OT - Computer Monitor Question

[tigerwoodKhorns]

I am completing two new computers and have a monitor question.

I need soem info on monitors. I have Dell 17" monitors at 1280 x 1040. They actually work very well for what I do (draft documents). They are VGA only. I can pick up a few more on the cheap. I actually really like these monitors but I want to look at my options.

I just bought some of these video cards:

Nvidia Quadro NVS 300. 512 mb

Maximum Display Resolution (Digital @ 60Hz)

2560x1600 (DisplayPort)

1920x1200 (DVI-I)

Maximum Display Resolution (Analog @ 85 Hz)

2048x1536 (VGA)

Monitors will probably be 60 hz. The Cards have outputs for 2 monitors. Is the above per screen or for the entire card?

http://www.nvidia.com/object/product-nvs-300-us.html

How big of a monitor will these cards handle without breaking a sweat? I know that I can add 2 more 17" monitors, but realistically, using 2 monitors per card, how big can I go without stressing the cards and maintainign smooth video? They are passively cooled so I do not want to go too far. I do not do anything too hard. All 2D office work (mostly editing documents).

Thanks.

[jason str]

Its rated for the card and not multiple screens.

As long as you wont be gaming or doing anything graphic intensive you will be ok.

What size monitors were you looking at ?

[jason str]

Maybe i should be more clear with my answer, you should be able to run 2 monitors at that resolution with one card but it will slow things up considerately.

16 Cuda cores is not much power to work with.

[cyclonecj]

Drop the VGA monitors & go digital, either HDMI or DVI. It's more than just the resolution.

VGA is an analog signal, which was fine for CRT monitors, but on a flat panel, it must be converted from digital to analog then back to digital. Signal quality drops significantly. You will see a BIG difference.

[tigerwoodKhorns]

Right now I have ATI Radeon X300 (128mb) cards driving 2 Dell 17" monitors. They are OK for what I do (docuemt review). The nice thing about an office workstation is that it does not need to have the fasest graphics.

I bought the cards because they will be quiet and they have 4 times the memory (they were also only $30 each). I can add a few more Dell 17" monitors on the cheap. But, if I find larger monitors for a good deal (maybe 22" to 27") I can add those if the card will be able to handle them easily. I assume a 20" will be no problem, but as I get to 22" to 24" it may be harder and 27" is probably out of the question.

Not sure what monitor yet. Just maybe something bigger.

[jason str]

For document reading & the like you can go with a bigger screen with no worries.

[tigerwoodKhorns]

Thanks. Like 27", 24" 22" what are my limits?

[Mallette]

Except in extreme demands, such as rendering and full HD video editing, I have seen little performance difference running multiple monitors for years. Screen size is irrelevant as long as it is rated to handle the desired resolution. I am completely crippled with only a single monitor even for mundane tasks. I run three at work, one email only and the others as work screens. I wanted to SCREAM when Microsoft went backwards with the stupid ribbon that can't be move to another screen and all tools available with a single click. I run Visio 2007 still because it was the last without the ribbon and I really need all the tools available on a second screen. Also excellent with Photoshop and many other programs that allow moving tools freely.

Dave

[jason str]

A widescreen monitor will have more pixels than a standard version but if you're not doing anything graphic intensive theres really nothing to worry about either way.

[tigerwoodKhorns]

OK thanks, I appreciate the responses and you have answered my question, but I really want to understand what is going on.

I am considering getting two 24" monitors to add to my existing two 17" monitors. My though being that in the two 24" monitors I can have 2 windows open at once (so I can display 6 windows at once between the 4 monitors). So I am hoping that the video cards will handle the bigger monitors well.

My existing card in my old computer is an ATI Radeon X300 (128 mb) with a max analog resolution of 2048 x 1536. It handles 2 17" monitors at 1280 x 1024 fairly well. The video only breaks up a little when moving windows around quickly (and I do not read the windows when I move them, even though it is not as smooth as it can look).

QUESTION 1 - if the max resolution of the entire card is 2048 x 1536, how can it handle 2 screens at 1280 x 1024?

