How do I connect two VGA monitors to get extended desktop?

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d3v

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A market trader-type customer of mine has just purchased two Samsung monitors that feature VGA inputs and he wants me to setup extended desktop on his PC so he can have two different live market trading applications open at once.

The PC's graphics card is an nVidia GT 230 which is multi-monitor capable and features 1x VGA, 1x DVI and 1x HDMI inputs.

What kit do I need to do the job? Just a splitter cable??
Thanks.
 
Did you click the link in my first post????

Granted it was for search results, here try this it should be specific enough.

EDIT: your customer's graphics card no doubt came with one of these already, you may want to check and see if they still have it.
 
FoolishTech said:
Did you click the link in my first post????

Granted it was for search results, here try this it should be specific enough.
Click to expand...

Not being funny, but what would I do with that? Do you mean to convert the the DVI port of the GT 230 graphics card to VGA so that I effectively have two VGA inputs on my graphics card to which I can then connect each monitor in to it's own separate VGA port on the graphics card?
 
Ah now that sounds simple enough.

He already has two 2 meter cables for each of his monitors. One end is a male VGA and the other end is a female DVI so am I correct in thinking THIS adapter is what I need to be able to make use of these existing cables that he has?
 
d3v said:
Ah now that sounds simple enough.

He already has two 2 meter cables for each of his monitors. One end is a male VGA and the other end is a female DVI so am I correct in thinking THIS adapter is what I need to be able to make use of these existing cables that he has?
Click to expand...

where are you going to plug a female DVI in???

I'm pretty sure the one foolish tech posted is what you need..
 
SprinterTech-WI said:
...........................................................................:eek:
Click to expand...

Couldn't have said it better myself.....

You need 2 cables, male-male. 1 VGA, 1 DVI (if monitor also supports DVI) OR
a total of 2 male-male VGA cables, one attached directly to video card, one attached to the DVI-VGA adapter linked earlier.... Dont try to reinvent the wheel here, this is computer basics 101...
 
I actually do need this particular adapter http://www.amazon.co.uk/Belkin-DVI-I-Female-Male-Adapter/dp/B000FO6I84 not the one I was linked to.

Think about it...

I have two cables, one end is VGA that goes in to the back of the monitors, the other end is male DVI's.
The graphics card has one female DVI and one female VGA therefore I need a male VGA to female DVI, no?!?!

I actually have one of these adapters already, so I promptly hooked everything up and it works fine however I have found one of his monitors is actually dead so have to break the bad news now.

p.s I honestly have never in my 12 years in I.T ever hooked up more than one monitor, so am completely ignorant when it comes to video connections and such like!
 
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Also, as far as I can remember, DVI-D ports can't use a DVI to VGA adapter, because they transmit only a digital signal. DVI-I to VGA works though, in general.

/CorrectMeIfImWrong


And, what your customer needs is 5 monitors, so sell him an AMD eyefinity setup already :D
 
PCX said:
Why don't we have a :facepalm: emoticon?
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly and yes i marked my calendar where PCX and I agreed on something :D- trying for the life of me to figure out a way to not call out the OP as an end user...

If the OP is truly supporting clients I would suggest taking a huge step back and getting some training before venturing out the door again.
 
I don't see it as a 'facepalm' moment...not a whole lot of users run dual/more monitors, and furthermore, with the inconsistent implementations of video adapter technologies by manufacturers, it's perfectly conceivable that one can become confused by all the information. Plus, there are some cards that have 3 outputs, but can only output to 2 displays simultaneously...and cards that have 4-5 outputs, but only a certain set of ports will work at one time.

It's like Displayport and the whole active/passive adapter thing...sort of confusing for most people at first
 
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Vicenarian said:
I don't see it as a 'facepalm' moment...not a whole lot of users run dual/more monitors, and furthermore, with the inconsistent implementations of video adapter technologies by manufacturers, it's perfectly conceivable that one can become confused by all the information. Plus, there are some cards that have 3 outputs, but can only output to 2 displays simultaneously...and cards that have 4-5 outputs, but only a certain set of ports will work at one time.

It's like Displayport and the whole active/passive adapter thing...sort of confusing for most people at first
Click to expand...

Thank you!
...................
 
Vicenarian said:
I don't see it as a 'facepalm' moment...not a whole lot of users run dual/more monitors, ...
Click to expand...

To be fair to the OP you're right, these days there is a lot of confusing video tech out there.

But to be fair to the facepalm'ers, while true that a lot of customers don't run multi-monitor setups, how many times in a tech's career should he be expected to install a video card in a machine? Plenty, you would assume, from upgrades/replacing bad ones/new builds. Now most every card in the last 5-10 years has been dual head.... and most every card that is dual head by default has one VGA and one DVI especially on the low end, and every card like that comes with a friggin adapter so you can use that DVI port with a VGA monitor!!! Point being, you would think that just once, said tech would look at the adapter in the box and realize what it is used for...

I think that is what people are having a hard time understanding....
 
Matrox DualHead2Go Analogue Edition Graphics eXpansion Module

Matrox DualHead2Go Analogue Edition Graphics eXpansion Module
 
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