Monitors: Dual Monitor Set-Up

[Jessie711]

Hi All,

I’m thinking about a duel monitor set-up for use with PS CS5 and have a couple of questions.

My current set up is a HP Pavilion elite m90402 with Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q6600 and a NIVDA GeForce 8400 GS Graphics card.
The Graphics card has 1 S Video, 1 HDMI and 1 Digital Video ports. My Monitor is a HP w2207 and has 1 DVI and 1 VGA port. I have upgraded from Vista to Windows 7 32 bit. I also had to replace the power supply and went from 300W to 400W.

Can I have one monitor use a HDMI to HDMI and the other DVI to the Digital Output on my graphics card or do I need to replace the graphics card if so what is your recommendation. Second should the monitors be the same size? I was thinking of using a 20 inch for the second one as I’m planning on using it for the tools and palettes.

Thanks
Jessie

[goolug]

I use Apple Cinema HD 30" for work and 23" Cinema HD at home a and I must admit I don't really like the 30" one. It's too big. Really. Eyes get tired faster and you have to move your head every time you need something in the corner of the screen.

So I'd recommend getting one good big screen - something around 23-27" and use it for all graphic work. Double screens are great for musicians and video editors, but not for graphic purposes.

Better save money and buy one great screen, instead of two crappy ones.

[kav]

I'd invest in one good one as said above. When I'm not doing photoshop/printing/etc. I keep the expensive one turned off, and use my older monitor which has been retired to secondary display. No matter what they say about hardware calibration, LUT's, etc, they all degrade over time based on usage, so I prolong my work display in this manner. There is a warmup, but the better ones are pretty usable for color corrections after around 15 minutes.

[Tareq]

I have Apple Cinema 30" at home, i have another monitor which is Eizo CG222W, and even that Eizo is better as i heard but i got used to 30", and now i see any monitor in 20" are small, i may work again with Eizo 22" but i have to re-arrange my new "office-bedroom" to have monitors and computers within available space.

[Jessie711]

Thanks for the replies however I’m only a Photoshop hobbyist and I think the price of both the Apple Cinema and Eizo ColorEdge are too high for anyone other than graphics professionals.

[kav]

Short of something in that range you're probably fine with what you've got. I never found dual displays to be all that comfortable with how they make my pen behave. If your tool palette gets in your way too much, you might be better off relying on shortcuts/key bindings (I do this and it's way quicker). It's entirely possible to work with one hand on the pen or mouse and the other one on the keyboard to switch tools, create new layers, etc.

[mhartman]

I just picked up the ViewSonic VP2365WB (23" e-IPS). I couldn't justify an $800+ display (as a hobbiest), so I bought this one at a local retailer (so I could return it if I didn't like it). I have to tell you, I'm really impressed with it - much nicer than my old standard consumer LCD.

[Steve13]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but the way I understand it, you need two graphics cards or a dual card to run two monitors.
I think if you use two different outputs on one graphic card both monitors will show the same image.

[kav]

Originally Posted by mhartman

I just picked up the ViewSonic VP2365WB (23" e-IPS). I couldn't justify an $800+ display (as a hobbiest), so I bought this one at a local retailer (so I could return it if I didn't like it). I have to tell you, I'm really impressed with it - much nicer than my old standard consumer LCD.

Viewsonic many years ago used to make a couple crts that were decent for their pricing. I haven't used one of their lcd displays personally, but I've seen a number of failure complaints on different models. This is a much higher volume brand so that's to be expected as people are always more vocal with complaints. Did you make sure to check on warranty servicing details such as where you'd need to take it (back to the retailer or do you have to mail it direct?), if you're responsible for shipping charges, turnaround time, any backlight or usage exclusions? It's a valid concern for consumer grade displays. None of them cover deterioration over time unless it's severe, even within the warranty period. You just want to know if the backlight goes out in a year that you're covered.

[biggoolies]

Originally Posted by kav

Viewsonic many years ago used to make a couple crts that were decent for their pricing. I haven't used one of their lcd displays personally, but I've seen a number of failure complaints on different models. This is a much higher volume brand so that's to be expected as people are always more vocal with complaints. Did you make sure to check on warranty servicing details such as where you'd need to take it (back to the retailer or do you have to mail it direct?), if you're responsible for shipping charges, turnaround time, any backlight or usage exclusions? It's a valid concern for consumer grade displays. None of them cover deterioration over time unless it's severe, even within the warranty period. You just want to know if the backlight goes out in a year that you're covered.

The Viewsonic has a 3 year warranty.

[biggoolies]

Originally Posted by Steve13

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but the way I understand it, you need two graphics cards or a dual card to run two monitors.
I think if you use two different outputs on one graphic card both monitors will show the same image.

Depending on the video card you have. Many run two monitors. and you can either. mirror the display or have them seperate. You change that in your operating software.

[mhartman]

With most modern graphics cards of average value or more, you don't have to mirror a dual monitor setup (they can be independant). It will vary from card-to-card, but I would say that the great majority will allow independent screens on the two monitors.