Equipment Crew Tech Thread

[litljay]

anyone know anything about a dual monitor setup? i'm considering adding a 2nd monitor to my work setup (mostly so that i can watch streaming movies while i do my bookkeeping in the office [i have ADD and watching reruns of old tv shows helps when i do monotonous work]) should i just pick up a 2nd monitor and plug it in or is there an advantage to buying a double monitor?

what else do i need to consider when pondering a 2nd monitor?

It's fairly simple. You're running PC? Check your graphics card before you buy a second monitor, but as long as there is 2 ways or 2 monitor connections, you'll be good to go. On my old PC I ran 1 monitor off the hdmi port and the second monitor off the DVI. It may require you to go into your graphics card settings to allow the second monitor.

On my IMac, I had to go get a dongle -> DVI and run the second monitor that way.

[Synthetickiller]

anyone know anything about a dual monitor setup? i'm considering adding a 2nd monitor to my work setup (mostly so that i can watch streaming movies while i do my bookkeeping in the office [i have ADD and watching reruns of old tv shows helps when i do monotonous work]) should i just pick up a 2nd monitor and plug it in or is there an advantage to buying a double monitor?

what else do i need to consider when pondering a 2nd monitor?

What is a double monitor? I've never heard of this. Do you mean ultra widescreen, 21:9?
Otherwise, just buy another monitor, plug it in. See what types of connections you have & buy an appropriate monitor.

One thing to consider is knowing what monitor you have now & what type (TN, IPS, VA PLS, AHVA). For example, if you have a TN & buy a really nice AHVA or IPS monitor, the colors will not match. The TN will have worse viewing angles & worse color. If this doesn't matter, buy what you want. You can also use a TV as a monitor, but that's not ideal for many reasons.

Why stop at 2? I have 3 & now want another 3, lol.


There's also monitor arms so can have them sit wherever you like:

[Domicron]

It's fairly simple. You're running PC? Check your graphics card before you buy a second monitor, but as long as there is 2 ways or 2 monitor connections, you'll be good to go. On my old PC I ran 1 monitor off the hdmi port and the second monitor off the DVI. It may require you to go into your graphics card settings to allow the second monitor.

On my IMac, I had to go get a dongle -> DVI and run the second monitor that way.

yes PC. i thought it was that simple but thought i should check. and i'm far too lazy to google...i'm running one of my monitors off of HDMI so i figure i could use vga for the 2nd.

thanks, on spread

What is a double monitor? I've never heard of this. Do you mean ultra widescreen, 21:9?
Otherwise, just buy another monitor, plug it in. See what types of connections you have & buy an appropriate monitor.

i mean something like this where the 2 monitors share a single bezel vs 2 separate monitors on arms like you're showing. i think the arms allows me to rotate the screen 90 degrees, which i've considered...but don't know how often i'd want my screen like that.

One thing to consider is knowing what monitor you have now & what type (TN, IPS, VA PLS, AHVA). For example, if you have a TN & buy a really nice AHVA or IPS monitor, the colors will not match. The TN will have worse viewing angles & worse color. If this doesn't matter, buy what you want. You can also use a TV as a monitor, but that's not ideal for many reasons.

Why stop at 2? I have 3 & now want another 3, lol.


There's also monitor arms so can have them sit wherever you like:
[img]http://cdn3.bigcommerce.com/s-l85bzww3lo/product_images/uploaded_images/dual1ProdTab.jpg[img]

yeah the 2nd monitor will come in handy when i want to compare documents, as splitting screens means i can't always both forms fully, but also to keep some visual 'noise' when i'm not using it directly. so i figure it won't matter if it's a cheaper TN type. i think that's what i'm using now and mostly it's okay. i just have a hard time justify spending too much money on a nice monitor when i have 2 TVs at home that i don't use all that much.

as for how many monitors: space matters...it would be nice to have 2 horizontal and a single vertical aligned so that i can see all my charts and ledgers and stuff at the same time, but that's too nerdy.

for awhile in college i dual-boxed Neverwinter Nights (D&D rpg) on a laptop next to a monitor...that **** is stressful and not actually enjoyable for playing a game

[RestoringTally]

It's fairly simple. You're running PC? Check your graphics card before you buy a second monitor, but as long as there is 2 ways or 2 monitor connections, you'll be good to go. On my old PC I ran 1 monitor off the hdmi port and the second monitor off the DVI. It may require you to go into your graphics card settings to allow the second monitor.

yes PC. i thought it was that simple but thought i should check. and i'm far too lazy to google...i'm running one of my monitors off of HDMI so i figure i could use vga for the 2nd.

