X60 dual monitor setup impossible?

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furball4 · #1 Post by **furball4** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 2:55 am

The X60 seems to have only one docking option, the X6 Ultrabase. If this is correct, then, docked or undocked, the system would have only one video port. This would mean that it is impossible to use any kind of normal dual-monitor setup with the X60. Can that be right? Am I missing something?

NJ_IT · #2 Post by **NJ_IT** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 10:52 am

＞furball4

This would mean that it is impossible to use any kind of normal dual-monitor setup with the X60.

If your [normal dual-monitor setup] means dual display (ie, X60 LCD display +external display)setup, you can use it very easily by preinstalled presentation director software.
I am using X60 LCD + External 1280x1024 LCD in extended display mode.

alee · #3 Post by **alee** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 1:14 pm

furball4 wrote:The X60 seems to have only one docking option, the X6 Ultrabase. If this is correct, then, docked or undocked, the system would have only one video port. This would mean that it is impossible to use any kind of normal dual-monitor setup with the X60. Can that be right? Am I missing something?

You could use the Matrox DualHead2Go . It uses a combination of a video driver and a special break-out box to treat 2 external monitors as 1 giant monitor (while still allowing you to maximize to the particular display your window is in).

Be forewarned that the X60 does not have enough video power to drive 2 1280x1024 monitors plus the internal LCD. It can, however, drive, 2 1024x768 heads in addition to its own.

Before I got the 24" Dell 1920x1200 display (which has its own set of heartaches), I was using the X60 with the Matrox solution. In the end, since my 2 monitors were 1280x1024, it drove me nuts that I wasn't driving both displays at native resolution. However, the box did work as designed. My co-worker is now using the Matrox box on her Thinkpad T42 and is driving her internal 1400x1050 display as well as 2 external 19" 1280x1024 displays.

Here's how it looked:
http://www.leesoft.com/temp/3heads.jpg

furball4 · #4 Post by **furball4** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 2:55 pm

Thanks. The particular configuration I want is to drive two external LCD's at 1280x1024 with the laptop display off. I take it from the two responses that:

1. The video card can (just barely) support this.

2. The standard connections themselves cannot support this, and I would need some kind of add-on solution (like the Matrox product)

Just to confirm that second one... there really is no docking solution that is usable by the X60 that has both a VGA and DVI port?

rkuo · #5 Post by **rkuo** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 4:05 pm

I am planning on using MaxiVista with an X60s when I get it. This software basically uses the network and secondary computers to act as extra monitors.

Some considerations:

1. Extra computer(s) required.
2. Should use fast ethernet or gigabit for best performance.
3. Fast processors on both ends help too.
4. For obvious reasons, full screen video or games aren't going to work well on the other monitors. Productivity stuff does work well.

However, this is the ONLY way I know of to get a serious three monitor setup working with the X60s (and many other notebooks).

furball4 · #6 Post by **furball4** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 8:10 pm

Well I'd rather have native support from a compatible docking station, but I've been checking out the DualHead2Go and it is pretty hard to complain about. $145 shipped from ZipZoomFly, and I'm pretty sure it will be in constant use for years, even beyond the planned application. It's an easier and maybe even cheaper way to add additional heads to a desktop than upgrading the video card, especially if you want to move from two to three. I'm sold. Thanks everyone!

revolutionary_one · #7 Post by **revolutionary_one** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 4:52 pm

I've never bought any of the x series thinkpads but am really close to as i get closer to graduation.

One of the things i can do with my t42 and its dock is buy a special DVI adapter from IBM that allows you to use the secondary VGA port and also the vga port from the adatper.

it works quite well. it is a pain though as the dvi port isnt standard and requires a special adapter.

Cheers.

Ascidian · #8 Post by **Ascidian** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 3:50 am

alee wrote:Be forewarned that the X60 does not have enough video power to drive 2 1280x1024 monitors plus the internal LCD.

Has any one tested to drive 2x 1280x1024 monitors and not the internal LCD, using the the matrox dualhead2go?

furball4 · #9 Post by **furball4** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 5:40 am

Ascidian wrote:Has any one tested to drive 2x 1280x1024 monitors and not the internal LCD, using the the matrox dualhead2go?

Yes, I did. I'm pretty sure it works, though I don't remember for certain. It turned out that I needed it to run 2x 1600x1200, and it definitely doesn't do that.

#10 Post by **pkiff** » Sat Aug 08, 2009 9:26 am

Reviving this thread since I am considering my dual monitor options on my X60 Tablet.

Lenovo specs for the X60 seem to indicate that the GMA 950 can support external resolutions of up to 2048x1536, which would mean that you couldn't get wider than 1024 on each display of a two-display set up.

Also, someone on another forum has said that Matrox says that the X60 can only support external displays on the dualhead2go of up to 2048x768, which would correspond to two displays at 1024x768.

Like Ascidian, I'm interested in using the Matrox dualhead2go for a dual display 1280x1024 setup with my internal X60 Tablet monitor turned off. Anyone tried this for certain?

Phil.

X60 dual monitor setup impossible?

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