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Archive for November 30, 2011

superpc | November 30, 2011
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ATI FireMV 2450 Workstation Graphics Card

Now boasting it is 512MB GDDR3, PCI-Express x1, VHDCI, Quad DVI Support, Quad VGA Support, and Low-Profile.  So, the big question is, what does that mean for you? Well, let’s start with the fact that this card represents the latest in technology and generation from ATI’s “Multi-View” series.  Translation:   this is THE solution for enterprise level multi-display environments.  This card provides not only stability/reliability, but because of the level of support, you’re also buying piece of mind.

 

The ATI FireMV 2450 is a low profile GPU with quadruple output that not only supports your DVI devices, but supports your VGA devices as well.  And because of its 512 MB of memory, you can be assured that your applications will run smooth and trouble free, every step of the way.

Another advantage the ATI FireMV is its power consumption levels.  On average it will only consume 17W for typical 2d business use, and maxes out at double that (32W).  While this may not be your only, or primary concern, it is nice to know that you are doing your best to save the environment while getting an extremely high quality video card.

Finally, it is worth noting that the Ati FireMV 2450 is compatible with the latest Windows machines (such as Windows 7 and Windows Vista) but it will also run with Linux as well.

If you’re considering a high end graphics card for your quad monitor workstation, then the ATI FireMV 2450 should be on your list.  You won’t be disappointed by the quality or price and it is sure to hold up to any test you assign to her.

Category: General |
superpc | November 28, 2011
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Radeon HD 4670 512MB GDDR3 PCI-Ex16 2.0 (Dual Monitors & HDCP)

If you’re considering a new graphics card for you multiple monitor system, but don’t want to shell out mega bucks for the latest and greatest, the Radeon HD 4670 512MB GDDR3 PCI-Ex16 2.0 (Dual Monitors & HDCP) might just be a perfect fit for you.  While it does not boast the more powerful experience, for a dual monitor system it works great and may exactly what you’re looking for.  It is no secret that from time to time both ATI and Nvidia release cards that don’t make major waves in the press, but are more of a “get the job done” type model.  Thankfully they do this, because not all of us want to shell out $400 to $600 on something that we’ll likely replace within a year or so.  It is not that we don’t want the best, it is that we budget our money wisely and know how to chose components that will best benefit or machines and our needs.

Enter the Radeon HD 4670.  When released, it was in the less than $100 category, which is not something Radeon had done before.  In fact, up until its release Nvidia had dominated that market with both their 9500 GT and their 8600 series of cards.  But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for everyone.

Now, as I mentioned before, this card is not the best card you can buy.  It is not even close.  It is, however, a good general card for those of that want to be able to game (albeit at lower resolutions) and perform general work functions, and offering good HD decoding.  In other words, you won’t be disappointed as long as you weren’t expecting something like the NVidia Quadro NVS 450.

So what exactly is the take-away from this?  If you’re looking for a graphics card that is high enough quality to run dual monitors for your trading work station, but isn’t going to break the bank while doing so, then the Radeon HD 4670 is probably a solid choice for you.  It won’t blow minds or work process in the same way as some of Radeon’s high quality cards, but it will leave you feeling satisfied if you are looking for what some are calling the “jack of all trades” graphics card.  Radeon is known for quality, so they may be taking a gamble by releasing what some of us consider subpar, but in reality they are just targeting a new market. This is a market that seeks a reasonably priced graphics card that will perform the basic functions that we require.  While it might not make sense to some, for those that don’t consider themselves video phials, but do want to have high quality reliable hardware that can be easily replaced and overall won’t break the bank.

Category: Multiple Monitors | Tags:
superpc | November 28, 2011
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NVidia Quadro NVS 450 Workstation Video Card

If you’re looking for a graphic card solution for your business, then the NVidia Quadro NVS 450 Workstation video card may be exactly what you’re after.  Its design delivers remarkably stable hardware delivers stable software for your business environment.   It has been tested and proven on up to four 30 inch monitors at resolutions of up to 2560×1600. Whoa!  Now that power.  In fact it was designed for SFF (Small Factor Forms) quad displays.

Reviewer “Blu” said, that while it may not be the cheapest on the market, the value is there because is works great.  In fact, the install was a breeze because all of the adapters are plug and play.  While reviewer “Backman” said, he originally bought this card to set up independent multimedia shows in different rooms and it was super easy to setup and only took a little bit of configuring to get it to work correctly.

The biggest con to the NVidia Quadro NVS 450 Workstation video card is the price, but that should deter those looking for a high quality solution for their multiple monitor workstation.  This card is the answer to the lower quality (and lower cost) GeForce9800 GT, as it out performs the GeForce9800 in almost every way.

