Multiple screens for PC

what do I need to check on my current PC, or potential new one, to ensure I can run 2 monitors?

what specific card or device do I need to have to ensure the above?

is there a maximum number of monitors I can have off one PC?

are there any set-up processing bottlenecks I need to be wary of?
(eg, memory, any minimum graphics card spec, etc)

can I run more than 1 PC off my broadband cable?
(just in case I need 2 PCs to get my 2 monitors)

thanks

Hi trendie

I have 3 monitors on an old amd 1700xp powered machine, the second and third graphics cards were cheap matrox cards off ebay, about a fiver each I recall, the monitors, again off ebay were around £20 each exl del and were as new.

I had no issues whatsoever, just whacked in the cards, plugged in the monitors, windows does the rest, hey presto multi monitor setup cheap as chips, I see no difference in performance of the pc with three graphic cards running, I have also mixed and matched with ati and nvidia cards with no probs.

A more powerful machine would be required than I've got to run a lot of resource hungry proggies at once, but I'm sure most on here run far more powerful machines, I may upgrade one day, I fancy a Dell precision but they are a little bit on the pricey side...even second hand

Sure you can run more than one pc off your broadband connection, I run three, although its rare I run them all at once, just plug in a broadband router, which also has the added benefit of connecting your pc's together also, first time I tried this each pc was running zone alarm, well lets just say it wasn't pretty, I changed to sygate which allowed the pc's to talk to each other without a fight

Hope that has helped a little bit

Lightning

Two monitors is dead easy to run on anything from recent history -
the simplest route is to buy a PC with a PCI Express 16 slot for the graphics card (not PCI, which is older and dying out, but PCI Express 16).

Lots of PCI X16 cards have dual monitor connections on the back, sometimes 2xDVI connections, sometimes 1xDVI and 1x analog. (You might get an adaptor in the graphics card box to convert DVI to analog). Stretching one desktop across two screens is easy in XPPro, I'd assume similar for Vista. A dual output graphics card will usually have software with it to lead you through the process as part of the install. Check any card you buy, obviously, to see what sort of conenctions it'll handle, best to get one that you just plug your monitors into without fiddling with adaptors!

Personally I'd buy a card with 2 x DVI outputs, in fact I did (Radeon 1650 Pro) and two identical monitors with DVI inputs - I have 2 x 19" Iiyama E481S doing this ... non-identical monitors (especially if different screen sizes) can 'jar' visually as your eyes flick screen to screen.

It is possible to put extra PCI (PCI, not PCI X16) graphcs cards into spare slots on older PCs, I've done this back in the mists of time, but it can be fiddlier and at the end of the day, given the cost of PCs these days, I value my time more than a few hundred squid. As ever it's a trade off between time, knowledge, and cash.

Right click your desktop and select Properties and if you see something similar to this screen shot then you already have the ability to run two monitors although you may need a card just to connect the second monitor.


Paul

nope, dont have it.

thanks, Trader333. I know what to look for when I change graphics-card.

Your current "graphics card" is an S3 chipset with integrated graphics, ie not a seperate graphics card - inside your case you might well find a spare PCI slot (I doubt there'll be anything more gee whizz like an AGP slot) that you can hoik a cheap PCI card into... if you go this route there'll be a degree of trial and error in it.

Top Bananas

have got two screens running off my PC. looks neat.
thanks from me and Darren the Dalek.

I am a little concerned that the Dalek is pointing in my direction and looking the same way as when many of my species have also viewed one just prior to being exterminated


Paul

Is the tickle stick a treat for when you close a good trade?

Trader333 said:

I am a little concerned that the Dalek is pointing in my direction and looking the same way as when many of my species have also viewed one just prior to being exterminated


Paul

Click to expand...

dont worry. if he misbehaves, I will have him stand on the naughty step!

EDIT: SN: thats a duster! easier to swipe layers of dust off the screen rather than using liquids etc on the monitors. (no smears)

and is the packet of tissues for when you're browsing fruitier sites than T2W?

Only kidding - nice set up.

Trendie,

Is the wedge under the Dell payment for prominently displaying T2W?

Grant.

grantx said:

Trendie,

Is the wedge under the Dell payment for prominently displaying T2W?

Grant.

Click to expand...

probably belongs to the Dalek for exterminating the lines of resistance

hi Jack,your name was mentioned elsewhere(no swearing) re paper trading new systems ect,have you come across www.mdstrader.t.i.a. alan.

(posting here rather than starting another thread)

does anyone have any experience of knowledge of an MT-4 facility for an SMS message being sent to a mobile phone when a predetermined set of parameters are met?

background: real-time trading is fine, but if I want to change to a broader time-frame, and not be stuck in front of the screen, and I dont want an automated system, a good middle-ground is to get an SMS message when key set-ups have been met, alerting me to access my charts and trade. thanks.

a while ago I cobbled together an SMS solution for TradeStation. basically, TS can be configured to generate an email when certain conditions are met. I used an email-to-sms service to send the email to my mobile phone.

I dunno if this would acheive what you want, or if MT can do email output, but check the website here: www.sms2email.com

mroalan said:

hi Jack,your name was mentioned elsewhere(no swearing) re paper trading new systems ect,have you come across www.mdstrader.t.i.a. alan.

Click to expand...

only just spotted this - sorry. Answer: no.

actually I've had a different approach over the last six months or so: I have two strategies which I'm happy with and sticking with, one discretional, one more mechanical but neither of which are software/system based, and I'm no longer testing additional systems/methodologies.

ehhh?

Ere' thats not Vinces new "Profit Lever" DVD on your desk is it? You sly old fox trendie, lucky one of the chosen few.... I thought there was only a few going, while stox last...





"Apparently its market related but 'normal traders' know nothing about this secret method. Vince admits he knew nothing about this method either until recently.....then he discovered...... "The Profit Lever"...."


http://www.trade2win.com/boards/showpost.php?p=367710&postcount=674

Crap Buddist said:

Ere' thats not Vinces new "Profit Lever" DVD on your desk is it? You sly old fox trendie, lucky one of the chosen few.... I thought there was only a few going, while stox last...





"Apparently its market related but 'normal traders' know nothing about this secret method. Vince admits he knew nothing about this method either until recently.....then he discovered...... "The Profit Lever"...."


http://www.trade2win.com/boards/showpost.php?p=367710&postcount=674

Click to expand...

nope! its "Bernie Schaeffers Options 101" CD, being used as a coffee-cup coaster.
I never realised you guys were going to be so inquisitive; MI-5 could use you when Osama releases his next single.

I got a private reply that "...if I am not in front of the screen, I should not be trading...", but this would negate most swing-trade methodologies.
thanks for replies so far, re: SMS.

No worries, just had a gawk after picking up on the other keen eyes obbo's. Got a spare screen this side, 19 inch Iiyama 450 vision master pro. If i could lift it off the floor from the spare room, I might of had a go at wiring it up .

Thank god the screens are slimmer now and easier to lift about .

hmm I had a pc quit on me a year back,fan used to rattle, then It just switched off one day 12 months later ( it no longer responded to a sharp boot under the desk to stop the rattle) but had 2 running at the time so had back up of sorts, Is it possible assuming the hard drive is not buggered to salvage the hard drive? Not thought about it, removing it and trying to plumb it in, so to speak. But I think thats looking for trouble........

No I best leave alone...