Triple monitor setup advice!

taylorconor95 · 07-06-2012 07:52PM #1

Right men I just got a new monitor, bringing my total to 2. It is VGA, but the problem is I only have one minidisplay port (as we all do) on my MacBook Pro. Obviously I have done my research and I know there are external USB->External Graphics Card->VGA adapters. My question is, regardless of price (obviously no madness) which is the best one of these to get, keeping in mind I want my graphics card to last more than a week??

P.S. If anyone has had bad experience with these things, let me know stat!

muggyog · 07-06-2012 11:31PM

A new monitor that only has VGA, made in China I assume?

You are going to downgrade your output considerably through the ( digital ) mini displayport if you want to use a ( analogue ) VGA display. Even with cost of the many converters you will end up with restricted resolution. There are
mini displayport to VGA adapters and VGA splitters.

Stainless_Steel · 08-06-2012 08:08AM

Wouldn't mind using VGA. I get HD resolution using VGA monitors in work.

opinion guy · 08-06-2012 01:53PM

I'm also curious about running a second external monitor of a 2011 MBP 15"

At the moment I have one external running through a display-port to HDMI convertor.

What are my options for adding a second one ?

taylorconor95 · 08-06-2012 04:07PM

I already have a Minidisplay Port to VGA adapter for my current external monitor, but I want to add ANOTHER VGA screen via USB. I know it is possible, I have seen the devices, I just want to know which one you would recommend

J-blk · 08-06-2012 04:21PM

taylorconor95 wrote: »

I know it is possible, I have seen the devices, I just want to know which one you would recommend

I have this:

http://www.gefen.com/kvm/product.jsp?prod_id=4517

The problem with all these USB to DVI/VGA/HDMI, whatever adapters is that they all use DisplayLink technology:

http://www.displaylink.com/

They are not bad at all on a Windows PC (depending on how powerful the PC is of course) but they kind of suck on a Mac. That's because the Mac drivers do not have any 3D acceleration/OpenGL and so anything other than light desktop stuff will simply not have a smooth enough frame rate.

If all you want from the 3rd monitor is to keep an office app, browser, etc visible, they're fine - but forget video, anything graphically intensive, etc.

taylorconor95 · 08-06-2012 04:56PM

What do you guys think of this product?: http://www.iogear.com/product/GUC2015V/

J-blk · 08-06-2012 05:13PM

taylorconor95 wrote: »

What do you guys think of this product?: http://www.iogear.com/product/GUC2015V/

That's yet another DisplayLink adapter - it will have the same shortcomings I mentioned in my post above...

taylorconor95 · 08-06-2012 05:20PM

J-blk wrote: »

That's yet another DisplayLink adapter - it will have the same shortcomings I mentioned in my post above...

Yes but USB isn't a patch on MinidisplayPort so isn't this really the best I can hope for?

J-blk · 08-06-2012 05:28PM

taylorconor95 wrote: »

J-blk wrote: »

That's yet another DisplayLink adapter - it will have the same shortcomings I mentioned in my post above...

Yes but USB isn't a patch on MinidisplayPort so isn't this really the best I can hope for?

I think there's a Matrox product that splits a DVI or VGA signal that's probably better but almost certainly more expensive.

As for the USB adapters, like I said, it depends on what you expect from it - general desktop stuff you'll be happy with but if you expect video or anything with fast movement on that display, the DisplayLink adapter will be very disappointing.

What resolution is the monitor you want to run BTW? The adapter you linked to must be an older chip as it only seems to go up to 1280x1024. There are now DisplayLink adapters that can do much higher resolutions.

taylorconor95 · 08-06-2012 05:33PM

J-blk wrote: »

What resolution is the monitor you want to run BTW? The adapter you linked to must be an older chip as it only seems to go up to 1280x1024. There are now DisplayLink adapters that can do much higher resolutions.

I actually don't have the monitor yet, a friend is giving it to me, all I know is its VGA

Im sure its not too much bigger than 1280x1024 though...

When it comes to the health of my Mac tho, is it safe to use these things? It won't fry my video card, even though there is also an external chip?

Also, how will it appear on my mac, will it appear just as a screen would in the 'detect displays' settings??

J-blk · 08-06-2012 05:37PM

taylorconor95 wrote: »

I actually don't have the monitor yet, a friend is giving it to me, all I know is its VGA Im sure its not too much bigger than 1280x1024 though...

When it comes to the health of my Mac tho, is it safe to use these things? It won't fry my video card, even though there is also an external chip?

Also, how will it appear on my mac, will it appear just as a screen would in the 'detect displays' settings??

No chance at all of it "frying" anything

. It's just a bog standard USB device after all - it has no effect on your existing graphics card either.

And yes, you simply get another display in Displays under System Preferences as far as I remember.

taylorconor95 · 08-06-2012 08:58PM

Thanks for your help. I was just worried because of all those horror stories about the nVidia chips

meep · 16-06-2012 08:24AM

You'd need something like this to do the job properly

http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/products/gxm/dh2go/digital_me/

Cost is €149 from the matrox store. They have a version that supports 3x external monitors as well.

DVI outputs though so you'd need an adapter fro you VGA display.

taylorconor95 · 27-06-2012 06:09AM

Ok I just received the adapter in the post yesterday. I am absolutely delighted with it! I am running a 1024x768 (my smallest monitor - its the same res as iPad for a reason) at 75Hz. There is slight lag and a slightly below-par framerate (i'd day 20-22fps) but it works like a dream!

I got this if anyone is interested: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002YB4DVU/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00

Triple monitor setup advice!

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