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Questions regarding Dual Monitors with MacBook Pro 17" or 15"?

N

nutsnbolts

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 11, 2008
312
0
Ok, the dual monitors I'm talking about is with regards to actual two monitors. Not the MBP and another monitor.

I have posted about the feasibility of doing dual monitors and had mixed responses from not being possible to people who corrected the statements by posting actual links to devices that can help me accomplish this.

I wanted to post this to essentially, attain more feedback to specifically accomplishing this.

What I have deducted so far is that this is definitely possible. I guess it's a matter of how much I'm willing to pay and the purpose of my use.

The purpose of this is to gain more real estate obviously and for video and editing purposes. Once you go dual monitors, I'm don't want to go back to single monitor.

Right now I'm currently sporting the very first 24" Dell monitor that Dell had initially released. God knows how long that has been but I remember paying about $1500 for it, well cheaper due to coupon, deals, etc. but the point is it's their very first monitor and of course in comparison to what Dell is pumping out now with their 24" monitor, it totally kicks the pants out of it.

Anyway, I'm planning on using it as a secondary monitor with a new 24" ACD and I want to know who is out there are using two monitors as well and what device they are using that have stood the test of time and use that is worth paying extra or not worth paying extra versus another device, etc. etc.

I'd like to order this device (whatever gets more better ratings) at the same time I make my final purchase for the 24" ACD and MBP 17".

Thanks in advance!
 
reading the link provided in the second post; is it possible to connect dual monitors to create one large displays instead of a mirrored desktop environment? so where the resolution would basically duplicate and be stretched across two displays?

just out of curiosity...
 
AppleNewton said:
reading the link provided in the second post; is it possible to connect dual monitors to create one large displays instead of a mirrored desktop environment? so where the resolution would basically duplicate and be stretched across two displays?

just out of curiosity...
Click to expand...
On the Dual Head the two monitors would effectively be a single large one. That array would be a single independent unit from the onboard display. You wouldn't have 3 independent displays though.
 
Course if you wanted two independent ones, and have the older MacBook Pro 15" (or up to current 17"), you could pay for the Vidock2 which is an expresscard connected internal video card (ATI 4670 512MB if you wanted or you can purchase the box for $100 less) in an external enclosure.

Magma also has something like that too (except theirs cost three times (compared to the box only of the vidock) as much and I do not believe it comes with a video card at all...however theirs might work with more PCI hardware like Pro Tools and such.).

Not exactly sure why Magma is that much more expensive.

EDIT: ViDock doesn't work with the unibody's...Magma's is iffy. Basically, there's no silky free solution with independent displays...unless you're going with the USB video cards, which are slow, period. The same company does have a USB to DVI option as well, ViBook which works with all Macs, but probably not good for video editing unless you put something simple like your effects and file browser panel there as opposed to the video feed.
 
Check out the new displaylink products, not the old ones. Displaylink is basically a USB video card. Their newest one supports full HD res. There's only a few that use the new hardware. I know there's the Diamond BVU195. It's only around 70$ USD. I want to do the exact same thing as you so I will probably purchase it. I can post back and let you know how it works! Also watch vids on YouTube about displaylink. It's not as bad as you would think from usb. The new chips can supposedly support movie playback at full speed!
 
simplymuzik3 said:
Check out the new displaylink products, not the old ones. Displaylink is basically a USB video card. Their newest one supports full HD res. There's only a few that use the new hardware. I know there's the Diamond BVU195. It's only around 70$ USD. I want to do the exact same thing as you so I will probably purchase it. I can post back and let you know how it works! Also watch vids on YouTube about displaylink. It's not as bad as you would think from usb. The new chips can supposedly support movie playback at full speed!
Click to expand...


Awesome I will definitely take a look at this!
 
You know I never really put much thought into this which everyone is bringing up here. At first, not to be complicated, I just wanted to be able to dual monitor the MBP and I guess I totally overlooked the fact that the second question needed to be asked...which was, aside from achieving dual monitor:

1. Do you want two independent screens?
2. or An extended screen (desktop)?

Hmmm...I guess originally on my PC, I have an extended screen.

I think all I want to do is an extended screen. Then again, I never placed much thought in this but for the application Adobe Lightroom, when you do multiple monitor, is that extended screen or independent screen?

Anyone can chime and help clarify this?

Simplymuzik: Do you know if the Diamond BVU195 does extended screen or the other?
 
nutsnbolts said:
Here are two more devices that was brought up before.

Matrox
http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/products/gxm/dh2go/


eVGA
http://www.evga.com/products/moreInfo.asp?pn=100-U2-UV16-A1&family=USB#

Any opinions with these? I don't know the prices for these are but I think the Matrox has crazy pricing and the eVGA is around $70
Click to expand...

Just a quick update. Received everything and ordered the Diamond BVU195 (Displaylink) to connect my monitors.

24" ACD to the laptop and the Diamond to the USB via VGA>DVI 24" dell. All at 1920x1200 resolution. Works amazingly well!
 
I picked up the Diamond 195 today at J&R. It replaces the EVGA USB I had, which because of its inability to fill my 1920x1200 monitor, didn't get much more than a couple of days of airtime after I bought it a few months ago.

The new 195 works GREAT. 1200x1920 no problem. The Matrox devices weren't going to do it for me, because I wanted one screen in portrait orientation (Lightroom Live Loupe).

This officially takes the last remaining non-gaming task away from my Windows desktop. Yippee!

The USB-driven screen isn't as fast at drawing as the laptop-driven screen (based on my non-scientific "grab a window and move it around" test), but for my purposes it's 100% functional.

John
 
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