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Difference between DVI and Dual Link DVI - Page 2

post #31 of 42
1/30/09 at 10:34am

Re: Difference between DVI and Dual Link DVI

Quote:
Originally Posted by Christian Behrens
With all due respect, but that is nonsense. Two different monitors can very well be driven with separate resolutions.

-Christian

Didn't work for me in the past, so I'll stand corrected if it works now.
The system was a first gen MacPro with a Dell 30 & HK 23. The card was ati radeon X1900 dual link DVI.
The highest i could get was 1920 with both connected to the same card.
Ron can clue us in when he tests his pair.
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post #32 of 42
1/30/09 at 11:43am

Re: Difference between DVI and Dual Link DVI

Quote:
Originally Posted by ErichH
Didn't work for me in the past, so I'll stand corrected if it works now.
The system was a first gen MacPro with a Dell 30 & HK 23. The card was ati radeon X1900 dual link DVI.
The highest i could get was 1920 with both connected to the same card.
Ron can clue us in when he tests his pair.
This all depends on the cards memory and refresh rate. It takes so much "horsepower" to drive higher resolutions. A single card is limited to some total output resolution and color depth, so while it might drive two monitors at 1920x1200x32bit, it might not drive them at 2560x1600 and 1600x1200. The video card specs should give the range of output resolutions.

Or plug in the 19" and play in System Preferences. It's a 30 sec test
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post #33 of 42
1/30/09 at 12:39pm

Re: Difference between DVI and Dual Link DVI

Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveF
This all depends on the cards memory and refresh rate. It takes so much "horsepower" to drive higher resolutions. A single card is limited to some total output resolution and color depth, so while it might drive two monitors at 1920x1200x32bit, it might not drive them at 2560x1600 and 1600x1200. The video card specs should give the range of output resolutions.

Or plug in the 19" and play in System Preferences. It's a 30 sec test

There is something called dual GPU in certain cards (basically 2 cards on 1 board) I didn't have such a card.
If a single GPU can sync a dual link 2560 & a single link 1600 or 1920 at the same time,
I get to lean something new.
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post #34 of 42
2/2/09 at 8:36am
Thread Starter 

Re: Difference between DVI and Dual Link DVI

Okay, I'm baaaaaack!

Had some time today to fiddle with this.

I hooked up my old 19" Dell Monitor to the second DVDI port on
my Mac Pro.

Lo' and Behold I now have two working monitors, a 30" and a 19"
displaying FULL resolution.

So far this looks like this might be incredibly cool but I need to work
a kink or two out and that is where I can use your help.

The 30" monitor retains the dock.

The 19" monitor retains the same wallpaper as the 30". I can slide
programs and desktop stuff over from the 30" to the 19" simply by
sliding it off the screen.

Here is the problem...

Any widget or folder I slide over to the 19" opens in the 30". How can
I keep certain programs opening up in the monitor they are located on?

Also not certain how the display aligner works in SYSTEM PREFS. It
seems you have the option of aligning the two up and down and that
it is. Not sure what it does at all.

So far, it is working well, but with the problems mentioned above.
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post #35 of 42
2/2/09 at 9:19am

Re: Difference between DVI and Dual Link DVI

Go to system preferences->desktop & screen saver. You'll have a desktop option for each monitor. I have different slideshows on my two monitors.

Go to preferences->displays->arrangment to set the virtual position of the 19" to the 30". You can slide the secondary monitor all around the primary to set the adjacent edge. I adjust mine so that moving windows between them feels the most "right".

Applications typically re-open on the screen where they were last quit / closed.

OS X and WinXP aren't especially setup for multiple displays, so there's lots of minor details that aren't ideal. Like the traditional Mac menu bar isn't the best idea for dual displays. On Windows there are 3rd party window management tools for multi displays that are of some use. Maybe there's something similar for OSX if you need more control or options.
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post #36 of 42
2/2/09 at 9:36am
Thread Starter 

Re: Difference between DVI and Dual Link DVI

Quote:
Applications typically re-open on the screen where they were last quit / closed.

Dave, I was depending on you to reply.

That was what I eventually figured out and you confirmed. Problem solved.

Trying to figure out how to put two separate wallpapers on each
monitor. Will look at the instructions you provided as well as google
"Multiple display management OS X"

Thanks as always, Dave.
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post #37 of 42
2/2/09 at 12:12pm

Re: Difference between DVI and Dual Link DVI

Glad it worked out Ron. My prediction was wrong and I Stand Corrected. What video card are you using?
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post #38 of 42
2/2/09 at 12:37pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Difference between DVI and Dual Link DVI

Eric,

Have no idea what card is in my Mac Pro. Bought it two years ago and it was their top-of-the-line Quad core. The 8-core had not come out yet.

The card has dual DVI ports on the back.

I am now running a 30" and a 19" in full resolution. It's awesome!
They are not next to each other, but diagonal. All my email, iChat and
widgets are on the 19" while I use my browser on the 30"

The fact that the Mac menu bar only resides on the 30" is a nominal
inconvenience. Other than that, this is the coolest thing I have done
with my Mac to date.

Thanks everyone for their help.
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post #39 of 42
2/2/09 at 12:40pm

Re: Difference between DVI and Dual Link DVI

Give the ACD past history I think you could be in for a long wait on even a $200 price drop on the new 24" LCDs. Remember that they are a 'prestige' item for Apple right now, something few other manufacturers have a similar category for.

I think it's pretty crazy that there is no way for a new Mac Pro user to attach these (easily anyway) and I've been shocked Apple hasn't remedied that yet. I suspect we will see a repeat of Last Year's new hardware every week or two frenzy but when it will actually start is anyones guess. I've given up trying to predict when Apple will deliver the stuff I actually want and just decide whether each new thing they actually DO deliver meets a need/want of mine. On that note I think I'm going to have to go to a third party vendor to get BD burning capability and you all will thank me cause Apple will surely deliver that as soon as my return window is clear on that purchase =p
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post #40 of 42
2/2/09 at 3:22pm

Re: Difference between DVI and Dual Link DVI

Always glad to help
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post #41 of 42
2/3/09 at 2:48pm

Re: Difference between DVI and Dual Link DVI

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein


The fact that the Mac menu bar only resides on the 30" is a nominal
inconvenience. Other than that, this is the coolest thing I have done
with my Mac to date.

Thanks everyone for their help.

Pre Leo, you could pin any window to open anywhere on the expanded desktop. It was a great way to have download or dialog windows open away from a main app window. In Photoshop, Logic, and in my case Freehand, having all that space for open tool windows made a world of difference. Using the entire screen on the 30 for a photo or draw space is really nice.
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post #42 of 42
3/28/09 at 10:59am

Re: Difference between DVI and Dual Link DVI

You guys seem very knowledgeable about multi-panel displays, so here's my newbie question:

I need to run two 22" screens at 1440x900 each and I want the ability to keep separate programs open on each screen, or combine them into one screen when desired.

I don't know difference between PNY, xFx, BFG, EVGA, and Zotac. The ads always talk about 3D quality but I don't have a gaming PC. This is for an office PC and I want to know who makes the best user interface so I can customize the displays however I want (for internet, movies, powerpoint, outlook, and large spreadsheets).

I've tried a single head Radeon X1300 and a dual head Radeon 2600XT. Neither of them worked. I tried a GeForce 6200TC and it worked fine but it only had one DVI output.

So I want a dual head DVI with an nVidia chip, but I need help choosing the brand with the most versatility.

Thanx!
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