Triple Screen PC Help!

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crispychicken49
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I was thinking about making a Triple Screen Setup for PC, and I have really no idea how it works. I know how to do it on PS3 thanks for Mr. Latte, but I don't know if it would be exactly the same for PC.

Basically I have a Dell Latitude D620 Laptop, with a 13" screen. I also have a monitor about 20" for a computer I rarely use now. I would imagine that two 13" screens would be fairly cheap and easy to find. Well, wrong. The smallest size I could find was 18.5", and that was $90, which is a good share of money. I wouldn't want to shell out $180. If you guys know of places where I could buy 13" Monitors for a fair price, then please tell me. I did find Macbook Screens for $40, but a screen isn't going to do any good for me.

Next thing I need to know is, will I need three PC's? Or just three screens? I know for PS3 you would need three PS3's and three copies of the game, but is it the same thing for PC? I was thinking the screens would just plug in to my laptop, but I only have two VGA inputs. I can completely write this project off if I have to buy two extra PC's.

My last question is extremely simple. Will iRacing, GTR2, and rFactor work with triple screens? Or are they just not compatible? These are the three games I will definitely be playing for my triple screen setups, so if they don't work, then there will really be no point in this at all.
 
I have done the triple screen setup for iracing (gave up on the PS3 version)
Not sure you will achieve it using a laptop thou.

The graphic's card is the key - i'm using a ATI 6970 and 3 x 22inch monitors.
Same issue with the PS3 setup - best to use the same monitors or the view is distorted.
Goodluck
 
Standalone 13" LCD screens for consumers are dead. These days you'll struggle to find anything in Widescreen format under 18 inches. You may find Point Of Sale LCD screens which are smaller, but it's not worth the effort.

99.5% of Laptops do not support 3 simultaneous video outputs. I have a newish Lenovo with 2 video outputs and if both plugged in the laptop screen turns off, you cannot turn it on. Same with my old HP.

If you have a PC you can do it with one PC and one AMD video card, as long as it's an eyefinity compatible card (Which almost all new ones are), and all your screens have identical resolutions. You can also do it with Nvidia cards if you buy two and SLi them. Then you can stretch games across three screens.

If you just want 3 screens for normal desktop use and will only game on your centre screen. (Like myself), then you can generally mix any kind of graphics cards you like in the PC as long as you have 3 outputs. (I'm currently running a GTX470 and an old 7600GT for triple screens)
 
Well I have a NVIDIA Quadro NVS 110M, which I have heard that NVIDIA is good for dual monitors, not best on gaming however.

EDIT: Didn't see your post. I can use a VGA cable to hook up to my TV right? If so I might just use that instead of the Triple Screens, and just do that later when I have a little more cash.
 
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Well I have a NVIDIA Quadro NVS 110M, which I have heard that NVIDIA is good for dual monitors, not best on gaming however.

EDIT: Didn't see your post. I can use a VGA cable to hook up to my TV right? If so I might just use that instead of the Triple Screens, and just do that later when I have a little more cash.

Nvidia quadro cards are used more for business than gaming. They can power two, three, or four screens while using business class applications. (We use them at my work). They would probably not work at all for gaming. If you want a triple screen setup you need a desktop with a strong AMD graphics card that supports eyefinity. Eyefinity is a gaming multiple monitor solution. Also keep in mind that a good eyefinity card is going to be large and will not fit in just any old computer case. You may need a large case. Nvidia may also have a multiple monitor gaming system however eyefinity is the easiest way.

And you can plug VGA into your tv if your tv supports it.
 
I would not do it. Your laptop would die if you let it take care of two more screens.

Not really. I've had dual screens with my laptop's screen and the TV through HDMI. I've seen games run better since the TV overscales(happens on many TV's) and I have to make a custom resolution for the TV. Dual Screen is a great option if you want to play a game through the TV on your laptop with a controller and let a friend still browse the internet. It's hard to find a perfect match for a laptop since there is not many monitors out there in 15" or 17" size. You also have to deal with the bezel size between the two monitors. I don't use it for this since it's just annoying to see a huge piece of plastic between the monitors.

I used to hook it up to the TV until I made a standalone small HTPC that fits perfectly over the surround sound woofer for that use due to the fact that it was just getting annoying for me to hook up my laptop everytime.
 
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