Matrox TripleHead2Go -INSANE

[Vio1]

Check this out:

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/matrox_triple_head_2_go_preview/


Look at the pictures on the second page. That looks amazing!

Could you imagine if you could put three 30" Dell monitors? That would be amazing.

 

[jcw122]

Wow! Check Out The Gaming Screenshots!! Jeeeezzzz!!!

Looks like there might be a resolution limit though, but damn who cares LOL.


Eitherway, tha'd be an expensive thing to do , but SOO COOL!

 

[futura2001]

Or you could get 6 1280x1024 LCDs and two TripleHead2Go (Gawd, that sounds like a bad pr0no) for less than one 3007wfp, run them off two graphics cards, and have 3840x2048 or 7680x1024 gaming. Now that would be fun.
And no, you couldn't run 3 3007s. Too many pixels for graphics cards to handle with the bandwidth of existing RAMDACs...

 

[Ad Rock]

That new Dell XPS with the 4 7800 GTX's might be one of the few computers that could actually push a set-up like this properly.

Regardless its freaking co ol.

 

[RedDragonXXX]

Good God, I just drowned in my saliva

 

[Schalldampfer]

It just looks like the image is stretched...

 

[motherboard1]

it appears as if they just cut the verticle pixels in half, and made the image bigger

but what do I know

I used to fantasize about a setup just like this, and wonder why it hasnt been done yet

 

[pejsaboy]

Good God, I just drowned in my saliva

me too! so lets see, how much to make this a reality for me.... $299 for the triplehead, $300 for new cpu and mobo with pci-e, $1600 for 3 dell 2005fpw's, and about $850 for 2 7800GTX's. hmmm, $3050. ouch....
i can dream though

 

[Echo_]

its just causing your graphics card to think its just 1 screen 3x by 1x resolution
i think

 

[RedDragonXXX]

me too! so lets see, how much to make this a reality for me.... $299 for the triplehead, $300 for new cpu and mobo with pci-e, $1600 for 3 dell 2005fpw's, and about $850 for 2 7800GTX's. hmmm, $3050. ouch....
i can dream though

You don't need 3 Dells 2005fpws to make this a reality. It will still look awsome with just three regular 17" or 19" LCD's which you can get for less then $900 + $299 + $300 + just get yourself a 7900GT for $300 and it should be more then enough.

Total: $1799

 

[pejsaboy]

^^ well yes, but i was going for the bling factor with all that unfortunately, 1799 isn't any more feasible than the 3000 at this point, so maybe i'll have this setup by about 2012? lol! awesome idea though, i would definitely like to try it out at least once.

 

[JKeefe]

Hey guys, this thing is cool. Check it out in a real-world situation, without insane hardare. It works, it works well, and it works now.
http://www.simhq.com/_technology/technology_065a.html

You concerns over hardware capable of pushing crazy amounts of pixels are justified, but not for all game. This could be a legitmate use for SLI, though.

 

[attack]

*shrug* kinda cool, but if anyone has used multiple desktops you'll find that having 3 actual monitors recognized by windows is much better than one big one. Not only that, but having an image stretched between screens (or just the gaps) looks terrible. Only thing I can see this usefull for is flight sims. Using monitors like CRT's or non 17/19" 5:4 ratio LCD's would make it worse as the VGA signal is only gonna output a 5:4 ratio unless you want to run those smaller resolutions which look like crap.
I'd stick with a single widescreen for gaming with no bars in between and use a digital signal instead digital converted to analog, de interlaced, and sent to a analog to digital converter again and finaly up on your screen :/

 

[twoeyes]

widescreen monitors would be a nono as the thing doesnt support the right resolutions... 4:3 or 5:4 monitors only people

 

[Chaos_Being]

They're supposed to release a DVI version too. This is definitely on the wish list...too bad it'll probably stay there for quite a while

 

[JKeefe]

*shrug* kinda cool, but if anyone has used multiple desktops you'll find that having 3 actual monitors recognized by windows is much better than one big one.

In 2D, absolutely. But in 3D, show me another acceptable way to get simultaneous output to three monitors. You can't do it from 2 video cards (SLI / Crossfire); it's not supported (it should be, but it's not). You can do it from a Matrox Parhelia, but those are woefully underpowered for today's 3D apps.

FWIW, I plan to run a triplehead desktop using nView and Ultramon, with three independent screens, using dualhead output from my 6800GT (AGP) and an additional output from my PCI-E 6200. The 6200 is on the way. My monitors have dual inputs, allowing me to swith the side monitors between input from the secondary graphics outputs and input from the TripleHead2Go. If you read my review you will see that I find Matrox's 2D desktop management rather poor.

Not only that, but having an image stretched between screens (or just the gaps) looks terrible. Only thing I can see this usefull for is flight sims. Using monitors like CRT's or non 17/19" 5:4 ratio LCD's would make it worse as the VGA signal is only gonna output a 5:4 ratio unless you want to run those smaller resolutions which look like crap.

It can look a little weird, but it's rarely "terrible". It probably looks worse in a still picture than it does in motion on three screens.

The smaller resolutions do not look like crap. Especially 3072x768 (triple 1024x768). As a CRT user, this is the resolution I use because it is the only res that has a 75 Hz refresh rate.

 

[JKeefe]

They're supposed to release a DVI version too.

Source?

Matrox has told me that there are no plans for a DVI verison. Reasons:
1. DVI is more expensive. This thing already costs $300.
2. Matrox knows of no laptops with dual-link DVI connections. These would be required to display the highest triplehead resolutions.
3. Analogue VGA RAMDACs run at 400 MHz and do not limit the max resolution/refresh of the TripleHead2Go.

FWIW, a Matrox VP said he was "very happy with the image quality" provided by the TripleHead2Go's VGA connections to LCD monitors.

 

[attack]

JK you have some good points and I as well will be running 3 LCD's (second card gets here thurdsay), I'll have 2 2001's running of a 6200 and the 2405 running off a 7800GT....how are you gonna run a PCI-e and AGP at the same time? or do you mean just regular pci?

As for looking terrible...I can't stand smaller resolutions, your very limited on what can be displayed. I know the parhelia is the only card that can run 3 displays, but like I said with the gaps between monitors, flight sims and possibly nascar type racing games are the only ones that I think would look good. Also, modern games aren't gonna support those odd resolutions, only the 4:3, 5:4, 16:10, and 16:9 resolutions are gonna be supported, no 8:3, 3:1, 5:2, or 15:4.

I just think this product is too limited, and won't benefit many people, even though it is a cool design, and from what I understand I don't see why it's 300 bucks as it simply deinterlaces a vga signal.

 

[Martel]

Geek porn! $#@^$% Now I have to clean my screen again!

 

[JKeefe]

how are you gonna run a PCI-e and AGP at the same time? or do you mean just regular pci?

No, I mean PCI-E. The Asrock 939Dual-SATA2 motherboard has AGP and PCI-E slots that can be used simultaneously.

You say flight sims and driving sims benefit the most, and you're probably right. I can't say, because that's about all I play. But if you look at some screenshots here you will find all sorts of stuff, and almost all of it looks fantastic:
http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=36361

Despite the fact that I am a simmer, I have Half-Life 2 and it is simply stunning on three screens.