Connecting additional screens. How to Connect a Second Monitor to a Computer or Laptop? Connection using a splitter

Connecting two monitors to one computer is quite possible! And what’s most interesting is that you can connect more monitors, for example, three, four or even five. In this lesson I will tell you how to connect a second monitor in a minimal amount of time. At the end we will summarize, and I will tell you for what purposes you can use several monitors connected to one computer.

How is the first monitor connected?

First, all beginners need to understand how the first monitor is connected? Unfold your monitor and inspect the cables that are connected to it. Usually there are two! The first cable is power, and the second is VGA, HDMI or DVI. That's what we need. One end of the cable is connected to the monitor, and the other to the computer system unit. Here's an example:

How to connect a second monitor?

First, place the second monitor on the table and inspect the connectors on the back:

In addition to the power connector, there will be one or more connectors. It could be VGA, HDMI or DVI port. In my case it is VGA, and it looks like this:

DVI looks like this:

And HDMI is like this:

We need to insert the appropriate cable into this port; it is usually included when purchasing a monitor. Find this cable and insert either end into the monitor connector.

Its second end needs to be connected to the computer system unit, next to the first cable, which we already talked about at the beginning of the lesson.

But if you have, say, a VGA cable, but there is no corresponding connector on the system unit, or it is occupied by the first monitor, then you need to use a special adapter to connect. I bought one for myself and inserted a cable into it. It turned out like this:

Now we insert this cable with an adapter into the DVI port on the system unit. It turns out like this:

Fine! We figured out how to connect the second monitor, now all that remains is to turn it on so that it works together with the first. For this we will use the first monitor. On the desktop we need to right-click and select .

In the window that opens, first click the Find button and the computer will find the second monitor in a couple of seconds.

It will be displayed next to the first one and will remain in the section Multiple displays select item.

After saving the changes, you will see two working monitors. Of course, for the second monitor to work, you need to remember to connect it to a power outlet and press the power button on the monitor itself.

This is what I ended up with:

How to connect a second monitor to a laptop?

You can connect a second monitor to a laptop in the same way as to a system unit. Look for the cable connector on the side, where the USB ports are. Follow the steps described above and you will succeed.

It’s also worth mentioning that you can also connect the TV to a computer or laptop using these instructions. That's it:)

Why connect 2 monitors?

Before I connected multiple monitors to my computer, I didn't know how convenient it could be. Let me give you a few examples:

If you like to have fun on the computer, then you can turn on a movie on one monitor, and play Minecraft, Tanks, Dota, Contra or any other game on the second.

If you like to communicate on the computer, then you can open a browser with the Odnoklassniki social network on one monitor, and launch Skype or VKontakte on the second.

If you are editing a video, it is very convenient to place the editing table and all the tools on one monitor, and move the video preview window to the second

If you work on a computer, then you can open and write an article on one monitor, and run some important graphs or something similar on the second.

In general, if you decide to connect two monitors to one computer, then you probably already have a lot of ideas for what purposes you can use them. Be sure to write in the comments for what purposes you will use two, or maybe three monitors connected to one computer.

P.S.

If something didn’t work out for you during the connection process, then I advise you to watch the video that I posted at the beginning of the lesson.

Today you won’t surprise anyone with a multi-monitor PC configuration. And soon, we can expect that having a single display on a desk will become the exception, not the rule. This is what people say who have had the opportunity to compare the convenience of working at a computer with one and multiple monitors. And the second option, if you believe their words, is much more convenient than the first.

How many monitors can be connected to one computer? Connection conditions

It is unlikely that anyone is able to name the exact number of possible monitor connections to one PC, but 50 or more is definitely possible. It all depends on the budget you are willing to allocate for it. To create video walls from dozens of modules, such as in the photo below, special controllers are used. Their task is not just to display the image on many screens, but also to provide each picture with decent quality.

However, video wall controllers are an extremely expensive solution that not every enterprise can afford. A more affordable option is a video server with several multi-channel video cards. But it can cost the owner several hundred thousand rubles.

The average user, like most of us, does not need such excesses. Home gaming systems usually consist of no more than six monitors, and they can be connected not just to one computer, but to one video card. But in order to achieve the highest possible image quality, it is better to distribute the monitors so that there are no more than two or three per video camera.

