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To all Matrox DualHead2Go DP Edition users

Nipz

Nipz

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Nov 1, 2006
1,434
0
UK
Hi all,

I am looking at getting a 2 dell monitors to go with my 15inch MBP and the only real way to do it is with the Matrox DualHead2Go DP Edition.

If you have one could you please let me know your thoughts on the box and if i would need to buy anything else to go with it (like cables etc).

Maybe even a cheeky picture of your setup would be nice :)

Cheers

Ben
 
I just finished a similar setup:
- Late 2008 15" MBP with 10.7.2
- 2 X Asus PA238Q 23" IPS screen
- DualHead2Go DP

The MBP is in clamshell mode so I only use 2 screens. My cents:

- The screens are gorgeous, you should check them and compare them with the ones you plan to get.

- DualHead2Go works fine, just don't bother with the install CD and get the drivers directly from the website.

- You should get a USB charger for the Dualhead2Go to free one of your USB port. Just needed 1 mini displayport to displayport cable because displayport cables were included with the monitors. I bought this one. There are a lot of cables going on once all is installed.

- Overall, I am a little on the fence about it. The way the DualHead2go works, the 2 monitors are recognized by the MBP as 1 monitor with a 3840x1080 resolution, therefore some windows which use to appear in the middle of screen are splitted between the 2 screens and visually separated by the screens’ bezels. It’s particularly apparent for the login textfield or the cmd + Tab apps swapping window.

I have not used it for more than a week, but right now I'm not sure I would do it again, and I would rather get an ACD 27" (pre-thunderbolt) instead.
 
Thats a great reply :) full of useful information!

I was worried about it being split over 2 screens with the bezel in the middle, i was wondering weather or not to get another 24 inch Dell to replace the one i currently have (it broke last week) or get 2 smaller ones... after your reply i think i will end up getting one large one!

The reason i have gone with Dell is i get a very nice discount on them :p

Thanks again for your reply! Helped a brother out.
 
I just got a DualHead2Go, DP edition.

Is there any third-party software that will give me more control over where new windows appear? Reading the Matrox marketing info, I thought there would be more control. All they offer is the ability to maximize an app to one of the two screens with a hotkey combination.

Unrelated to the DualHead purchase, I'd recently installed Moom. This is actually more useful than the Matrox hotkey support. A little menu pops-out from the green maximize button with different screen positions, and you can customize them. The way Moom comes, it's a bit confusing but workable, and you can fix it with customization. You select the icon for "left half of screen", and you really get "left screen". That's fine for left and right, but if you do "quarter screen" then you will actually get top or bottom of left or right screen...

Now, what I'd like is something kinda like Moom that will force newly-opened windows into either the left or right half of the virtual screen. In other words, the left or right screen.

Seems simple enough. Manufacturers of multi-head video cards had this kind of thing for Windows long before Windows started supporting actual multiple displays. (So the drivers had to emulate it with a single desktop in a similar manner to the DualHead2Go).

One thing I am not happy about is really annoying flashing/blinking on the other screen when I scroll a window on the other screen. That is, scroll on right screen, flashing on left or vice-versa. I'm hoping that the worst case is I have to turn off some effect(s) in System Preferences. Any body else experience this?

Edit: there is a tech note on the support page that might be about blinking/flashing. It just says "corruption" with GForce 9400M, which is what my Macbook has. Apparently you have to drop to 50Hz for 1600x1200x2, which is NOT documented in the compatibility matrix. (It says you need 50Hz for 1920x2 only).

I have a tech support ticket in, but I suspect I will have to return the DualHead2Go and get some USB adapter. My monitors don't support 50Hz, and it doesn't make sense to go out and get two new monitors that do.
 
Last edited:
I actually wanted to buy a triplehead2go to have 3 screens. Reading the replies here it seems that using any of those products makes your computer detect all screens as 1. Would that make it possible to play games like World of Warcraft for example spanning 3 monitors?

Also, since my wife is using an iMac and would like that kind of setup, would it be possible to buy a DualHead2Go and add 2 screens to an iMac setup and have the computer detect the whole thing as 1 screen for gaming?
 
evildede said:
I actually wanted to buy a triplehead2go to have 3 screens. Reading the replies here it seems that using any of those products makes your computer detect all screens as 1. Would that make it possible to play games like World of Warcraft for example spanning 3 monitors?

Also, since my wife is using an iMac and would like that kind of setup, would it be possible to buy a DualHead2Go and add 2 screens to an iMac setup and have the computer detect the whole thing as 1 screen for gaming?
Click to expand...

Driving that many pixels would bring your graphics card to it's knees crying for it's mother.

Bigger doesn't always equal better.
 
evildede said:
Also, since my wife is using an iMac and would like that kind of setup, would it be possible to buy a DualHead2Go and add 2 screens to an iMac setup and have the computer detect the whole thing as 1 screen for gaming?
Click to expand...

The iMac internal screen will be seen as independent.

The two externals will be seen as a single screen.

Kind of irrelevant, since you can spread an application across multiple independent screens anyway. (But not sure if there are special restrictions for 3D acceleration.)

But mind the maximum resolutions. You can't do this with high resolutions. You have to stick to the maximums that Matrox tells you about. As well as the ones they don't tell you about. :(

For DualHead2Go or TripleHead2Go, all the screens connected to the Matrox device have to be identical. BTW.

The best endorsement for these products is when they work they work. When they don't you are stuck with a useless product.
 
Got the RMA from Provantage today. Thanks, Provantage, you've never let me down!

Shame on Matrox for refusing RMA on a product that doesn't meet published specs, and for their evasiveness in their tech support communications. Will never buy or recommend another Matrox product.
 
Trouble with MATROX DualHead2Go install

Hope this has not been answered yet.
I was told by Apple support that the non-thunderbolt Mac monitors could be hooked together by USB to MacBook Pro (Mini Display Port). No Luck Any thoughts? I think they were just wrong.
So, after purchasing a 27" cinema display to use with a 24" cinema display, I found that Apple support either did not listen or was full of ****. I was unable to get the 2 monitors to work w/ the MBP.

So to try and get my new monitor working, I purchased a Matrox DualHead2GO DP edition. More problems. The CD was for windows and did not have any Mac software. Downloaded the drivers (Mac 1.03.02.dmg) and application: PowerDesk along with firmware (DHDP_f1.0.152.t10.23.v9) update. I installed the Drivers and PowerDesk application. The PowerDesk does not launch or start up. So here I sit with a 27" monitor and a dual head video card neither of which works. Anyone have and or solve these problem?
Anyone have any ideas on how to get PowerDesk to work on my computer. W/O PowerDesk this is never going to work.
I have a MacBook Pro Mid 2011 core I7 (8GB) running Lion 10.7.2.

Thanks in advance
 
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