Ok I have a G4 400 ( agp sawtooth ). On my G4 I am using a 19" Mitsubishi 900u CTR monitor. I also have a 19" Optiquest sitting around. Since it is just sitting around here gathering dust I was wondering how I would go about hooking up a second display. Should I buy a pci card? Or should I invest in a new agp card that has a twin view feature? Or should I just scrap the whole idea and and try and sell the Optiquest? Ohh yeah if you have any idea how much any of this would cost it would help. Thanks
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A question about a second monitor
- Thread starter Wildcat
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Yeah all my pci slots are empty so no worries there.
I am leaning in favor of a pci card. What do you think of this auction?
Or could I find something at a better price?http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2020011057
I am leaning in favor of a pci card. What do you think of this auction?
Or could I find something at a better price?http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2020011057
I would spend the hundred bucks and get a Radeon 7000. The Rage cards usually go for about $80-100 anyway, and the 7000 has more current support from ATI, as well as double the memory.
I feel fairly quailified to make these recommendations, as I just sold my PCI Rage 128 on eBay (for a whopping $112), and used $107 of it to buy a new PCI Radeon 7000.
I feel fairly quailified to make these recommendations, as I just sold my PCI Rage 128 on eBay (for a whopping $112), and used $107 of it to buy a new PCI Radeon 7000.
life changing event
two monitors and all that desktop space......oh it makes life sweet. i picked up a cheepie ixmicro pci card from other world computing ( $44.00) a year ago and it rocks. i don't do games or graphics on it-just audio- so it's performance ( or lack of...) wasn't a big deal. they still have them in stock if you're interested.
do it! do it now!
two monitors and all that desktop space......oh it makes life sweet. i picked up a cheepie ixmicro pci card from other world computing ( $44.00) a year ago and it rocks. i don't do games or graphics on it-just audio- so it's performance ( or lack of...) wasn't a big deal. they still have them in stock if you're interested.
do it! do it now!
Re: Re: A question about a second monitor
I have been a firm believer in the two monitors school of thought since I first did it on a IIci many moons ago.
I currently use three at my desk, so that I can have one 'dead ahead'.
The extra real estate is a GODSEND. What everyone else is saying is true, once you go multi-headed, it is impossible to go back!
I have been a firm believer in the two monitors school of thought since I first did it on a IIci many moons ago.
I currently use three at my desk, so that I can have one 'dead ahead'.
The extra real estate is a GODSEND. What everyone else is saying is true, once you go multi-headed, it is impossible to go back!
I'd love a dual monitor set up. I have everything but a second monitor (well, I have a 14", but I don't think that counts as a monitor any more, I think it's just an antique ). Problem is, I just don't have the space, and I can't justify the price of an LCD.
Time for a bigger desk, methinks. But that means a bigger room. And that means a new house. And that is prohibitively expensive for a Uni student...
). Problem is, I just don't have the space, and I can't justify the price of an LCD.Time for a bigger desk, methinks. But that means a bigger room. And that means a new house. And that is prohibitively expensive for a Uni student...
3 monitors!
now THATS sweet! i may do that after my next system upgrade( don't have the pci slots now). so much of my work has the visuals delivered as QT movies and i'm really tired of making it a smidge of a picture up in the corner of one of the screens.
oh great, now i have monitor envy
now THATS sweet! i may do that after my next system upgrade( don't have the pci slots now). so much of my work has the visuals delivered as QT movies and i'm really tired of making it a smidge of a picture up in the corner of one of the screens.
oh great, now i have monitor envy
Re: Re: Re: A question about a second monitor
Just curious about your triple setup. Do you have a dual card and then a second PCI card? Does OS X recognize everything no problem with no extra hassle?
I'd really like to do this, but I've never heard details on how it's done. Thanks!
Just curious about your triple setup. Do you have a dual card and then a second PCI card? Does OS X recognize everything no problem with no extra hassle?
I'd really like to do this, but I've never heard details on how it's done. Thanks!
Re: Re: Re: Re: A question about a second monitor
I've got a stock Apple Radeon 7500 driving my primary, and a Radeon 7000 driving the other two (with the DVI - VGA adapter provided by ATI in the 7000's retail box). Once for ****s & giggles, I filled all slots with video cards, and hooked up all my displays, and managed to get a 7 headed monster setup. X handled it fine, but some of the cards were unaccellerated, so things were slow. The only roblem I have noticed is that one display of the 7000 (a Nanao 20") is not properly passing DDC info, so from a cold boot, it tries to lock to 640x480. I rarely cold boot, but when I do, I switch my KVM so the machine doesn't request DDC from the montior, and all is well.
