TripleHead2Go Frequently Asked Questions
| How do I know if my computer is compatible with TripleHead2Go? The best way to ensure that your system is compatible with TripleHead2Go is to download the Compatibility Tool (if you’re running a supported Windows Operating System) or use the Compatibility Wizard (if you own a Mac). Please visit the GXM System Compatibility page for more details. Note that you must verify your system’s compatibility prior to purchase in order for the product warranty to be valid. Can I run a different application on each monitor? Yes. The included PowerDesk software lets you manage where your windows pop-up and expand to, allowing you to drag different application windows onto each monitor. Maximizing each window will result in the corresponding application going full-screen on a single monitor. PowerDesk also lets you extend your application window across multiple monitors if you choose to. Can I work with my laptop lid closed? Yes. Once TripleHead2Go is connected to your laptop and monitors, you can close your laptop, put it aside, and simply use an external keyboard and mouse along with your two or three extra displays. The mechanism for setting up TripleHead2Go in this manner varies from laptop vendor to laptop vendor. More information on this is given in the GXM Support Center. Can I use my laptop screen in addition to a TripleHead2Go for a total of four screens? Yes. My computer has two video outputs; can I connect the TripleHead2Go to one of the outputs and connect another monitor to the second output for a total of four monitors? Yes. Can I use TripleHead2Go with two monitors and then upgrade to three monitors at a later date? Yes. TripleHead2Go does support extra resolutions (beyond the four native modes that come with the module itself), such as triple widescreen support, dual resolution support and a higher refresh rate for CRT users. You can enable these extra modes on your TripleHead2Go Analog Edition if you are running Windows 2000 or Windows XP by downloading the Matrox TripleHead2Go Mode Expander Tool (TMET) software applet. For TripleHead2Go Digital Edition, these extra modes can be enabled directly through the Matrox PowerDesk software that comes bundled with the product. Do I need a special brand of monitor? TripleHead2Go can be used with any monitor that supports compatible resolutions, including flat panel monitors. Note that all monitors connected to TripleHead2Go must run at the same resolution and refresh rate. Can I mix analog (VGA) and digital monitors with TripleHead2Go Digital Edition? Yes. Any combination of analog and digital monitors is supported with TripleHead2Go, though you may require an adapter if the output connector on the TripleHead2Go is different from the monitor’s input connector. Can I use TripleHead2Go Digital Edition if my system only has a VGA connector? Yes. TripleHead2Go Digital Edition has input connectors for dual-link digital and analog (VGA). If your laptop or desktop computer only has an analog (VGA) output and is on the compatibility list, TripleHead2Go will work with the system’s VGA connector. Is full screen DVD and video playback supported with TripleHead2Go? Yes. If your laptop or desktop computer is already equipped with a DVD player, you will be able to watch a DVD or video content on any of the monitors of your multi-monitor environment. Playback will be as smooth as it would have been without TripleHead2Go. How can I tell if my graphics card or laptop supports dual-link digital? You need to check the specification of your graphics card or laptop to determine if dual-link DVI output is supported. Why do I get black borders when I enable the Matrox Monitor Bezel Management feature? TripleHead2Go Digital Edition provides Monitor Bezel Management by shifting the images from the left and right panels so that some of the data is effectively dropped behind the bezels. The data is shifted from the outside edges of the left and right panels, leaving a black border that is the same width as the gap. How do I set up a game to run in Surround Gaming mode (Windows only)? To help customize games to properly function in Surround Gaming mode, Matrox bundles a Surround Gaming Utility (SGU) with TripleHead2Go. The Surround Gaming Utility is a simple software application which automatically updates game configuration files of supported games to have proper settings enabled for TripleHead resolutions. Note that certain game titles also have native support for TripleHead2Go. The SGU is not required for native titles because they will adjust automatically when a TripleHead resolution is selected in the game’s graphics settings menu. How does TripleHead2Go work? Your computer’s video output would normally only allow for one monitor to be connected to it. If instead of plugging in a monitor to your system’s video output you plug in a TripleHead2Go, your computer interprets this device as one triple-wide monitor, so it outputs a single extra-wide image. As you have three monitors connected to your TripleHead2Go, the TripleHead2Go takes the left third of this extra-wide image it receives from your computer and sends it to your left monitor, and sends the middle third to your central monitor and the right third to your right monitor. In this manner, TripleHead2Go effectively lets you drive three separate monitors from a single video output. If TripleHead2Go is used in DualHead mode, it behaves essentially the same way; the extra-wide image is divided in two instead of three and each half is sent to your left and right monitors. Is TripleHead2Go a graphics card? No. TripleHead2Go does not contain a GPU itself but connects to your computer’s video output and uses your own system’s graphics capabilities to render the extra-wide image that is then divided and sent to each monitor. For this reason, you can enjoy the same performance across all monitors, whether you’re working with office applications in 2D, high-end applications that use 3D or Open-GL technology, or engaging in HD video playback. The more powerful your existing graphics, the more powerful your TripleHead2Go multi-monitor environment. Will adding TripleHead2Go affect my computer’s performance? The technology behind TripleHead2Go does not slow down your computer. You can easily verify this by running TripleHead2Go in a single screen resolution (1280x1024), and you will see that the performance will be the same when there is no TripleHead2Go. TripleHead2Go works in conjunction with your system's existing graphics card, and the graphics card is still responsible for all 2D, 3D and video rendering. However, TripleHead2Go opens up wider multi-monitor opportunities for you and these multi-monitor environments may require a greater number of pixels to be drawn simultaneously than in a single-screen mode. In the same manner that higher resolutions can impact performance in single-screen systems, performance may vary with higher triple-screen resolutions. The more powerful your existing graphics, the more powerful your TripleHead2Go multi-monitor environment. Can I connect multiple DualHead2Go/TripleHead2Go units in one system? Although it may be physically possible to connect multiple DualHead2Go/TripleHead2Go units on the same system, Matrox does not recommend doing so. The included Matrox PowerDesk software supports a configuration of one unit per system. Adding more than one unit per system has not been tested. |
