Two video cards for dual monitor. Works fine? Suggestions for the second one, please!

[Gustavo Godinho]

Hi.

I have a geforce2 mx400/440 and want a dual monitor system. Buying a second video card is a good choice? Can I buy a cheap 32mb and it´ll work fine? Which one you guys suggest (a cheap suggestion, please!)? And an important question: the screen will be perfecly splited OR the software won´t be able to "understand" I´ll be using two monitors? How can I solve this problem?

[Glenn Chan]

The cheapest way to get dual monitors would be to pick either:
A- a PCI video card (Matrox is nice)
B- a dual monitor AGP card (my order of preference would be Matrox/Nvidia followed slightly by ATI)
Get either of the above off eBay.

ATI I don't like because their drivers don't support a taskbar over two monitors.

2- With Ultramon (shareware) or whatever drivers your video card has, you should be able to do whatever combination of resolutions and refresh rates on both monitors you want.

[Rob Lohman]

Gustavo: if you want a second card (instead of a dualhead card)
it might be best to try testing PCI card you want to buy first if
that is possible. Sometimes there can be a conflict between an
AGP and PCI brand/model.

Keep in mind that WINDOWS does the actual desktop splitting
and takes care of everything. Not all applications support or work
on the second monitor.

If a problem does not work it usually has problems with video
overlay and things like that. Most current versions of NLE's should
not have a problem.

If a program does not SUPPORT dual monitor you may not be able
to resize it accross two screens or put palletes out of the main
windows.

The Windows maximize button will still only maximize accross ONE
screen. If you want the application to extend accross two screens
you can resize it so manually.

Some applications support dragging different pallets (colors,
preview windows, settings windows etc.) accross to a second
monitor when the main windows is (maximized) on the first
monitor.

When an application does not support this (ie, dragging it's
Windows outside the application window) simply resize the
application accross the two screens as outlined above.

[Trey Perrone]

yea windows does the splitting.

if you resize you window (i.e. i set my Vegas screen manually across two screens) then you can toggle between the maximize button (for full ONE screen) or back to the stretch across that you specify by manually draggin the window frames. Windows (Microsoft) will remember the setting.

also, if yo get dual head card it will come with its own software for manipulating much of this. I know personally the ATI software does do this, but the screens have to be set at exaclty the same size. i dont even utilize the ati software (except for virtual desktops).

a cheap card will do, i run a third monitor off an old voodoo 16 MB that was a real hellraiser 6 years ago when i first got it...my how times have changed.