Desktop with multiple moniotrs

[the_ultimate_evil]

I'm looking into getting a new tower system and monitor rather than a laptop, now I have more room

My problem is I also have a Wacom cintiq which acts as a second monitor but all the towers I've seen have only one hdmi

So I can't connect the cintiq and the monitor and ideas

 

[Asteroid-Man]

Most onboard video cards come with dual-display compatibility - whether it be VGA/DVI/HDMI, HDMIx2/DVI, DVIx2, DVI/VGA, VGAx2/DVI etc etc

Most screens also support DVI and HDMI (at the very least) and some still include VGA compatibility.

DVI and HDMI are practically the same, technically speaking (digital signal) while VGA is analogue and not as nice. Some people swear by it's ability to send a better "colour signal" but there's no actual evidence to this claim (I feel it's because CRT have better colour representation and they tended to use VGA for the most part).

If your Wacom Cintiq only uses HDMI, use either VGA or DVI for the second monitor. You can then map out the positioning of the monitors (relative to one another) using "Display Preferences" or "Screen Resolution".

 

[BigA]

I'm looking into getting a new tower system and monitor rather than a laptop, now I have more room

My problem is I also have a Wacom cintiq which acts as a second monitor but all the towers I've seen have only one hdmi

So I can't connect the cintiq and the monitor and ideas

Depending on what type of tower you are getting (not sure if you buying one or building one yourself), you can easily add a video card to support multiple monitors. I have 3 monitors and 1 TV I connect to my video card. I have them connected via DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI-I, and DVI-D.

Many monitors and video cards today come with DisplayPort (comparable to HDMI and also carries audio), so that could be a good option. DisplayPort and HDMI or HDMI and DVI. DisplayPort is more prevalent than DVI these days.

If you are buying a Dell, HP, or something like that you have to be careful about adding a video card as the tower may only accept low-profile video cards. Also, some of the larger video cards will take up two PCI slots because of their size. Dell or HP usually offer upgraded video cards when you order anyhow.

If you're doing any gaming, rendering, or such you'll probably want a better video card anyway.

I'm a developer, but I also do a lot in Adobe Premiere and some After Affects and here is the video card I use. Here is a newer one that is similar. Not sure what your budget is.

PM if you need more help.

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

Cheers bigA I'll do that

I've the set up with my laptop, my main concern was the Wacom tablet needed to be connected via hdmi and a usb so that's why I figured I needed a vga to also connect the main monitor as the tower has only one hdmi on the unit.

 

[BigA]

Cheers bigA I'll do that

I've the set up with my laptop, my main concern was the Wacom tablet needed to be connected via hdmi and a usb so that's why I figured I needed a vga to also connect the main monitor as the tower has only one hdmi on the unit.

Can you post the make and model of your tower. If it's custom built the motherboard make and model.

 

[Asteroid-Man]

Cheers bigA I'll do that

I've the set up with my laptop, my main concern was the Wacom tablet needed to be connected via hdmi and a usb so that's why I figured I needed a vga to also connect the main monitor as the tower has only one hdmi on the unit.

You'll need a dedicated video card then. What kind of work do you do? You could easily get away with a Radeon HD5550 (HDMI/DVI/VGA) - although this card has three ports, it only supports two active displays at once (you can mirror the third one)

You could potentially run the HD tablet, then a second screen on VGA or DVI. This video card supports Bluray too and it's not that bad.

If you want something even better, go with Nvidia's GTX series. I'm rocking a GTX 750 Ti - I work in the TV and Film industry and this thing gives me what I need. I edit 4k footage natively, animate motion graphics and render all the time. Some software (like Davinci Resolve) won't work with an ATI card, so it's best to go with an Nvidia card in those cases.

 

[BigA]

You'll need a dedicated video card then. What kind of work do you do? You could easily get away with a Radeon HD5550 (HDMI/DVI/VGA) - although this card has three ports, it only supports two active displays at once (you can mirror the third one)

You could potentially run the HD tablet, then a second screen on VGA or DVI. This video card supports Bluray too and it's not that bad.

If you want something even better, go with Nvidia's GTX series. I'm rocking a GTX 750 Ti - I work in the TV and Film industry and this thing gives me what I need. I edit 4k footage natively, animate motion graphics and render all the time. Some software (like Davinci Resolve) won't work with an ATI card, so it's best to go with an Nvidia card in those cases.

Second on Nvidia is you're doing video editing. It supports CUDA which Adobe Premiere uses. Even if the video card is not listed, there is quick fix to unlock it so Premiere uses it for CUDA acceleration. This site has all the details. I'm guessing other editing software uses CUDA as well.

 

[Asteroid-Man]

Second on Nvidia is you're doing video editing. It supports CUDA which Adobe Premiere uses. Even if the video card is not listed, there is quick fix to unlock it so Premiere uses it for CUDA acceleration. This site has all the details. I'm guessing other editing software uses CUDA as well.

Apparently Media Composer uses CUDA too, but to be completely honest, I haven't noticed a difference in Media Composer's performance switching from the 5550 to the 750Ti - and I'm cutting 4k, R3D footage.