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Pastimes : Dream Machine ( Build your own PC ) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: CountofMoneyCristo who wrote (1378)	6/15/1998 10:08:00 AM
From: Sean W. Smith	Respond to of 14778

Two comments.... A. I wouldn't view anything with 15" B. You should receive your upgrade within 3-4 months on windows being released. So, Sometime in september I would expect the upgrade. If this shocks you you didn't ask around when you bought. Dell, Gateway, and Micron are all notable slow honoring their upgrades..... Good luck, Sean

To: CountofMoneyCristo who wrote (1378)	6/15/1998 4:03:00 PM
From: Howard R. Hansen	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to 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?

To: CountofMoneyCristo who wrote (1378)	6/16/1998 12:23:00 AM
From: Zeuspaul	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 14778

Dell PII 400 mobo / Number of PCI slots Dell uses Intel parts so you probably have the SE440BX motherboard or something very close to it(verify). intel.com There are four PCI slots and one ISA slot ( or three PCI and two ISA as one slot is shared) Dell has probably used some of the expansion slots so all of the above will most likely not be available. If you want five monitors you will probably need a multimonitor card. I agree with Networm. Before considering multimonitors you should consider larger monitors. You can get more information on a larger monitor as you can use higher resolutions. Multimonitor Cards Appian appiantech.com STB stbmvp.com Colorgraphics (I think SW indicated this is the lowest cost card) colorgfx.com Matrox might have something in the works. Window placement is important. Not all implementations have the same results. For example, which monitor will an application show up on when you open it up or will it show up on all of them? How many options does one have to configure the setup? Zeuspaul

To: CountofMoneyCristo who wrote (1378)	6/16/1998 11:53:00 AM
From: Howard R. Hansen	Respond to of 14778

A couple of comments regarding adding additional monitors to your Dell PII 400. One. If you use a STB MVP multimonitor video adapter you can not use your existing Diamond Permedia 2, 8MB AGP, 3-D video card. Two. All of your multimonitor displays must operate at the same resolution, color depth and refresh rate. However, you can use different size and makes of monitors. The basis for these statements is e-mail I received from STB. A copy has been added to the end of this message. As far as I know the above rules apply to multimonitor video adapters made by other manufactures. From: Tony Autrey <TAUTREY@STB.com> To: "'Howard R. Hansen'" <hrh@srv.net> Subject: RE: Multimonitor Video Adapters Date: Tue, 16 Jun 1998 08:08:01 -0500 Hi Howard, To answer your questions..... 1. You must remove your existing video adapter (or disable it if it is integrated into the motherboard) to use the MVP Pro. 2. - 5. You can use different monitors but our current drivers only support using the same resolution, refresh rate and color depth. We are currently working on drivers for Windows NT40 that will allow you to select different resolutions on each monitor. I do not have an official release date for these drivers but we are currently testing them and I'm guessing that less than 30 days from now they will be available. If you have any other questions, let me know. Thanks for your interest in STB products! Tony Autrey Specialized Technology Group STB Systems Inc. phone: (972)-234-8750 ext.2465 e-mail: tautrey@stb.com > -----Original Message----- > From: Howard R. Hansen [SMTP:hrh@srv.net] > Sent: Monday, June 15, 1998 8:23 PM > To: mvptech@stb.com > Subject: Multimonitor Video Adapters > > I am looking into using a mutimonitor video adapter. However before > making a decision I need some information. > > 1. Can I use a STB MVP PRO128 with an existing video adapter and use > both video adapters to display data? > > 2. Can I use different size and make of monitors with a STB MVP > PRO128 multimonitor video adapter. > > 3. Can I run the monitors at different refresh rates when using a > STB MVP PRO128 multimonitor video adapter? > > 4. Can I use different resolutions on each monitor when using a STB > MVP Pro128 multimonitor video adapter? > > 5. Can I use a different color depth, ( 8 bit, 16 bit or 24 bit ) on > each monitor when using a STB PRO128 mutimonitor video adapter? > > I thank you in advance for your help. Howard R. Hansen