4 monitor setup with 2 Matrox DHTG with 4x1 GXM config

[dion73]

Anyone here who tried a 4 monitor setup with 2 dual head to go as a4x1 configuration with the Matrox GXM utility in place?
I am thinking about setting this up with 4x22" or 4x30" monitors with a smoking hot videocard and two-dual-heads-to-go from Matrox. Or maybe it is possible through wideview on a 2 PC network to use 2 monitors with DHTG on each pc and then set it up as a 4x1 setup.
But maybe an ATI eyefinity videocard would do the job better? Anyone any ideas?
Unfortunately i will not have room for a projector setup.

thanks in advance : )

dion

[vyper883]

It's possible.
Here's a setup at CEBIT 2008 with a triplehead X2 running FSX:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2RGObJLrBw

Although, Matrox said it was not "officially" supported at the time that video was released if you add a second TH2GO to either the secondary vid card output, or a second vid card, run the Matrox wizard. It will ask you if you are setting up an existing GXM, or a new one. The only reason I can think of Matrox having that prompt script in the wizard, is to allow a second GXM on the same PC.

Although i don't have a second TH2GO to confirm, I think it could work with the following steps:

Assuming that the TH2GO units are installed, you would then go to the videocard setup, and span vertically across the two GXM's in portrait mode. The videocard "sees" each GXM as a single monitor. The videocard software allows you to span across two monitors, (in this case 2 GXM's) either vertically OR horizontally, so I don't see any reason why it would not work. Albeit with a performance hit in framerates.

PS:
TH2GO uses USB power, so if you're going to use two of them, make sure you use a powered USB hub.

[jonesthesoftware]

Simpler to put 2 graphics cards in your PC each card having 2 VGA/DVI outputs. Dead easy to setup up as 1 windows desktop. Make sure they have more than 1 Gb of graphics memory to enable running of both monitors at >1600X1200. I currently have 2* Radeon X1950 cards running 4 monitors no problems. Your motherboard obviously will have to support 2 PCI slots preferably 2* PCI(E) 16

The TH2GO runs fairly warm, has external power suppply/ is more expensive than a lot of graphics cards, software can be tricky to set up to get the right resolution to match your setup.

[dion73]

Thanks guys,

The 2 videocard option could be attractive it it would allow for FSX to run in fullscreen over 4 monitors, but i guess you would have to open new views for three monitors each time to get a full cockpit view? My idea is to have the monitors setup as 4 cockpitwindows to be installed on a MIP.
Also i was thinking about two dualheadtogo's and not the tripleheads, also maybe because of a lesser frameratehit i would suppose, but really don't know diddly squid about : )

[mrcadillac]

just to let you know:
the dualhead2go doesn't have a bezel management,
for an outside view with tfts it is really disturbing to have the bezels not compensated.
regards from germany,
christian

[dion73]

Thanks Christian,

This kind of leaves the ATI eyefinity video option open as the best option probably! From what i understand it can serve up to 6 monitors with bezelmanagement. Probably also a lot more cost-effective than the Matrox option which also still needs "next years videocards" : )

[vyper883]

Well, Matrox DOES officially support six monitors with two GXM's, as long as you are running GXM software suite 2.06 or above.

See here:
http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/pr...multiple_gxms/

[vyper883]

Dion, if you are only interested in setting up four monitors, then a second videocard may be an easier option, as the cost of two dual heads or triple heads will easily exceed the cost of a new videcard. Unless of course you already have a dual head. An ATI eyefinity is also an option- personally I don't like ATI for FSX, but that's just me.

[Nick1150]

Hi,

I have tried a dual TH2GO setup with one dual-output video card in one PC, and worked without any problems for more than a year (maybe more ? ) .... Actually it was not a 4 screens setup, but 6 screens, or maybe better 7 screens in one PC !!!! One of the 7 screens was connected with a VGA bridge with one of the 6 screens, thus both showing exactly the same.

I don't see why a DH2GO with 4 screens could not work, and I have to add on this that matrox DH2GO and TH2GO are external devices which in my mind take the weight of graphics loads off the PC and do the job on their own. So a multiple video card setup could be cheaper or possibly better, but during my experience with matrox TH2GO, I realized that it is a worry free and easy setup way to go.

Just my 2 cents,

Nick

edit: My project from the start was based on a single PC with dual TH2GO and 7 screens setup, hope that helps

[dion73]

Hi Vyper883 and Nick ,

This doesn't make it easier : )

The thing with just two videocards is i don't see how to stretch FSX across 4 screens with 1600x1050 or higher resolutions. I have 2 of those now and cannot get FSX to fill two complete screens unless i open a new view in fullscreen mode and stretch this one over the black screen, after i have to adjust viewpoints andsoforth and before you it my laziness kicks in and me thinking of a way to get it done with no work at all or just a one time setup. I think this is where matrox DHTG or THTG, or ATI eyefinity comes in. From what i understand people use nVidia mostly for flightsim, and myself i have a 275GTX and a 460GTX at the moment. But i have to admit i am no expert on videocards...
So i am looking for the easy way out and get the scenery on 4 monitors as the cockpitwindows. The PFD, ND and EICAS screen will have their own monitors on a separate PC also, probably, as i am planning to use the flightdeck software 737 suite for that.

thanks for the replies: )

dion