New 3 moniter setup

Discussion in 'General Chat' started by bigrollerdave, Oct 10, 2006.

  1. #1
    Dual video cards - Geforce 6600GT AGP & Geforce 6200 PCI
    [​IMG]


    At this point only 1 monitor is up and running lets install the drivers
    [​IMG]


    Reboot shows 2 working moniters...Hmm okay lets tweak it a little bit
    [​IMG]


    After some tweaking and one last reboot shows 3 working monitors
    [​IMG]


    Setup Hardware
    Samsung SyncMaster 940BW (3)
    2 Nvidia Graphics Cards - 6600GT AGP & 6200 PCI
    New Surge Protector

    Setup Software
    Nvidia Geforce Drivers
    Samsung Monitor Drivers
    Nvidia Control Panel

    Total Cost
    Less then a days worth of pay

    Total Time
    30 min to debox and put together all the monitors
    10 min to install the video cards
    1 hour to install the software
    -----------------------------------------------
    1 hour 40 minutes total

    The Good
    I now have 3 monitors for a total resolution of 4320x900
    Great for multitasking
    Easier on the eyes then the old 40"
    Great for gaming also (when I take a break from working that is)

    The Bad
    I have no desk space anymore
    The 40" was cheaper then this setup
    Takes some getting used to

    Conclusion
    If you're a web developer and you're constantly shrinking / maximizing programs this setup will be perfect for you. If you're the everyday average internet user the only real benefit you will get out of it is bragging rights, I would go with a 2 monitor setup if you fall into this category.

    Reason For Making This Thread
    The reason I made this was mainly out of boredom, but also they're aren't too many helpful sites when it comes to 3 monitor setups. I was looking and looking and looking yesterday for reviews and what not and found nothing. So I figured I would write my own review give it a good thread title and maybe google and yahoo will index it close to the top. I hope this helps anyone who is looking to get a setup like this.


    P.S. The thread looked cooler but I had to change it seeing how you can only post 4 images per post I guess.
    P.S.S. All pics are from my cellphone that's why the quality sucks

    Thanks
     
    bigrollerdave, Oct 10, 2006 IP
  2. T0PS3O

    T0PS3O Feel Good PLC

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    #2
    And just to add some troubleshooting tips: If you have a lot of PCI/AGP cards in your MoBo it can cause conflicts with your IRQs. Space the video cards out as much as you can if you are having any issues with this. It took me a few days and messing with different cards to get this going.
     
    T0PS3O, Oct 10, 2006 IP
  3. bigrollerdave

    bigrollerdave Well-Known Member

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    #3
    Yeah that's why I also opted to use 2 of the same video cars, so the drivers wouldn't conflict.
     
    bigrollerdave, Oct 10, 2006 IP
  4. Subzero

    Subzero Well-Known Member

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    #4
    Now you will be three times more productive. :p
     
    Subzero, Oct 10, 2006 IP
  5. charless

    charless Banned

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    #5
    It's funny how you can post a page long thread getting all of your details right except for the title (moniter). Anyways, nice setup!
     
    charless, Oct 10, 2006 IP
  6. bigrollerdave

    bigrollerdave Well-Known Member

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    #6
    I can only hope, the girlfriend might hope other wise though lol

    Haha I didn't notice that, thanks for the complement though.
     
    bigrollerdave, Oct 10, 2006 IP
  7. DarkAge

    DarkAge Active Member

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    #7
    cool, so what resolution are you running ?
     
    DarkAge, Oct 10, 2006 IP
  8. bigrollerdave

    bigrollerdave Well-Known Member

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    #8
    1440x900 per monitor 32 bit of course 75hertz refresh rate
     
    bigrollerdave, Oct 10, 2006 IP
  9. debunked

    debunked Prominent Member

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    #9
    now you need to go take a basic photography class or get a new camera or both. LOL

    And then a math class:
    you are running 4320 X 900

    (unless you are running 3 monitors accross by 3 tall with a total of 9 screens)


    BTW, nice setup.
     
    debunked, Oct 10, 2006 IP
  10. bigrollerdave

    bigrollerdave Well-Known Member

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    #10
    Haha I edited my first post to say that I was using my cellphone for the pics. Yeah I guess it would be 4320x900 because the moniters are side by side, which wouldn'y increase the height. No one said I was perfect lol, 9 screens doesn't sound too bad though.....hmmm
     
    bigrollerdave, Oct 10, 2006 IP
  11. disgust

    disgust Guest

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    #11
    that last picture hurt my eyes ;)

    multiple monitors are very, very nice. I've got two 19" LCDs. I almost regret buying them and wish I would've waited for one of the 30" dell widescreen LCDs though. (they weren't out at the time)
     
    disgust, Oct 10, 2006 IP
  12. bigrollerdave

    bigrollerdave Well-Known Member

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    #12
    I thought about getting the Dell, I then thought about getting dual 26" Dells. I'm not sure what made me go with the 3 moniter setup though just something new I guess.

    +Sorry for the poor quality pictures
     
    bigrollerdave, Oct 10, 2006 IP
  13. PalSys

    PalSys palsys.io

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    #13
    Very nice setup. I use my 42" LCD television for a dual screen when I need it, but a nice setup like that would make multitasking far easier.
     
    PalSys, Oct 10, 2006 IP
  14. bigrollerdave

    bigrollerdave Well-Known Member

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    #14
    Well after using it for about 7 hours so far I must admin I'm loving it. I can multitask so much easier then before which leads to more work being done.
     
    bigrollerdave, Oct 10, 2006 IP
  15. timsdd

    timsdd Peon

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    #15
    nice!
    I love the summary/breakdown!

    The good, the bad, the ugly ;0
     
    timsdd, Oct 10, 2006 IP
  16. disgust

    disgust Guest

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    #16
    it'll get better. for me there was definitely an adjustment period. it felt so foreign at first. got a lot better and multitasking with multiple screens the longer I'd had it.

    I'd also suggest ultramon to manage things. freeware, iirc.
     
    disgust, Oct 10, 2006 IP
  17. bigrollerdave

    bigrollerdave Well-Known Member

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    #17
    Awesome to hear the first hour or so I was like man I can't get used to this. After an hour though I was like I love this.
     
    bigrollerdave, Oct 10, 2006 IP
  18. disgust

    disgust Guest

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    #18
    [​IMG]

    not quite as impressive. when I bought them, ~450 to 500$ a piece for decent 19" LCDs was a great deal.
     
    disgust, Oct 10, 2006 IP
  19. bigrollerdave

    bigrollerdave Well-Known Member

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    #19
    Still impressive. I like seeing 2+ monitor setups. I paid 210$ a piece per monitor and 400$ in video cards.
     
    bigrollerdave, Oct 10, 2006 IP
  20. Jelf

    Jelf Banned

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    #20
    can I have your old 40 inch plz ;)
     
    Jelf, Oct 10, 2006 IP