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Help with setting up new PC with dual screens. - Printable Version

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Help with setting up new PC with dual screens. - Toni - 2013-12-20 17:36

So i need help with setting up my new pc with dual screens after christmas.

PC+Screen specs (new pc)
Now im ran into a problem in that PC. It has DVI and HDMI output for the screens and as my screens doesnt have HDMI, i need to buy either an adapter to turn the HDMI cable (if i buy the cable and adapter to turn it to DVI-D or VGA.) or i will need to buy a HDMI to DVI-D cable. But im not sure whats the best one so im asking it here.

So far i have found these cables/adapters

Hdmi to DVI-D cable : link here

Well couldnt figure out what was the right adapter so im not gonna post any link for them.

Ps. my Budget is up to 30€ and i would want answers ASAP


RE: Help with setting up new PC with dual screens. - SLiiDE - 2013-12-20 19:43

Can you clarify;
1) What outputs does your GPU have?
2) What inputs do your monitors have


RE: Help with setting up new PC with dual screens. - Toni - 2013-12-20 19:52

GPU specs : http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gt-620/specifications

but I don't know if the specs from first post include the outputs that that gpu has (in noob when it comes to gpu things and outputs)

And both screens have only VGA and DVI-D inputs


RE: Help with setting up new PC with dual screens. - SLiiDE - 2013-12-20 20:14

So you'd want to buy 1 HDMI -> DVI adapter, and then use a normal DVI cable for the other monitor.


RE: Help with setting up new PC with dual screens. - Toni - 2013-12-20 20:33

Yes. As the pc has only one DVI exit as seen in the specs list as far as I have read,and I cannot upgrade the GPU to better one with two of the same style of exits as my warranty on the pc will be gone if I even screw one screw a little bit lol.

So my only possible way to go dual screen is either:
Buy a HDMI cable and HDMI to DVI-D adapter
Or
Buy a HDMI cable that has the DVI-D (see the link on first post)

But I just don't know that what of those is better.

Edit: and yes I will use the normal dvi cable for the other screen.


RE: Help with setting up new PC with dual screens. - Toni - 2013-12-20 21:06

Oh and btw on the GPU specs site one of the pictures of the product shows it having dvi-d and a VGA output??. So is it recommended to use one screen on dvi-d and one on VGA? I just hope that the pc has the VGA output in it too.


RE: Help with setting up new PC with dual screens. - FR4NOx - 2013-12-21 03:07

If you have the computer already then just look at the graphics card itself. Do you not own it yet?


RE: Help with setting up new PC with dual screens. - Toni - 2013-12-21 10:30

I do not have it yet. Its coming in three days.


RE: Help with setting up new PC with dual screens. - Audiojack - 2013-12-21 14:29

The benefit of having a HDMI-cable with a separate DVI adapter is that you can later unplug the adapter and use the cable for HDMI if need be. Or take the adapter with you into another configuration. It's more modular.


RE: Help with setting up new PC with dual screens. - Toni - 2013-12-21 14:55

Yeah. But we will see what im going to do with it when I have unboxed it and inspected it Wink but its all about how much I would save money buying only the HDMI -DVI cable or the just HDMI cable and dvi adapter. And im not even sure how good it will manage to run 2 screens with that GPU it has (NVIDIA Geforce GT620 1024mb DDR3). And as this is my first dual screen setup I don't know will it run 2 screens (21,5") on 1920x1080


RE: Help with setting up new PC with dual screens. - max913 - 2013-12-21 17:33

well that graphicscard isnt that powerful, it kinda sucks really no offense Tongue
so dont know how well it will run games with a dual screen setup


RE: Help with setting up new PC with dual screens. - Toni - 2013-12-21 18:35

I know it sucks but I can't do anything about it, and I will test it on couple of games to see how it performs with two screens when gaming. If it isn't good then I will use only one screen for gaming, and one screen for internet or something. But we will see how it works after I have decided, that will I buy HDMI cable + adapter (dvi) or the cable with Hdmi on other end and dvi on other.

