Loren Pechtel

EXPECT conflicts when setting up a multi-monitor system. I've had it go clean exactly once--on my main machine which has a Radeon 9700 and a Radeon 7500. There's a reason it went clean, though--the same driver handles both.

Other than that, at BEST I've had to install drivers from the device manager. For it to be completely impossible isn't unusual. It's very quirky--a pair of cards that worked on machine #1 would not work on #2 which only had a slightly different version of the motherboard.

I definitely suggest going with one card that has two ports if that's viable for your situation. Unfortunately, for most of ours it's not--such cards do not permit one screen in text mode and one in graphics mode.

Detached9

I recently purchased a 13" KOGi flat-panel monitor. I used to have a 13" CRT of some sort.

This was the cheapest flat-panel I could find ($150 w/rebates). There are some Pros and Cons to this:

Pros
* Seems like the viewing range is larger than my 13" CRT. Probably due to not having the heavy casing and such of CRTs.
* Clearer pictures.
* Not as much glare.
* Richer colors.
* Doesn't weigh as much.
* Doesn't take up as much space


Cons
* When I scroll down, the text on screen flickers. I think this is simply because I have a cheap flat-panel.
* The viewing angle is only about 65 degrees (I think). This means that if you look at the monitor from certain angles, the screen looks "distorted" (more like diluminated). Some of the better flat-panel monitors have >120 degrees viewing angle. I'd recommend those.


Do remember that these are with a cheap flat-panel. There are much better ones out there.

Loren Pechtel

The problem with scrolling applies even on the good ones. My screens aren't el-cheapos but the same thing happens.

On the other hand, while the viewing angle problem exists on all flat panels, yours is a lot worse than most of them these days. (On the other hand, it's far better than my laptop.)

Fisheye

The main reason I am interested in a flat panel monitor is desk space. My room has a serious lack of flat surfaces, I was planning on installing shelving on the walls just so I have room to put my stuff without piling or putting it on the floor.

I came across this monitor at newegg.com, ALBATRON L-17ATD 17" (Silver/Black) LCD Monitor -With TV Tuner, AV out, and DVI Support Retail
Anyone have an opinion on this one?

Specs

It's pretty cool because I could hook up cable, game consoles, dvd player, etc., and have it all in one display. Not too expensive, either, at $460. I do have a TV now, but it only has a 18-19 diagonal, so if I could use the monitor as a TV, that would save a lot of space. (Plus, the monitor has a/v and s-video inputs, which my actual TV sadly lacks)

Dual monitors are fun. I have a MSI geforce4 card with VGA, DVI, and tv out/video in connectors. I hooked up my TV to my video card and used that as a second monitor. Of course, the usefulness is limited because of the low resolution of a TV, but it works well for having a media player on the TV while I'm doing something else. Also, the video mirroring option is pretty useful, so I can play a movie full-screen on one monitor while working on the other. Actually, if I get an LCD, I may keep my old CRT as a second monitor until it dies.

Loren Pechtel

I paid $50 for a card that lets me use my computer as a TV and digital VCR. Recordings gobble HD space but I've got plenty of that.