2 x TripleHead2Go = 6 x monitors or not ?

[Nick1150]

Hi,

A quick question...

I have a desktop with Nvidia 9600 GT (PCI, 1GB) with dual output.

Can I install two Digital TripleHead2Go ? Meaning one in each output of the card, and connect totally 6 monitors in one desktop ?

Has anyone tried this ?

Thanks

[ran56]

I've asked this question the Matrox support few years back.

The setup is not officially supported by Matrox, it is technically possible to do if you follow GXM (http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/gxm/products/home.php) guidelines. As this configuration is not officially supported you will need to test this setup on your own.

Now depended on what you want to echive, I would go with two VGA cards
and connect T2G on each one.
If 3D displays in play, I would go on high end VGA.

[Nick1150]

Thanks

Below is the info given by Matrox in FAQ of TripleHead2Go site

Can I connect multiple DualHead2Go/TripleHead2Go units in one system?
Although it may be physically possible to connect multiple DualHead2Go/TripleHead2Go units on the same system, Matrox does not recommend doing so. The included Matrox PowerDesk software supports a configuration of one unit per system. Adding more than one unit per system has not been tested.

On the other hand I have seen in youtube videos with 2x TripleHead2Go units

I would say that if one is going to get a second video card, then there is no need to get 2 x TripleHead2Go units. You already have 4 from the first card (3+1) plus 2 from the second card, which makes 6 monitors in total.

I would be really curious to hear if someone here has tried such a configuration, that is 2 x TripleHead2Go with one video card.

[BHawthorne]

Thanks

I would be really curious to hear if someone here has tried such a configuration, that is 2 x TripleHead2Go with one video card.

Yes, a few have documented it in the WSGF forums. Keep in mind that you can not exceed the maximum pixel width of your video card. 7-series and older nVidia 4096 and 8-series and newer nVidia cards no wider than 8192 pixels. This means you can use XP span mode and actually span 2 TH2G but only in the case of it being no wider resolution than I mention above. All the examples I've seen of 2 TH2G have vertical spanned them as 2 stacked rows of 3 displays.

I have personal experience with something similar. I have run 2 DH2G and horizontal-spanned them in XP for a total of 7680x1200 resolution with 4 24" LCDs. This might make the most sense instead of 2 TH2G, because you're pushing right at the pixel width limits available in cards today and you're getting 4 1920x1200 screens vs. 6 1680x1050 screens (7860x1200 vs. 5040x2100). Really depends on if you want to go taller or wider which configuration to use. IMHO, DH2G route is wider view and cheaper to build.

Keep in mind that span modes only exist in XP. Either way that is pushing A LOT of pixels. Use only the fastest single GPU card available. My suggestion would be the GTX260, GTX275, GTX280 or GTX285 cards. (Dual GPU nVidia cards can not be spanned so a GTX295 can't be used)

Yes, 2 DH2G or 2 TH2G are possible display configurations for doing the outside views of your sim. From an expense and configuration standpoint 2 DH2G is better imho.

[BW901]

Yes it's certainly possible. A couple of years ago I was running 6 monitors off a single Nvidia 8800 card quite successfully - upper 3 monitors for the external view (and overhead as needed) and lower 3 for instruments. It's also possible to mix widescreen and standard monitors through a TH2GO when displaying instrument panels. I must confess I didn't think about the technicalities of it, just gave it a go and fortunately it worked !!

I've attached a few pictures of my old setup, running Flight1's ATR, PMDG 737 and Rick Piper's superb freeware HS748 - oh how I would love to have the building skill and the guts to build a 748 pit, rather than chickening out and going with a 737NG

Jon

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/l...kpit/HS748.jpg

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/l...kpit/Atr72.jpg

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/l...it/737-800.jpg

[Geremy Britton]

Thanks for the pictures Jon, also welcome to the forum if you have not yet introduced yourself. From the pictures it appears there is no image compromise which is what i was thinking as i was reading through this post.

I may try out a TH2GO and a DH2GO that would give me 5 monitors which is what i need.

One thing i was thinking though one of these outputs is the large projector for the visuals would this 'use up' pixels and therefore ruin the other 3/4 monitors plugged in for the instruments?

[Nick1150]

That's exactly what I was going to say....

I need 5 x monitors + 1 x projector. Would that be a problem for the 2 x TH2GO ?

You said, just gave it a go and fortunately it worked. Can you please explain that ? When you say you gave it a go, you mean you just connected both TH2GO to the two outputs of the video card and installed the software and it worked ?

Thanks in advance

[BW901]

Thanks for the thanks Geremy.

I'm not a techie so if someone more knowledgeable wants to correct me, jump in please!

My understanding is that when a TH2Go box is attached to a video output your PC will recognise it as a 3840x1024 monitor. Two TH2Gos will be seen as 2 separate 3840x1024 monitors with your desktop spread across the 6 monitors.

The 3840 will be split equally across the 3 outputs from the TH2Go (each output will be 1280x1024). How you use that 3840 x 1024 is entirely up to you, and running FS in windows mode it is possible to put your external view across just 1 of the 3 screens and fill the other 2 with instruments. I presume if you hook up a beamer to one of the 3 outputs, and monitors on the other 2 it would work, but without borrowing a projector from work I couldn't be 100% certain. I would caution that the more graphically intensive the image (or combination) you run across the TH2Go, the more your graphics card will be challenged and the bigger the hit on frame rates. I was mainly using my setup flying virtual turboprops around a virtual Caribbean, so no really intensive scenery and my system coped well. However flying in Europe, with big airports full of AI-traffic etc. would probably have been too much.

The other output(s) from your graphics card(s) will function normally.

I'm running 6 monitors on my current set-up but I've now ditched one TH2Go and have gone down the road of having 2 graphics cards so the TH2GO runs 3 monitors for external view and the other 3 monitors running instruments are fed from separate outputs on the 2 cards. I've also pushed any other miscellaneous programmes - eg Active Sky onto a second older computer to ease workload and I will probably put my spare TH2Go onto that machine and shift my EICAS displays etc to take even more workload off my main PC.

I'm toying with a projector for external view, but I wouldn't consider hooking it up to the TH2GO, I would run it from a dedicated output, and if I need extra monitor capacity switch instrument displays onto the TH2GO.

I guess to sum up in a nutshell, yes 6 monitors running through 2 TH2Gos does work. It was great for getting me up and running for a couple of years, but as my cockpit has grown in complexity it's started to have performance limitations and much as I hate to say it I have to agree that the arguement about using a network to spread load is the best if maybe not the cheapest solution.

Cheers
Jon

[BHawthorne]

3840x1024 (19" regulars) is the old TH2G maximum resolution, not the new one which is 5040x1050 (22" widescreens) maximum resolution.

TH2G analog = 3820x1024
TH2G Digital = 5040x1050 widescreen
TH2G DP = 5040x1050 widescreen

[Nick1150]

Thanks guys for the help.

So it is do able.

But is it a straight forward setup or I will find problems in the way of installing drivers etc... for the second TH2GO unit ?