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Mark Knecht posted on Wed, 04 Sep 2013 12:09:51 -0700 as excerpted: |
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> Amazingly, _both_ problems were solved. X came up nicely (on 2 monitors |
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> only) and login is immediate. |
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> |
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> I think for my needs I'll remove the unused card, live with 2 |
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> monitors for now and consider how to proceed while maintaining a long |
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> term supported nature to the kernel and video drivers. I run 'mostly |
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> stable' so as long as long term kernels get security updates and I don't |
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> add new hardware to this 3 year old machine I think I'll be happy. |
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Currently, things really do seem to be moving toward the single-card/ |
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multi-output solution, for multi-monitor, and they've been moving that |
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way for awhile, as multiple outputs on a single card become more common. |
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There's a lot of very nasty graphics coordination issues that simply |
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disappear when it's a single card driving everything. |
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At my last graphics update, a big one as it was part of a full system |
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update, finally moving from an old AGP bus mobo (on an 8-year-old system) |
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to modern PCIE, I was happy to find not just double-output, but triple- |
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output, was now reasonably common in a mainline card. |
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Couple that with the trends towards larger monitors and digital-TV |
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finally allowing the merge of TVs and monitors at larger sizes and |
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reasonable (TV) HD-resolutions (TV resolutions are reasonable for |
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monitors now too; for years they were simply too low), thus bringing down |
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"big-screen" TV/monitor prices into the "normal people's budget" realm, |
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and the now commonly available 40-inch-plus TV/monitor solutions really |
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do drive down the need for multiple monitors as well. |
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Stated elsewise, it's an unusual use-case indeed that really NEEDS more |
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than triple-monitor at 1920x1080 each, at 42-72 inches per monitor, and |
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that's now within reach of a reasonably mainline budget, on just a single |
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very solidly mainline single graphics card. |
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FWIW, I'm a bit physically size-constrained here and that's the effective |
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cap on total graphics real-estate available to me now. I'm running |
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triple monitor, two 42-inch full-HD 1920x1080 in stacked config for |
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1920x2160 as mains, with an old 21-inch full-HD logically stacked on top |
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of that for a 1920x3240 desktop, but the third one is physically located |
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to the side, displaying real-time system monitor information at double |
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the font size (actually triple, I think) since it's half the physical |
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size at the same resolution, thus still making it still readable with my |
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now aging (mid to late 40s, reading/computer glasses!) eyes. |
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I /think/ it was this list where that came up in a thread and I posted |
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screenshots, a few months ago. |
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But... with dual full-HD 42-inch-TV monitors as my mains, I really don't |
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/need/ the third one and only threw it into the mix when I realized I had |
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both a still unused output and an old monitor laying around from before |
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the upgrade to 42-inch. It's nice to have as it allows me to get the |
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real-time system monitor stuff entirely out of the normal working area |
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and off my main monitors while still keeping it visible at all times, but |
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that's it, nice-to-have, NOT don't-know-what-I'd-do-without-it. |
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OTOH, if I wasn't so space constrained and with a somewhat bigger budget |
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to work with, I'd probably have tried to find a 4-output card at a semi- |
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reasonable price-point, and would have gone with a 4 by 52-60-inch |
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monitors config in classic 2x2 layout. Or even a (still definitely *NOT* |
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mainline and thus *QUITE* expensive, AFAIK) 6-output setup and a classic |
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3x2 layout, all say 60-inch monitors, double-stacked, left/center/right. |
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But of course the 6X in 3x2 layout thing is entirely dreamland and would |
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take probably double my income level (at least) to put it in anything |
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like reasonable territory, as there's a lot of other things (including a |
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bigger house/room to put it in!) that would take priority before I got to |
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that. I'm really quite happy indeed with my current setup, tho I might |
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well upgrade that current 21-inch to a 32-inch at some point, about the |
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biggest I could fit where I have it, and if I upgrade to quad-output |
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graphics at some point, in theory I could add a second 32-inch beside |
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that before I'd really have my space maxed out, but at this point I |
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really can't say what I'd actually use it for. |
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-- |
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Duncan - List replies preferred. No HTML msgs. |
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"Every nonfree program has a lord, a master -- |
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and if you use the program, he is your master." Richard Stallman |