Travel Technology - External USB Video Card

My wife is getting a new laptop for work to replace her old desktop computer, but she has a really nice dual 20" monitors attached to it.

With the laptop, you could hookup the external output to one of the monitors, but the other, not sure how to attach it.

I looked for an external USB card, and found this one

http://www.superwarehouse.com/p.cfm?p=1497602&CMP=KAC-GoogleShopping

So, my plan if to display in one of the monitors to the laptop, and then the other one to the laptop

Has anyone tried that setup? How about that particular card?

I tried quite a few, and they all sucked :(

They are extremely slow and only handle a low resolution. The one you point do does 1280x1024, but chances are that the resolution of her 20" monitor is higher.

You could look into getting an expresscard or PCMCIA video card, but those cost quite a bit more.

What port does the notebook have? VGA only?

If it's VGA, then check out the Matrox Dualhead2Go which is specifically made for your purpose.

http://www.google.com/products?q=dualhead2go&btnG=Search+Products

Your best bet is probably selling the two monitors and going for a 1920.1200 resolution 24" monitor. Hook it up to a docking station as well. She'll have plenty of real estate to play with.

Howabout PCMCIA video cards such as this one? (http://www.powernotebooks.com/product.php?itemId=486) Maybe those might work better (faster BUS speed?)

My Dell laptop only has 1 VGA port on the back of it so, on it's own, I can use the laptop screen and an external screen. When I put it in the port replicator/docking station - I get a VGA and a DVI ports - I can then drive 2 external monitors (but not the laptop screen as well). That would be tha way you want to do it.

Like Scott, I've yet to see a laptop add-on, whether PCM or USB, that will provide decent support for anything above VGA. One possibility, however, (and one I use on my Sony VAIO) is a docking station with a DVI port. I have one for my SZ440 and got a VGA to HDMI port cable which lets me use my HDTV as a huge, hi-res monitor.

Can she choose a laptop for herself?

Most of the business line laptop from Dell, HP, Lenovo/IBM are docking station compactible and feature DVI + VGA port for plugging in two external monitors.

As others have said, USB is not an option. To put it in numbers, USB can carry (theoretically, not realistcally) 480 Mbps. In comparison, the bus used by video cards today, PCIe 16x can carry 64,000 Mbps.

Your best bet would be to get a docking station that has support for adding in a PCIe card. If there is no such docking station but the laptop has an ExpressCard/54 slot (most newer laptops do), you can maybe get a device that gives you an external case for a video card. The Asus XG station was supposed to be released in May, 2007, but I didn't see any recent information about it and no stores selling it. Plus it costs $600, while docking stations cost $300-$400.

Also, even if a docking station has both DVI and VGA ports, check to make sure it can actually run both at the same time (this will almost definitely require shutting off the LCD screen).

Also, even if a docking station has both DVI and VGA ports, check to make sure it can actually run both at the same time (this will almost definitely require shutting off the LCD screen).The Sony Vaio SZ docking station supports both at the same time.

So instead of using an external monitor hookup, I use an old laptop that I hook up to a second (and third monitor). Install Maxivista on both laptops and now you can "share" monitors. Basically the monitors on the second PC are remote monitors.

Hard to explain but the best tool I have seen in years!!!

here is a link to some more info and my setup!

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=6624689369

Ciao!

:cool:

So instead of using an external monitor hookup, I use an old laptop that I hook up to a second (and third monitor). Install Maxivista on both laptops and now you can "share" monitors. Basically the monitors on the second PC are remote monitors.

Hard to explain but the best tool I have seen in years!!!

here is a link to some more info and my setup!

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=6624689369

Ciao!

:cool:
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:confused: