Hey everyoneIve been using fs9 on the ol laptop for the last few years and finaly upgraded to i7 with the intention of playing FSX :) Just waiting on everything to arrive. Anyways Ive gotten an "evga gtx285 2gb ftw" video card and I was wondering can I plug 2 monitors in (1 in each port) to get the widescreen effect in fsx like you get with the triplehead2go ? Obviously id have 2 monitors instead of 3 though. If so, what would be the best size monitors to get and what would be the max resolution ? And I guess which have the small bevel thingy ? Or would I be better off getting the triplehead2go and using 3 monitors ? However i think i read somewhere I would be restricted to 3 x 22" monitors / small resolution with triplehead2go ??I havnt bought anything yet in regards to monitors so im open to all idea's :)Also im fairly new to all this hardware stuff, SLI is only used when you have multiple cards right?Sorry for all the questions and thanks heeaaps :)Justin

oh yeah, im planning on using windows 7 ultimate 64 if that will make any differance ?

Spanning a view across 2 monitors can be achieved without any additional hardware. The NV control panel already allows the user to do this. If you want 3 monitors I'd suggest looking at ATi's newest Radeon 5850/5870 cards for some Eyefinity loving. TH2Go is obsolete technology and totally superfluous at this point. Don't worry about SLI, not for MSFS anyway.

cool thanks for that.What would be the best size monitors if i was going to go for 2 of them ? and at what resolution do you think is best ?would 2 x 30" be as good as 3 x ~20" ? (assuming i had a vid card that could support 3) ?

Depends on how far away you're going to be sitting. I find a 30" monitor to be a bit much for gaming on a desktop, let alone 2 of them. Great for watching movies though. 3x 22" would be a good configuration for that virtual cockpit feel.

cool thanks for that.What would be the best size monitors if i was going to go for 2 of them ? and at what resolution do you think is best ?would 2 x 30" be as good as 3 x ~20" ? (assuming i had a vid card that could support 3) ?

I suspect simmers who acquire larger monitors, end up moving them further from their eyes- if so there isn't much benefit. My monitors are a 19"CRT and 2 17"LCDs. They provide a 45" wide view (Views LFwd,Fwd,RFwd) about 26" from my eyes. That arrangement spans almost all of my peripheral vision- not much point in trying for more.No contest in my mind- go for 3 x 19" or 20". 4:3 ratio mons are real easy to set up- and used ones are CHEAP! (everyone wants a wide mon.)Resolution also is not so vital- remember: 3 monitors/views each at 1024x768= 3072 x 768 seen by your eyes & brain.Try to keep all monitors to a same or near same size if possible to simplify the setup.Can you add a second vid card (PCI?) to drive #3 mon? I believe it only has to work with the existing card driver- same vid card family but perhaps a little older/cheaper.Alex Reid

yeah i believe with my motherboard (x58 classified) it will let me add upto 4 graphics cards (3 in sli).The second card would just be to control the 3rd monitor right ?This is probably a stupid question, but how come I couldnt get my 42" lcd tv to do a widescreen mode (and simulate 2 x 20") ??? Or TV's just cant do that ?hmmmm but yeah, I could i'd realy want 3 monitors instead of 2.

yeah i believe with my motherboard (x58 classified) it will let me add upto 4 graphics cards (3 in sli).The second card would just be to control the 3rd monitor right ?This is probably a stupid question, but how come I couldnt get my 42" lcd tv to do a widescreen mode (and simulate 2 x 20") ??? Or TV's just cant do that ?

Even a high def TV simply doesn't have the resolution capability to compare with multiple computer monitors.Alex Reid

hmmm are those "radius 320" screens any good ?

It looks like it would suit my needs. Would my system be able to support that ??I cant see to many reviews of the screens from FSX users so im not to sure if there any good for my needs. For someone who has used radius320 and can compare.... quality wise - would i be better off getting another graphics card as suggested above and adding a 3rd monitor that way ?thanks :-)

hmmm are those "radius 320" screens any good ?

