Nvidia card, get a brandname make: like Gigabyte, ASUS, Leadtek... avoid cards with no-name. Like Arshad pointed out, they can cut costs on quality.


256MB only needed at the moment for freaks running games at 1600x1200 on Max texture details (like me! :D ...oh... when i have time off work. :( )
 
White94 said:
Thanks for the help guys!

I am trying to run 2x Dell 2001FPs @ 1600x1200/ea. I've been cruising through paladin's great list, and there are getting to be many card with Dual DVI. The problem seems to be in running the resolutions at 1600x1200x2 panels.

Matrox P750 looks spec'ed to work, but no confirmation of that.
It looks like the nVidia cards max out at 1280x1024x2 panels via the reviews on Newegg. No decent ATI cards south of the FireGL, so I'll likely do one of four things:

1. sacrifice 3D, go Matrox & hope it works
2. pay through the nose for the FireGL models
3. Get a second PCI card
4. Stay with one display in standard VGA.

I am inclined to go with Door #3. Agree/Disagree?
Click to expand...

I think i have an fireGL you can have for about $25, obviously let me find out more details on it first, its dual dvi 128MB
 
Arshad:
128 it is, thanks. I used to be in into games, but just haven't had the time much lately. I'd still like the option, but it certainly wouldn't be a priority for me over anything else (image clarity, an All-In-Wonder type capability, better multiple monitor management, etc)

Neo:
I've had several of the nVidia cards prior to my ATI 9500Pro. I've been largely pleased with the drivers and 3D, but the 2D image quality doesn't seem as crisp at the ATI or Matrox. Perhaps they have fixed this? All my experience was ended with GeF2Ultra and CRT, so it might not be relevant anyway.

ktan:
If it runs 2 dvi monitors at 1600x1200x32 each in XP, I'd love it. Thanks very much for the generous offer.
 
Actually, the only thing I remember about NVidia drivers is that they do not work with multiple processor machines. Back when I had a GeForce 3, they released new drivers. Installing those on my dual proc machine caused it to BSOD on every boot (before I could get into safe mode).

Despite being aware of the problem, NVidia didn't bother creating a fix for more than 6 months; needless to say I won't be running an NVidia card again. But that's a personal issue with me; I would hope that they've gotten better recently (especially since ATI seems to be consistently winning the 3D performance awards).

As for gaming, simple 3D games such as MMORPGS work fine on the Matrox; games like Warcraft 3 and C&C Generals work OK (there could be slowdowns, you might drop the options a bit to keep the framerate solid). However, I would assume for heavy 3D games where fps is important, that this card won't cut it. Just depends on what games you play. Civilization 3 works just fine. :)

Also, one thing with Matrox - their cards don't seem to fall in price very quickly at retailers; you might consider checking on Ebay (if you're so inclined) to save a few $$$.
 
You'll usually end up paying a premium to get a Matrox, they've always been a bit pricey in terms of their performance. However I've always believe the parhelias especially just made everything look better. Who knows if its true or not.
Looking at all your options, i too would have to agree that a pci solution would be best. That way is probably the cheapest, and you can still keep a primary card that you can continue to upgrade for the performance aspect (if you ever want to install the new stuff like half life 2)
I'm still jealous to hear you running dual Dell 20's :eek:
And i thought my single 1900fp was hot stuff. :rolleyes:
Tally up another vote for ati
 
Arshad said:
White94 for your 4 options:

1) If 3D is a concern (especially gaming), don't go Matrox. Not just for performance but also compatibility reasons.

2) Don't go FireGL, that's a waste of your money and total overkill.

3) If you have PCI slots to spare, then this is the best/cheapest solution. I haven't tried this on a PC, but on a Mac I've run up to 5 displays simultaneously this way without any issue. This allows you to keep a high performance card in your AGP slot for your gaming needs as long as you don't need the same type of performance on the 2nd display as well. If you go this route, get a PCI card from the same manufacturer as your AGP card: If you have an ATI card right now, get an ATI PCI card. If you have nVidia, then get nVidia PCI. This will reduce driver compatibility headaches under Windows.

4) Don't keep one display analog -- it'll drive you crazy!
Click to expand...

Thanks Arshad-

I missed your post earlier - you must have posted it while I was typing my response. This is just what I am looking for, thanks.

New Plan:
1) get a PCI video card
2) if above looks crappy, shell out for the parhalia.

How does
this one look?
 
That sapphire card should be fine. Performance won't be all that, but it'll be perfect for driving a desktop, playing back movies etc. Should be ideal for your needs.
 
Ordered, thanks.
 
A little flaky, but overall very positive!
 

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Well, I can post my update here soon; I just ordered 4 Dell 2001FPs (good sale today), and I've already got a Parhelia and a few other cards. Nice background, btw, what OS are you running?
 
Thanks, drop me an e-mail if you want the pic. I took that on vacation last summer. I am running Win XP Pro skinned w/ coolmon.

You'll love the 2001FPs. I'm more than thrilled with my lonely 2. Let me know how the parahlia works out for you. This setup might need a video upgrade before too terribly long. This is OK, but not ideal.
 
I might want to skin my machine soon; I've been using wallpapers from 9X Media. Actually, this is for two different PCs, I'll be splitting these up. But Dell had a great deal this morning. :)
 
Yea, $609?

I paid $700ish each. If anyone is still in the market, get on this deal
 
Good point, bad of me to have not mentioned.

If you hit www.slickdeals.net, you can find a coupong code for $75 off an order of more than $525. With free shipping, you can get this for $609. If you live in Texas like me, tax puts it at $659 and change. A great LCD for the money.
 
Agreed, 2001FP is the choice LCD in my book. Good brightness, excellent response time, thin bezel and very reasonable price for the size. This is by far the best deal I have seen on them, and I have been looking for a while. I suspect this is a model clearance. I know the 1901FPs are being replaced by the 1905FPs. I suspect the same is true of the 20", but have not seen evidence of the successor yet.
 
White94 said:
Yea, $609?

I paid $700ish each. If anyone is still in the market, get on this deal
Click to expand...

You can call Dell and ask them to retro price match. It's not guaranteed but worth a shot (although it may take a while to get someone on the phone).

Did anyone see the insane laptop deal they had today?

Looks like they're trying to beef up their quarterly figures (Oct31 is fiscal quarter end).
 
White94 said:
Agreed, 2001FP is the choice LCD in my book. Good brightness, excellent response time, thin bezel and very reasonable price for the size. This is by far the best deal I have seen on them, and I have been looking for a while. I suspect this is a model clearance. I know the 1901FPs are being replaced by the 1905FPs. I suspect the same is true of the 20", but have not seen evidence of the successor yet.
Click to expand...

It wouldn't surprise me if a successor is close at hand. As good as the 2001FP is, it does have room for improvement (faster response time, blacker black, lower dead pixel rate, more consistent brightness (ie. upper right phenomenom), newer LED(?) technology coming out,...).

For me, I'm sticking with my good ole 22" NEC flat aperture CRT. :)
 

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