Depending upon your PC, you may have only a single video port from a motherboard hosted video GPU. If that is the case, you will have to buy a plug-in video card with multiple ports. They are readily available at Best Buy, etc. A common PC hardware configuration is that using a plug-in video card disables the on-board video. So make sure that the new video card has the type of ports you want. Many video cards have three video ports of which only two can be used at a time. They are normally autosensing and autoswitching, so just plug in your monitors where ever and stand back.

Another option is to get a USB video adapter and use that with your built-in video port. One of my computers has a dual-video port USB adapter and it works well using a USB 2 port. As long as you are not wanting to use the USB video for serious gaming, it should handle anything you throw at it, particularly if you have USB 3 ports.

PS: I buy computer equipment on CL the same as I buy gym equipment. Amazing what you can find.

[Domicron]

Depending upon your PC, you may have only a single video port from a motherboard hosted video GPU. If that is the case, you will have to buy a plug-in video card with multiple ports. They are readily available at Best Buy, etc. A common PC hardware configuration is that using a plug-in video card disables the on-board video. So make sure that the new video card has the type of ports you want. Many video cards have three video ports of which only two can be used at a time. They are normally autosensing and autoswitching, so just plug in your monitors where ever and stand back.

Another option is to get a USB video adapter and use that with your built-in video port. One of my computers has a dual-video port USB adapter and it works well using a USB 2 port. As long as you are not wanting to use the USB video for serious gaming, it should handle anything you throw at it, particularly if you have USB 3 ports.

thanks, i'll look into this. as i'm not gaming on my work pc, i just have the onboard video. IIRC it has multiple ports, but it wouldn't hurt to make sure it can support multiple monitors...

PS: I buy computer equipment on CL the same as I buy gym equipment. Amazing what you can find.

i've always been a bit weary of buying electronics on CL because of the likelihood of stuff being broken...

last time i needed a monitor i bought this one on amazon for 100 bucks: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...4?ie=UTF8&th=1

but i guess it wouldn't hurt to do a search on CL first...

[Synthetickiller]

i mean something like this where the 2 monitors share a single bezel vs 2 separate monitors on arms like you're showing. i think the arms allows me to rotate the screen 90 degrees, which i've considered...but don't know how often i'd want my screen like that.



yeah the 2nd monitor will come in handy when i want to compare documents, as splitting screens means i can't always both forms fully, but also to keep some visual 'noise' when i'm not using it directly. so i figure it won't matter if it's a cheaper TN type. i think that's what i'm using now and mostly it's okay. i just have a hard time justify spending too much money on a nice monitor when i have 2 TVs at home that i don't use all that much.

as for how many monitors: space matters...it would be nice to have 2 horizontal and a single vertical aligned so that i can see all my charts and ledgers and stuff at the same time, but that's too nerdy.

for awhile in college i dual-boxed Neverwinter Nights (D&D rpg) on a laptop next to a monitor...that **** is stressful and not actually enjoyable for playing a game

Portrait depends on the size of the monitor. I tried running a 30" 1600p like that & my neck felt awful after about 5 minutes.
There's software to take advantage of a 34" 3440x1440 to make it act as 2 monitors. Windows 10 allows for functional docking and you can really show 3 windows at once effectively.

I like the idea of 2 monitors stacked & a vertical next to it

Interestingly, I'm going to sell my 3 2560x1440 monitors (all DVI). Let me know if you'd be interested.
I need display port capable monitors. 60hz is driving me crazy for viewing anime. I don't like running things at 48hz. The monitors will overclock to 96hz, which actually works, but I want to try 144hz to avoid stutter, lol.


The reason I pay more is because of eye health. If you look at monitors all day, it's money well spent.
There's a lot of cheap korean monitors (like the ones I currently own) that are excellent & affordable.

[Domicron]

Portrait depends on the size of the monitor. I tried running a 30" 1600p like that & my neck felt awful after about 5 minutes.
There's software to take advantage of a 34" 3440x1440 to make it act as 2 monitors. Windows 10 allows for functional docking and you can really show 3 windows at once effectively.

I like the idea of 2 monitors stacked & a vertical next to it

Interestingly, I'm going to sell my 3 2560x1440 monitors (all DVI). Let me know if you'd be interested.
I need display port capable monitors. 60hz is driving me crazy for viewing anime. I don't like running things at 48hz. The monitors will overclock to 96hz, which actually works, but I want to try 144hz to avoid stutter, lol.


