VGA splitter

crutchy · 12-31-2010, 01:55 PM

I'm trying to set up multiple monitors but I'm not sure how. I bought an unpowered VGA splitter (The screen is to dark so I'll be buying a powered one soon). I plugged everything in and it displayed the same thing on each monitor. I wanted it to work like one screen, so I could drag thing from one monitor to another. How would I do that?

**koala** · 12-31-2010, 02:32 PM

Go to Control Panel > Display and set the monitor to Extend instead of Mirror.

crutchy · 12-31-2010, 05:07 PM

I tried that and it doesn't show I have another monitor. I looked up some how-to's on youtube and one said you can't set the monitor to extend with a splitter. It said you can with a second video card or one with two outputs. Do I need another video card?

**koala** · 12-31-2010, 05:20 PM

Sorry, my mistake. I wasn't thinking. You're right, a VGA splitter will only show the same image on both monitors.

What card have you currently got, and is it PCI, AGP or PCIE? Also, what PSU are you using?

If your current video card has 2 display ports (VGA, DVI or HDMI), you can use it to connect 2 monitors. If not, you'll need to install another card or replace with a new card that has 2 ports.

crutchy · 12-31-2010, 06:09 PM

I'm not sure what exactly the video card is but says ATI rage 128 on it and is connected by AGP 2x. It's only got 1 vga port. The PSU is Astec ATX250-3505. It's 250w. Not very good, since I did find this pc in the trash, but I didn't have much to spend on an unemployed high school student's budget

. I was just testing dual monitors on this because I was going to have them on the new pc I'm building.

**koala** · 12-31-2010, 07:41 PM

There aren't many details about your Astec ATX250-3505 online. I think it only has 9A on the +12V line. Check the PSU label to confirm.

AGP cards need a minimum of 18A to run safely, so you'll need to upgrade the PSU before upgrading to a better card.

The SeaSonic 350W has an 80% efficiency rating and provides a combined total of 27A over two +12V lines. $43 from http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151077 or shop around for cheaper deals.

You can get an AGP card with 2 display ports for around $30, going up to $100 for the better ones, depending on what you'll be using the computer for. See here for a list of AGP cards arranged in price order - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151077

**emosun** · 12-31-2010, 08:48 PM

Or you could also just get a usb video card. I don't think I would invest a lot into a machine that has a rage 128 in it.