So, if you’re deciding trying to decide on a graphics card solution for you business quad monitor setup, I highly recommend you consider the NVidia Qudro NVS 450, and as long as you don’t mind shelling out the cash, you will not be disappointed.

Category: Multiple Monitors | Tags:
superpc | November 24, 2011
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Benefits Abound When You Start Using Multiple Screens

So we look at gamers and the high-tech guys on 24 hour news channels and we see multiple screens, but to be completely honest I hadn’t even considered hooking up a 2nd (and certainly not a 3rd) screen until fate had it that I had to buy a more powerful video card.  I had been messing with some video editing software and a RAM and video card upgrade was needed.  A positive by product of that was that I had an extra video output.  This made me wonder, could I just hook up my old 15 inch LCD so that I’d have extra screen real estate?  Turns out it was pretty easy and that was way back in 2005 when I
was using Windows XP.  Even then it was quite easy, it only took a few mouse clicks and a quick adjustment and VIOLA!  It was all hooked up.  It didn’t take long to realize that my productivity improved once I started using the second monitor.  One screen was for work, the other communications and all in all, I was beginning to save a fair amount of time each day.

I have no idea why I was surprised; I mean survey after survey and study after study all reveal the same thing- that having a second screen improves productivity under nearly any circumstance.  As a writer I even added a third monitor that helps out tremendously.  I can easily display an outline of a project or tools from various programs.  I can compare rough drafts and much more.  If I have tables or spreadsheets open it allows me to see all columns open and see them all at once.  And as I mentioned before, I can have my communication channels on a screen by themselves.  This means that email (of course) is always open.  I don’t have to hunt for the right window when I hear the familiar BLING! Indicating a new email.  I also have messengers open- AIM & Skype; this means that there isn’t any bouncing between screens.  Now it’s true that you can use your keyboard to quickly move through windows, in Windows it’s alt-tab, but that’s time consuming.  I mean honestly- a study released by the University of Utah says that you’ll save an average of 10 seconds per 5 minutes worked just by having an additional screen.  Those increments add up very quickly through out the week, and trust me, by the end of the year you will have saved a LOT of time.

Game players have been pushing elaborate 2+ screen setups for years.  In fact, they’ll often have 4 or 6 screens stacked and arrange in a near oval shape to create the ultimate 3D environment.  If there is room on their desk, there is room for another monitor, or at least that seems to be the theme.  Especially for first person shooter games (like Call of Duty and Quake, multiple monitors seem to be significantly useful.  One of the most popular and best-known multi-screen “games” was Microsoft’s Flight Simulator X (and beyond.)  Users have found that they can use extra screens for maps, panoramic views, views to the side, exterior views, and the instrument panels.  In fact it makes the game so real that experts use this type of setup to train for actual flight before jumping into a new aircraft.

Of course there are those that prefer to expand their screen real estate by using larger monitors.    You can get a 24-inch LED for around $300 and it will provide you with 50% more screen than a single 19-inch monitor.  The advantage of this is that it takes up less space than 2 19-inch monitors.  But there are those of us that just prefer the two screens.   Not to mention that you can probably get 2 19-inch monitors for less than you’d end up paying for the 24 inch.

A few years ago, people might have though that 2 monitors looked tacky or not stylish, but oddly enough as it has become more popular, desks almost look somewhat empty without the extra monitor.  In fact, there so popular these days companies recruiting new employees actually use multi-screens as a selling point.  In fact many new recruits almost demand multi-screens.  The tech sector in particular finds it particularly useful.  If you’re a coder, then you probably have one screen filled with information nearly all the time.   If you’re staring at code and you get interrupted, then finding the spot you left can be pretty difficult.  It wastes valuable time and as they say time is money.  Having multiple monitors makes this significantly easier to manage.  That’s probably why most tech companies don’t even debate having multiple monitors, it’s a given.

Setting multiple monitors really isn’t that difficult.  And regardless of whether you are using MAC or PC, there are just a few settings that have to be quickly adjusted to get everything setup.  There are some really neat devices these days to that help make the transition to multiple monitors even easier.  For example, you don’t even have to buy a 2nd video card anymore.  There is a device by the company Matrox called the DualHead2Go and TripleHead2Go.  Just like the name implies, they allow you to hook up either 2 or 3 monitors, respectively, without the need to install a new video card.  For those of you that are less technically savvy, this is an excellent device that can take your production to the next level, without a lot of expense.  I’ve written about the
DualHead2Go and TripleHead2Go before, and there is a reason why.  These are excellent devices that I highly recommend.

But regardless of how you decide to hook up your extra monitors, the key is that you make the decision to make the upgrade.  You’ll soon appreciate the time you save as so many others have.  We make jokes about an office with multiple monitors looking like mission control or something out of The Matrix, but in all honesty trends are moving towards every office and every profession using multiple monitors.  There is enough evidence available these days to suggest that having multiple monitors will benefit your company, so it would be silly to go against the current and try to only use one monitor.  As so many others have discovered, you too will soon discover that the additional screen real estate will be a huge advantage to your business and your life.

