Dual monitor computer

[cstocks]

Recently my computer video card died so I shopped around on the internet for a new card to replace it. I wanted to buy a good one because the last card had poor resolution and viewing photos and other graphics was a disappointment. I shopped around and compared brands and prices and features and finally picked one out and had it shipped to my house.

One side benefit of this new card, which is made by NVidia, is that it has connections for two monitors. I never thought I would get a second monitor so I did not give that feature much thought when I bought the card. However, a couple of weeks ago it rained at work and the roof leaked and a Dell monitor which was sitting under the leak got wet. The monitor appeared to have shorted out and the IT contractor replaced it with a new monitor and I was told to dump the shorted one in the dumpster. Instead of tossing it I asked if I could have it and I was told I could. I had a hunch that maybe the monitor would still work once it dried out since I have seen the same thing happen to keyboards before.

So I brought the monitor home and plugged it and and guess what? It worked as good as new. I looked at the video card connectors on the back of my computer and saw that I needed an adapter before I could plug the monitor in. I bought the adapter and set up the second monitor tonight and made some neat discoveries.

For one, when I click on a link here in the forums, instead of the new page popping up on top of my TBN screen the linked page pops up on the other monitor screen. Cool!

After making this nice l'il discovery I had a thought. I wonder what happens when I get pop ups. So I went to a website that I knew would hit me with pop ups and sure enough, the pesky pop ups appeared on the second screen! Too cool! Instead of the PITA pop ups getting in the way they are conveniently stashed on the second screen where I can delete them at my leisure.

I am still playing with this new dual monitor concept and have made a couple of other observations. I can keep my e-mail on one screen while I surf the net or play a video game on the other screen. If I want to buy or sell a stock I can put live quotes on one screen while I set up my buy/sell on the other screen and make quicker executions of my trades. I am trying to figure out how to open a book in Excel and spread it across both screens.

Having two monitors has opened up new possibilities for how to optimize my computer and making my internet experience a lot more interesting and efficient. Does anyone else have two monitors on their computer? Do you know or can you think of any other ways I can utilize both monitors?

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

I don't have the dual monitor set up but I've seen it. I use the reverse quite often. My monitor has a second input that pops out from the side. I can plug a second PC in and just switch back and forth. It's really handy when I want to set up a PC for someone and transfer software from one to another with something like Laplink.

I'm glad you like your setup. It sounds like it sure has some nice features and benefits for you. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[cstocks]

A monitor with a second input....hmmm, never saw one like that. That is an interesting concept. Where would you buy a monitor like that? Never saw one at the computer stores...

 

[Richard]

Bought new system from Gateway, got their 21 inch "Diamondtron NF" monitor, model "VX1120" and it has duel input with an "a/b" switch on the front.

I don't know who the real manufacturer is.

Also, the monitor is flat vertically and horizontally (but otherwise is a behemouth).

 

[wasabi]

Chris,

I've been running three monitors both at home and at my office for about four years. Trouble free! I do a lot of multi-tasking in my financial management business....charts, graphs, research, spreadsheets and word processing. I keep outlook on my left screen so I always have instant access to phone numbers, calander and e-mail. I generally have the internet on the center screen so I can stay in touch with TBN /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif. Most times an interactive charting/quote system is resident to the right. I have them arranged in a corner so all are at a glance. It works well for me and is easy to set up. Enjoy!

 

[wasabi]

<font color=blue>"I am trying to figure out how to open a book in Excel and spread it across both screens."</font color=blue>

Chris,

Depending on your OS and software versions, you should be able to easily open multiple windows and either size them to fit on one screen or use more than one. Then, just hop from window to window to cut, paste and/or link your data. You can also grab the edge of an Excel window and drag it across multiple screens, but I don't personally find that especially useful....I would rather use several sheets with auto links than have one big one.

 

[cstocks]

Richard,

One of the monitors I use at work is a 20" flat screen and it is huge. It has a great picture but what a monstrosity!

I will be glad when the flat panel monitor prices come down to earth. They have already come down a lot but it is still obscene what they want for a 19" monitor. It will probably be a couple of more years before they are affordable.

One of the connectors on my video card is for a flat panel or digital monitor and I had to order an adapter off the internet before I could connect the second monitor. The picture and resolution are not as good on the "gimme" monitor, which I have connected through the adapter. It seemed to have a good picture when it was hooked up at work so I have to wonder if the picture is substandard because the connection is designed for a different type of monitor or if it just looks bad in comparison to my primary monitor, which is brand new.

Since the Dell monitor resolution is not as good I will probably use it for my email and less graphic intense applications. But for a freebee I ain't complainin'!

 

[cstocks]

Doug,

Three monitors! Whoa! You really have it going there, don't you? And you have the most important screen displayed in the middle./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

I can either drag an Excel window across both screens or click on an added little green button at the top right hand corner (next to the minimize, restore and close buttons) to open it across both screens but the actual Excel frame or panel or whatever you call it is only on the left screen. The right screen is a blank grey screen with the two sets of buttons in the top right corner. Like you, I really don't have a need to spread it across both screens but I thought it would be neat if I could figure out how to do it.

 

[DocHeb]

<font color=blue>"I will be glad when the flat panel monitor prices come down to earth. They have already come down a lot but it is still obscene what they want for a 19" monitor. "</font color=blue>

The usable, viewable areas on Flat Screens and CRTs are not equivalent. My 15" flat screen gives the same viewable area as my old 17" CRT. Accordingly, a 19" flat screen will display the equivalent of a 21" CRT. That's a lot of screen real estate.

 

[cstocks]

Chris,

You are right about the viewing area being larger. I did not realize that until I had to shop for a new monitor last month.

While shopping and comparing I looked at the limited selection of monitors they had at Office Depot and made another observation. The flat panel monitors have a far superior picture to a flat screen or regular display. I was amazed because I had no idea the flat panel monitors looked that good. I thought the only selling point flat panel monitors had was their smaller size but I was wrong about that. The picture quality on a flat panel monitor is clearly superior to what you see on a regular or flat display monitor.