Dual monitors

[Demon Cleaner]

Today during a bit of tidying, got a new cupboard, I noticed that my "old" monitor was still standing there. So I decided to hook it up for use as a 2nd monitor. And it is just awesome, have to say, I never used that before, although now I absolutely don't know why I didn't?

Now I can also very clearly see the difference between the new Dell and my old one, wow :o Better colors, more brightness, a LOT crisper, such a huge difference. My old one seems very yellowish with a light/white background, f.ex. in explorer.

I have now the main Dell to my left, and in the middle the Samsung. It's perfect, as at the moment I still work a lot with folders, extracting, copying, moving and that stuff, whilst on my Dell I can now easily browse the net or watch something without clicking windows all the time.

So I now decided to buy another Dell, then they will fit perfectly together. Problem, not really, is that the Dell only has HDMI and no DVI, and my old HD5770 only has 1 HDMI and 1 DVI, but you can easily just buy a HDMI to DVI cable. I thinks there's no purpose on buying a new GPU for the old PC, although the GTX 1050 with 2 HDMI ports is only 130€.

[Harrison]

You've never run a dual monitor setup? Once you have the is no going back! It makes managing and moving things so much easier. I've been using a dual monitor setup since the late 90s but have since been running a three monitor setup for a long time.

I also noticed the same about slightly yellow looking whites on an old monitor when a last purchased a new one. Shows how the backlights either degrade over time, or were not as white as you thought.

Yoy can try adjusting the colour temperature settings on the monitor if it has that setting. Helped for my older monitor.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

[Demon Cleaner]

Just ordered another S2715H ;)

- - - Updated - - -

Btw, I was using FreeCommander again since longer time, and I noticed that they upgraded it in January 2017, it's called XE now. You still get it for free, but with a donation of only 4.50€ you'll get the 64bit version. So I did that, as I anyway want to support the guy and his project.

[Tiago]

At home i have my laptop connected to a Sansung TV (fullhd) and a 4:3 old monitor. This last one doesn't go to fullHD.

So my setup is:
-main monitor (laptop) at center (fullhd)
-right monitor (sansung TV) fullhd connect by HDMI
-left monitor (lg 4:3 monitor) 1366x768 connected by VGA.

I love it. I have the browser on my right monitor, the file-explorer on my left monitor, and i work the rest in center monitor. Really great.

It's also cool for same games. Flight Simulator as example, you can flight on main screen, and use the others to display instruments of other views.

[Stephen Coates]

I've had a bit of fun with dual monitors before, but I don't use such a setup normally.

To be honest, I think I'd rather have a larger & higher resolution monitor than dual monitors.

I can see it being handy for applications like GIMP (and similar). In fact, maybe I should try it next time I need to do some serious work in GIMP. I do have a spare DVI LCD monitor which I could use.

[J T]

I find dual monitors super useful. I've got two 27" monitors on my desk at work (running off a laptop). I love having two screens, it makes comparison work, or using multiple applications a breeze.

However, there is a cost as well as a benefit. Sometimes having so much open at once is detrimental to my concentration. Every now and then I need to focus solely on one task so I unplug the laptop and work at the other desk in my office.

- - - Updated - - -

It also feels really pro, flinging windows over to another screen, or snapping them to halves (left/right or even top/bottom) or quarters (corners) using a window management tool like Magnet (MacOS) (http://magnet.crowdcafe.com/).

A lot of the staff here are frankly not very IT savvy (I'm the 'best at computers' in our facility by a mile) so to them it is a thing of wonder even to see the mouse pointer move off the edge of one screen and appear on the one next to it.

[Harrison]

@DC I've not used Freecommander for a long time. Will have to take another look.

@JT. I know what you mean. So many people using IT daily in their work are clueless. They don't seem to have any motivation or inquisitive nature to explore beyond the applications and tools they are required to use for their jobs. I don't get how so many people are happy to go through life without exploring or questioning everything.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

[J T]

I'll reply in more detail later but one of the things that bugs me is when people ask why I have 'two computers'. I currently feel, admittedly somewhat disproportionately, enraged about this :chair:

[Harrison]

I get similar, or if anyone sees my office at home comment "do you need all those monitors?". It's one of those jokes getting very thin.