Category: Multiple Monitors | Tags: , , ,
superpc | November 21, 2011
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Next Time You Visit a Trade Show Pay Attention: Video Walls are Dominating the Trade Show Floor

In a worldwide economy it’s important that everyone know and understand how they can
 meet others that are in their field.  It’s important that others know how they can find new prospects with the eventual goal of being able to find new prospects that will lead to strong business growth.  In fact at popular trade shows, it’s not uncommon for the guy (or gal) with the biggest and flashiest display to get most of the floor traffic.  In fact, I’ve been to trade shows where people were literally lined up past other vendors because a particular display or promotion caught their attention.  In this article were going to show off some of the coolest trade show displays and talk about where they were at and some of the particulars.  In particular we’re going to discuss multiple monitor and video Wall displays because the trend tends to be going toward all video displays these days.

Now this may not seem like a big deal to most people, but this is actually one of my favorite vendors, and they are demoing one of my favorite products, the Matrox TripleHead2Go.  This display is pretty simple, but it catches your eye because if you’re not using multiple monitors, you’re probably wondering how they were able to pull this off, and what the little box behind the monitors is and what it does.

In recent years Microsoft sold their famous Flight Simulator to war machine Lockheed Martin.  This is their display at a trade show demoing the awesome flight simulator.  I like this setup because it gives anyone that hasn’t seen the flight simulator in action a chance to play with great graphics on a 1080p 40 inch display.

Here is a great tradeshow display from Nike and there are a few things that really stand
out in this display.  Of course they have multiple screens that are showing off different new product features and benefits, but they also have some strong bright visuals that attract attention.

 

 

My favorite thing about this display is the, uh, big screen in the background that shows
my favorite car, the Porsche, performing.  Reel them in with the car and deliver interesting facts or other information with your digital wall display.  This works like a charm.

 

 
Other than being the king of search Google has been known to be king of the trade show, often giving great presentations to demo new products or features.  Here they just have a few computers setup and are undoubtedly showing off one of their new apps, features or something else cool, because that’s what Google does!

 

 

WOW!  Samsung really knows how to make an impression.  This is their video wall when they were announcing the competition that that they were releasing against the iPhone
and the iPad.  Apparently they nailed it too because they are really penetrating the market, but that’s a whole other article.  What we can talk about are the 173 screens that made up their wall of vision at this trade show.  It was quite a site to see.

 

 

Sony loves to do it large and at this trade show it was no exception.  They have a huge display with their name and big lights.  But it doesn’t stop there, behind that big sign they had various displays lined up behind the flashy lights and they were demonstrating some of their newest products, including the Sony Vaio.  There’s no doubt though that these
displays make

 

 

 

Here’s an Apple iPhone tradeshow display and I love what they’ve done here the use of multiple monitors to create a video wall inside of an iPhone.  This is a great example of how you can use an interesting visual presentation to grab attention and sell your product.  The iPhone went on to revolutionize the way we thought about
personal communication, it’s undoubted that this display played a small part in the build up to its original release.

 

 

If you’ve been to any tech related trade shows, and as I a blogger I try to attend at least a couple each year, then you know that eBay always has a strong presence.  Much like the way apple revolutionized the personal communication industry, eBay was up and running in the late 1990’s and
changed the way we thought about buying and selling online.  But they haven’t stopped and have continuously tried to improve the way they run their company.  Their displays always pack a punch and trade shows and I love to stop by their both to see what new service they’re going to be offering next!

 

Last, but not least, I really like this Panasonic display, because I think it captures a lot of cool features of a good trade show display.  They have black lights with white objects to grab your attention.  They also have a strange video wall configuration that looks more
art deco than trade show.  I just think it’s a cool way to grab the attention of potential clients.  Panasonic is a big brand that has been around for a long time.  It’s likely that they will continue to impress trade show attendees with stunning visual displays.

 

Hopefully this has shown you a little bit of what is possible at trade shows these days.  More and more companies are using powerful video wall displays to grab attention, but it doesn’t always have to be the traditional video wall that we think of when we think video wall.  The creative minds of big and small companies think of amazing ways to put video to work for them at these shows that they guarantee that no one is going to miss their booth.

When it comes to creating a great trade show display, I think one of the most important things to remember is that creativity and uniqueness counts.  Making your display stand out with a multiple monitor video wall is an excellent way to grab extra attention.  And if your business is like mine, one important thing to remember is that a new client or customer is worth its weight in gold, so don’t be afraid to go all out with your video wall display and create something that will really impress those potential clients.  A video wall display can deliver your message and create a positive scene that no one will forget.

