8500le and dual display...

[dustybyrd]

i have that card and i want to run two monitors off of it....

has anyone done this? and is this an "easy" upgrade? are there any issues i should know about?

thanks in advance

 

[AllenSmoker]

All you should need to do is plug the second monitor in and turn it on in the display properties.
the only issue I can think of is some video layers (like realplayer) are picky about what screen they will play on, like the video will play on one screen fine until you put it fullscreen, then it plays fullscreen on the other monitor.

 

[Derodeo]

Umm, most LE versions of the 8500 don't have dual monitor outputs. They have TV output as the 2nd display only.

 

[AllenSmoker]

You use a dvi -> vga adapter. Pretty cheap if one doesnt come with your card.

 

[Maximouse]

You use a dvi -> vga adapter. Pretty cheap if one doesnt come with your card.

The 8500Le card does not have the proper DVI connector to use an adapter with. I believe it has a DVI-D type which does not support analog VGA. So if he decided to use a second display it would have to be an LCD screen with a digital connector.

See this link for more info:
http://www.dvigear.com/dviaccessories.html

Al

 

[Cheesy Peas]

like someone said above, most LE's had the second RAMDAC removed so dual displays was not available.
I know my Hercules card doesnt have the second RAMDAC, but i dont know about the Built By Ati versions, they might have kept to the normal 8500 reference design.

 

[CrashOveride]

well you could always get a cheap PCI video card to go with the secondmonitor

 

[dustybyrd]

so if i am reading this correctly, my 8500le will support two displays, however one must be a TV (using the S-video connector)

what do you think?

Here's what the ATI website states:

"Can the RADEON™ 8500LE graphics card support more than one display at the same time?

A12: Yes. RADEON™ 8500LE allows you to combine many different displays together simultaneously. The possible display configurations are shown in the table below:
Display Configuration Connector(s) Used
CRT monitor • 15-pin VGA connector
TV • s-video connector
CRT monitor + TV • 15-pin VGA connector + s-video connector
Legend:
CRT – (cathode ray tube) analog monitor supporting the standard 15-pin VGA connector

The s-video connector on the board can support a composite connector via s-video-to-composite adapter


Q13: Which displays does the RADEON™ 8500LE graphics board support?
A13: RADEON™ 8500LE graphic board provides support for VESA Standard Plug and Play monitors. This graphic card also supports video output connected through your s-video or composite connector and, therefore, lets you use your television as a secondary display.


Q14: What connectors are available on the RADEON™ 8500LE?
A14: RADEON™ 8500LE graphic card supports the following 2 connectors:
1.) VGA - for driving a standard CRT (Analog) monitor
2.) Video output – an s-video connector that can be connected to a TV set or VCR
3.) S-video to composite adapter is also available to order from ati.com. It allows you to attach through composite connection if your television does not support s-video"

 

[dustybyrd]

The 8500Le card does not have the proper DVI connector to use an adapter with. I believe it has a DVI-D type which does not support analog VGA. So if he decided to use a second display it would have to be an LCD screen with a digital connector.

See this link for more info:
http://www.dvigear.com/dviaccessories.html

Al [/B]

from what i can see on the back of the card...it appears that it has a DVI-I type, female connector...that supports analog VGA.

however, since it is the "female" version, does that mean the card can NOT SEND information from the computer to a screen? doesn't female mean receive info...or can this connector work in dual display?

 

[juliendogg]

my R8500 retail has a DVI-I female receptacle just like yours, my card also came with a DVi-CRT adapter wich screws onto the DVI-I receptacle and a CRT connects right to that, i've used it and it does work. looks to be the same on the back of your card as it is on mine, only if you didn't get the correct adapter with your card then that would be the problem yeah?



good luck
J.

 

[dustybyrd]

my R8500 retail has a DVI-I female receptacle just like yours, my card also came with a DVi-CRT adapter wich screws onto the DVI-I receptacle and a CRT connects right to that, i've used it and it does work. looks to be the same on the back of your card as it is on mine, only if you didn't get the correct adapter with your card then that would be the problem yeah?

good luck
J.

great, thanks for the advice...i was wondering if you have used two monitors with your system...and if you had...if that had "individuallity" in other words could you put the TV card image on one window while working on another window?


thanks again

 

[Maximouse]

from what i can see on the back of the card...it appears that it has a DVI-I type, female connector...that supports analog VGA.

however, since it is the "female" version, does that mean the card can NOT SEND information from the computer to a screen? doesn't female mean receive info...or can this connector work in dual display?

My 9000 Pro has a DVI-I connector which a dongle (apapter) that comes with the card fits into the port and converts it to a standard VGA port allowing me to hookup a CRT.

My 8500 LE has a DVI-D connector which is slightly different than the above connector (lacks 4 holes in the plug assembly) so the dongle will not fit. That makes it digital only which will not support a CRT monitor.

If yours has the female DVI-I connection, then all you need to do is get an adapter which will allow you to hook up a CRT. Usually the DVI-I cards come shipped with the dongle, so if yours is missing you should be able to purchase a convertor from somewhere.

Link:http://www.gefen.com/kvm/product.jsp?prod_id=1309

 

[dustybyrd]

My 9000 Pro has a DVI-I connector which a dongle (apapter) that comes with the card fits into the port and converts it to a standard VGA port allowing me to hookup a CRT.

My 8500 LE has a DVI-D connector which is slightly different than the above connector (lacks 4 holes in the plug assembly) so the dongle will not fit. That makes it digital only which will not support a CRT monitor.

If yours has the female DVI-I connection, then all you need to do is get an adapter which will allow you to hook up a CRT. Usually the DVI-I cards come shipped with the dongle, so if yours is missing you should be able to purchase a convertor from somewhere.

Link:http://www.gefen.com/kvm/product.jsp?prod_id=1309

great...mine has the 4 holed plug...but i don't have the adaptor cuz i bought the card on ebay...i will try to get the plug from radio shack or something...

thanks...

 

[juliendogg]

i think you'll have to get the plug from ATI, not sure on that though. about the display settings, between using theatre mode overlay, and hydravision for application specific settings, just about anything you can think of is possible via dual-display. if you just run the second monitor as a clone or secondary display you can set theatre mode under overlay options in the ati control panel. then you'll get your tv display in fullscreen on the second monitor, and windowed or minimized on the primary monitor, works beautifully.