I still know people whom still can't comprehend that the monitor is not the computer.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

[Stephen Coates]

I'll reply in more detail later but one of the things that bugs me is when people ask why I have 'two computers'. I currently feel, admittedly somewhat disproportionately, enraged about this :chair:

Just why do you have two computers?

[Demon Cleaner]

Was supposed to get it today, unfortunately I only got the cable in this delivery. So hopefully tomorrow.

[Kin Hell]

<snip>

@JT. I know what you mean. So many people using IT daily in their work are clueless. They don't seem to have any motivation or inquisitive nature to explore beyond the applications and tools they are required to use for their jobs. I don't get how so many people are happy to go through life without exploring or questioning everything.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

It's called "Tools" for Tools m8. :shades:

[Demon Cleaner]

Have both of them set up now, but there's one thing already bugging me.

The new screen seems more yellowish, not complete white, noticing it quite well in explorer.

The 2nd screen also shows, from the OSD, Resolution: 1920*1080, whereas the other one shows Resolution: 1080p.

First is connected via HDMI, and as my GPU doesn't have 2 HDMI inputs, the other newer monitor is now connected via a HDMI to DVI cable.

OSD settings on both screens are absolutely identical, plus color calibration also has been done identically.

Only thing what I think of, is that I use an 18pin HDMI to DVI cable (single link), but there are 24pin HDMI to DVI cables (dual link) existing, does anyone have experience with this?

The setup is great, but I'm quite fussy when it's not 100% like I would want it to be.

Also strangely enough, my first monitor's color is set to YPbPr? The second one RGB, which seems more normal to me. If I change it, I get strange colors.

[Harrison]

If you are only running 1080p you don't need a dual link DVI cable. They are only for resolutions above 1960 if I remember correctly. My Dell 27" needs one for its 2560x1440 resolution.

As the 2 monitors are identical swap the connection over to see if its the connection or the new monitor.

Don't you have any DVI or Displayport ports on your graphics card? Would give better output.

[Tiago]

First time i did it i also had strange colors, but in my case, i was able to config each monitor.
This weekend i bought a Samsung led fhd sf350fhu 24". I am happy with it.
So now i have my main laptop screen at full hd my new Sansung 24" at Full HD via HDMI and an LCD TV Sansung via RGB at (1366x768)

The LCD TV with HDMI can make fullhd but with VGA can only output 1366x768. Is this normal?

Anyway i have a question now:
My Laptop has a Nvidea GeForce 745M and a intel onboard card.
So when i use HDMI and VGA is he using the Nvidea or the onboard card? I Guess if if is bu duplication is the Nvidia, but what about expantion screens? Is is all the Nvidea or does he uses the onboard card?

[Demon Cleaner]

As the 2 monitors are identical swap the connection over to see if its the connection or the new monitor.

Don't you have any DVI or Displayport ports on your graphics card? Would give better output.
I just swapped the cables now, same result. Swapped back again, but strangely enough the second shows now 1080p plus the YPbPr color, and the first is 1920*1080 and RGB??

What do you mean? My GPU has 1 DVI and 1 HDMI, thus the 2 monitors are connected.

The second one seems warmer, although I set them up completely identically. You know what I mean, the white is not pure white, like the LED light bulbs, warm white and more yellow, higher Kelvin values.

EDIT: I noticed now in AMD Catalyst Control Center, that my 1st monitor has a Color Temperature Control setting under Display Color, and the new one hasn't. Because it's set t0 6500K, and when I slide it down a bit, like 500K, it looks like the new one.

EDIT 2: I did it!!!

After restarting the PC after a GPU driver update, I started AMD Catalyst Control Center again, and this time, like before, it swapped again both settings, so that this time I was able to change the temperature of my second monitor. The first one I left at 6500K, and the second one I just raised to 6700K, now they're both quite identical :thumbs:

Also added a little bit of saturation to the second monitor.

[Harrison]

Nice. I was going to suggest looking at the colour temperature.

One thing to note. Sometimes monitors will show less settings depending on how they are connected. HDMI normally offers less control compared to dvi or displayport.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

[J T]

Just why do you have two computers?

:mad::no::fury::biggun::jab::guns::banana: