Multi monitor Qu: VGA, DVI and 3x monitors

Guys, I have two monitors currently connected to a Nvidia GeoForce 250 card. One on VGA, the other on DVI. All works fine as a dual monitor setup.

I want to duplicate one of these outputs (it doesnt matter which one) and direct it to a 32″ monitor that can take VGA or DVI. so long as I dont need the PC to treat the three monitors as one contiguous desktop but instead as a two monitor desktop with one half double, I assume I can use a dumb splitter like this to do it:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/G957-VGA-Y-Splitter-PC-LCD-Monitor-Desktop-Laptop-/160382056391

cheers

Maybe. Some monitors don’t like them, some are fine.

OK. so if the monitor doesnt like them , then I can just get a switch able one instead? I wont need to watch both monitors at once.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-INTO-1-VGA-SVGA-MONITOR-SWITCH-BOX-2-WAY-SPLITTER-/390201073040

but at these prices I can test it first with a dumb splitter.

It shouldn’t really be too much of a problem.

What resolutions you going to be running at ?

the DVI may be better to split as the the signal quality may stand up better to being split. ( VGA cable could start to get a little fuzzy at high resolutions compared to the DVI. )

I just picked up this monitor this morning
http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/psa-samsung-32-monitor-bargin

Interestingly the guy I got it from (commercial presentation stuff) said he’s run over 60m of VGA with no problem, but DVI in his opinion can degrade after about 15m.

60M of VGA will give you a picture but you will get some ghosting and a soft image. I’ve had over a 100M running on one occasion to a projector. It worked but it’s very soft.You can do long runs if you have delay units though. If we run DVI over 10M we use CAT5 boxes but even then the limit is 60M at 1024×768 and 30M at 1920×1080.
As for splitters you get what you pay for and if your going the cheap route I’d go for a cheap switcher over a cheap splitter. You should be able to pick up one of those old rotary switch ones for very little – the switch is pretty crude but it doesn’t sound like that will be an issue.

Ive gone for this initially:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280718378934

and I only need a 5m run so hopefully quality will hold up.

Another thought. Does the DVI port of your graphics card give out both an analogue and digital signal? I’ve a couple of Dell Optiplex PC’s running down in the warehouse at the moment and they only have a DVI connector but with a DVI – 1xDVI and Ix VGA splitter they run either or both together. If you can go that way there is no loss of signal.

will bear that in mind if the VGA split doesnt work out.