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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Desktops > Big Two Monitor Help !!!

Big Two Monitor Help !!!
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ibr80
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Sep 24, 2003, 12:45 AM
 
OK first off...Im a prick for not reading all the way through things. I ave a Powermac G4 Quicksilver ( 766mhz and ATI 7500 ) with support for two monitor's. The monitor I have been using is the older 17" Seethrough CRT Studio Display that uses up the one ADC port I have on the Mac, and then it has a VGA port for an aditional monitor. Well I went online and typed ADC TO VGA and I got results for the adapter availible but I understood wrong as its used for using to VGA monitors on one Mac. But what I did is purchase the same monitor so that I could have Dual displays Only to find out today that I cant.

HERE IS WHERE I NEED YOUR HELP!!!

I beleive from research I have to options:

1. Buy a very expensive box that converts VGA output to ADC ($300)

2. Buy the ATI 9000 Video card that has an ADC a VGA and a DVI-D, and then get the DVI-D to ADC adapter from Apple. ($150+100)

Now lwt me ask you folks can I just buy the video card... I mean is it posible to have two video cards in one mac ? This way I would have each monitor in each of the two ADC of each card, but I believe I would get the same image on each and not the dual monitor efect of OS X.

My last question is ...Does anybody know a cheaper way of getting this to work?

I would really apreciate any help you guys can give me.

Regards,
Isaac
     
MichiganRich
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Sep 24, 2003, 01:27 AM
 
I'm just a touch confused by the wording of your post, but I do think I see one red flag in your possible solution of adding a video card. Isn't there only one AGP slot in the Mac, meaning that you could use either the card that came with the Quicksilver, OR the ATI 9000?....

On my desk, I have a B&W that only has the 66mhz PCI video card slot (no AGP slot at all). When I upgraded to the Radeon 7000 PCI, I was able to drop my original video card down into one of the 33mhz PCI slots and then ran three monitors off two installed video cards. The OS didn't mind, which is possibly the coolest video trick that Macs have been able to do for years. It blew my friends' minds, they were SURE it wouldn't work (they're PC-heads, and therefore used to things not working).

I don't think there are any PCI video cards that would have ADC connectors however. I was kinda surprised to find out that the 9000 did, I had read somewhere that only Apple OEM cards had 'real' ADC ports. Live and learn!

Good luck with your quest, sorry I couldn't add more of a 'solution' twist to my post here....
     
MichiganRich
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Sep 24, 2003, 01:30 AM
 
Duh.


I read things again, and you're on the right track, albeit a slightly expensive track. Get the 9000. Get the DVI to ADC adapter from Apple. Plug. Play.

Sometimes I'm Professor Frink, sometimes I'm Ralph Wiggums.

I bent my wookie.
     
ibr80  (op)
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Sep 24, 2003, 04:46 AM
 
Why the 9000? The NVIDIA GeForce4 MX with 32MB of DDR SDRAM has an ADC and a DVI !!
I just saw one for 70 bucks online do you think this would work on mine. I could put one on the ADC that comes then get the DVI to ADC apple adapter. What do you guys think? By the way wats this about having three monitors? Does that really work? and does it display the same thing or it becomes one big desktop?

Regards Isaac

P.S. I could really use some more advise and coments.
     
horrorbiz
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Sep 24, 2003, 12:36 PM
 
Hey
I have a quicksilver 867 with 2 17"s crts. They are connected through a nvidea geforce 4mx. It had an adc and a dvi port. The card comes with an adapter for one and the other is cheap like $15. My quicksilver came with the geforce 2mx card that I was able to sell for more then I paid for my 4mx because apparently it is much desired by cube owners. The geforce 4mx works fine for me.. I have had no problems and it seems to be fairly quick.
     
King_Rat
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Sep 24, 2003, 12:54 PM
 
I know that you can have many monitors on macs; I once had 3 on a blue and white G3 (it took 3 pci video cards to do it). I have even had 2 on a mac IIfx. However, I don't know of any PCI video cards with an ADC connector, so I would recomend getting the new card and the adapter. However, if you can find a PCI card with a DVI connector to use with the adapter it would also work (assumeing that you don't need the speed of AGP).
-King Rat
     
:XI:
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Sep 24, 2003, 01:05 PM
 
My 4MX (the one i got in my mac) Has ADC and VGA. the 4Ti as ADC and DVI.

