External Monitor from Laptop

[msommers]

I honestly have no idea how this stuff works so here we go.

If I get a monitor, is this a second screen or does it 'replace' my laptop screen?

I have a NVIDIA Geforce Go 7200 GS video card on a 14.1" inch screen which is 1280x800. Am I restricted to this resolution or could I technically get a 22" widescreen? Does it have to be widescreen because my laptop is?

Thank you!

[Boat]

You can 'replace' it, or run a clone of the screen, or run dual screen.

Why do you run 1280x800, why not 1440x900?

As for the wide screen I think it will look better if its in wide or else you will have to scale it to a non-wide screen resolution.

[01RedDX]

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[msommers]

I wasn't sure if because my laptop only goes up to 1280x800, that the monitor would as well

How would I be able to run dual screen? That would work friggin awesome! Also red, where did you find out if it is supported or not? I searched around on the net but just found other specs! What's the biggest I could go?

[Oldskool]

1)Plug your monitor into your monitor output.
2)Right click your wallpaper, go to properties.
3) go to the "settings" tab
4) right click on screen two, set to attached
5) adjust screen two's settings until they match your monitor and it should work

[msommers]

Thanks Oldskool! I found I can support up to a 24" monitor at 32-bit, which is good enough for me! Thanks all.

Wow the difference in price between 24 and 22 is pretty big, 22" it is I guess!

Is there a difference between these...bah Memory express is gay:

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...665&CatId=2775
http://www.overstock.com/Electronics...2/product.html

Both 200 at M.E.

[Oldskool]

No prob, enjoy the double screen. I don't think I could live having to work with only one screen anymore!

[01RedDX]

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[msommers]

Wow I didn't even notice those keys on here....computers make me feel retarded

The more I'm looking into monitors though, I'm having a tough time deciding what's worthwhile getting. I don't play games on here and doubt I'll watch movies with it, just a larger surface area to work with for recording and editing photos.

Will any monitor be as good as the next if I get calibrating software such as Spyder?

[ZorroAMG]

Sorry to hijack but does anyone know if I could run dual 23" HD displays on my MacBook Pro with the lid closed?

This is what it says under graphics:

ATI Radeon X1600:

Chipset Model: ATY,RadeonX1600
Type: Display
Bus: PCIe
PCIe Lane Width: x16
VRAM (Total): 256 MB
Vendor: ATI (0x1002)
Device ID: 0x71c5
Revision ID: 0x0000
EFI Driver Version: 01.00.068
Displays:
Color LCD:
Resolution: 1440 x 900
Depth: 32-bit Color
Core Image: Hardware Accelerated
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Quartz Extreme: Supported
Built-In: Yes
Cinema HD:
Resolution: 1920 x 1200
Depth: 32-bit Color
Core Image: Hardware Accelerated
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Quartz Extreme: Supported
Rotation: Supported

Thanks!

[SpireTECH]

Originally posted by ZorroAMG
Sorry to hijack but does anyone know if I could run dual 23" HD displays on my MacBook Pro with the lid closed?

Yes, but you will need some extra hardware. Most laptops come with dual-head video cards, which means they can only support two output displays at a given time. You may add additional outputs with a VTbook (PCMCIA) or ViBook (USB).

If you wish to clone the same screen to two monitors, there are many DVI splitters available. These splitters will take one DVI output and display exactly the same image on both monitors.

Keep in mind this output is cloned, so both displays would have the same resolution. This is not a problem with matching monitors. Also note, not all monitors of the same size are equal. Some 23" monitors may offer a higher native resolution than other 23" monitors. It's important to match the native resolutions for the best quality.

[msommers]

Ok picked up a monitor! And I'm stuck!

1) Plugged everything in
2) Installed the drivers from the disk
3) Used my settings like Oldskool mentioned.

Under display 2 it has the monitor name, resolution, bit and I've checked off "extend my windows desktop onto this monitor"

I've tried to use the software called "Multiscreen" but it gives me an error right away saying it cannot find the monitor!

The monitor itself is ok, it has that "check signal cable" thing floating around with 'Digital' underneath it.

What am I doing wrong?

EDIT: Got it!...so it turns out I needed to switch up the 'source' on the monitor....Christ I sound like a 80year old learning what a keyboard is

[msommers]

Ok now I'm actually confused. I can pick up to 1600x1024 for this monitor. Problem is, the information on the monitor says it's only getting 1280x1024.

When I set it up for 1280x1024, it does indeed look normal.

Does this mean that my laptop can only support up to 1280x1024?

EDIT: So I said fuck that for a bit and tried to get the calibration done. Spyder only recognizes the Samsung monitor, yet sets up it's 'test fields' on my laptop screen. I can't move it over to the other monitor.

I can't change that my laptop screen is the default one either.