[gentoo-amd64] Re: OT - graphic card for dual-monitor high-resolution graphic station

[Duncan]

Piotr Pruszczak <p.pruszczak@××××××××.pl> posted
447CBC6A.1080809@××××××××.pl, excerpted below, on  Tue, 30 May 2006
23:43:06 +0200:

> Hi,
>
> I have real problem which graphic card to choose
> for 64-bit Linux
>
> It should perfectly work with dual-monitor configuration, my customer
> wants to try me to configure machine for uStation-J (Bentley GIS software)
>
> Price is NOT so important. Problem is this should WORK good @
> high-resolutions, full colours && optimum performance on 64-bit system.

I've had very good luck with the Radeon 92xx series, running dual monitors
in merged framebuffer mode, up to 2048x1736 each, using the native xorg
freedomware drivers.  That's the top of the line with full freedomware
support.  The merged framebuffer will support up to 4096x4096 in
accelerated 2D, altho accelerated 3D is limited to 2048x2048, so 1024x768
each if side-by-side or 1280x1024 (or 1280x960 if you want square pixels
on 4:3 ratio monitors) stacked.  Those run <$100 for the dual output
versions, last  I checked.

Normal resolution here is 1600x1200 stacked (I decided 2048x1736 was too
much for 21" CRT monitors, after running it for awhile) for 1600x2400 full
resolution.  3D acceleration still works on the upper monitor and the top
part of the lower one, but once the 3D accelerated window extends below
that 2048 cutoff, updating in the window freezes until you move it above
the cutoff again.

If all you need is 2D, you could try Matrox's DualHead2Go expanders,
plugged one into each of the card's outputs, and two monitors into each
DualHead2Go.  With proper modeline config, xorg should then see two
monitors at up to 4096x1736 each, stacked, for up to 4096x3472 total screen
area over the four physical monitors.  I've been contemplating doing that
as I normally only use 2D, but haven't tried it yet.  I'm also not
positive the DualHead2Gos actually work on Linux, altho there's no reason
they shouldn't.  Those DualHead2Gos are also a bit pricey, $200 each I
believe.

Matrox recently introduced the TripleHead2Go as well ($300), which would
let you run three heads on any single output card.

Previously, when I still ran slaveryware, I had an older NVidia card
(GForce 1, IIRC) dual output/twinview.  I ran it and an old S3 Virge PCI
card (really old, 4M card =8^) for triple monitor using dual cards,
1280x1024 each monitor IIRC. However, I hadn't had any luck getting dual
Radeon 92xxs (one PCI one AGP) to function together, as of the first xorg
(6.7) or the last xfree86 on Gentoo.  I've been going to try it again with
xorg 7.0 or now 7.1 (yes, I'm running the masked for testing 7.1 already,
compiled with the then masked gcc-4.1.0, tho 4.1.1 is  now ~arch), but
haven't yet, mainly because since I upgraded to 21" monitors and run them
1600x1200 or even 2048x1736 each, the need for more than two is somewhat
decreased so it's not as urgent as it once was.  However, with the right
cards and drivers, it's certainly possible, without resorting to
Dual/Triple-Head2Gos @ $200 or higher each, even.



-- 
Duncan - List replies preferred.   No HTML msgs.
"Every nonfree program has a lord, a master --
and if you use the program, he is your master."  Richard Stallman

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