Need a solution

[Griefer]

I was thinking the other day about getting a tri monitor setup. So I started searching around and found out about surround gaming. This looks cool but I have a 22" monitor and this looks like it only works well for 4:3 monitors, while I wanted to order two more 22" monitors or one 22" and a center 24". So I have some questions...

Can you run this with 3 1650X1050 monitors and still have it look good in games?

I do a lot of multimedia and graphic work so having screens that aren't at their native resolution will be a problem. Anyway around this?

[Vroshnak]

The new TripleHead2Go Digital Edition has one 16:10 widescreen solution ...

3840x800 (triple 1280x800) 60Hz ... 3 x 16:10

So using this you will not have a distorted image ... assuming your monitors can do 1280x800.

This link has all the details.

[url]http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/node/7651]

Other discussion about 16:10 monitors and TH2Go... Matrox blames GPUs and Windows Desktop for not having triple 1680x1050 ability...

[url]http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/node/8171]

[Griefer]

Well I just found out about SoftTH... But even using that I wouldn't be able to run programs such as photoshop, flash, ect. across 3 monitors at their native resolution would I?

[JKeefe]

It is relatively simple to use the TripleHead2Go to drive 3 monitors at once for gaming, but only a single monitor on the windows desktop. Use the second ouput of your primary GPU to drive one side monitor, and get a cheap secondary GPU to drive the other side monitor. For productive 2D work this is the way to go anyway, since the Matrox software results in a rather poor productivity experience on the Windows desktop.

[JKeefe]

Other discussion about 16:10 monitors and TH2Go... Matrox blames GPUs and Windows Desktop for not having triple 1680x1050 ability...

[url]http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/node/8171]

I've been meaning to find out how true that is. Can someone with multiple GPU outputs and large widescreen monitors see if they can run a 3-monitor windows desktop using triple 1680x1050? Paddy? If Windows can handle three separate monitors each at 1680x1050, I don't see why it couldn't handle a single "monitor" at 5040x1050.

[Griefer]

So what your saying is that there isn't a way to run multi-task across the 3 monitors? If not I guess I could always drive two of them with the desktop and then the other with my macbook, but I would have to multi-task across 2 computers which I don't know if I could handle well. Can you do this in osx at all?

[Paddy the Wak]

Paddy? If Windows can handle three separate monitors each at 1680x1050, I don't see why it couldn't handle a single "monitor" at 5040x1050.

On my second system in my sig (FX-55) ... I run 3 x 1920x1200 from Windows ... no TH2G.
I can of course also run 3 x 1680x1050 on there too.
I used to play games in Widescreen on the centre one but these days I just use it for my work ... Photoshop etc.
I tried Soft-TH once quite a while ago but I found it was too much of a fiddle-faddle to get it going.
I didn't like the analogue TH2G Widescreen resolutions as they were too low and not being 16:10 didn't help.

The 3 x 1280x800 with the DTH2G is still too low for me ... so I have never tried it.

I also find 3x24" monitors almost too wide/too big ... for non gaming activities.
The best solution I think would be a Widescreen in the middle with at least 1680x1050 and two 4:3 of 5:4 monitors on the sides ...

Imagine 1600x1200 ... 1920x1200 ... 1600x1200 ... it would be perfect !
I'm not sure that any system with the latest games would run too well though with that/those resolutions.

[JKeefe]

So what your saying is that there isn't a way to run multi-task across the 3 monitors? If not I guess I could always drive two of them with the desktop and then the other with my macbook, but I would have to multi-task across 2 computers which I don't know if I could handle well. Can you do this in osx at all?

No, you're misunderstanding. Of course there's a way to multitask across all three. The simplest way to do this is to use the TripleHead2Go triple widescreen resolution of 1280x800. The problem with this is that your aren't running your monitors at their native resolution. My solution to use a second cheap GPU and run each monitor at 1680x1050 on the Windows desktop was offered so that you could do 2D work on three monitors all at their native resolution. An added benefit to this approach is the you don't have to use the Matrox software for desktop managment across three monitors, because that software is not very goo.

[MobsterOO7]

[quote]So what your saying is that there isn't a way to run multi-task across the 3 monitors? If not I guess I could always drive two of them with the desktop and then the other with my macbook, but I would have to multi-task across 2 computers which I don't know if I could handle well. Can you do this in osx at all?

