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The multi-monitor configuration of a PC today will not surprise anyone. And soon, we must expect, the presence of a single display on the table will become the exception, not the rule. So say people who have had the opportunity to compare the convenience of working at a computer with one and several monitors. And the second option, according to their words, is much more convenient than the first.

Statisticians are of the same opinion. According to their research, if you connect 2 monitors instead of one, the productivity of personnel involved in processing a large amount of information increases by 15-60%. What can we say about gamers for whom multi-monitor systems are the only way to go headlong into the virtual world?

How many monitors can be connected to one computer. Connection conditions

It is unlikely that anyone is able to name the exact number of possible monitor connections to one PC, but 50 or more can definitely be. It all depends on the budget that you are willing to allocate for it. To create video walls from dozens of modules, as, for example, in the photo below, special controllers are used. Their task is not just to display the image on many screens, but also to provide a decent quality for each picture.

However, video wall controllers are an extremely expensive solution that not every enterprise can afford. A more affordable option is a video server with several multi-channel video cards. But even it can cost the owner several hundred thousand rubles.

The average user, like most of us, does not need such excesses. Home gaming systems usually consist of no more than six monitors, and they can be connected not just to one computer, but to one video card. But in order to achieve the highest possible image quality, it is better to distribute monitors so that there are no more than two or three monitors per video camera.

Connecting two monitors is supported by almost any modern video card, even built into the processor (chipset). Three or more - All AMD models from Series 5 and NVIDIA GTX 600 and up.

In addition to multi-channel support, the following is important for creating multi-monitor configurations:

• The presence on video cards of outputs that match the inputs of monitors (the use of adapters is allowed in extreme cases when there is no other way to connect). Moreover, AMD requires a mandatory DisplayPort interface on at least one of the displays (with the exception of individual branded video cards with a built-in DisplayPort-DVI adapter). NVIDIA does not set such conditions.
• Support by video drivers for resolutions of all monitors.
• Sufficient amount of video memory. 2048 Mb is a conditional minimum for a two- or three-monitor configuration in a non-gaming system. For four or more monitors, especially if you plan to use the computer for games, the memory should be at least 2 times more.
• High data bus bandwidth (from 128 bits) and good memory speed (the more, the better). The narrower the tire, the higher the speed should be.

To connect monitors to different video cards, the latter do not have to be combined into SLI or Crossfire. In some cases, in addition to a discrete card (inserted into the slot), you can use the integrated video if it is supported by the BIOS of the motherboard (there is an "Always Enable" option for the output of the integrated video card). But in such configurations, each pair of displays served by one video chip operates independently of the other. This means that creating a common visual space on all screens will not work.

If your computer is equipped with a single video card, you can connect monitors to several of its ports, or to one. To connect 2 or more screens to one video card with 1 input, you will need a signal divider - a splitter. For example, as in the photo below. This modification can distribute a signal to 4 monitors, but the picture quality, as a rule, decreases (it depends not so much on the splitter as on the video capabilities). If the stream is barely enough for a single screen, dividing it into “streams” will reduce both resolution and clarity and refresh rate. And the more connections, the lower the quality.

When connecting a splitter to displays with different resolutions, the picture quality on them will be different: on some it is better, on others it is worse. And you won’t be able to correct it individually, except perhaps through the settings of the monitors themselves.

AMD cards with Eyefinity technology (powered by ATI Radeon R800 series GPUs) allow you to attach up to 6 displays to them and combine them into a single visual space. But here everything is tied to the DisplayPort interface, which, unfortunately, not all devices are equipped with.

The following are valid combinations of connection interfaces when building multi-monitor systems using AMD Eyefinity technology:

• To combine 3 monitors into one system, one of them must be connected via DisplayPort or miniDisplayPort (miniDP), the second via DVI, and the third via VGA, HDMI or the same DVI.
• If there are 4 monitors, two devices must be connected to DisplayPort, the third to DVI, and the fourth to VGA or HDMI.
• In a five-monitor system, all 5 or 3 monitors are connected to DisplayPort (miniDisplayPort), one or two to DVI and one, if left, to HDMI.
• A six-monitor configuration provides a connection through miniDisplayPort only.

NVIDIA Surround/3D Vision multi-monitor technology allows you to create a shared gaming space from up to three monitors. However, this requires either a dual-processor video card, or a combination of two or three cards in SLI. You can connect several more displays to the remaining video outputs, they will work independently of the others.