The new video cards (Nvidia NVS300) have 512 mb, so 4 times the memory of the old cards. The literature for the NVS 300 card states: "Supporting up to two VGA, single link DVI, Display Port or HDMI displays up to 2560x1600 resolutions"

QUESTION 2 - So does this mean that the card will run 2 displays at 2560 x 1600 each or 2560 x 1600 total between the two? It seems that it has to be 2560 x 1600 each or you woudl never be able to hook up 2 monitors.

QUESTION 3 - I am looking at 22" to 24" monitors at resolutions of 1920 x 1080. This looks like it is plenty of resolution because the vertical is almost identical to my existing monitors (1080 vs 1080) and the horizontal resolution should cover the extra width of the widescreen (1920 vs 1280). I do not want to have to have the documents be enlarged too much or it will defeat the purpose of bigger monitors. Am I correct?

[minermark]

Anything 20"+ and up is the only way I will go from now on. Hp and Dells have been very good to me.

[jason str]

Here is a link on your video card compared to other models. PassMark

#1 question is impossible to answer without testing.

#2 Answered in post #3

#3 You can make the resolution whatever you want up to the monitors maximum rating and resize it however needed when viewing anything on screen.

Lots of better cards out there for the money, check out that link and look around theres lots of good information on there.

[tigerwoodKhorns]

I took the easy way out, 2 more Dell 17" monitors.

I do not maximize windows, I keep them big enough to fill the screen without maximizing so I can drag them anywhere I want without having to "un-maximize." So after thinking about it, I just picked up a few more 17" screens that were available for $50 for the pair. I know they will work, not max out the new video cards, and fit on my desk.

[wvu80]

HDMI carries both audio and video signals, the DVI uses the same digital signal as the HDMI, just no audio signal.

The "largeness" of the monitor (17", 24" 32" etc) is not the limiting factor of the video card, the resolution is, and its ability to put a lot of colors in the display.

I took this just now, so that is this post on the right monitor. The left is a 17" Sansung LCD running 1280x1024. The right monitor is a Samsung running 1980x1020, its native resolution. I am running Firefox full screen on the left, with a Windowed Firefox between the two monitors.

Because I like the print a little larger than standard hi-res gives me, I went to Control Panel, then Display and changed the default font from 100% to Medium, which is 125%. The other option is Larger, at 150%.

I presume you know that to make your print bigger in your browser, <Ctrl> <+> will make your print larger? or use <ctrl> <mouse wheel> to make the print larger or smaller.

Are you running Windows 7? If so, you can run the monitors full screen, and just grab the blue bar at the top and drag them to where ever they need to go, you don't need to use the resize box in the top right anymore. If you get near the top of the screen, the app will SNAP into full screen mode. The advantage to running an app full screen is that it gets nearly all of the processing power dedicated to its task, as opposed to the Windowed apps, which divide processing power more or less equally, slowing down your primary task.

Edited May 5, 2014 by wvu80

[tigerwoodKhorns]

I appreciate the info.

The 17" monitors have plenty of room for what I do. They are really the perfect size to review a document. If I went beigger, the monitor would need to be big enough to have 2 docuemtns opened in it to be an advantage (and justify teh extra desk space)

I understand the resolution (vs screen size). I think that to be advantageous, I would need 24" monitors, and then I have the issue of where to put them (2 24" and 2 17"). Then I woudl have to have the 2 17" monitors mounted high up which is also an issue. The 4 17" monitors fit my desk very well.

I also was dead set on the video card that I bought because I wanted a silent computer and do not want to stress the cards with trying to have too much resolution (lower resoluton and bigger text will not help me). They may not be the latest or greatest cards by any measure, but I read other tests where it was stated that Nvidia Quadro NVS series cards are very desirabel for word processing and business applications. I also bought 3 new cards for $90 delivered, so that is hard to beat pricewise. They also only use 17.5 watts.

The 4 17" monitors for my computer and 2 17" monitor for my wife should work very well for our applciation.

I am running Linux and video with more than 2 screens can be done, but not as easily as windows because Nvidia and ATI are difficult to deal with as far as open source. So I do not know if the screen will auto enlarge.

Edited May 5, 2014 by tigerwoodKhorns