No, you're misunderstanding. Of course there's a way to multitask across all three. The simplest way to do this is to use the TripleHead2Go triple widescreen resolution of 1280x800. The problem with this is that your aren't running your monitors at their native resolution. My solution to use a second cheap GPU and run each monitor at 1680x1050 on the Windows desktop was offered so that you could do 2D work on three monitors all at their native resolution. An added benefit to this approach is the you don't have to use the Matrox software for desktop managment across three monitors, because that software is not very goo.

When switching between windows seeing all 3 monitors individually for 2D apps and windows seeing the TH2GO for 3D gaming, don't all your desktop icons get reset to the default positions?

As somebody who is looking to get a TH2GO setup, coming from a multiple monitor environment, this is intriguing. Also, can't you use Ultramon to do this?

[JKeefe]

Nope, my desktop icons don't move. The desktop resolution never changes; for me it's 3x1280x960 or 3x1024x768, on three separate monitors. When Windows switches to 3D it changes the resolution of the center "monitor" to a triplehead resolution. When you do this with dual-input monitors (you need dual-input monitors to do this) the Windows desktop on the side monitors is unnafected by the switch in monitor input.

The whole idea of dooing this is so you can use programs like Ultramon - so you can get a true multi-screen Windows desktop and not the fake one that Matrox software gives you.

[Griefer]

So what setup would you guys recommend? I have one 22" monitor but I'm willing to sell it and buy a 24" and then two 20". Or could just buy two more 22"... idk though lol.

[MobsterOO7]

JKeefe, you mean that when you click on a game shortcut Ultramon automatically switches to the TH2GO, and then when the game is exited it switches back? All automatically? I guess I need to look deeper into Ultramon's settings. :?

[[email protected]]

I would but 3 5:4 1280*1024 monitors and have your widescreen as a secondary view for winamp or something

[JKeefe]

JKeefe, you mean that when you click on a game shortcut Ultramon automatically switches to the TH2GO, and then when the game is exited it switches back? All automatically? I guess I need to look deeper into Ultramon's settings. :?

Ultramon doesn't do any switching. The input to my center monitro is always coming through ,my TripleHead2Go. On the Windows desktop this input is a single screen resolution. When I start a game in a triplehead resolution the output to the side monitors is activated. Each side monitor's second input is connected to the TripleHead2Go. I switch the input on the side monitors and game in triplehead.

[MobsterOO7]

Ultramon doesn't do any switching. The input to my center monitro is always coming through ,my TripleHead2Go. On the Windows desktop this input is a single screen resolution. When I start a game in a triplehead resolution the output to the side monitors is activated.

But how does this work? When you start the game how does it know to switch the side monitors from your video cards input to the TH2GO? Also how does alt-tabbing out of game work with this kind of setup? Doesn't seem like it would work well to me.

[JKeefe]

I switch the side monitor inputs myself. There is a slider switch to go between inputs 1 and 2 on the front of my monitors. If I alt-tab and need to see something on the side screens, I just switch the input back.

It works well, trust me.

[MobsterOO7]

Well actually what I meant to say was how does windows know to switch from video card output for the for the side monitors, to just the TH2GO?

[Mesh]

Imagine 1600x1200 ... 1920x1200 ... 1600x1200 ... it would be perfect !
I'm not sure that any system with the latest games would run too well though with that/those resolutions.

Someone did that already didn't they? they had some racing game on em with 3 dell monitors.

Think a 1920x1080 center and 2 1680x1050 flipped 90 deg. would work?

[Tucson]

Yeah but I don't think Race07 is considered the cutting edge of racing engines. Good game but not graphically, imo.

DiRT, in the otherhand...

[JKeefe]

Well actually what I meant to say was how does windows know to switch from video card output for the for the side monitors, to just the TH2GO?

There is no switching. My TripleHead2Go is connected to my primary video card's primary output. On the desktop this output is single-screen. In gaming this output is triplehead. The other output to the side monitors is never turned off, and if during gaming I switch the side monitor inputs, I asee Windows desktop instead of game.

Think of it like this: if I have 3 dual-input monitors and I switch the two side monitors, I effectively have 5 monitors. Switching the side monitor inputs is the electronic equivalent of physically moving two desktop monitors to the back of my desk and placing two gaming monitors in front of them. If I do this, the desktop never goes away from the two monitors I've placed in the rear.