2) You can get a USB to VGA Adapter, or USB to DVI Adapter that will allow you to add an extra monitor to your computervia any USB2.0 Port. You can also add multiple extra monitors by using multiple adapters. This is a great option for viewing documents, surfing the web, using Microsoft Office and many other business tasks. This is not a good option for intense graphical situations such as HDTV, Blu-ray, Gaming and 3D / CAD Workstationapplications. For those types of scenarios, it is highly recommended that you purchase a high-powered Multi-monitor Workstation.
3) You can replace or add an extra video cardto your existing computer, depending on how many monitorsyou wish to support. Although this sounds easy enough, this is a rather complex solution for a beginner, especially when trying to find a compatible graphics card. For this reason, I am going to write an entirely seperate post on that topic and will link to it here, very soon.
Once you have your multiple monitor systemset up and ready to use, you will need to enable all of your monitorsin your “Display Properties” Control Panel. Here is a great link to a complete and animated walkthrough of how to enable your multiple monitors in the Windows Control Panel.
Setting up multiple monitors can be an inexpensive way of improving computer usage. It increases the display area, which allows you to become more efficient, with a single computer.
In many professions, including graphic design, architecture, engineering and video editing, the use of two or more monitors, being driven from one machine, is not a new one. While in the past, it has meant multiple graphics adapters and specialized software, it was common for engineers to have at least two, if not more, displays to enhance productivity.
Now that Multi-Monitor setups are more budget-friendly, it is not uncommon to see other professionals use two monitors to quickly view documents, side by side. This advantage helps push the idea of a paperless office, and is helping to make it more feasible. Now, it is becoming very popular among, small businesses, audio / video pros, day traders and even on-line poker players. The possibilities are becoming endless! Multi-monitors are revolutionizing the world of multi-tasking. For a better understanding check out the video below.
The easiest way to setup Multiple Monitors on a computer, is to purchase a Multi-Monitor ready computer. You can add additional video cards to your existing system, although this is not recommended, for a novice. You will need to know many things for choosing the right video card. You will need to make sure that the video card is compatible with your PC motherboard, Operating System, and Monitor Input Type. A more safe and easy way to Add an extra monitor to your PC is to use a USB to VGA Monitor Adapter.
The monitors used for Multi-Monitor can be different types (LCD or CRT) and sizes. The operating system manages the monitors’ video resolutions independently. Video output on a computer is generated by a video card and is interpreted and displayed by a variety of devices. Video cards are typically connected to a monitor (of either the CRT or LCD type), however they are increasingly being connected to projection equipment or television sets. As a result of this trend, manufacturers have produced video cards which can
connect to several types of display devices using the appropriate interface. A video card that has two sockets on it (for two monitor cables) is referred to as Dual Head. Two separate video cards are just as acceptable, and so is using the motherboard video socket plus a second video card.
Multi-monitor, also known as Multi-Screen, Multi-head and Dual-Monitor are synonymous terms, referring to the use of multiple physical display devices, such as monitors, televisions and projectors, in order to increase the area available for computer programs, running on a single computer system.
“One of the best ways to improve your productivity!”
Now that Multi-Monitor setups are budget-friendly, it is not uncommon to see professionals, using two monitors, to quickly view documents, side by side. True Multi-Taskers will generally use 3 or more Monitors!
