>>As far as STB multimonitor cards, they are nice but pricey,
along with Appian cards. To run 4 monitors, their cards are around $1200.
The current cheapest multimonitor card is Colorgraphics.
Evolution 2 - $495 - two monitors
Evolution 4 - $695 - four monitors<<
I agree STB multimonitor cards are pricey compared to using 4 separate video adapters. But the price you quote for a STB Multimonitor card is to high. Ilyak reports his 4 port multimonitor card with 2 megabytes of memory per port costs $699. This is approximately the same cost as a Colorgraphics Evolution 4.
>>I'm still wondering how much, and what kind of Ram would be the bang for the buck to run 2D applications on a 17" monitor. 2,4 or 8 mb of EDO, SDRAM, SGRAM, or WRAM?<<
Here is how you figure out how much memory you need. Multiply the resolution by 1 for 8 bit color, by 2 for 16 bit color and by 3 for 24 bit color.
Examples
800 X 600 resolution x 1 = 0.48 megabytes for 256 colors
800 x 600 resolution x 2 = 0.96 megabytes for 65,500 colors
800 x 600 resolution x 3 = 1.44 megabytes for 16.8 million colors
1024 x 768 resolution x 1 = 0.79 megabytes for 256 colors
1024 x 768 resolution x 2 = 1.57 megabytes for 65,500 colors
1024 x 768 resolution x 3 = 2.36 megabytes for 16.8 million colors
1280 x 1024 resolution x 1 = 1.31 megabytes for 256 colors
1280 x 1024 resolution x 2 = 2.62 megabytes for 65,500 colors
1280 x 1024 resolution x 3 = 3.93 megabytes for 16.8 million colors
1600 x 1200 resolution x 1 = 1.92 megabytes for 256 colors
1600 x 1200 resolution x 2 = 3.84 megabytes for 65,500 colors
1600 x 1200 resolution x 3 = 5.76 megabytes for 16.8 million colors
The resolution you use on a 17 inch monitor depends upon your eyesight. Younger people could possibly work on a 17 inch monitor at 1280 x 1024. Senior citizens could work on a 17 inch monitor at 1024 x 768 for short periods but would prefer 800 x 600. In my opinion 8 bit, 256 colors, is more than adequate for a trade station and if you limit yourself to 256 colors you can go up to 1600 x 1200 resolution with 8 bit color. Similarly you don't need high speed RAM for a trade station. EDO RAM is adequate for a trade station. The other types of RAM cost more and of more interest to 3D game players. |
