Windows 7: 3+ monitor support in Win 7

Hi everybody,

I have been searching for quite some time for multiple monitor solutions. What I want is the ability to split my desktop between three monitors (no gaming). This is so I can have video lectures on one monitor, write on another, and have resource data on the third. I'm sick of switching between views to get data.

I have found the ATI 5750 video card, which supports 3 monitors with Eyefinity, but you MUST use a Display Port hookup for one monitor. If you don't have a Diplay Port monitor, then you must get an active adapter, which is backordered everywhere. (Plus it is expensive...)



I want to either slap two slim video cards into a system or use the onboard video and put in one more video card to get 3 to 4 monitor support. I know that in theory they must have like drivers to be used in Windows under the new setup (wince Vista).

What are my options? Has anyone gotten a triple or quad video setup to work under Windows 7? What hardware do you have and what'd it cost? (I want to do this under $200-ish.)

Thanks!
Dave

Eyefinity aside, each graphic card can support, now-adays, up to 2 monitors. So, if you want 3, you need pretty much a SLi (nVidia)/Crossfire (ATi/AMD) (i.e. two graphic cards) for the third monitor. If you want a third monitor on a single card, I'm sorry to say but, ATi with Eyefinity is the only solution to you. Btw, all drivers for nVidia and ATi/AMD has Windows 7 drivers with multiple monitors support. No problems there.

Well, there is an option and it doesn't require the Active DisplayPort-to-DVI or HDMI adapter. There is a DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter found here. The negative, obviously, is that you run one monitor via VGA. If it is not a knock for you, then go for it.

I can verify that it works--as I purchased one earlier this week and I am using it right now.

If you have an AMD chipset motherboard with onboard HD3200, HD 3300, HD4200 etc., you can add in an additional ATI graphics card and use SurroundView, which combines all the outputs and enables you to output up to 4 displays.

How is it playing with 3 monitors like that? Do the bezels on each monitor get in the way, or do you not really notice then?

I would recommend getting dual video cards. Look for 2 cheap ones that amount to what you want to spend. The only catch is that you need 2 PCIe slots on your mobo. If you do, youre set, and you can get 2 fairly cheap cards. If you don't need a lot of graphics power, you can go even cheaper with no worries.

I have seen some nice multi monitor setups (like that), and have always wanted to get rid of that problem. Since I have taken apart monitors before, this would be a possible, but difficult task. You could simply remove that part of the monitor, and it might work. That or look for monitors with really slim sides.
Maybe one day they will actually think and make monitors with almost no sides for this.

~Lordbob

I haven't run all of my games thru the setup yet. Of the one's I've tried and played thus far: Burnout Paradise, GRID, HL2
>In Burnout Paradise, I really didn't notice the bezels too much. The game whizzes by so fast...
>GRID got me kind of ... dizzy is not quite the word, but the "peripheral" monitors kind of took away from my driving. I don't know why really, but using 3 monitors with Burnout and GRID gives two different driving experiences where it "flowed" with Burnout but detracted in GRID--imho.
>Had no problem in HL2

And one non-gaming related thing I found out with adding the 3rd monitor--Aero still runs great, but I lost the live thumbnails on my running programs. Not a biggie.

Ok you did say no gaming...this is not a gaming video card but will support upto 4 monitors on one video card.

Compuvest Corp.