Dual monitors setup question - Win7

I have a circa 2010 Compaq desktop. It'll have to do until I can upgrade. Many years ago, I installed a GTX 550Ti video card and disabled the on-board video card.

So now a pal gave me an old 4:3 19" monitor, and I'd like to run dual monitors. The video card has two outputs.

Should I plug both monitors into the video card, or re-enable on-board video and use that for the 2nd monitor? Please explain your answer in layman's terms

I have a card like yours and win7- I just plug 2 monitors into the card, right click the desktop, click 'screen resolution' and BAM it should be plug and play. assuming this old monitor doesn't need an adapter.

Careful, though, once you go 2 monitors, you can't go back.

Lastly, your card only has 2 outputs? Mine has 3 (2 normal looking ones, 1 mini HDMI) though I think it can only run 2 monitors at a time. I think mine is a 550ti 2gb, but I could be wrong. I think it's EVGA, as well. I can't see the writing through all the wires, though.

Yep, I've had two monitors for six months and it is ducking awesome. But I have no idea how the magic makes the little arrow jump from screen to screen like that. And take a page with it. My mind if completely blown with the awesomeness of two monitors.

Both monitors, same card. Winkey+P to extend

I run dual 24s at work, it almost makes me sad when I have to work from home on just a single monitor.

It really is one of those things that you don't realize how great it is until you do it.

JThw8 wrote: I run dual 24s at work, it almost makes me sad when I have to work from home on just a single monitor. It really is one of those things that you don't realize how great it is until you do it.

Me too! Productivity goes way up. I negotiated for a large monitor when they hired me. Didn't know I would get two monitors. 24" is now the company standard.

When I moved to my new office, IT set up the monitors wrong. The cursor would go to the right on the left monitor and stop, then go left and it would jump to the right of the right monitor. Freaked me out! Fortunately its an easy click to fix!

I've got dual monitors at work. A cool little trick for multitasking is to use the Windows button and the arrow keys to make a window snap to different areas of the screens, or to the next screen over.

I've had dual monitors since early into XP days. I don't think I could ever go back. Just having a full screen to edit in Photoshop (and recently Go Pro video editing) while all the menu's and accessories are on the other monitor is completely worth it.

EvanR wrote: Should I plug both monitors into the video card, or re-enable on-board video and use that for the 2nd monitor? Please explain your answer in layman's terms

For a layman it doesn't make any difference. To get more technical about it, plugging both into the external card and disabling the onboard video will save a tiny amount of power and free up a small amount of RAM.

Rufledt wrote: Careful, though, once you go 2 monitors, you can't go back.

This. I have dual 24's at work, hoping to get triples soon.

Makes the 32" lcd tv at home inadequate :(

GameboyRMH wrote:

EvanR wrote: Should I plug both monitors into the video card, or re-enable on-board video and use that for the 2nd monitor? Please explain your answer in layman's terms

For a layman it doesn't make any difference. To get more technical about it, plugging both into the external card and disabling the onboard video will save a tiny amount of power and free up a small amount of RAM.

Also, depending on the onboard video, you can't enable them both.

trucke wrote:

JThw8 wrote: I run dual 24s at work, it almost makes me sad when I have to work from home on just a single monitor. It really is one of those things that you don't realize how great it is until you do it.

Me too! Productivity goes way up. I negotiated for a large monitor when they hired me. Didn't know I would get two monitors. 24" is now the company standard. When I moved to my new office, IT set up the monitors wrong. The cursor would go to the right on the left monitor and stop, then go left and it would jump to the right of the right monitor. Freaked me out! Fortunately its an easy click to fix!

Dual 24s here as well. It would be nearly impossible to do my job without them.

At home though, the triple 27s are great for iRacing.

MCarp22 wrote:

GameboyRMH wrote:

EvanR wrote: Should I plug both monitors into the video card, or re-enable on-board video and use that for the 2nd monitor? Please explain your answer in layman's terms

For a layman it doesn't make any difference. To get more technical about it, plugging both into the external card and disabling the onboard video will save a tiny amount of power and free up a small amount of RAM.

Also, depending on the onboard video, you can't enable them both.

This.

The other thing I recommend (which for some reason a lot of people don't do) is to make the RIGHT monitor primary. That means the Start menu and taskbar stuff is mostly grouped near the center of your monitor spread, rather than waaaaaay over at the left and right extremes.

Ok, I've got a laptop that has a video card that output to 3 monitors, however, it only has one port.

When attached to my dock at work, it runs 2 monitors.

Can I get a splitter that will turn a single output into two?

There's no such thing as a "video splitter" (unless you want 2 copies of the same video signal!) but there is such a thing as an external video adapter, which is what's in your laptop's dock. You can get USB video adapters for $50~100.

my dual monitors don't match, one is a 21" widescreen monitor, the other is a 32" LCD TV. I checked though and I do have a 550TI 2gb (probably what you have) and I can run diablo 3 on one at max video settings, and star trek online on the other at full settings. It's a very good card for cheap.

So yeaaah, obviously dual monitors increases productivity... yeah. I mean, before there was no way I could watch youtube while watching netflix.

z31maniac wrote:

trucke wrote:

JThw8 wrote: I run dual 24s at work, it almost makes me sad when I have to work from home on just a single monitor. It really is one of those things that you don't realize how great it is until you do it.

Me too! Productivity goes way up. I negotiated for a large monitor when they hired me. Didn't know I would get two monitors. 24" is now the company standard. When I moved to my new office, IT set up the monitors wrong. The cursor would go to the right on the left monitor and stop, then go left and it would jump to the right of the right monitor. Freaked me out! Fortunately its an easy click to fix!

Dual 24s here as well. It would be nearly impossible to do my job without them. At home though, the triple 27s are great for iRacing.

I'm jealous.

Dual 24s at work, dual 23s at home. I have found myself doing stuff recently where I would enjoy a 3rd monitor.

Quite a few people here are running 4 monitors (2x2 grid).

Curse you people! My system has a decent video card with two outputs. It never occurred to me to run two monitors. Until now. I'll have to see if I can push enough of this clutter aside to fit another monitor on my desk.

PHeller wrote: Can I get a splitter that will turn a single output into two?

If you have a displayport 1.2 connector on your laptop, you could daisy chain a pair of displayport 1.2 enabled monitors such as Dell's U2414h.