Dual monitors and docking station question

[paradox79]

Hey,

I have a T60 and wanted to set up a dual monitor display using a docking station.
Does anyone have suggestions on the easiest way of accomplishing this? Or what docking station to purchase?

[erik]

for dual DVI output you need an advanced dock and a second video card.   this option requires a smaller-sized card with the same GPU as what's in your thinkpad.

for VGA + DVI all you need an advanced mini dock or advanced dock.

[RonS]

If by "dual monitors" you mean your built-in Thinkpad display plus one external display, you can do that with just your Thinkpad and an external display hooked up to the VGA.

If you want two external monitors, an easy and noise-free solution is to get a mini-dock and run one display DVI and the other VGA. When you do this, your internal Thinkpad display will be dark.

If you get an Advanced Dock, it has built-in fans that can make noise (unless you disconnect them, like I did), and offers the same DVI+VGA option as the mini-dock. But the Advanced Dock also allows you to add a card inside its PCI-Express expansion bay. If you add a video card in the bay, you can drive two or four additional monitors (as many as is supported by the add-in card) in DVI or VGA.

Some combinations of Thinkpads and VGA monitors produce a poor image (shaky, blurry). Most combinations produce a rock-solid picture. I've done tests where I had two 24" Dell monitors hooked up to a T60p - one on DVI and the other on VGA - and I seriously could not tell which was which. Same results with a T61p.

[paradox79]

thanks for the help guys

much appreciated