Connecting two monitors is supported by almost any modern video card, even one built into the processor (chipset). Three or more - all AMD models, starting with series 5, as well as NVIDIA GTX 600 and newer.

In addition to multi-channel support, the following are important for creating multi-monitor configurations:

Availability of outputs on video cards that coincide with monitor inputs (the use of adapters is allowed in extreme cases when there is no other way to connect). Moreover, AMD requires a mandatory DisplayPort interface on at least one of the displays (with the exception of certain branded video cards with a built-in DisplayPort-DVI adapter). NVIDIA does not impose such conditions.
Video driver support for all monitor resolutions.
Sufficient amount of video memory. 2048 Mb is the conditional minimum for a two- or three-monitor configuration in a non-gaming system. For four or more monitors, especially if you plan to use the computer for games, there should be at least 2 times more memory.
High data bus bandwidth (from 128 bits) and good memory speed (the more, the better). The narrower the tire, the higher the speed should be.

To connect monitors to different video cards, the latter do not need to be combined into SLI or Crossfire. In some cases, in addition to a discrete card (inserted into the connector), you can use the built-in video if the motherboard BIOS supports it (there is an “Always Enable” option for the built-in video card output). But in such configurations, each pair of displays served by one video chip operates independently of the other. This means that you won't be able to create a common visual space across all screens.

If your computer is equipped with a single video card, you can connect monitors to several of its ports or to one. To connect 2 or more screens to one video card with 1 input, you will need a signal divider - a splitter. For example, as in the photo below. This modification can distribute a signal to 4 monitors, but the picture quality usually decreases (it depends not so much on the splitter as on the video capabilities). If the flow is barely enough for a single screen, dividing it into “rivulets” will reduce the resolution, clarity and scan frequency. And the more connections, the lower the quality.

When you connect the splitter to displays with different resolutions, the picture quality on them will be different: on some it is better, on others it is worse. And you won’t be able to correct it individually, except perhaps through the settings of the monitors themselves.

AMD cards that feature Eyefinity technology (based on the ATI Radeon R800 line of GPUs) allow you to attach up to 6 displays to them and combine them into a single visual space. But here everything is tied to the DisplayPort interface, which, unfortunately, not all devices are equipped with.

The following are acceptable combinations of connection interfaces when building multi-monitor systems using AMD Eyefinity technology:

To combine 3 monitors into one system, one of them must be connected via DisplayPort or miniDisplayPort (miniDP), the second via DVI, and the third via VGA, HDMI or the same DVI.
If there are 4 monitors, two devices must be connected to DisplayPort, the third to DVI, and the fourth to VGA or HDMI.
In a five-monitor system, all 5 or 3 monitors are connected to DisplayPort (miniDisplayPort), one or two to DVI, and one, if any, to HDMI.
The six-monitor configuration provides a connection via miniDisplayPort only.

NVIDIA Surround/3D Vision multi-monitor support technology allows you to create a shared gaming space from three monitors. However, for this you will need either a dual-processor video card, or combining two or three cards in SLI. You can connect several more displays to the remaining video outputs; they will work independently of the others.

If you do not have the task of building a video wall to display one picture on several screens, it is not necessary to adhere to the rules described above. Monitors can be connected in any configuration through any interfaces, based on 2 devices per 1 video processor. In this case, each of them will display its own desktop, and you can switch between them, drag windows from one desktop to another, etc.

How to connect and configure additional monitors in Windows

Physical connection of devices

The process of physically connecting a second, third, etc. monitor to the video card ports is not difficult. Simply insert the connectors of the connecting cables into the sockets of both devices, remembering to first unplug them from the outlet.

When creating a dual-monitor setup, use the same interfaces whenever possible, for example, DisplayPort only or HDMI only, so that the image quality on the two screens does not differ much. If there are no identical ports on your video card, connect via different ones, for example, DVI and HDMI or HDMI and VGA. It is permissible to use adapters from one interface to another only in extreme cases, since signal conversion is always accompanied by losses, sometimes significant. The same goes for splitters. If you can do without them, try to do without them.