I also used this setup in 9 on my old 9600, and it worked smoothly with three PCI cards as well.
I've got a stock Apple Radeon 7500 driving my primary, and a Radeon 7000 driving the other two (with the DVI - VGA adapter provided by ATI in the 7000's retail box). Once for ****s & giggles, I filled all slots with video cards, and hooked up all my displays, and managed to get a 7 headed monster setup. X handled it fine, but some of the cards were unaccellerated, so things were slow. The only roblem I have noticed is that one display of the 7000 (a Nanao 20") is not properly passing DDC info, so from a cold boot, it tries to lock to 640x480. I rarely cold boot, but when I do, I switch my KVM so the machine doesn't request DDC from the montior, and all is well.
I also used this setup in 9 on my old 9600, and it worked smoothly with three PCI cards as well.
Re: 3 monitors!
For less than the cost of one Cinema display, I have an 18'1 LCD, a Nanao 20", An Apple 15" LCD (old school), and the video cards to drive them all.
I can use the 15" to test layouts, while coding on the 18", and watching my palettes, terminal, console, email, IRC, and a movie on the 20".
There's a thread around here somewhere with a photo of my desk (with my old 17" CRT), which may help you visualize what I'm talking about.
Originally posted by 3rdpath
now THATS sweet! i may do that after my next system upgrade( don't have the pci slots now). so much of my work has the visuals delivered as QT movies and i'm really tired of making it a smidge of a picture up in the corner of one of the screens.
oh great, now i have monitor envy
For less than the cost of one Cinema display, I have an 18'1 LCD, a Nanao 20", An Apple 15" LCD (old school), and the video cards to drive them all.
I can use the 15" to test layouts, while coding on the 18", and watching my palettes, terminal, console, email, IRC, and a movie on the 20".
There's a thread around here somewhere with a photo of my desk (with my old 17" CRT), which may help you visualize what I'm talking about.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: A question about a second monitor
Excellent! So you mean 9 and X both will show 3, 4, etc displays in the Control Panel/System Preferences and allow you to arrange them all individually, set individual resolutions and color depths...wow!!
Just when I thought I knew everything about Macs, they come up with something else to knock my socks off!
Excellent! So you mean 9 and X both will show 3, 4, etc displays in the Control Panel/System Preferences and allow you to arrange them all individually, set individual resolutions and color depths...wow!!
Just when I thought I knew everything about Macs, they come up with something else to knock my socks off!
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: A question about a second monitor
I've only tried three in 9, although max possible is twelve (6 dual capable PCI) in a 9600.
In modern hardware, I would assume X could handle 10, 2 off an AGP card, and 8 off 4 PCI cards.
I can say that three is very usable for me, and four is too many.
Heres a link to that thread I mentioned with a shot of my setup:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1836/&perpage=40&pagenumber=2
Mine's about halfway down the page, with the Grand Prix poster. This is the old Setup, 9600 running X with 3 heads.
Now it's a QS, with a 20" where the 17" used to be.
I've only tried three in 9, although max possible is twelve (6 dual capable PCI) in a 9600.
In modern hardware, I would assume X could handle 10, 2 off an AGP card, and 8 off 4 PCI cards.
I can say that three is very usable for me, and four is too many.
Heres a link to that thread I mentioned with a shot of my setup:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1836/&perpage=40&pagenumber=2
Mine's about halfway down the page, with the Grand Prix poster. This is the old Setup, 9600 running X with 3 heads.
Now it's a QS, with a 20" where the 17" used to be.
So now that I know I am going to use my second monitor Is there an significant advantage to using a seperate card for each monitor. Or Is using a twin view card good enough?
Twin cards should be just fine for almost anything you need to do, plus they don't take up an extra PCI slot.
The GeForce 4 Ti in the latest PowerMacs is a twin card and it has the best 3D performance around these days.
The GeForce 4 Ti in the latest PowerMacs is a twin card and it has the best 3D performance around these days.
I am limited by my agp speed. My G4 400 only has an AGP 2X so the cards I am looking at are the Radeon 8500 AGP and a Radeon 7000 PCI. Plus the Radeon 7000 Is only like $115.00
That is true. The best thing to do is to wait until they put out a new card, and then go buy the old one.