4-head video card

[Net Llama!]

On Wed, 15 Sep 2004, Vu Pham wrote:
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: linux-users-bounces at linux-sxs.org
> > [mailto:linux-users-bounces at linux-sxs.org] On Behalf Of Net Llama!
> > Sent: Wednesday, September 15, 2004 10:18 AM
> > To: Linux tips and tricks
> > Subject: Re: 4-head video card
> >
> > <drooling>
> > I'm not sure that such a beast exists, especially in a PCI
> > interface.  I don't think the PCI bus can support that much bandwidth.
> >
> > Mind if i ask what you're using that many monitors at once for?
> > </drooling>
>
> Oh, it saves me time ( and $$$ ) when I have multiple monitors. For example,
> currently I am working on a project the use PHP and C to access to a
> database. I use one monitor for SlickEdit to edit my code, one for my ssh
> session to my database server to run the isql ( to run sql commands for
> debugging ), one for a web browser to see the result. The last one is for
> email and other things. Instead of switching between multiple windows, I can
> see all of them at the same time.
>
> I used to manage to get bigger monitor, but you know that for big monitors,
> 1" increment can increase the price a lot. So instead of getting a 20" or
> 21" monitor ( to be able to have more "area" to view ) , I can get two 19"
> monitors with almost same price and much more "area".

I have a vague memory of some vendor who produces 3 or 4 headed
videocards, but they were prohibitively expensive (like US$3000), and i
know that they were AGP and not PCI.

As for the size of your monitors, that doesn't neccesarily corelate to the
resolution.  There are 17" monitors that can do 1600x1200 just as there
are 21" that can do 1600x1200.  Now if you're using a rather low
resolution on your current monitors, then sure, you'd need  more of them
to get the same amount of screen real-estate.  Overall, I dthink you'd
save alot more money if you just purchased two high quality 21" monitors
that could do 1920x1440, which should allow you to get all of your apps
in.

Typically, quad headed setups are used by those in some kind of graphic or
digital video industries where the cost of the hardware isn't an issue.

-- 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lonni J Friedman                                netllama at linux-sxs.org
Linux Step-by-step & TyGeMo                  http://netllama.ipfox.com