After making the connection, turn on the power to the system unit and monitors. Recognition of the latter, as a rule, occurs automatically. All you have to do is customize them to suit your needs.

Connecting a second monitor to laptops is done in the same way as to desktop PCs. The only difference is that the video card that will serve the additional screen is determined by the system, not the user.

Multi-display adapters

If the picture quality on the main and additional displays varies greatly, and also if you need to connect not one, but 2 additional monitors to your laptop, a specialized device - a multi-display adapter - will help out. This is a small box with a processor inside, reminiscent of a multiport splitter, and several cables included. One cable connects the box to the output of the video card, the rest are connected to the monitor inputs. It receives power from a USB port or an external adapter.

An example of such a device is Matrox DualHead2Go Digital SE.

Setting up additional screens in Windows 10 and 8.1 and 7

After the first turn on, the image on the additional monitor, as a rule, duplicates the main one. Sometimes the desktop stretches across 2 screens at once. To select the desired mode, press the Windows + P (Latin) key combination - this will open the projection panel.

In Windows 10 and 8.1 it looks like this:

In Windows 7 - like this:

The Duplicate option (Repeating) plays the same picture on all displays. “Extend” - makes the second screen a continuation of the first.

If the system was unable to automatically recognize the second display, open “Display Settings” through the desktop context menu.

Click the “Discover” button (In Windows 7, “Find”).

If the device is physically functional and connected correctly, the system will most likely recognize it immediately. If not, open the Multiple Displays list and select "Try anyway to connect..." to a monitor that is not detected.

If this does not help, you should check the contacts and, if possible, connect the device with another known-good cable to another video output or another video card.

The “Define” button in the same section allows you to select which of the two displays will be the main (first) and which will be the additional (second, third, etc.).

To change the settings of one of the displays of a multi-monitor system - the size of the displayed elements, brightness level, orientation, resolution, color rendering, etc., click on the rectangle with its serial number in the gray field under the “Customize your screen” heading.

The changes will take effect after saving. You do not need to restart your computer for this.

Additional multi-display configuration settings are available in the NVIDIA and AMD Catalyst Control Panel menus.

Setting up additional screens in Windows XP

To access display settings in Windows XP, also open the desktop context menu and click “Properties”. Next, go to the “Options” tab.

If the second monitor is correctly recognized, 2 display icons with sequential numbers will appear in the gray field. There is no “Find” option, as in modern versions of Windows.

By default, both screens display the same desktop image. If you want to expand it, click on the second display icon and check the “Extend desktop onto this monitor” checkbox.

Setting up each screen individually is done in the same way as in Windows 10: click on the monitor icon on the gray field and set the desired parameters. The “Screen Resolution” and “Color Quality” options are located here, and the rest - scale, adapter properties, etc., is hidden behind the “Advanced” button.

Most of the settings take effect immediately, but some only after you restart the computer.

Connecting multiple monitors to one computer is a necessity for specialists who process large amounts of information. Research shows that this increases their productivity by 30-60%. At home, gamers need multiple monitors; this is how they immerse themselves in the virtual world. It is also convenient to use multiple screens for trading.

Connection conditions

Theoretically, an infinite number of screens can be connected to one device. Of course, provided that it has the necessary technical characteristics. You can create a video wall from dozens of modules, each of which will have its own image. But this solution will cost several hundred thousand rubles; ordinary people have no use for it.

For home or work use, 2 or 3 screens are suitable. Even the most advanced gamers have enough video footage from a maximum of 6 monitors. If you have good hardware, they can be connected to one video card. But to avoid overloads, it is better to distribute 2-3 screens per device.

All modern video cards, even those built into the processor, can withstand such loads. To enable 3 or more displays, you will need AMD 5 series or higher video cards, NVIDIA - GTX 600 model and newer is also suitable.

Necessary conditions for creating a multi-monitor system:

multi-channel support;
2048 MB of video memory for non-gaming systems and 2 times more for gaming computers;
data bus bandwidth from 128 bits and high memory speed;
Driver support for all screen resolutions;
Availability of a DisplayPort interface on at least one display for the AMD device;
Availability of the necessary outputs on the video card.

As a last resort, it is allowed to use adapters if the hardware does not have the necessary outputs.