The reason I pay more is because of eye health. If you look at monitors all day, it's money well spent.
There's a lot of cheap korean monitors (like the ones I currently own) that are excellent & affordable.

well i don't look at them often. i'm using asus 21.5" monitors and they're doing fine for me. if you want to sell me two for less than $100 each including shipping shoot me a PM, but i'm not holding my breath .

doing some research i'm not sure if my mobo will support 2 monitors and i'm not wanting to spend much more money on it than the monitor...i built it a year ago as a work pc with the intention of not upgrading it until needed, and needing to upgrade for awhile...

[RestoringTally]

thanks, i'll look into this. as i'm not gaming on my work pc, i just have the onboard video. IIRC it has multiple ports, but it wouldn't hurt to make sure it can support multiple monitors...

i've always been a bit weary of buying electronics on CL because of the likelihood of stuff being broken...

last time i needed a monitor i bought this one on amazon for 100 bucks: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...4?ie=UTF8&th=1

but i guess it wouldn't hurt to do a search on CL first...

I test electronics before paying unless I am paying less than the value of the parts alone. For most equipment, if it powers up, it works. I have a small inverter that plugs into a power connector (cigarette lighter) in my car. That said, I have got some really good deals from people that thought their equipment was broken, but they were clueless. My best deal was a nice 2010 Mac Pro for $100. He sold it for parts. I blew out the dust, reseated the video card, and it powered up fine. I still use it.

[Synthetickiller]

well i don't look at them often. i'm using asus 21.5" monitors and they're doing fine for me. if you want to sell me two for less than $100 each including shipping shoot me a PM, but i'm not holding my breath .

doing some research i'm not sure if my mobo will support 2 monitors and i'm not wanting to spend much more money on it than the monitor...i built it a year ago as a work pc with the intention of not upgrading it until needed, and needing to upgrade for awhile...

Post your hardware. I'll tell you asap what it supports.
CPUz will tell you what your motherboard is: http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html

[Domicron]

i looked up my mobo earlier: Gigabyte ga-b150-d3h. can't find out if it supports 2 monitors. what other hardware do you need?

[RestoringTally]

i looked up my mobo earlier: Gigabyte ga-b150-d3h. can't find out if it supports 2 monitors. what other hardware do you need?

From the Gigabyte website:

Onboard Graphics
Integrated Graphics Processor-Intel® HD Graphics support:

1 x D-Sub port, supporting a maximum resolution of 1920x1200@60 Hz
1 x DVI-D port, supporting a maximum resolution of 1920x1200@60 Hz
1 x HDMI port, supporting a maximum resolution of 4096x2160@24 Hz

Support for up to 3 displays at the same time
Maximum shared memory of 1024 MB

The specs say that you can use 3 monitors at the same time. Nice. If your new monitor has either a VGA (ugh) or DVI (better) connection, you are golden. Just plug it in according to the specs.

[Synthetickiller]

From the Gigabyte website:



The specs say that you can use 3 monitors at the same time. Nice. If your new monitor has either a VGA (ugh) or DVI (better) connection, you are golden. Just plug it in according to the specs.

Thanks for covering this.
I was waiting for Dom to post the board & we had a power outage, lol.


@ dom, if you ever need newer connections (more hdmi ports or display ports), you can usually pick up a very cheap used video card on craigslist or ebay. Since all you're doing is watching video, you don't need anything more than a low powered card. Most cards currently support 3 or 4 monitors.

[vhd16]

Dom,

If you are going to be watching movies or videos or playing games, then get the one that has high processing speed. RAM also helps but not as much as processing speed.
Of course resolution. Now a days, resolution you can go up to 4k. And also frequency wise no 24Hz but at least 60Hz if not 120Hzz but of course more $$

"1 x HDMI port, supporting a maximum resolution of 4096x2160@24 Hz" .

This is the one I would get. 1920X1200 or 1920X1400 has been there for quiet sometime.

I am assuming you have HDMI ports on your current PC? and also what is the make and model of your PC?

All you need is Graphics card for dual monitor set up and of course another monitor.

Check out Newegg.com and again if you wait for BF sale then you will get killer deals. If you are new to this, i would go a store and actually looks at the card so that you can visualize the set up.

Remember there will be some set up and configuration once you "install" the graphics card.

The other option is just get a bigger monitor like 32" and above and split the screen (just minimizing/rearranging ) the windows. This way this can used as a TV as well. These can be mounted to the wall as well. But this will depend on your current graphics card unless the new monitor also has builtin graphics card that can be utilized.

[Domicron]

Hey guys, sorry not to follow up. There's a spare room that opened up with a window in our warehouse/office building so i'm getting ready to move everything to the new room. once i do, i'll grab another monitor and see how it looks. Thanks for the advice.

hopefully the setup won't be too bad, but i figure if i can put together the computer from scratch, i should be able to fiddle with some settings...as long as it's not as complicated as setting up a router...

Also: anyone know a good piece of software for scanning documents to PDF on windows 10? free would be nice, but it's for work so i don't mind spending a little bit on software if it's good. for some odd reason windows fax and scan doesn't do pdf

[chadsalt]

Need recommendations for a laptop. Nothing fancy just for paying bills and watching por....I mean YouTube.

[Domicron]

Forgot to post a pic of the two monitors setup. i walked into a cell phone/pc repair store not too far from work and bought an old 20" samsung monitor for $40. it was listed at 80, but i settled for paying half, lol. turns out it's got far better speakers than the Asus i bought new, which is bigger. nothing too sexy, but it works fine for me

Need recommendations for a laptop. Nothing fancy just for paying bills and watching por....I mean YouTube.

does it need to be a laptop? you could build your own PC for pretty cheap...otherwise i'd just troll slickdeals until you find a decent laptop for a good price.

[KBKB]

Need recommendations for a laptop. Nothing fancy just for paying bills and watching por....I mean YouTube.

Heh.

Echoing Domicron...

Does it need to be a laptop?

For your purposes, it seems to me that there are (at least) four ways you can go. In order of portability, from least to most, these are:

1) Desktop

2) Laptop

3) Tablet

4) Smartphone

If the only applications that I cared about were the ones that you mentioned, I'd be inclined to use either a tablet or a phone.

Since we had our tablet discussion several pages ago, I've found myself using it more frequently than I had back then. I choose it over my phone when I have either browsing or reading to do which feel more comfortable using a larger screen.

Here's what I said back then:

I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7. I liked it so well that I also got some for other family members.

I use it for reading technical books using the Kindle app. The larger size makes it more practical than my phone. However, for reading novels (or other books without tables or diagrams), I prefer my phone.

I also like the tablet better (than my phone) for looking at photos or watching movies. That said, I'd prefer to use my desktop computer for photo viewing and my home entertainment center for watching movies. But I do use my tablet for that purpose on occasion.

I also use my tablet to look at technical documentation when my computers are down - e.g. maybe I'm upgrading them and need to look something up.

The tablet also serves as a second screen when I use my laptop for processing photos.

So... there are quite a few things that I use it for, but it's usually not the "go to" device for any one purpose. Also, I don't use the tablet every day. I do use my phone and desktop system almost every day. I could easily get by without it. (But it's nice having it.)

I think my wife and daughter use their tablets more than I do. My son uses his a good deal less.

Nowadays, for certain things, a tablet is my "go to" device.

[KBKB]

That said (regarding tablets), I just got a laptop for my daughter. She'll be taking it to school and will be using it for working on digital art.

It's a 15.6" HP ZBook with IPS display and 32GB of RAM. Processor is a 2.8 GHz (3.8 GHz turbo) Intel Core i7-7700HQ.

But she also has a tablet, a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7. When she's not working on her art, I'm guessing that she'll be using her tablet instead. It's a lot easier to carry around...

I have two other laptops too, one which runs Linux and the other which runs Windows 10.

I use the Windows 10 machine for photography when I'm on the road - which isn't very often.

I use my Linux laptop for work when I'm on the road - which also isn't very often.

So neither of my laptops get a lot of use.

I use my desktop and phone daily.

I use my tablet frequently, but not daily. There will often be two or three day stretches when it's not used. If I didn't have a desktop, the laptops and the tablets would get a lot more use. I'd probably still use my tablet more though.

[RestoringTally]

Need recommendations for a laptop. Nothing fancy just for paying bills and watching por....I mean YouTube.

Since I had so much success finding weight equipment on Craig's List, I started searching CL for computer equipment. I have replaced almost every computer in my office with Apple computers I bought on CL. I still use Windows, but only as virtual machines. No way will I pay list price for a new Apple, but there are some serious deals on CL. My goto personal device is a 2014 MacBook Air that is loaded. Got it for less than $400, about 1/3 list, and it is still under warranty.

[rpark]

I use a tablet for nearly all my home browsing..... but really need to update my home computer and or printer for those things that I can't do with a tablet.... I like the iPad because unlike a laptop.... you don't feel a hot battery.

But I do miss sitting for hours at my desk, but enjoy the tablet while working out. Funny thing is my college aged daughter has both a tablet and laptop.... and she prefers the laptop.... even for Netflix (while she's avoiding homework).

[KBKB]

Funny thing is my college aged daughter has both a tablet and laptop.... and she prefers the laptop.... even for Netflix (while she's avoiding homework).

I can kind of see that. If the tablet lacks the apps needed for doing homework, you can't lie to yourself that you might actually get around to using it to do homework.

OTOH, you can goof off endlessly on the laptop while also having the word processor open for working on an assignment. You can pretend that you're getting work done - and, occasionally, sometimes maybe you actually are!

Of course, it's also possible that her laptop is simply better for watching videos.

[chadsalt]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Appropriate space for a desk top is the primary issue. Wife has a tablet and we both have smart phones. I find a tablet extremely annoying to use, and the phones are too small for extended use. Between touch screen and ****ty satellite internet lag the tablet is just a pain to use. Did it recognize that touch? What the hell is it doing? Better try again, now all the sudden it jumps two moves.......****.

[Domicron]

you're using a satellite ISP? usually those are last resort options for those in remote areas, i thought...

space is an issue, but honestly i'd try to make it work. the pc itself can go on the floor or any well ventilated corner, and the monitor can be mounted on a clamp on the end of the desk or a wall if it's desktop space you need to save

[vhd16]

Chadsalt,

if you have home phone i..e landline you can try DSL which much better than Satellite connection. I am assuming that your local cable provider does not provide internet or there is no cable.

Btw,

What did you decided for laptop/tablet? For just watching you tube and logging on to internet, I would just get Acer ( Dirt cheap) kind a titan of laptops ..:-)

Edit : HP 22" laptop is also better option.

BF is when time to buy electronics just like equipment :-)

[Synthetickiller]

Chadsalt,

if you have home phone i..e landline you can try DSL which much better than Satellite connection. I am assuming that your local cable provider does not provide internet or there is no cable.

Btw,

What did you decided for laptop/tablet? For just watching you tube and logging on to internet, I would just get Acer ( Dirt cheap) kind a titan of laptops ..:-)

Edit : HP 22" laptop is also better option.

BF is when time to buy electronics just like equipment :-)

Just watch slickdeals & set watches for "laptop" or "tablet" or anything you want. The trend in the past few years is that any quality computer parts are not put on sale for BF. There might be price reductions, but I've found better deals in September/October at times. There's also a lot of sales to be had in January when they are trying to clear stock for 2018 stuff.

[vhd16]

Just watch slickdeals & set watches for "laptop" or "tablet" or anything you want. The trend in the past few years is that any quality computer parts are not put on sale for BF. There might be price reductions, but I've found better deals in September/October at times. There's also a lot of sales to be had in January when they are trying to clear stock for 2018 stuff.

That may be true but based on the objective, i think BF sale is still way to go. As per the parts, I don't think building a laptop is an option here.

[Synthetickiller]

That may be true but based on the objective, i think BF sale is still way to go. As per the parts, I don't think building a laptop is an option here.

Same with laptops. I've seen too many stories & threads on good deals during the year & poor black friday sales unless you're ok with bottom of the barrel quality.

You'll never catch be building a laptop, lol.

[Deep-Voiced-One]

Anyone have any first hand experience with this TX8 tv box? The video reviews seemed favorable (I'm replacing a cheaper M9C tv box cause features to watch tv shows and movies crapped out on it and the programs such as youtube kind of stop working random times of using it, then work again).

Here's the box, I got it for around $10 cheaper last week and waiting for it to arrive, if I'm not satisfied I'll send it back...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06Y4...h0L&ref=plSrch

[KBKB]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Appropriate space for a desk top is the primary issue. Wife has a tablet and we both have smart phones. I find a tablet extremely annoying to use, and the phones are too small for extended use. Between touch screen and ****ty satellite internet lag the tablet is just a pain to use. Did it recognize that touch? What the hell is it doing? Better try again, now all the sudden it jumps two moves.......****.

I'm thinking that maybe you need a better tablet? Or maybe get a bluetooth keyboard and mouse to use with it?

Setting that aside...

With regard to laptops, I think that any reputable brand will do. Just make sure that it has at least 8GB of RAM and that it has a reasonably fast processor. If you want more than one person to be able to see it at a time, get one with an IPS panel. An IPS panel will provide you with better color too.

[lsi1]

be very careful buying used computer equipment even apple products. They very easily could come preloaded with keyloggers or worse.