It looks like it would suit my needs. Would my system be able to support that ??I cant see to many reviews of the screens from FSX users so im not to sure if there any good for my needs. For someone who has used radius320 and can compare.... quality wise - would i be better off getting another graphics card as suggested above and adding a 3rd monitor that way ?thanks :-)

Justin- they look promising, but I'll bet they cost a lot more than a couple of used 19" LCDs to add to your present monitor. I'm a believer in low cost solutions!Alex Reid

Hi,Its not just about spanning across two monitors, unless I'm missing something, which is very possible. I cannot get FS9/2004 running on both monitors using just my BFG 285 video board. I am unable to run Level-D's 767 across both screens while using the VC. If utilizing Level-D's VC across two monitors is possible, can you please explain the process. If it is not possible, then the TH2Go is far from obsolete.

Spanning a view across 2 monitors can be achieved without any additional hardware. The NV control panel already allows the user to do this. If you want 3 monitors I'd suggest looking at ATi's newest Radeon 5850/5870 cards for some Eyefinity loving. TH2Go is obsolete technology and totally superfluous at this point. Don't worry about SLI, not for MSFS anyway.

Hi,Its not just about spanning across two monitors, unless I'm missing something, which is very possible. I cannot get FS9/2004 running on both monitors using just my BFG 285 video board. I am unable to run Level-D's 767 across both screens while using the VC. If utilizing Level-D's VC across two monitors is possible, can you please explain the process. If it is not possible, then the TH2Go is far from obsolete.

I assume that you use Dual view mode when using your two screens. Try to use Horizontal span. I only use one monitor so I can't test it, but I guess it'll work.

Hi,Those options (Horizontal Span / Vertical Span) are not available in Windows 7. I see you use Windows Vista (Home Premium 64), Horizontal & Vertical Span are not available in Vista either. If you want Horizontal & Vertical Span you'll have to go back to Windows XP.

I assume that you use Dual view mode when using your two screens. Try to use Horizontal span. I only use one monitor so I can't test it, but I guess it'll work.

TH2Go or DH2Go is not dead yet!!! :(

Hi,Yep, they are far from being dead/obsolete/superfluous, thanks to Microsoft and the loss of Horizontal & Vertical Span in Windows Vista and Windows 7. If you look at the price of a new DP video board (ATi's Eyefinity, still waiting on Nvidia), two/three DP monitors or two/three active DP converters, it doesn't justify the cost.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Setup #11. ATI Eyefinity = $410.00 ?2. 2 DP Monitors = $177.67 X 2 = $355.34 (Cheapest I could Find)Total = $765.34 - For $765.34 I get a max resolution of 3840x1080-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Setup #21. ATI Eyefinity = $410.00 ?2. Active DP Converters = $200.00 (Use My Existing Two Monitors) - Note Passive Converters Don't WorkTotal = $610.00 - For $610.00 I get a max resolution of 3840x1200-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Setup #31. ATI Eyefinity = $410.00 ?2. 3 DP Monitors = $177.67 X 3 = $533.01 (Cheapest I could Find)Total = $943.01 - For $943.01 I get a max resolution of 5760x1080-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Setup #41. ATI Eyefinity = $410.00 ?2. Active DP Converters = $300.00 (Use My Existing Three Monitors) - Note Passive Converters Don't WorkTotal = $710.00 - For $710.00 I get a max resolution of 5760x1200-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Setup #51. Keep my Nvidia 285 Video Board = $000.002. Digital Dual head 2 Go = $210.003. Use my existing two monitors = $000.00Total = $210.00 - For $210.00 I get a max resolution of 3840x1200-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Setup #61. Keep my Nvidia 285 Video Board = $000.002. Digital Triple head 2 Go = $282.003. Use my existing three monitors = $000.00Total = $282.00 - For $282.00 I get a max resolution of 5760x1080-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I see no reason for anyone to dump their high end video board (Justin has an Nvidia GTX285 board, which is an outstanding video board) for ATi's Eyefinity, a complete waste of money for anyone who has a high end video board when the DH2Go and the TH2Go exists!.

TH2Go or DH2Go is not dead yet!!! :(