Category: Multiple Monitors | Tags: ,
superpc | November 11, 2011
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The Necessary Components of Your New Day Trading Computer

Quit wasting your time searching for the right trading computer components. I’m going to give you the low down on how to build the best trading computer possible, for the least amount of money. We’ll also talk about other important trading computer components that most people forget about such as where it is best

http://dual-monitors.org/images/Multiple-Monitor-Desktop-Trading-Computer-Google-Earth.JPG

http://dual-monitors.org/images/Multiple-Monitor-Desktop-Trading-Computer-Google-Earth.JPG

to trade and the best way to maximize your efficiency. There’s more to day trading than meets the eye and I want anyone who reads this looking for trading computer components to recognize the many differences in trading computer spaces, work ideas, connection speeds and some of the other necessities that are required to successfully trade. Whether you are trading stocks, futures, currency or anything else, it’s really irrelevant. Having these essential trading computer components is of the upmost importance. That’s why you should read this whole article.
Where to buy is just as important as what to buy. I’m going to keep this section brief, but you should know that who you buy from can make the difference between a quality trading computer and a poor one. The only trustworthy store on the web for all components trading computer wise is multi-monitors.com. You get a couple of things from these guys that you won’t get if you go bargain hunting. You get a group of professionals that’s been in business for a long time and understand multiple monitor trading computers. You also get access to cutting edge technology that you won’t find from other retailers. Those two things alone should be enough to get you to make your purchases from there. This is only place I buy trading computer components.
Trading at home versus renting office space is a big question that a lot of guys have to think about as they consider trading computer components. It’s a big advantage for those traders that decide to go with the office space though, I can tell you first hand. Being at home, especially if you have a family or even just pets can be such a distraction. Of course, no one actually means to distract you, but how can they help it and when you are considering trading computer components this is something that you should definitely consider. The idea with this aspect of trading computer components is to limit any possible opportunity to not have success.
Another consideration should be the type of internet connection that you use. I seriously doubt that anyone is using dial up these days, but some DSL is almost as slow as dial up. The best connections are business T1 connections, but if you can’t afford that then consider getting the ultra fast 50 Mb line from Brighthouse/Time Warner. The other option is Verizon’s internet service which 50 Mb as well. These are going to give you the fastest connection to your real time data feed. Moreover, it’s a good idea to have a back up internet line as well, just in case. In the case of the backup line, a 2 or 3 Mb DSL line works well and won’t set you back much financially.
Speaking of which, if you’re taking the time to drill down which trading computer components that you need, have you considered your real time data feed. All the free feeds, such as the one hosted by Yahoo are delayed at least 20 minutes. You need real time access if you’re going to trade penny stocks. You can usually buy this feed from your broker, and it runs between $100 and $200 a month. It may sound expensive, but the fact of the matter is that it would be impossible for you to run a day trading business without having the proper data feed to get real time numbers.
What type of components should you install in your day trading computer? Well that question is a little more complex, but we’ll do our best to help you figure out what you need. Probably the most important trading computer component is the processor. Pretty much all the big guys are now using an i3 or i5 from Intel. If you don’t mind spending a little bit of extra money, then it’s not a bad idea to go ahead and upgrade to the i7 which will give you that much more of an edge. This is all assuming that you want to power at least 4 monitors, which most day traders do. Then of course there is the issue of RAM. Memory (RAM) over the years has gotten rather cheap, and it’s not a bad idea to max out on RAM when you buy. But if you are just going with the minimum then I would say at least 4 GB of RAM is fine for 4-monitors. Picking a video card can be challenging and also depends on your budget. I use the PNY Quadro 6000 6 GB GDDER Fermi Workstation Card. It’s pricey, but it’s also amazing and fast. If you want to save money then you should buy 1 GB of GDDR5 ATI HD5670 video card. Budget plays a large factor in what you end up buying for sure.
Of course figuring out where to buy all of these fancy components or what to buy may sound a bit tricky, but take my advice: call the guys at multi-monitors.com and ask them ANY THING and they’ll help you put together the perfect system for your needs. They’re very good at figuring the best components for YOUR needs, not just a generic trading computer. That’s why I recommend them so highly above all the other multi-monitor providers out on the market place.
If you’re putting together a multiple monitor computer system and you need to figure out which trading computer components you need to buy, then I hope this helps get you started in the right direction. Picking the proper components and putting together the best overall system is absolutely essential to you being a success with your business and that’s why I stress that you take a look at a number of the important facets of the system and not just the computer components. A lot of people don’t realize the difference between success and between failure can literally be having the right tools. A lot of people don’t realize that having the right tools can be as simple as knowing who to talk to and having them give the right answers, because when it comes down to it, we are all experts at something, but finding help from the right expert can make the difference between understanding what we need to succeed and not.

Category: Multiple Monitors | Tags: