Dual monitor set up

**Mr. Anderson** · June 23rd, 2004, 09:17 PM

I have a BFG5700 U video card and I just hooked up a second monitor. Can I not play video games in horizontal span? Becuase I can't get it to work. I'm using a 17 lcd and a 17 crt. Anyway I can get this set up so the games look wider(2 monitors)?

**DallasDon** · June 24th, 2004, 07:15 AM

There are three ways to set up multiple monitors.

Indedpendant - Windows load in the primary monitor, and you move them to a secondary monitor
Cloning - all monitors display the same thing.
Spanning- the desktop spanns across multiple monitors, this is what you want.

Your N-View software on the driver CD has a proggy that (was) called NVidia Desktop manager.

Install it, run the demos, and maybe print the manual off the CD.

The desktop manager allows you to program "profiles", like spanning at certan resolutions for gaming, and another profile for desktop work, independent monitors.

Then it's a snap to change profiles, without changing all those settings manually.

Hopefully this will get you started in the right direction....

**GroundZero3** · June 24th, 2004, 07:35 AM

Dallas does the game have to support dual monitors? i have tried this several times and it could never seem to get it working. I could only get it to load up one monitor.

i have a lan party tonight at work, i will try the spanning option you mentioned.

i found this article

http://graphics.tomshardware.com/gra...216/index.html

Dallas with spanning will it scretch out the entire game onto both screens for ultimate gaming pleasures?

Games that truly take advantage of multi-displays are even harder to find. The most well known are Egosoft's X2 - The Threat (since v1.1) and Microsoft's Flight Simulator 9 - A Century of Flight.

**Mr. Anderson** · June 24th, 2004, 01:05 PM

cool I will check the N view desk top manager out.

**Cook_1** · June 24th, 2004, 01:43 PM

Ok, question, why have duel monitors?

**DallasDon** · June 25th, 2004, 05:01 AM

GZ, to be honest, I haven't used the spanning option. I use multiple monitors to play two or three online games at once, and for multitasking.

I belive that spanning is best used in a QUAD-tiled array to perserve the aspect ratio (width/height).

I would be curious to know if current games can support dual or triple width aspect ratios, or merely "stretch" the available screen.

Ok, question, why have duel monitors?

Number of reasons. Great for reading a tutorial, while doing the task on second monitor.

Monitor contacts and IM"S on a secondary monitor.

Watch King Kong and play two poker games at the same time:

**Kruzin** · June 25th, 2004, 10:13 AM

Once you've used multi-monitors, you'll never want to go back to a single display.
I run dualhead at work (great for CAD), and triplehead at home (surround gaming is the only way to go

).

There are a lot of games that will support a stretched desktop, and allow you to adjust the FOV to keep the picture looking right. If you check the gaming forum at MURC (link in my profile), you'll see that there are some dedicated surround gamers still finding new games that work on multi-display.

However, most games that do work are not easy to play on just a dualhead setup. The focus of your view, along with your crosshairs (if it's a shooter) will end up split between the two screens. It's just hard to aim when your crosshairs are split in half and separated by 2-3 inches of monitor bezel. Triplehead surround is much more usable, as the center screen looks like a normal single screen setup, and the left and right displays provide a great periferal view...