If you do not have the task of building a video wall to display one image on several screens, it is not necessary to adhere to the above rules. Monitors can be connected in any configuration through any interfaces, counting 2 devices per 1 video processor. In this case, each of them will display its own desktop, and you can switch between them, drag windows from one table to another, etc.

How to connect and configure additional monitors in Windows

Physical connection of devices

The process of physically connecting a second, third, etc. monitor to the ports of the video card is not difficult. Just plug the connectors of the connecting cables into the jacks of both devices, remembering to unplug them first.

When creating a dual-monitor configuration, use the same interfaces whenever possible, such as DisplayPort only or HDMI only, so that the image quality on the two screens does not differ much. If there are no identical ports on your video card, connect through different ones, for example, DVI and HDMI or HDMI and VGA. Using adapters from one interface to another is permissible only in extreme cases, since signal conversion is always accompanied by its losses, sometimes significant. The same goes for splitters. If it is possible to do without them, try to do without.

After connecting, turn on the power of the system unit and monitors. Recognition of the latter, as a rule, occurs automatically. You just have to customize them to suit your needs.

Connecting a second monitor to laptops is done in the same way as to a desktop PC. The only difference is that the video card that will serve the additional screen is determined by the system, not the user.

Multi display adapters

If the picture quality on the main and additional displays varies greatly, and also if you need to connect not one, but 2 additional monitors to your laptop, a specialized device will help out - a multi-display adapter. This is a small box with a processor inside, resembling a multiport splitter, and a few cables included. With one cable, the box is connected to the output of the video card, the rest are connected to the monitor inputs. It receives power from a USB port or an external adapter.

An example of such a device is Matrox DualHead2Go Digital SE.

Setting up additional screens in Windows 10 and 8.1 and 7

After the first turn on, the image on the additional monitor, as a rule, duplicates the main one. Sometimes the desktop is stretched to 2 screens at once. To select the desired mode, press the key combination Windows + P (Latin) - this will open the projection panel.

On Windows 10 and 8.1, it looks like this:

In Windows 7, like this:

The option "Duplicate" (Repeated) reproduces the same picture on all displays. "Expand" - makes the second screen a continuation of the first.

If the system could not automatically recognize the second display, open the "Display Settings" through the context menu of the desktop.

Click the Detect button (In Windows 7, Find).

If the device is physically intact and properly connected, the system will most likely recognize it immediately. If not, open the "Multiple Displays" list and select "Try to connect anyway..." to a monitor that is not detected.

If this does not help, you should check the contacts and, if possible, connect the device with another known-good cable to another video output or another video card.

The "Define" button in the same section allows you to choose which of the two displays will be the main (first), and which - additional (second, third, etc.).

To change the settings of one of the displays of a multi-monitor system - the size of the displayed elements, the brightness level, the orientation, the resolution, the color rendering, and so on, click on the rectangle with its ordinal number in the gray field under the heading "Customize your screen".

Changes will take effect after saving. You don't need to restart your computer for this.

Additional configuration settings for multiple displays are found in the NVIDIA and AMD Catalyst Control Panel menus.

Setting Up Additional Screens in Windows XP

To access display settings in Windows XP, also open the desktop context menu and click Properties. Next, go to the "Settings" tab.

If the second monitor is correctly recognized, 2 display icons with sequential numbers will appear in the gray box. The "Find" option, as in modern versions of Windows, is not here.

By default, the same desktop image is displayed on both screens. If you want to stretch it, click on the second display icon and check the "Extend desktop to this monitor" box.

Setting up each screen individually is done in the same way as in Windows 10: click on the monitor icon in the gray field and set the desired parameters. The Screen Resolution and Color Quality options are here, while the rest - scale, adapter properties, etc. - is hidden behind the "Advanced" button.

Most of the settings take effect immediately, but some - only after restarting the computer.

Connecting multiple monitors to one computer is a must for professionals involved in processing large amounts of information. Studies show that this increases their productivity by 30-60%. At home, the need for multiple monitors arises among gamers, in this way they are immersed in the virtual world with their heads. It is also convenient to use multiple screens for trading.

Connection conditions

Theoretically, an infinite number of screens can be connected to one device. Of course, provided that it has the necessary technical characteristics. You can create a video wall from dozens of modules, each of which will have its own image. But this decision will cost several hundred thousand rubles, the townsfolk do not need it.

For home or work use, 2 or 3 screens will do. Even the most advanced gamers have enough video from a maximum of 6 monitors. If you have good hardware, they can be connected to one video card. But to avoid overloads, it is better to distribute 2-3 screens per device.

