DailyTech: Matrox Announces TripleHead2Go Multi-Monitor Device

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=1073' target='_blank'>http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=1073</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Matrox has announced its new TripleHead2Go external box which builds on the foundation set forth by the previous DualHead2Go. TripleHead2Go allows users to join three monitors together with a combined resolution of up to 3840x1024...The palm-sized box uses what Matrox describes as a Graphics eXpansion Module (GXM). This allows the end-user to still use his or her existing graphics accelerator with the added functionality of external multi-monitor support."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/666_setup3_open_laptop.jpg" /><br /><br />I haven't been a fan of Matrox graphics cards since, oh, 1998 or so, but I'm a big fan of multiple monitors, and this looks like a killer solution. My main PC died on me a few weeks ago, so I've been working on my 17" laptop, and really missing multiple monitors. I feel so...slow on a single monitor. I'm not sure if this would be a solution in all cases though - it looks like it might just take a single monitor signal and blast it across three monitors. So while that might be good for a flight-sim game, it might not work under Windows and allow three different programs to be open.

[Doug Johnson]

Reading Matrox's documentation on this looks like it might work just fine for Windows apps. Seems like a fairly good idea.

Matrox doesn't have very good 3D support with their graphics cards, but their 2D output is still unsurpassed in my opinion. But this device isn't a graphics card; as mentioned, it is a combination of software/hardware that use your existing graphics adapter to send a wider image than a single monitor is capable of handling, and splits it to up to 3 monitors.

There could be performance issues, but there isn't any other way to run that many monitors from a laptop (unless you count the USB video adapters that are becoming available... boo!!). I give the idea a thumbs up.

[Macguy59]

What happened to that killer shuttle form factor PC that you recently got the CPU for?

[Jason Dunn]

What happened to that killer shuttle form factor PC that you recently got the CPU for?

Heh. Funny you should ask. It's sitting in my desk, mostly assembled and nicely overclocked from 2.13 Gh to 2.46 Ghz (and stable)...but I'm waiting for a new video card to come in. I need a dual DVI video card that runs cool enough for me to unplug the fan and fun it purely passive. The on-board Intel video is DVI + VGA, which results in one monitor looking great, and the other looking crappy. So I wait...which sucks, because this thing is SO FAST, I really want to start using it. :cry:

[Macguy59]

The on-board Intel video is DVI + VGA, which results in one monitor looking great, and the other looking crappy.

When you say VGA though your talking about the connector not resolution correct? Sounds to me like it's usable until the new card comes in.

[Jason Dunn]

When you say VGA though your talking about the connector not resolution correct? Sounds to me like it's usable until the new card comes in.

Yes - 1600 x 1200 over DVI is crisp and bright, over VGA it's dull and slightly fuzzy. Analog sucks for 1600 x 1200.

I'm not ready to start using it as-is because I don't want any trace of the Intel video drivers on there, I want to have it as stable as possible. So I wait.

[Macguy59]

I'm not ready to start using it as-is because I don't want any trace of the Intel video drivers on there, I want to have it as stable as possible. So I wait.

Rokie doke

***long quote trimmed by mod JD***