Where did you see a 4MX with ADC and DVI?
     
horrorbiz
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Sep 24, 2003, 08:55 PM
 
"Apple NVidia GeForce4 MX 32MB AGP 2D/3D Video Card for PowerMac G4 AGP/Graphics/Gigabit Ethernet/Digital Audio/QuickSilver Models. (1) DVI, (1) ADC Port, (1) DVI to VGA Adapter. New, Supported by Quartz Extreme, 1yr OWC Warranty. (APL661NV4MX32DVKIT) more info... "

http://eshop.macsales.com/Search/Sea...&Manufacturer=





Originally posted by :XI::
My 4MX (the one i got in my mac) Has ADC and VGA. the 4Ti as ADC and DVI.

Where did you see a 4MX with ADC and DVI?
     
ibr80  (op)
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Sep 25, 2003, 02:17 PM
 
OK horrorbiz !
You say you have two 17" CRT's but do they both have an ADC ? Thats my Problem. I saw the NVIDIA card your talking about online with the ADC and VGI connectors but here is the Problem with me. I have the two clear case 17' Studio Displays with ADC connectors and if I get the card I can put one in the ADC and then I was thinking on getting the Apple DVI To ADC ($99) adapter...but I have a feeling it wont work because these monitors I have carry an analog signal through the ADC and not Digital like the new Flat panel one's. For Example the DIVIATOR from DrBott says it is compatible with all the new ADC Flat panels except for the 17' Studio Display CRT. I cant seam to find any ifo at apple.com that confirms or denys if their adapter has the same problem.

Regards,
Isaac Barreiros
     
horrorbiz
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Sep 25, 2003, 04:59 PM
 
Both of my monitors are vga... and I use 2 adapters and they work fine. I am not sure about your situation. I don't know how the adc to dvi works.. I guess if worse comes to worse you could pick up another vga monitor this they are pretty inexpensive. But other then that I don't really know... sorry!

Originally posted by ibr80:
OK horrorbiz !
You say you have two 17" CRT's but do they both have an ADC ? Thats my Problem. I saw the NVIDIA card your talking about online with the ADC and VGI connectors but here is the Problem with me. I have the two clear case 17' Studio Displays with ADC connectors and if I get the card I can put one in the ADC and then I was thinking on getting the Apple DVI To ADC ($99) adapter...but I have a feeling it wont work because these monitors I have carry an analog signal through the ADC and not Digital like the new Flat panel one's. For Example the DIVIATOR from DrBott says it is compatible with all the new ADC Flat panels except for the 17' Studio Display CRT. I cant seam to find any ifo at apple.com that confirms or denys if their adapter has the same problem.

Regards,
Isaac Barreiros
     
Link
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Sep 25, 2003, 06:13 PM
 
as much as I hate to dissapoint you, there ARE NO adapters to do such a thing.
Aloha
     
olePigeon
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Sep 25, 2003, 06:45 PM
 
First, ignore Link.

Secondly, from what I can gather, you have two 17" Apple displays with ADC and a video card with only one ADC port and one VGA port.

Your analysis is as good as mine. I'd go with a new video card and DVI-ADC adapter. Horrorbiz looks like he has what you need.
"…I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than
you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods,
you will understand why I dismiss yours." - Stephen F. Roberts
     
ibr80  (op)
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Sep 25, 2003, 09:49 PM
 
Originally posted by olePigeon:
First, ignore Link.

Secondly, from what I can gather, you have two 17" Apple displays with ADC and a video card with only one ADC port and one VGA port.

Your analysis is as good as mine. I'd go with a new video card and DVI-ADC adapter. Horrorbiz looks like he has what you need.

I have cheked online and there is no way to do it. Even it I get that video card Im stuck because I can put one of them on the ADC and then get the Apple DVI to ADC to use on the other but the thing is .. I have found out that that adapter only works with Apples flat panel Displays because they carry a digital signal and the CRT has an analog one making all adapter's DVI to ADC ( 3rd party ones two ) Useless.
I have to sell it. Anybody interested ? Its in Pristine Condition. Im goingto get a Sony 15" Flat panel with VGA.
     
   
 
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