From the ifl90 to an external moniter

ok, the way I"m thinking about having my laptop setup at home is, getting a 17 or 19 inch LCD hooked up to my laptop with external keyboard and mouse. So it's like my home computer when I need it to be.

I just wanted to know if this is possible with the ifl90. Are there any limitations? What resolution can it pump out and would that max resolution be the same as the native resolution for the laptop's LCD and is this 'ok'. I also read something about the ifl90 not having something the G1S had for moniters. Do I need this? Are there any 17-19 inch moniters that I can't use or any I should avoid.

Oh, and on the xoticPC configuration, there's like a 400 dollar option for something called an "external video controller". Do I need this?

 

it says for ports for the ifl 90
VGA External Monitor Output

i think u just need to plug the monitor into that

 

You don't need anything extra to hook up an external 17" or 19" (or even 20" or 22") LCD monitor and it will support any resolution they have.

If you want to hook up 2 or more external monitors you will need an additional video adapter of some kind like the Matrox Dual or Triple Head 2Go...but those don't cost $400, they are only about $160 or $280

 

Ok, thank you. So plugging it into an LCD it would get the same quality as a desktop right? Do you think the 8600 GT can handle that ok?

And what about dvi? Do LCDs that low run on dvi?

 

the native resolution on the gt version is 1680x1050. As long as you aren't planning on running both screens (external, and built-in) at the same time (3360x1050 :O), you should be fine up to that resolution. I wouldn't recommend going higher, but you probably can, if you want to... but be ready to turn down eye candy in games. Anything up to a 22(?)inch screen should have a safe resolution to not notice a performance hit.

IFL90's only have VGA output, which is a lower quality than DVI. Depending on your monitor, you may need to get a DVI-VGA adapter (my monitor has a VGA and DVI in on the back, not sure on other models). It will be more or less the same quality... I've never been able to see the difference between the two formats, but then again, my vision sucks .

 

You won't be running 3360x1050, you will be running two separate 1680x1050 screens with the dual head video adapter. You absolutely can run them both at the same time without a hitch. Heck, we have been doing it for years before the 8600 which won't even break a sweat doing it. You could even stretch one application across both screens if you want.

Now, for LCD monitors up to 22" you will be very hard pressed to notice any difference at all between VGA and DVI output. 90%+ of the people out there could not see any difference between the two.

Also, almost any monitor you buy today will have both DVI and VGA connectivity.

 

Paladin- What about running 2 external monitors at 1600x1200 each? I looked at the specs on those matrox video adapters, and it seems like they can only run 1280x1024 per display, so it wouldn't even be able to run 2 at 1680x1050 as you indicated. Please correct me if i'm wrong though, as I am really looking for a solution to have a notebook run dual displays at 1600x1200 resolutions. If a notebook had a docking station that was made specifically for it and it had both a dvi output and a vga, could you do it that way? So something like the V1j?

 

You need the Triple Head2Go to run 2 external monitors at 1680x1050. This is how I have mine set up. See http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/gxm/support/th2go/tmet.php

I am not aware of a solution that would allow you to run 2 at 1600x1200 and above unless you have a PCMCIA slot. If you do then you can use the VTBook for one of them, and plug the other directly into your laptop. See http://www.villagetronic.com/vtbook/techspecs.html

 

Thanks Paladin for the info. So would you be able to run both at these resolutions with say the asus v1j via the docking station? I'm looking at buying a new notebook that would have this capability, preferably in a docking station, as it seems like some of the newer notebooks don't have pcmcia.

 

I can't comment on the V1Jp because I sent mine back rather disgusted with it.

I do not believe you can run both video outputs at the same time because that would require a triple head card...but you should check with an ASUS Ensemble dealer to make sure...and even then you won't be sure until you try it yourself so be careful to get a good return policy just in case.

 

Can you use the laptop's speakers when having the display go to an external monitor? What changes do you have to make in control panel/device manager etc to set the laptop up to this be this desktop thing?

 

Your speakers have nothing to do with running an external monitor.

To set it up you go to Control Panel>Display>Settings and follow the steps there. If you need more help with it...read your manual or call tech support

 

OK, now I'm lost...

What I wonder is, can I use an external monitor for desktopextension, and can it run on a different resolution? I mean without any help like a Matrox dualhead or similar.

I've ordered an IFL90 with 1680x1050 screen and my 19'' monitor (yes, still CRT) works best on 1280x1024.

 

You can run a external monitor at a different resolution then your laptop display. As Donald was stating above, just go into your display properties, check the box to extend the desktop onto the 2nd monitor and then you can adjust the resolution you want on the external display

Any application you run on the laptop will get sound through the laptop, even if it is on the external display.

 

YOu can probably disable the sound on the laptop though, can't you?

 

Yes, it is called "Mute"

 

Also if you plug a headset or speakers into the audio out of the laptop the laptop speakers will turn off.

 

Thanx. I was just confused by Donalds posting where he said:

From this I concluded that I would need a dualhead adapter to use twoo screens.

 

Yes, you would need something like Matrox DualHead2Go to connect to two additional monitors besides the notebook LCD/screen. To connect to one other additional screen you just plug it in to the notebook and mess with the Display properties as Justin said.

 

OK, thanx!
I almost got worried there!