Docking Station

I need to power two 20" widescreen monitors, preferably with DVI ports. I can't find it on the AlienWare site, but I have managed to find there is no native docking solution according to this site.

However, if I get two ATI cards in CrossFire, will each have a DVI port? If not, can I get a VGA splitter or something?

Please advise, thanks!

 

cards don't give you ports. They are just graphic cards nothing more. check the pictures in AW website. you will see a VGA, HDMI and blocked displayport (that eventually will work with the new 4870 cards). It doesn't have a DVI port.
Though I don't known how to setup dual monitors. I use it sometimes to watch blueray movies in my plasma but all I need is a hdmi cable.

 

Cool, thank you very much for the pointers. I was just mistaken because on my desktop cards two DVI ports exist to output to monitors


Anyone else care to elaborate?

 

well that I known of... to use dual monitor from a single output you will need an external device such as Matrox DualHead2Go. But I can be wrong...
And since there are 2 video outputs I don't known if it's possible to do it without additional hardware.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_monitor

 

Short Version:
You can only use the laptops screen and up to ONE external monitor at a time. Thats it. not 2 externals.

Long Version:

On a desktop, a graphics card contains the outputs on board.
On a notebook, the graphics cards send the video output to the notebook's wiring: primarily to the screen built in, and also to the set of outputs on the back of the laptop.
These inputs are standard on the shell the computer is built in, and do not change with the internal parts. Adding a graphics card to a notebook does not add a video out port. Also, you can not use the VGA and DVI outputs simultaneously.
The only way to achieve dual screen is to use the notebooks built in display as one of the monitors.

 

Ok great, thanks for the help. That is too back For some reason I thought I knew someone with a thinkpad and a docking station who was powering two monitors, I guess not though

 

i have heard of some one taking and turning off their laptop monitor and having 2 externals but i dont rember... i have never tried it

 

Yeah, that is why I believe he does, because the laptop docking station required his monitor to be shut. Has anyone else tried this?

 

___-___-___ is correct, you do need an external splitting device, i ran across this same issue with my classroom laptops, in that the software i use requires 3 screens and the only way to acheve that is with a splitter device.

see photos:

 

Doesn't a splitter just repeat the same video signal. So you wouldn't be able to get 2 different images on them.

 

Depends on the video card and settings, Any of the videocards for The M-17 will support any of these configurations. Lesser videocards will not. its all in tweaking the settings and to tile or stretch the display.

 

btw what splitter device are you using with those 3 monitors?

 

matrox triplehead2go

edit: digital version is the way to go i have a mix and the analog ones are starting to burn up.