Simple DVI question: (1 Viewer)

[James_G]

Can VGA and DVI both be outputting the signal at the same time, or do I need to choose one or the other? If they can both put out video at the same time, is a VGA/DVI card capable of a dual monitor setup (i.e., having the desktop stretch across two screens)?

 

[Christian Behrens]

This is all depending on the actual card and whether the driver software supports a dual monitor setup. I would think that pretty much most cards these days support this.

-Christian

 

[Tom Lowden]

Yes, many (if not most) mid to high-range video cards are able to support this feature out of the box.

I have this setup at work (with 2 CRT monitors using the VGA interface) and at home (with 2 flat-panel displays using a DVI interface). Both my work and my home PC's have video cards with one DVI interface and one VGA interface. I use a DVI-VGA adapter on each computer.

Of course, check the box or specs on your video card to make sure it supports it (or just look to see if the card has 2 different outputs on it). Usually, the most you'd need to consider after that is getting the adapter you'd need (such as DVI to VGA). There are actually video cards that have 3 or 4 video output jacks on a single video card.

Once you have verified you have everything you need, just go into the video settings and enable the second display. On a Windows 2000 or XP machine, right-click the background, then click "Properties." Click the "Settings" tab and click the #2 display. Then check the "Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor." box in the lower part of the "Display Properties" window. Choose the resolution you want, then click "Apply" to test the settings.

P.S. - Windows 2000 & XP actually support up to 10 displays at once per computer. You'd need more than one video card running in your computer to do this, but the OS's support it.