[stopher999]

Hello,
I am thinking of adding a 3rd monitor to my system. I want to add a touch screen monitor. I just wanted to hear some opinions on if my system can handle it as well as if I need anything else to have this done.

Here is my info:
Windows 7 pro 64 bit
12 GB of ram (going to be adding 4 GB soon)
Video card: SAPPHIRE HD5770 1GB GDDR5 PCIE

1 monitor is a Samsung SuncMaster 225bw hooked up via DVI
Monitor 2 is a Samsung SyncMaster 170MP hooked up via VGA adapter to DVI
The 3rd monitor I was thinking of getting is a Acer T230H bmidh 23-Inch Wide Touch Screen Display

According to Sapphire, if I want to add a 3rd monitor I would have to hook it up via DisplayPort. I was thinking of getting a DisplayPort adapter for the 170MP.

With this set up I would have one monitor hooked up via DVI, one hooked up via DisplayPort with VGA adapter, and the new touch screen hooked up via HDMI.

So with what I was thinking and what I have do you think it is do able?

Any other info you may need to help me let me know. Any help would be great.

Thanks
LAter

[LiveBrianD]

Some older cards support a maximum of 2 monitors at once, though I highly doubt that's an issue with your card (and it's 4 ports!). The touchscreen part likely needs USB, then displayport for video. You really have a killer setup, it puts mine to shame!

[stopher999]

LiveBrianD, on 07 February 2011 - 03:30 PM, said:

Some older cards support a maximum of 2 monitors at once, though I highly doubt that's an issue with your card (and it's 4 ports!). The touchscreen part likely needs USB, then displayport for video. You really have a killer setup, it puts mine to shame!

Hello,
Would I be able to hook the touch screen monitor up via HDMI and the usb?

Thanks

[LiveBrianD]

stopher999, on 08 February 2011 - 10:06 AM, said:

LiveBrianD, on 07 February 2011 - 03:30 PM, said:

Some older cards support a maximum of 2 monitors at once, though I highly doubt that's an issue with your card (and it's 4 ports!). The touchscreen part likely needs USB, then displayport for video. You really have a killer setup, it puts mine to shame!

Hello,
Would I be able to hook the touch screen monitor up via HDMI and the usb?

Thanks

I think you HAVE to use both; as USB is only for the touchscreen data and the HDMI or Displayport is for the video.

[SnyperTodd]

Right, the USB is for the touchscreen and the video is for...the video.
I have no firsthand experience with that Acer monitor, but my wife has an HP L2105TM touchscreen monitor and I am very impressed with it. It's got amazing picture quality, among the best I've seen in a monitor in quite a while, and the multi-touch is very accurate and responsive. It's 21.5" as opposed to the Acer's 23", but that gives it a smaller pixel pitch and in turn a sharper image. Unfortunately, it doesn't have an HDMI or displayport input, just the standard VGA and DVI. The Acer has HDMI. I've read that the Acer has a sub-par picture quality and the screen is extremely reflective to the point of being mirror-like, but as I said, I have no firsthand experience with it. The HP has a glass screen that is fairly reflective, but not enough to be an issue for me or my wife.

[stopher999]

SnyperTodd, on 08 February 2011 - 04:57 PM, said:

Right, the USB is for the touchscreen and the video is for...the video.
I have no firsthand experience with that Acer monitor, but my wife has an HP L2105TM touchscreen monitor and I am very impressed with it. It's got amazing picture quality, among the best I've seen in a monitor in quite a while, and the multi-touch is very accurate and responsive. It's 21.5" as opposed to the Acer's 23", but that gives it a smaller pixel pitch and in turn a sharper image. Unfortunately, it doesn't have an HDMI or displayport input, just the standard VGA and DVI. The Acer has HDMI. I've read that the Acer has a sub-par picture quality and the screen is extremely reflective to the point of being mirror-like, but as I said, I have no firsthand experience with it. The HP has a glass screen that is fairly reflective, but not enough to be an issue for me or my wife.

Thanks for the info. Not sure if I even get the 3rd touch monitor, just thinking about it. I did some online research on the Acer monitor and hear some good reviews, but I will look at the HP as well. Just wanted to make sure I could do the 3rd before I drop a few hundred and find out I have to get something else. That too is another big decision..price.

Thanks for the help from everyone.

Take care

[smax013]

One thing that I thought I would mention...

I am not sure how a touch screen monitor would work in a three monitor scenario.

I could see several different possible scenarios...

1) The touch screen would map to JUST the one touch screen monitor. This would mean that you would still need a mouse, etc to get any function from the other screens.

