vid card uses dual dvi?

[wheels]

just ordered my bfg 6800gt OC, it sais its dual dvi...my monitor doesnt use dvi tho, do I use the little adapter that came with the monitor?

 

[darkswordsman17]

Yeah, you'll need to put a DVI->VGA adapter. The card should come with one or two as well.

 

[zabolots]

Can someone explain to me the benefit of dual DVI connectors? Can you extend your desktop onto 2 monitors with a dual DVI card or is it just putting out the same signal on both connectors? If it's the same signal, then what the heck is the big deal about dual DVI? What benefit does it give you?

Thanks...Scott

 

[Peter]

Two independent displays. Currently the usual setup is one VGA and one DVI-I (adaptable back to VGA). With the growth in flat panel screen sales, dual DVI-I is starting to make more sense.

 

[Wolfshanze]

Can someone explain to me the benefit of dual DVI connectors?

The benefit is that you can use two LCD screens in tandem.

This 'wonderful' feature caters to probably less then 1% of all computer users worldwide. The folks with the money, desire and deskspace for two LCD panels for one computer.

Frankly, I think dual-DVI is a very over-hyped card feature. I'm sure it's nice for the six people on the planet Earth with dual LCD screens, but why they market it as some sort of savior feature to the masses, I'll never know.

With the growth in flat panel screen sales, dual DVI-I is starting to make more sense.

Perhaps it is becoming more affordable, but "making more sense" might be more of a stretch. If LCDs were free, I'm not sure it would make a lot of sense for everyone to setup dual LCD displays.

Every card should have a DVI connect... I don't even have an issue with a card having two DVI connects (not that it's important to me or most people)... I more take issue with the fact they market it like it's the best thing since sliced bread when the average joe will never use dual DVI.

 

[Peter]

When talking about "minority" features, you realize that way more than half of new PCs don't even ship with a discrete graphics card?

To people that spend the money for high-res LCD screens, the ability to connect a 2nd one does matter. Those who don't could do with zero DVI ports.

 

[rbV5]

I more take issue with the fact they market it like it's the best thing since sliced bread when the average joe will never use dual DVI.

Dual DVI-I allows for any variety of connectivety for slightly more cost for the manufacterer. It seems silly to me that all dual head cards don't simply use Dual DVI-I connectors so that all bases are covered. Dual LCD is very common in the workplace, I have 3) 192T's sitting in front of me at work, and "all" of our new displays are LCD, many of our workstation have dual displays.

 

[Wolfshanze]

To people that spend the money for high-res LCD screens, the ability to connect a 2nd one does matter

I still do not agree... because you spend the money for a high-res LCD screen does not automatically mean you will want to spend even more money to create a dual-LCD setup.

Case-in-point... I just spent $550 bucks on a good LCD screen... I have no intentions of ever seting up a dual-LCD computer. I have many friends who are the same way. In fact, out of all the computer owners I've known over the course of my life, I've never even known a single person who wanted to create a dual-LCD setup.

This is not to say there isn't anybody who wants to or will; or that there's anything wrong with wanting to do a dual LCD setup. I'm simply pointing out the obvious fact that dual LCD setups is a very, Very, VERY, VERY small minority of established computer users... a very small niche of a niche market.

Once again, there's nothing wrong with having Dual DVI connectors on a card... I'm simply stating why do they market this aspect like it's the greatest invention on earth? Why do they proudly market this on the box, and reviewers act like you're a fool if you don't get card-X because it has dual DVI over all other considerations... I keep reading reviews for cards and the reviewers always act like dual-DVI is some sort of great trump over other non-dual-DVI cards, when the oddity of it all is that I'll bet dual-LCD folks probably make up less then 1% of computer owners.

It's not the presense of dual-DVI connectors. It's the marketing and reviews that acts like everyone must have one because everybody is using dual LCD setups when it's probably less then 1% of the market.

OVERHYPE.

 

[ponyo]

Just because you have no use for it doesn't mean someone else doesn't. Like Peter and rbV5 mentioned, it doesn't cost much more to support dual dvi-i and it's backwards compatible with vga sub. It's a nice feature to have and only some mid and high end cards have it. High end cards are very small niche market. On a $500 card it better have dual dvi. Having flexibility is not a bad thing. Hopefully all cards in the future will have dual dvi or something like it.

 

[mbackof]

I have a dual LCD at home so count me in as one of the six people. The only reason I have it is that it makes it easier to reference two documents or WWW pages while working. I have the left monitor dedicated to my AMD 3200+ system and the right monitor is on KVM to my AMD 2700+ system as well. Dual DVI isn't that rare. Some Matrox workstation cards have had it for years.