[AG-TECH] Multi Display Cards Recommendation

[Natalia Costas Lago]

Mmm... we were about to purchase an QID PCI-Express... some people seemed 
happy with it, maybe they were working on strech mode?. Is there any other 
PCI-Express Quad Card? (we bought a couple of DELL Precision 470 and they do 
not have AGP, only PCI-Express).

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Peter DeSantis" <peter at jumbovision.com.au>
To: "Natalia Costas Lago" <natalia at cesga.es>; "Derek Piper" 
<dcpiper at indiana.edu>; "Todd Zimmerman" <toddz at sfu.ca>
Cc: "'ag-tech'" <ag-tech at mcs.anl.gov>; "Westgrid-AGTECH" 
<westgrid-agtech-l at majordomo.netera.ca>
Sent: Friday, June 10, 2005 9:38 AM
Subject: re[4]: [AG-TECH] Multi Display Cards Recommendation


the matrox drivers have amatrox tool to switch between multiscreen and 
stretch mode.

multiscreen = up to 4 vga screens, each screen can be set to an independant 
resolution, and bitdepth.  This is equivalent to the "standard" windows 
multiscreen modes.  We wanted to have screen 1= 1024x768 for the control 
monitor, then the last 3 screens set to 1280x1024.  In this mode if you 
maximise a window of any application it maximises only to fill up the screen 
its located on

stretch mode = up to 4 screens, each screen must be the same resolution and 
bitdepth. You end up with 1 wide 1x4 desktop. If you maximise a window in 
this mode it streteches and maximises across the whole 4 screens.

With the PCI express matrox QID the multiscreen mode causes each vic window 
that you open to pop up on the primary screen, then if you drag it around it 
leaves trails and video locks up and causes screen corruption all over.

The multiscreen mode did not have this problem.  Last time i looked matrox 
had not updated the driver that casued this problem, and i am pretty sure 
its caused by the driver, not for example a hardware issue.

Peter


 >>  what's the difference between strech mode and multiscreen mode??

 >>  ----- Original Message ----- 
 >>  From: "Peter DeSantis" <peter at jumbovision.com.au>
 >>  To: "Derek Piper" <dcpiper at indiana.edu>; "Todd Zimmerman" 
<toddz at sfu.ca>
 >>  Cc: "'ag-tech'" <ag-tech at mcs.anl.gov>; "Westgrid-AGTECH"
 >>  <westgrid-agtech-l at majordomo.netera.ca>
 >>  Sent: Friday, June 10, 2005 3:49 AM
 >>  Subject: re[2]: [AG-TECH] Multi Display Cards Recommendation


 >>  > We used the new matrox PCI express variation of the (QID) matrox 
card.
 >>  >
 >>  > It works fine in the horizontal stretch mode, but in the multiscreen
 >>  mode
 >>  > the vic windows corrupt the screens all over with screen courruption
 >>  > occuring as you drag windows around.  We tried to use the multiscreen
 >>  > mode, so we could have1 screen for the control monitor at a lower res
 >>  than
 >>  > the other 3 screens.
 >>  >
 >>  > Also the pci express driver dont support 1400x1050 which is comon in 
new
 >>
 >>  > projectors today. I emailed matrox repeatedly about them upgrading 
thier
 >>
 >>  > drivers to correct the problem, but all i get from them is that "they
 >>  are
 >>  > not aware on any problems with the product".  This is what i call
 >>  > "weasonable" behavior
 >>  >
 >>  > Peter
 >>  >
 >>  >
 >>  > >>      What Matrox card did you get that you weren't happy with? We
 >>  > >> recently
 >>  > >>  got a Matrox QID card (AGP) in our node and it works great. 4 x 
DVI
 >>  > >>  outputs. We have a Matrox Millenium P650 PCI to drive the 
'operators
 >>  > >>  console' TFT, so it's a 5 display machine.
 >>  >
 >>  > >>      Derek
 >>  >
 >>  > >>  Todd Zimmerman wrote:
 >>  > >>  > Hey all,
 >>  > >>  >
 >>  > >>  > I'm just writing up a suggested hardware list and am not sure 
what
 >>
 >>  > >> to
 >>  > >>  > suggest for a multi-out (tri or quad) video card - especially
 >>  since
 >>  > >> the
 >>  > >>  > last experience I had with a quad out card (from Matrox) was 
less
 >>  > >> than
 >>  > >>  > satisfactory.
 >>  > >>  >
 >>  > >>  > All of our display machines are G5's - so we just add a second
 >>  dual
 >>  > >>  > display card to get 4 outputs, which works well.  However, for 
a
 >>  > >> Windows
 >>  > >>
 >>  > >>  > display computer, I'm not sure this would work.
 >>  > >>  >
 >>  > >>  > Any recommendations??
 >>  > >>  >
 >>  > >>  > Thanks,
 >>  > >>  >
 >>  > >>  > Todd
 >>  > >>  >
 >>  >
 >>  > >>  -- 
 >>  > >>  Derek Piper - dcpiper at indiana.edu - (812) 856 0111
 >>  > >>  IRI 323, School of Informatics
 >>  > >>  Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
 >>  >
 >>  >