FAQ: Monitors

[SamIAm]

This covers all the frequently asked questions about monitors. buckslayer80 wrote the 30" section, and SamIAm maintains the sticky. As with the general FAQ, we can't have unlocked stickies; any discussion of this post should take place here.

GENERAL

"How many <X> pokersite windows fit on the <Y> monitor?"

Find the resolution for the monitor. (Google it if you don't know.) Divide your width by the poker width. (Round down.) Divide your height by the poker height. (Round down.) Multiply these two numbers together.

Some standard dimensions:<ul type="square">[*]Almost all default windows: 800x600[*]FullTilt: 800x579[*]Shrunk Party: 486x367[*]Shrunk PokerStars: 483x354[/list]1600x1200 is likely your target resolution.

"Which monitors support 1600x1200?"

The Dell 2001FP and 2007FP (NOT widescreen) do. The Samsung 204B and 204T do. There are likely others but these seem to be the most prevalent.

If your monitor doesn't NATIVELY support 1600x1200, you really won't be able to stretch it. LCDs aren't like CRTs; you can't pack 3 pixels into 2 pixels.

"How do I rotate the screen and have windows appear rightside up?"

If you're using an ATI or NVidia videocard, their newest driver includes a systemt-tray monitor which has a "rotate display" option. There's also a free app called iRotate.

"How do I use one monitor for two computers?"

If the monitor has a switch to control inputs (DVI/VGA), you can connect one computer to each input. Otherwise, you'll have to buy a KVM switch which will let you use one k.eyboard, v.ideo, and m.ouse on two computers.

MULTI MONITORS

"What hardware do I need to run two monitors?"

Obviously you'll need two video ports coming out of the computer. One way is to buy a card with two video ports. Another is to use two cards at once. (Windows supports this natively.)

If you have a laptop and want an extra video port, you can find PCMCIA cards, USB cards, or use a second laptop as a monitor with programs like MaxiVista.

"My taskbar is on the wrong monitor!"

Drag it back. (You'd be surprised how often we get this question. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] )

"How do I get a taskbar on both screens?"

UltraMon and MultiMon both do this. Multimon is free.

"How do I get one wallpaper on both screens?"

UltraMon does this. You can also turn on ActiveDesktop in the Display control panel and place images that way.

"How do I use my laptop as an extra monitor?"

Check this thread.

BIG 30" MONITORS

"What is it?"

The Dell 3007WFP is a 30'' widescreen monitor that supports 2560x1600 resolution.

"Do I need a special graphics card?"

The high resolution of the 3007 requires a graphics card with Dual Link DVI-D capability. You can easily search many sites like www.pricewatch.com and www.pricegrabber.com and specify "dual link" to find compatible cards.

"What is dual link DVI?"

Dual link DVI is esentially increased video bandwith across the same interface. Here's more explanation.

Note that Dual DVI is not the same as Dual Link DVI.



"Can I use the monitor without a dual link DVI card?"

Yes, but you won't like it. The 3007 is designed to run at 2560x1600. Any resolution lower than that will result in icons about 3 inches tall.

"So which graphics cards can I use?"

There are more and more compatible cards being released every day. As mentioned before, the best way to find one is to go into your local retailer or search online merchants and specify "dual link DVI". Here are some compatible models though:<ul type="square">[*]Nvidia Quadro FX 3000, 4000, 3400, 4400[*]Sapphire X1300 XT, X 1650 Pro and X 1650 XT[*]ATI FireGL V3400, V5200, V3300, Radeon 9600 Pro[*]GeForce 7800GT, 7950GT, 8500GT, 8800GTX, 8800 GTS[/list]"Does my desktop need anything special to run one of these cards?"

Most of these cards use the PCI express interface, so you will need to make sure your motherboard has an available PCI-E slot. Also pay attention to the power supply requirements for each card. A good average is 500 watts, so make sure your power supply is large enough.

"What about my laptop?"

You essentially can't change the video card in a laptop. Some have cards that run dual link DVI already. The Macbook and top of the line Alienware and Asus models offer this. Certainly more will follow; check your specs.