second monitor....???

[Honestabe6659]

hey im just wondering what is the point of haveing 2 monitors hooked up to the same computer i see gaming setups with mulitple monitors all the time i dont get it

 

[NightHawK]

More Screen Space or Multiple OS's.

 

[RESPAWN]

More screen space, really. I tend to use my second monitor for apps that I want to be able to quickly find at a glance. For instance, on my second monitor I have SpeedFan up to monitor temps and fan RPMs, Task Manager to monitor resource utilization, Winamp, Ventrilo, and notepad with the server names and IPs for all of our servers.

I also use it a lot if I'm doing stuff like merging documents. It's really helpful to be able to glance at each document at the same time instead of switching back and forth.

 

[Munch]

its good for Vent and friends lists for Steam and Xfire so you can easily see who is on.

 

[Lafinass]

Honestly, I've gotten to the point where I'm unable to work with a single monitor. For gaming, it allows me to glance at my temperature monitors and other system stats. As well as the time and the family calendar. Also I can watch any downloads I have running.

Putting gaming aside, it's crucial when I've got something complicated going on. If I'm working with multiple images in photoshop and I don't want to have to flip back and forth I can stretch the application across both screens. Or if I'm looking at reference material while I'm coding.

Really, until you have 2 monitors you don't know how bad it is to only have 1.

It's the main reason I'm not on Vista yet. I won't go Vista until NVidia comes out with drivers that can handle multiple model cards at once- I will NOT be forced to choose between dual monitors and SLI thank you.

 

[ScOpE]

I use two monitors, 1 so I can have TF2/Crysis on 24/7 and another so I can write my papers and listen to music while I wait to respawn. I don't call it screen space, I call it efficient writing!

 

[delrio]

I'm only on a single monitor at the present due to not having much space to set up my CRT. Sadly, dorm rooms are tiny.

I do love having dual monitors, it lets me keep some order to my applications.

 

[chinaonnitrous1]

I Cant wait untill they have a monster single card with 2gpus.....

That would be a great dual monitor card...

Like...

8800gtx Ultras x2 on one board. Dont need SLI, and can run 2 monitors.

 

[Flippy the Squirrel]

I use multiple monitors at work, email on one monitor, and the rest of what I'm doing on another. When I'm developing in Dreamweaver, Flash, or Photoshop, two monitors can be a wonderful thing, because I have that much more space to work with.

 

[imported_spfite]

i have two monitors although i rarely use both of them. my low res 17 inch lcd is mainly for documentation while i ssh on my 20 inch. other than that only when i don't use both of them often. :?

 

[orangetag001]

ok i have an nvidea gforce 8500 gt and whenever i play a game my left monitor goes black and i cant do anything w/ it...how do i have it so that it doesnt go into standby when i play a game

 

[Flippy the Squirrel]

It's probably somewhere in the NVIDIA control panel, although I can't tell you where off the top of my head.

 

[Lafinass]

A single card? Not in SLI?

It shouldn't be doing that. Are your drivers up to date?

 

[orangetag001]

yes a single card...drivers are up to date...i guess ill just have to look a little bit harder in the control panal

 

[MrQ]

I run a 8800GTS with dual monitors, a 20" and a 17" and I love having them up. Like everybody I use the bigger monitor for Gaming and the smaller to monitor temps and programs. Its also great for running multiple programs at once. I use dualview what do you guys use?

 

[tiddy]

I have an LG24" and a Dell 19". I have a SLI 8800gt setup and the current nvidia drivers don't allow SLI/Non SLI switching without a reboot, so I'm kinda stuck with a useless 19" unless I dedicate a day to developement.

On topic, the productivity and efficiency gained is great. Not having to minimize windows to read/write/code is such a time saver. I use UltraMon, for manging my displays. It's a great program. Extends the tool bar to the second monitor, allows different wallpapers, different res options, profiles, etc.
http://www.realtimesoft.com/ultramon/

Don't let the horrible website fool you, it's a clean, light, up to date program.

 

[Lafinass]

Indeed, I also endorse Ultramon. I use it both at work and at home, I would not consider running two monitors without it.