Methods for connecting monitors

There are three ways to combine screens into a video system:

through ports on one video card,
with the installation of several video cards,
connection via splitters.

If the video card is equipped with several ports, there are no problems - each display has its own output. If there is only one port, you can use a signal divider - a splitter. It is connected to the system and distributes a signal to 2-4 screens, depending on the model.

The more outputs on the splitter, the worse the picture quality on each monitor. It also depends on the capabilities of the video card. If its stream is only enough for one video, when divided, the resolution and clarity of the picture will become worse.

To connect via a splitter, it is better to choose screens with the same resolution. Otherwise, the quality of the picture will be different everywhere, and it will be impossible to correct it.

To create a common system with several video adapters, they will have to be combined into SLI or Crossfire. Another option is to use the built-in video in addition to an external graphics card. To do this, the motherboard BIOS must have the Always Enable option. With this method, displays from different video chips will work separately, and it will not be possible to create a common multi-monitoring system.

How to connect devices

The physical connection of graphic cards and monitors is simple: the devices are disconnected from the network and the cables are inserted into the required connectors. A video chip can have several types of ports:

HDMI
HDMI, Wi-Fi extender
DisplayPort.

VGA is the most common type, designed for connecting a TV or monitor. It occurs both on modern equipment and on outdated models. The peculiarity is that this connector does not transmit an audio signal. This can create a problem when synchronizing audio and video. It is solved by a separate audio system. It is not recommended to connect a FullHD monitor through this port, as the picture will be unclear.

DVI is a more modern port, replacing VGA. Used for high-resolution screens, digital projectors, plasma panels. Using an adapter to this connector, you can turn on a VGA screen.

HDMI is a digital output that can transmit not only a high-quality video signal, but also a multi-channel audio signal. The new HDMI 2.0 standard allows you to transmit not only FullHD video, but also 3D images and Dolby audio. Supports monitors with an aspect ratio of 21:9. There is a wireless version, connecting devices via Wi-Fi.

DisplayPort has the same picture expansion capabilities as HDMI – 3840x2160. The advantage over this model is the low production cost, since the company does not pay tax for using this port in its device. Another small plus is the latches on the connector, which will prevent it from falling out of the connector.

Setting up additional screens in Windows

After physically connecting all devices, you can perform a test activation. The picture on the additional monitors will be the same as on the main one. To select a display mode, you need to open the projection panel using a combination of the Windows key and the Latin letter P.

The “Duplicate” option creates the same image on all screens. The “Extend” button makes the second and subsequent displays an extension of the main one.

If the computer does not detect additional monitors, you need to select “Display Options” from the desktop menu. Next, you need to click “Detect” or “Find”. When connected correctly, the system will detect the screen automatically. If this does not happen, you need to open the “Multiple Displays” list and select the “Try to connect to...” line with the desired connector. If there is no connection, you should check the connections of all cables, turn on the display through another cable or another video card port.

After detecting the screen, you can select the color rendition, brightness, orientation by clicking on the icon with a serial number and the inscription “Customize your screen.”

How to connect 2 monitors to one computer on Windows XP:

From the desktop menu, select “Properties” and go to the “Options” tab.
The gray field will display the monitors with their serial numbers.
By default, the picture on all screens is the same. To expand it, you need to check the “Extend the desktop onto this monitor” checkbox.
By clicking on the screens, you can adjust their resolution and color rendering.

Workshop: how to connect two monitors to one computer (video)

https://youtu.be/XjFSau4upx4

One or two monitors on a desk don't take up much space. If you connect 4-6 screens, you need to figure out how to optimize the space. The easiest way is to purchase desktop or wall brackets and hang one monitor above the other. This will save space and increase the total area of the desktop picture.

Although the graphical user interface has appeared relatively recently, multiple monitors have been connected to one computer for decades. Weak by modern standards, computers occupying entire rooms were used to solve industrial and scientific problems. As a rule, the results of their work - graphs, tables, modeling data - were displayed on more than one screen. Today, connecting a second monitor to a computer or laptop is a task for a preschooler. Operating systems themselves detect and configure displays - you just need to avoid mixing up the connectors and select the optimal mode for displaying information.

