Omega Owners Forum

Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: tunnie on 08 August 2007, 14:31:41

Title: i.t question... dual head graphics card....
Post by: tunnie on 08 August 2007, 14:31:41
I have twin 19" tft monitors at the moment, one driven off the onboard graphics, the second, by a Matrox G400/450 on the VGA socket.

It has a spare DVi socket, which i want to use for a 3rd 19" monitor, there are several guys here who run the same setup, but the network manager has left and i am a bit stuck.

If i got into the desktop properties, it does not pick up the 3rd monior, i have also gone into the bios and switched between onboard graphics and PCI, but it still does not pick it up on either.

Monitor is a known working, and connects via a DVi to VGA adaptor, i have tried 2 adaptors, so thats not the issue.

Any ideas?
Title: Re: i.t question... dual head graphics card....
Post by: Allenm on 08 August 2007, 14:35:06
Quote
I have twin 19" tft monitors at the moment, one driven off the onboard graphics, the second, by a Matrox G400/450 on the VGA socket.

It has a spare DVi socket, which i want to use for a 3rd 19" monitor, there are several guys here who run the same setup, but the network manager has left and i am a bit stuck.

If i got into the desktop properties, it does not pick up the 3rd monior, i have also gone into the bios and switched between onboard graphics and PCI, but it still does not pick it up on either.

Monitor is a known working, and connects via a DVi to VGA adaptor, i have tried 2 adaptors, so thats not the issue.

Any ideas?

I suspect you will have to tell the matrox card to enable the DVi port, through adaptor settings/advanced.
Either that route or via the matrox utility that loads when you install the drivers (sorry, cant be specific, I have'nt got a matrox card now to look at).

HTH
Title: Re: i.t question... dual head graphics card....
Post by: Weds on 08 August 2007, 14:35:50
3, that's just being greedy... I use 2 and would hate to go back to using just one screen.

I assume you have the software installed for the Matrox card.

Title: Re: i.t question... dual head graphics card....
Post by: Jimbob on 08 August 2007, 14:40:33
Is there nothing in Display, Settings, Advanced?
I would expect one of those tabs to be matrox specifix and let you set up the 2nd (well 3rd) output.
Title: Re: i.t question... dual head graphics card....
Post by: tunnie on 08 August 2007, 16:41:31
yep poked around in the advanced settings can't see nothing, also installed the duel head drivers, which should enable it.

Trouble is i can only get a few mins here and there to try it, i should be working!  ::)
Title: Re: i.t question... dual head graphics card....
Post by: TheBoy on 08 August 2007, 19:33:34
Not sure the G400 was that good at dual head. Might be work getting something that can actually usefully drive a pair of 19s....  :-/
Title: Re: i.t question... dual head graphics card....
Post by: Kevin Wood on 08 August 2007, 20:45:55
I've got a G450 (or G550? :-/ ) at work doing dual head and it is a bit ropey.

One monitor (the main one, of course) starts up in some odd display mode where you can't see the login prompt and sorts itself out after a few minutes (not such an issue because it's just about as long as it takes the coffee machine to furnish me with a double espresso).

It tends to flicker and redraw the display at random too. I had hassles to get it to do dual head in the first place, and certainly had to install a different driver, and IIRC, I went through a few before I got a combination that (sort of) works.

Maybe the dual head mode is not co-operating with the other card in there?

As TB says, I'd be thinking about ditching the Matrox card at this point.

Only application I've seen for triple head is the glider simulator a couple of guys at the gliding club built. 3 DLP projectors with screens in front of the front half of an old glider fuselage giving 18o degree coverage, pots attached to the control linkages. It's awesome!

Kevin

Title: Re: i.t question... dual head graphics card....
Post by: Taxi_Driver on 09 August 2007, 18:52:56
I think the easy answer is shove another graphics card in it Tunnie....i used to have a dell with 3 screens on it......but three seperate cards  :y
Title: Re: i.t question... dual head graphics card....
Post by: tunnie on 09 August 2007, 23:08:47
yeah i am thinking 3 cards, some people at work, run 3 monitors, 2 off a dual head, and one off the onboard.

Think it might be better to source a card from someware and put that in, if work will let me!

might have a dig around see if there are any cards lying around!  ::)
Title: Re: i.t question... dual head graphics card....
Post by: Kevin Wood on 09 August 2007, 23:20:33
I have a feeling the triple head system I referred to just has the one card.

Has the machine got express PCI ? Just thinking otherwise 2 of the cards will be a bit slow.

Kevin
Title: Re: i.t question... dual head graphics card....
Post by: tunnie on 10 August 2007, 06:20:35
Quote
I have a feeling the triple head system I referred to just has the one card.

Has the machine got express PCI ? Just thinking otherwise 2 of the cards will be a bit slow.

Kevin

not had a chance to open it up, one is built onto the mother board, other one looks standard PCI to me...