2) The touch screen would map to the entire desktop across all three screens. On the plus side, this could make all three screens useful with the touch screen. On the down side, this could make it difficult to use some times as you "do" stuff on the touch screen that is then "taking place" on another screen (touch screens work best with a "one to one" relationship...i.e. where you touch is where you want something done).

3) It might not work at all.

Frankly, I do not know what would happen, but thought I would raise the concern in case you had not thought about the issue at all.

[SnyperTodd]

Good point, Smax. I could add a second (and third) monitor to my wife's machine sometime to test this out. Windows 7 handles touch pretty well, but you never know for sure with Windows. That would be an interesting experiment...

[stopher999]

smax013, on 08 February 2011 - 11:25 PM, said:

One thing that I thought I would mention...

I am not sure how a touch screen monitor would work in a three monitor scenario.

I could see several different possible scenarios...

1) The touch screen would map to JUST the one touch screen monitor. This would mean that you would still need a mouse, etc to get any function from the other screens.

2) The touch screen would map to the entire desktop across all three screens. On the plus side, this could make all three screens useful with the touch screen. On the down side, this could make it difficult to use some times as you "do" stuff on the touch screen that is then "taking place" on another screen (touch screens work best with a "one to one" relationship...i.e. where you touch is where you want something done).

3) It might not work at all.

Frankly, I do not know what would happen, but thought I would raise the concern in case you had not thought about the issue at all.

Thanks for the info. I did not think of that. I guess what ever one I decide to get I would contact that company and ask. Also do some searching on the net. But you raised some good Ideas. I think I would want a touch screen just for the hell of it. I really don't need it, but I figured what the hell. I did buy a VGA to DisplayPort adapter for one of my monitors. But I will think about what you said.

Thanks

[smax013]

stopher999, on 09 February 2011 - 10:10 AM, said:

Thanks for the info. I did not think of that. I guess what ever one I decide to get I would contact that company and ask. Also do some searching on the net. But you raised some good Ideas. I think I would want a touch screen just for the hell of it. I really don't need it, but I figured what the hell. I did buy a VGA to DisplayPort adapter for one of my monitors. But I will think about what you said.

Thanks

You might wait and see if SnyperTodd has a chance to test things out. Being part of the "computer geek crowd" like me, he tends to enjoy experiments just for the heck of it.

[SnyperTodd]

Alright, I put the touch screen and two additional monitors on my SLI rig so I could drive all three, since I don't have an Eyefinity graphics card. The touch screen tracked perfectly. There is a little "bug" on the screen where your finger is, so you can tell exactly where the monitor sees your contact, and it was dead on even with all three monitors running. I had kind of expected that, but it was a good point to bring up because non-widescreen games do not track correctly on the touchscreen. So there's the answer, if you decide to go with a touchscreen, you won't have tracking issues even in a 3-monitor setup. I doubt an ATI graphics card will matter, because the tracking is handled by the monitor and Windows and not the video card.

[smax013]

SnyperTodd, on 10 February 2011 - 12:32 PM, said:

Alright, I put the touch screen and two additional monitors on my SLI rig so I could drive all three, since I don't have an Eyefinity graphics card. The touch screen tracked perfectly. There is a little "bug" on the screen where your finger is, so you can tell exactly where the monitor sees your contact, and it was dead on even with all three monitors running. I had kind of expected that, but it was a good point to bring up because non-widescreen games do not track correctly on the touchscreen. So there's the answer, if you decide to go with a touchscreen, you won't have tracking issues even in a 3-monitor setup. I doubt an ATI graphics card will matter, because the tracking is handled by the monitor and Windows and not the video card.

It was not clear from your post...

Did it track "one-to-one" with only the touch screen based monitor?

Or did it track proportionally from the touch screen monitor to the entire three screen desktop?

It seems like the former from your post, but I could not tell for sure.

[SnyperTodd]

It tracks one to one only on the touchscreen. Wherever your finger or stylus is, that's where the pointer is.

[smax013]

SnyperTodd, on 10 February 2011 - 04:58 PM, said:

It tracks one to one only on the touchscreen. Wherever your finger or stylus is, that's where the pointer is.

Thanks...that is how I thought it would likely be.

[stopher999]

smax013, on 10 February 2011 - 05:01 PM, said:

SnyperTodd, on 10 February 2011 - 04:58 PM, said:

It tracks one to one only on the touchscreen. Wherever your finger or stylus is, that's where the pointer is.

Thanks...that is how I thought it would likely be.

Just a small update..got a VGA to Displayport adapter and it works great. No problems.

LAter