Connect two monitors to your computer - why?

Practical applications of connecting two monitors and using dual-screen computer systems are endless. The first and obvious one is to improve user efficiency. A desktop stretched across two displays allows you to keep twice as many windows open at the same time. This is useful for many office workers. And for representatives of creative professions - artists, video editors, composers who write music in virtual synthesizers - it is absolutely necessary. Engineering drawings can be viewed in greater detail and on a larger scale, which is valuable when you need to study the future mechanism as a whole. The execution of many tasks related to processing statistics is significantly accelerated - you do not need to switch applications ten times to compare data from three tables and five graphs. All of them can easily fit into a double “working area”.

The second most obvious - and, perhaps, the first most popular way to connect two monitors on one computer - is games. Multiplayer shooters feel completely different when two characters are in the same location at the same time. And we don’t even have to talk about how much better 3D graphics look on a wide “plasma” than on a small laptop screen.

At least two displays are used by professional programmers. The code and the result of its execution; a documentation file and a disassembled section causing a crash - painstaking work can be annoying and tiring if you need to constantly “blink” windows.

In production and training, it is much easier to install a second monitor that mirrors the main one than to have two people in front of one screen. A visitor at the bank and a schoolchild, to whom the teacher shows the necessary paragraphs from an electronic textbook, can sit comfortably on their side of the table if there are two monitors connected to one computer.

And finally, organizing multi-user work across an office or home is a logical solution if you have a sufficiently powerful PC with a modern multiprocessor graphics system. Two displays using different video streams will forever end the debate “who needs a computer more now?”

How to connect two monitors - step by step

Connecting a second monitor to a computer consists of two stages: “hardware” and “software”. The hardware stage is that there is a free video connector on the computer or laptop case and an adapter is selected, if necessary. Since video connectors are different, an adapter is needed quite often.

Most of the software phase is automated. When connected correctly, the computer and the second monitor “find” each other themselves. In some cases, you need to “hint” at the need for searches - this is done using standard OS tools, through the desktop properties window or the control panel.

To connect 2 monitors to a computer or laptop, you need two connectors.

Most modern video cards installed in desktop PCs have two or more connectors. If this is not the case, there are three ways to solve the problem:

replacing the video card with one with multiple outputs;
installing a second video card if there is a free slot on the motherboard;
using a splitter (splitter).

The last method is the easiest and most budget-friendly, but it can only be used with fast modern interfaces. Since any branching “takes” part of the bandwidth for itself, connecting two monitors to one weak connector will lead to a drop in the permissible resolution and scan frequency. This will be noticeable, for example, when watching HD videos.

As for laptops, replacing the video card in them in many cases is too expensive, and installing a second card is completely impossible. If you plan to use a laptop with an external monitor, it is better to immediately choose a model with one or more fast video outputs. Moreover, the vast majority of such laptops are now - even ultra-thin ultrabooks are equipped with some kind of interface with a wide data transfer channel.

Cable educational program

To connect a monitor to a computer, they must have compatible input and output connectors, respectively. To connect two monitors, of course, you need a double set of compatible inputs/outputs. At the moment, the following interfaces are more or less widespread:

VGA is an analog connector that appeared back in 1987. Although this standard is obsolete, it can still be found. If you need to connect an old computer with a VGA output to a modern display or vice versa, adapters are used;
DVI is the most common interface; it supports both analog and digital signals (depending on the connector subtype);
HDMI is an interface for transmitting a high-definition digital signal. Initially used to connect plasma panels, it is now found everywhere, displacing both VGA and DVI;
DisplayPort and mini DisplayPort are different formats of the same interface. It has a number of technological advantages over DVI and HDMI - in particular, the cable bandwidth allows you to connect multiple displays with a higher resolution than when using HDMI;
Thunderbolt is a logical development of DisplayPort. Has record throughput – up to 10 Gb/s; this allows you to connect up to seven displays simultaneously without loss of quality or additional amplifiers. Fully compatible with mini DisplayPort connector. It is quite poorly distributed due to the fact that it was developed only a few years ago and at first did not have adapters that ensure compatibility with other standards;
USB, a ubiquitous and invincible interface, is not very well suited for real-time video transmission, and monitors with a built-in USB controller are relatively rare. But such displays completely eliminate the problem of connector compatibility - they can even be connected to a netbook, if, of course, its processor can withstand such a load.

In most cases, it is physically impossible to connect an unsuitable cable - the plugs have different sizes and number of contacts. If the monitor and computer do not have compatible connectors, adapters are used. I have already talked in more detail about the hardware features of the connection in the article about. If both monitors and the computer have identical connectors, then it is very convenient to connect a special tee-splitter to the computer, and to it - the cables from the two monitors.

Connecting a second monitor to a laptop is also not difficult if the laptop is equipped with an additional VGA output, or some other one through which you can transmit a video image. In this case, you won’t even need any splitters, since it already has one monitor by default.

Another convenient way is to connect a monitor or TV via a wifi extension cable - this will eliminate the need for laying additional wires.

Setting up the connection of two monitors on one computer

In most cases, immediately after connecting the cable, the operating system - either Windows or iOS - detects the second monitor and switches the image to it. In the most popular Windows 7, when you connect a display to a laptop, the same picture is displayed on both screens. When connected to a desktop computer, the desktop is “stretched” by default.

However, sometimes the automatic search does not start for some reason - the new monitor continues to light up with the words “No Signal”. The most common reason for this is simply poor contact. Sometimes the problem is in the OS - the computer identifies the new device, but the data display simply does not turn on. The algorithm for further actions is similar to the process of setting up the interaction of two displays.

In Windows XP, this setting occurs through the “Options” tab of the “Properties” window, which can be opened by right-clicking on an area of the desktop free from shortcuts.

In Windows 7, you can get to it by going to Start > Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Display > Connect to an external display. In Win 8, instead of “Connect to an external display” there is a “Second Screen” module. If your computer has a discrete video card, for example, from nVidia or ATI, then their utilities also allow you to configure an additional monitor.

In all cases, the user can select a display mode - only on one of the monitors, on both in “mirror” mode (that is, the second display will exactly copy the contents of the first), on both in the desktop stretch mode - the screen space will seem to be divided into two parts . The second drop-down list, resolution, is useful if you are using two monitors of different formats. You should use the resolution of the worst of them, otherwise part of the image will appear outside the display with smaller dimensions. Another parameter that is used relatively rarely is the choice of image orientation, landscape or portrait. Windows 8 has two more orientations - inverted landscape and portrait. They are needed for comfortable work with displays that rotate freely around all three axes.

Two monitors - two desktops

In corporate networks, it is not uncommon for many employees to work on the computing power of one server. At the same time, of course, they have their own desktops that do not intersect in any way. Is it possible to implement such work on a home scale?

By and large, no. With only utilities, a splitter and an OS, it will not be possible to organize a multi-screen working system. Because it requires several independent video streams, and this is not possible with every graphics card.

True, if two video cards are hidden under the case at once, it is still possible to arrange independent desktops on separate monitors. It is enough to connect displays to the connectors of different boards and configure the drivers for multi-screen mode. Powerful discrete video cards that have more than one of their own computing cores also allow two screens to work independently of each other - this mode is configured through the manufacturers' utilities.

However, recently a special device has appeared on the market with which you can organize a more interesting configuration of screens and desktops - Matrox DualHead2Go.

Matrox claims that with this adapter, owners of home computers and laptops will be able to connect two displays to the simplest video card they already have with an analog output. If we are talking about a laptop, then it will be possible to attach two displays to it at once, and the main screen of the laptop will show one desktop, and 2 monitors will show another). All that is required is that your video card is modern enough and compatible with DualHead2Go.

The operation of this adapter is simple - it splits the video signal into 2, and a special application, which comes with it on a disk and is installed on the laptop, ensures that the picture is distributed correctly in accordance with the specified settings.

Tablet as a second monitor

What modern technology has come to! Today you can even use a tablet computer as a second monitor. Of course, you will have to use special programs for this.

For example, . It consists of two parts - one program is installed on a computer, the other on a tablet running only Android OS in the first case, or Android and iOS in the second.

