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Forums -> UltraMon™ -> different video cards, different resolutions
Kevin Risdon   2001-03-26 00:09
I'm new to multi monitors, so I have some questions.
1. Can you use two different brands of video card, or do they have to be the same?
2. If one monitor supports, say, 1600 x 1200, and the second one only supports 1024 x 768,
can I run both monitors at different resolutions?
3. Can I split a program like Photoshop between the two monitors?
4. In Win2000, do I designate one of the video cards as a primary, or are they treated
equally?

Thanks very much for your time.

Kevin Risdon
FutileBorg   2001-03-26 02:00
>1. Can you use two different brands of video >card, or do they have to be the same?

You can use different brand cards. *HOWEVER* you CANNOT use a S3 chipset video card as your secondary adapter (such as S3 Virge PCI). I learned the hard way. There's an entry on MS's website about this I can show you if you want.


>2. If one monitor supports, say, 1600 x 1200, >and the second one only supports 1024 x 768,
>can I run both monitors at different >resolutions?

Yes, each monitor can have its own color depth and resolution.


>3. Can I split a program like Photoshop between >the two monitors?

Yeah, each additional monitor is treated like an extention to your desktop. That means you can move windows around as much as your heart desires.


>4. In Win2000, do I designate one of the video >cards as a primary, or are they treated
>equally?

Yes, one of the video cards is designated as primary and all additional ones as secondary. Each monitor is given a number.

Here's a screen shot from my computer :)
Screen Shot
Christian Studer   2001-03-26 02:10
1. You can use different brands. See the shopping guide for some suggestions for a secondary card, or search the compatibility database. Any card should work as primary (this is usually the AGP card).

2. Different resolutions and colordepth work fine.

3. Yes. This works very well for applications that have lots of windows.

4. One card is always primary. This is the one that will be used by games and other fullscreen applications.

Christian Studer
www.realtimesoft.com
FutileBorg   2001-03-26 02:42
Oh woops I forgot to mention that the S3 thing only applies to Windows 2000, sorry!
Forums -> UltraMon™ -> different video cards, different resolutions

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