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To: CountofMoneyCristo who wrote (1378)	6/15/1998 4:03:00 PM
From: Howard R. Hansen	Read Replies (1) of 14778

>>I just recently got a Dell PII 400 (384MB 100mhz SDRAM, with a Diamond Permedia 2, 8MB AGP, 3-D video card) and want to set up four additional monitors, for viewing various online sites. Do I need a video card for each one? Can I get them from any computer store, or should I order direct from Dell? How much $$$ will they set me back? Any recommendations? And what role does display size and resolution play? (I was thinking of four 15-inch Trinitrons). Also, is there anything else I need in order to get this five-monitor set-up to function properly?<< The first thing you need to do is to determine how many free PCI slots there are in your Dell PII 400 to help you decide what approaches you can use to add 4 more monitors to your PC. If you want to use a separate video adapter with each monitor then you will need at least 4 free PCI slots and need to use Win 98. This is the lowest cost approach. But I doubt if you have 4 free PCI slots in your PC. If you don't you will need to use a multimonitor video adapter. Depending upon the resolution you require a 4 monitor multimonitor video card will cost from 700 to $2500. Whereas using 4 video adapters that provide the same resolution as a 4 monitor multimonitor video adapter will cost from 140 to $1000. The lowest estimated prices are for the lowest resolution display. Based on your questions I suggest the best way for you to determine how many free PCI slots there are in your PC is to call Dell. >>Do I need a video card for each one?<< Not necessarily. People implement multimonitor displays stations using either a mutimonitor video adapter or separate video adapters for each monitor. But most likely you will need a mutltimonotor video adapter. See my previous comments. >>Can I get them from any computer store, or should I order direct from Dell?<< If you can use a separate video adapter for each monitor you can order the video adapters from a computer store. If you use a multimonitor video adapter most likely your computer store will have to special order it for you. I don't know of any advantage for buying these items direct from Dell. >>How much $$$ will they set me back?<< The price range for individual video adapters runs from 35 to $250. The price range for a 4 monitor multimonitor video adapter runs from 700 to $2500. >>Any recommendations?<< No >>What roll does display size play?<< None what so ever in getting a computer with 5 monitors to work. People select display size based on items like the quality of their eye sight and the size of their budget. I suggest you go to a computer store and look at various size monitors to find out what display size is compatible with your budget and want list. >>What roll does resolution display?<< None what so ever in getting a computer with 5 monitors to work and when you are using Windows 98. Sorry I can't give you a good answer to this aspect of the question when using a 4 monitor multimonitor video adapter. I suggest you experiment with your existing computer to get a feel for what various resolutions look like on your present display. You can use the Windows 95 Control Panel to adjust the resolution of your display. The most important thing you should notice is that as the resolution increases the size of the text decreases. Then you need to compare resolution with the applications you will be running. >>Also, is there anything else I need in order to get this five-monitor set-up to function properly?<< Yes determine how many free PCI slots there are in your PC. >>Dell included a free Windows '98 upgrade with the system but neglected to tell me how to get it.<< Hopefully Dell will automatically ship it you. >>I've heard that a beta version is already available. How do I get it?<< Most likely it is to late to get a Beta copy of Win 98. Win 98 is expected to appear on store shelves on June 25. But if you use a 4 monitor multimonitor video adapter you do not need Win 98. A 4 monitor multimonitor video adapter will work with Win 95. >>What is Taskmaster?<< I don't know the answer to this question. In what context did the word Taskmaster appear?

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