First, both devices must be on the same local network. When installed on a computer, it will add an additional virtual monitor to the system. And when installing the second utility on the tablet, in the settings you need to specify the computer’s IP (for this it should preferably have a static address within the local network) and the port to which it will connect. The program allows you to set the same settings as Windows for a real second monitor - duplicate the content of the main one or stretch the desktop. There is also an option for portrait or landscape orientation.

If necessary, you can very easily connect two or more displays to one computer. To do this, you need two video outputs on the video card. Most often these are VGA and DVI. You can also often find other interfaces for outputting video data.

Today, more and more equipment is equipped with two overlapping ports for outputting video data.

They can be either the same type or different. In the latter case, this was done by the manufacturer to create the ability to connect outdated equipment. Two DVI outputs are included in equipment specifically designed to work with two displays.

Why connect

For ordinary users, connecting two devices at the same time to display an image is not required.

The presence of two or more screens is necessary:
while working in any professional environment - Photoshop, 3D Max;
those engineers who develop complex software (for debugging);

when carrying out any work with a virtual machine - when the software being developed is multi-platform.

Connection methods

There are many ways to implement such an idea as connecting two monitors to one computer.

The two simplest:

connect each device to a separate port (most video cards are equipped with two copies of them);
use a special splitter (if you need to use a large number of screens or if the video adapter is equipped with only one port).

You should also know that the connection can be made using various interfaces.

Most often today you can find three types of ports:

HDMI.

VGA is quite rare; most manufacturers have not equipped their products with such interfaces for a long time. DVI is quite common and is currently one of the most common ports for transmitting multimedia. HDMI began to appear on various types of devices relatively recently. But it is the fastest and most advanced interface. It transmits very high definition images.

Connect via DVI

Connecting two devices via DVI is quite simple. This is especially easy if the PC video card has two ports of this type. This allows you to connect two displays without any difficulty. Simply connect the male-female connectors.

If the connector of the type in question is available in only one copy, it is necessary to use a special splitter. It can be a regular splitter: two ports and one plug. There are also other versions of such devices - they are made in the form of plastic cases with a large number of outputs.

The connection itself is quite simple - you just need to connect the male-female connector in the correct position. This ends the physical connection between the display and PC.

Connecting the wires

Connecting the wires through which video data is transmitted is not difficult. It is just important not to confuse the top of the male connector and its bottom. Because if you try to insert it at random, you can damage the contacts protruding from the connector. Which will lead to the connector not working.

Some difficulties sometimes arise when connecting two monitors via VGA and DVI. Since, when connecting ports of this type, it is necessary to tighten special bolts. They are necessary in order to secure the plug as securely as possible, since under the weight of the wire it can simply fall out. To tighten it, you must use a thin slotted screwdriver.

Also, some plugs are equipped with wings, the surface of which has many ribs. This allows you to secure the plug into the port without using hand tools, using your fingers.

Video: connecting a second monitor

Screen settings

Setting up two screens in modern operating systems (for example, Windows 7) is usually done with little or no human intervention.

Having detected two displays, the OS offers the user three actions to choose from:

expansion of screens (one desktop will be placed on two displays);
duplication (the desktop will be displayed on both devices);
displaying an image on only one display (most often used on laptops).

To start setting up dual screens in Windows 7, press Win+P. A window will open in which you can simply select the desired operating mode. This method is only suitable if the equipment is automatically detected and installed.

The second method is somewhat more complicated.

You need to do the following:

After completing the setup, it is advisable to restart your computer.

How to connect two monitors to one computer via VGA

To connect two displays via VGA, you need to purchase a special splitter (splitter), if the card does not have a duplicate port.

Connection is complicated when the interfaces of the monitor and video card do not match. In such a situation, special adapters are necessary.

They are devices the size of a matchbox. There is DVI on one side, VGA on the other. In this way, you can connect equipment with different types of connectors.

The connection operation itself is not complicated. You just need to do everything as carefully as possible and take your time. Damage to the contacts will result in inoperability.

Setting up two displays connected via VGA is no different from setting up monitors through a different interface. It is carried out in a similar way.

The connection and setup process itself is not at all complicated. Therefore, even a person who does not have much experience using a computer can easily cope with it. You just need to carefully read the instructions for your specific operating system.