Matrox TripleHead2Go DIGITAL Edition?

[RobbieHe 0]

A lot of the info concerning this device is years old on these forums - so my question is today is Matrox TripleHead2Go still a viable option for those wanting to run three monitors? I know the resolution is not as good as an SLI solution, but I wonder if you get the fishbowl stretching perspective issue other had been getting with Nvidia surround? I use an i5 with a Nvidia 275 videocard - sort of older hardware, but all I am interested in these days is small aircraft - no bigger than a Beech King Air and mostly 172s at smaller airports. I use FSX and am just trying to get back into this hobby with the enthusiasm I had in the years 1995 to 2005 and though having a surround video display would do that for me.

 

Thanks and take care

 

RH

[PCAviator 37]

RH,

 

It is still a pretty good solution in my opinion. As it splits a singal output signal to three screens, you don't get the performance impact that you do with opening three separate views. The fishbowl effect can be variable depending on some setups but I rarely notice it at all on almost all the systems I have seen the Triplehead used on, and can also be overcome by setting zoom levels in FSX when you are in the virtual cockpit mode (if you do have a problem) etc.

[RobbieHe 0]

Thank you Dean for that info! That's probably the route I am going to take.

 

RH

[paddler 64]

I have been using Matrox for several years on three 27 inch Dell hi def screens usinf an old GTX 285 card and am very happy.

[RobbieHe 0]

Thanks paddler - I have a 1156 based i5 overclocked to 4.0Ghz and a GTX 275... hope I have enough horses to run FSX well.

 

RH 

[RickSinGA 1]

Using it for years with 22inch monitors.  Love it.  Just found out a few weeks ago to not use WideViewAspect=true; change it to "false"; in the display section of the fsx.cfg.  I had used "true" for years and could never get the VC correct.  Now it's perfect.

 

My resolution is 5040x1050.

 

Rick S.

[Jean-Jacques 120]

" . . . to not use WideViewAspect=true; change it to "false" . . . "

 

I very much agree with Rick that using WideViewAspect is not recommended. The 'fish-eye' effect is not natural and distorts camera views. I've recently ceased using TH2GO but have used it for several years on three UltraSharp DELL 22" monitors without any loss of FPSs (5040x1050).

 

JJ

[RobbieHe 0]

Wow - thanks guys! Is it difficult to setup?

 

RH

[gboz 157]

A lot of the info concerning this device is years old on these forums - so my question is today is Matrox TripleHead2Go still a viable option for those wanting to run three monitors?

 

 

RH I would take this as a hint that the  Matrox TripleHead2Go

is not as relevant today as it once was.

 

There are obviously many people happy with their Matrox.

In it's day it was the only solution and it got the job done.

 

But today even a single current mid range video card can run

at least four monitors and at a much higher resolution than the matrox.

 

For about $30 more than the cost of a Matrox you could get something like a GTX760

that will blow you old Nvidia 275 out of the water and provide excellent three screen gaming as well.

From memory the 275 will not even do DX11 so that would be a problem if you ever wanted to try out P3DV2

or any other DX11 game.

 

As for the fish bowel effect, it depends only on the resolution you are running.

If you run 5760x1080 on the Matrox and 5760x1080 on Surround or Eyefinity

the fish bowel effect will be exactly the same.

Likewise with any "WideViewAspect=  " settings.

 

My advise would be join the 21st century and leave the Matrox in the past.

 

gb.

[blackburst 0]

Agree with the previous advice, go for new videocard, use twice DVI output and 1 Displayport with active cable.

[RobbieHe 0]

That's great competing info! Now, I have a four year-old i5 running on a 1156 MB ($Gb RAM) CPU overclocked to 4.0Ghz ... Is that enough CPU power to run a GTX 760 with three monitors (my goal) with decently? Thanks in advance.

 

RH

[gboz 157]

That's great competing info! Now, I have a four year-old i5 running on a 1156 MB ($Gb RAM) CPU overclocked to 4.0Ghz ... Is that enough CPU power to run a GTX 760 with three monitors (my goal) with decently? Thanks in advance.

 

RH

 

 

RH, 4GHz and the 760 should work fine and certainly should work better than the 275/Matrox combo.

 

The 760 was just a suggestion.

There are similar and better cards out there.

However with your set-up you are probably CPU bound with FSX, like a lot of us.

Choice of card is probably a matter of how far you want to look ahead, system upgradeablity wise.

 

gb.

[RobbieHe 0]

I'll check into it. Thanks gb

[N1125Y 22]

..had 2 HP 22" on TH2GO,, didn't like the fish eye effect, swap to 42" Plasma and hooked up the TH2GO to 2 widescreens 15" monitors for my instruments, setup works great  full screen mode)...

My GPU is EVGA 580, CPU AMD Phenom 975 OC to 4.2Ghz ..the TH2GO is still useful, no doubts    ..got king of crazy idea to go with the 780 being able to span over 3 42' monitors for 180 dgree peripheral  , just not sure the impact on performance      

 

Cheers ! 

[kpop1364 2]

The problem I have is setting the zoom to the max @ .30 is not very realistic. Things are to close. I have 3 24" widescreen monitors. Would like to zoom out farther. Is there a setting in the .cfg file I could change? By the way I'm at 5760 x 1080 x 32.

 

Thanks,

Gerry