Ps. I'm not going to use this pc for gaming only, so it doesn't really bother me if it won't run both screens on 1920x1080 smooth, I can always turn the resolution on the screens down and play with the graphics settings on the games. And I just asked for advice how it would be set up properly. If everything goes well and it runs the games smoothly on dual screens im happy but if it starts to do unexpected things (for example screen flashing), I will use only one screen for gaming and the other for background stuff.

And the reason why I can't do anything to the computer parts (for example change GPU) is because it has warranty and if I open the case the warranty is instantly gone.

And im happy that I even get a new computer as our family is very low on money atm (they kicked people out from my parents workplace, including my mother, and they removed the night shift, so my mom and dad make only 75% of their old salary (old salary approx 1,7 to 2,3k per month and now as they removed the night shift they get only approx 1,2-1,6k per month. And this pc is twice as powerful than my last one even though this has an low end graphics card (well what could you expect from a 600-800€ packet computer.) And im glad that this pc has powerful processor and 512mb more on the GPU than my last pc. And I don't need an hyper computer for 2-5 hours of gaming per day as I do homework and other stuff like skinning etc.

hope this will clarify my situation with this pc and that why I can't do anything to the parts in it.


RE: Help with setting up new PC with dual screens. - FR4NOx - 2013-12-21 18:46

Well the GT 620 is made for running multiple monitors. It's just not made for gaming or gaming with multiple monitors.

DVI-D>VGA... to answer at least part of your original question


RE: Help with setting up new PC with dual screens. - Toni - 2013-12-21 19:06

DVI it is then. And on the specs list on the shops site where im getting that pc+screen says that it will run mid-heavy games fine. I will first check how it performs with one screen (FPS,Possible lag spikes when gaming etc.) and if it works fine with one screen I will try with 2 screens for a test.
But imo the Processor is powerful enough to run for example ETS2 on medium-high graphics with that GPU and one screen. (well try to imagine it with my old pc that had Intel core 2 duo (1-2ghz if im right and a NVIDIA geforce 8800 GTS 512 on that P226HQV screen in ets2 on high graphics it did 30fps when not recording and when I was recording it did 10-20 fps.) So i think this could do 25% more fps in same conditions (with my luck.) but it really doesn't bother me if i get 30 fps on one screen in lfs for example, i just need a pc that will run mid-heavy games smootly.


RE: Help with setting up new PC with dual screens. - FR4NOx - 2013-12-21 19:17

The GT 620 is fine for 720p gaming at high settings, running games at 1080p might not run as well as you might think. The DDR3 video RAM will hurt performance in games.


RE: Help with setting up new PC with dual screens. - Toni - 2013-12-21 19:21

I will try it in different resolutions then and see what works best (not too crap resolution still.)


RE: Help with setting up new PC with dual screens. - Chuck - 2013-12-21 19:22

One word on DVI:
DVI-D only transports the digital signal part and is convertible to HDMI with a simple adapter
DVI-A only transports an analogous signal, compatible to a VGA adapter
DVI-I transports both of the above in the same cable, so you can select what signal you want to transport to your monitor, keep DVI, convert to HDMI or VGA

DVI-D to VGA is not possible without expensive equipment as the signals are incompatible.


RE: Help with setting up new PC with dual screens. - Toni - 2013-12-21 19:42

Thanks for clarifying those meanings out for me. Now i know what im buying lol.
I think im just going to buy the cable that is on the first post (the link) and see what happens. Keep thumbs up that it would work and run games properly...


RE: Help with setting up new PC with dual screens. - Chuck - 2013-12-21 19:54

What is the exact video card btw? Just knowing the chip is not enough as it doesn't say a word about the actual hardware, its just the possible frame of which hardware manufacturers may chose from. So, who the actual card manufacturer and what model is it?


RE: Help with setting up new PC with dual screens. - Toni - 2013-12-21 19:59

Graphics card?
1. Sapphire/Zotac
2. ASUS definitely not this as the pc itself is ACER
3. Gigabyte
4. Palit Microsystems Ltd.
5. Gainward
6. PNY
7. Elitegroup Computer Systems In

Maybe some of those, im not sure and will not be as I can't open up the pc case when im getting the pc as the warranty will go void.