Help with dual VGA monitor setup

Sam-D

Sam-D

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Richard
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I am planning on buying a new PC running Vista and have just discovered that it has a DVI and HDMI port, but no VGA port. I have two VGA monitors that I wish to run together in extended mode, making Photoshop so much more manageable. Could someone please advise me of the best way to achieve this?
My current thinking goes as follows:
1. Forget about the HDVI port
2. Connect one VGA monitor to the DVI port via a VGA adaptor
3. Connect my second VGA monitor to a USB port using a USB to VGA adaptor?
For example: http://www.maplin.co.uk/Search.aspx?criteria=usb to vga&source=15&SD=Y

Would the above setup work?
Any thoughts or advice would be most welcomed.

Many thank for your help.
Sam-D
 
I assume the PC you are planning on buying has onboard graphics, rather than a separate graphics card?

If so, you can just add a graphics card - most models have either dual-DVI or 1 DVI and 1 VGA port, and come with DVI-VGA adaptors. If there is not a PCI-e graphics slot, then a PCI graphics card would be the next choice.

If you give us some more info on your proposed purchase, specs or a link etc, I'm sure we can give you a more elegant solution:)
 
reddeathdrinker said:
I assume the PC you are planning on buying has onboard graphics, rather than a separate graphics card?

If so, you can just add a graphics card - most models have either dual-DVI or 1 DVI and 1 VGA port, and come with DVI-VGA adaptors. If there is not a PCI-e graphics slot, then a PCI graphics card would be the next choice.

If you give us some more info on your proposed purchase, specs or a link etc, I'm sure we can give you a more elegant solution:)
Click to expand...

The PC is the Medion MD 8393 which comes with a Nvidia Geforce 9500GS 512MB graphics card.

http://www.medion.de/ms/aldi/md8393/uk/flash.html

As you will see on their ‘connections’ page it does come with a DVI to D-Sub VGA adapter, which should sort out my main VGA monitor. You will also notice from the spec that it comes with a HDMI port and TV out, however I really don’t know if either can be utilised to give me a dual monitor setup.

As it’s a new computer under warrantee I would prefer not to be installing additional internal hardware unless really necessary.

To clarify my ‘two monitor’ requirements, I am not looking for an identical display on both monitors, but I am looking for the ‘expanded across both monitor’ setup where I can drag items from one to the other.

Many thanks for your help Alasdair.
Sam-D
 
Sam, from what I can find out (from a bit of searching!), the NVIDIA GeForce 9500GS graphics card comes with DVI-I, VGA, and HDMI outputs. So with a DVI-VGA dongle, you should be able to run your two monitors expanded,without resorting to extra hardware:)

The 9500GS was only released in July, so there's not much about on t'internet about it... As a rule, every graphics card bar the very, very bottom of the range will have both VGA and DVI outputs. Further up the food chain, dual-DVI outputs. All dual output cards also tend to have S-Video out, or more commonly these days, an HDMI port.
 
reddeathdrinker said:
Sam, from what I can find out (from a bit of searching!), the NVIDIA GeForce 9500GS graphics card comes with DVI-I, VGA, and HDMI outputs. So with a DVI-VGA dongle, you should be able to run your two monitors expanded,without resorting to extra hardware:)

The 9500GS was only released in July, so there's not much about on t'internet about it... As a rule, every graphics card bar the very, very bottom of the range will have both VGA and DVI outputs. Further up the food chain, dual-DVI outputs. All dual output cards also tend to have S-Video out, or more commonly these days, an HDMI port.
Click to expand...

Alasdair, many thanks for your research and help so far.
To keep you posted, I have just managed to get through to Medion and they have confirmed that there is no VGA port, only 1 x DVI and 1 x HDMI. In the event of there only being the one DVI port, then what are your thoughts on the USB to VGA adapter idea?
Thank you.
Sam-D
 
I think £60 for the USB adaptor could be better spent on a graphics card with 2 proper ports:) It will give you far less grief in the long run. The USB adaptor has too limited a resolution.

For under £60, you can get a GeForce 8600 GT card, which will outperform the 8500GS, has 2 DVI-out, and is so easy to install. If you ever needed to send the PC back under warranty, it's 2 screws and a clip...
 
What you can get ..... lol get a DVI to VGA adaptor, and a HDMI to DVI lead. You then need one of these http://www.tvcables.co.uk/cgi-bin/tvcables/DVI-VGA.html

The medion machines are good, i was thinking about getting one... however im in two minds whether to build my own rig or go with this.... ahh dilema!
 
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