Such loads can withstand all modern video cards, even those built into the processor. To enable 3 or more displays, you will need AMD 5-series or higher graphics cards, NVIDIA GTX 600 model and newer will also work.

Prerequisites for creating a multi-monitor system:

• multichannel support;
• 2048 MB of video memory for non-gaming systems and 2 times more for gaming computers;
• data bus bandwidth from 128 bits and high memory speed;
• support for the resolution of all screens drivers;
• Availability of a DisplayPort interface on at least one display for an AMD device;
• the presence of the necessary outputs on the video card.

In extreme cases, it is allowed to use adapters if the hardware does not have the necessary outputs.

Monitor Connection Methods

There are three ways to combine screens into a video system:

• through ports on one video card,
• with the installation of several video cards,
• connection via splitters.

If the video card is equipped with several ports, there is no problem - each display has its own output. If there is only one port, you can use a signal divider - a splitter. It connects to the system and distributes a signal to 2-4 screens, depending on the model.

The more outputs on the splitter, the worse the picture quality on each monitor. It also depends on the capabilities of the video card. If its stream is only enough for one video, when dividing it, the resolution and clarity of the picture will become worse.

To connect via a splitter, it is better to choose screens with the same resolution. Otherwise, the quality of the picture will be different everywhere, and it is impossible to correct it.

To create a common system with several video adapters, they will have to be combined into SLI or Crossfire. Another way is to use the built-in video in addition to an external graphics card. To do this, the BIOS of the motherboard must have the Always Enable option. With this method, displays from different video chips will work separately; it will not work to create a common multi-monitoring system.

How to connect devices

The physical connection of graphics cards and monitors is simple: the devices are disconnected from the network and the cables are inserted into the correct connectors. A video chip can have several types of ports:

• HDMI,
• HDMI, Wi-Fi extender
• displayport.

VGA - the most common type, designed to connect a TV or monitor. It occurs both on modern equipment and on outdated models. The peculiarity is that this connector does not carry an audio signal. This can create a problem when synchronizing sound and picture. It is solved by a separate audio system. It is not recommended to connect a FullHD monitor through such a port, as the picture will be fuzzy.

DVI is a more modern port, replacing VGA. Used for high resolution screens, digital projectors, plasma panels. Using an adapter to this connector, you can turn on the VGA-screen.

HDMI is a digital output that can transmit not only a high-quality video signal, but also a multi-channel audio signal. The new HDMI 2. 0 standard allows you to transfer not only FullHD video, but also a 3D picture, Dolby audio. Supports 21:9 aspect ratio monitors. Exists in a wireless version, connecting devices via Wi-Fi.

DisplayPort has the same picture expansion capabilities as HDMI - 3840x2160. The advantage over this model is the low cost of production, as the company does not pay tax for using this port in their device. Another small plus is the latches on the connector, which will prevent it from falling out of the connector.

Setting up additional screens in Windows

After the physical connection of all devices, you can conduct a test inclusion. The picture on additional monitors will be the same as on the main one. To select the display mode, you need to open the projection panel with a combination of the Windows key and the Latin letter P.

The Duplicate option creates the same image on all screens. The "Extend" button makes the second and subsequent displays an extension of the main one.

If the computer does not detect additional monitors, select "Display Settings" from the desktop menu. Next, you need to click "Discover" or "Find". When properly connected, the system will detect the screen automatically. If this does not happen, you need to open the "Multiple displays" list and select the line "Try to connect to ..." with the desired connector. If there is no connection, check the connection of all cables, turn on the display through another cable or another port on the video card.

After detecting the screen, you can select the color rendering, brightness, orientation by clicking on the icon with a serial number and the inscription "Customize your screen".

How to connect 2 monitors to one computer on Windows XP:

1. Select "Properties" from the desktop menu and go to the "Settings" tab.
2. Monitors with their serial numbers will be displayed in the gray field.
3. By default, the picture on all screens is the same. To stretch it, you need to check the box "Extend the desktop to this monitor."
4. By clicking on the screens, you can adjust their resolution and color rendering.

Workshop: how to connect two monitors to one computer (video)

https://youtu.be/XjFSau4upx4

One or two monitors on the table do not take up much space. If you connect 4-6 screens, you need to figure out how to optimize the space. The easiest way is to purchase desktop or wall brackets and hang one monitor above the other. This will save space and increase the total area of ​​the desktop picture.