lack of dual monitor support

**AlanCE** · October 2nd, 2001, 09:19 AM

Apple, you've got a real problem with multiple monitor support on your machines now. We were in the market for a couple of 733 quicksilvers a few weeks back. I was browsing the apple store, building a box, and started looking for a second video card option. What?! no second video card option? Oh I see, you by the TwinView and it gives you two monitor ports. WHOA! one of those ports is VGA and the other is ADC? We need dual VGA, just a few months back we could get support for dual VGA from your store, what happened? Now I KNOW nVidia makes a TwinView card with dual AGP ports, why isn't this an option? We're not spending thousands on new flat panels, which appears to be what you are pushing your customers towards doing.

Apple, do you realize how many people use your machines for photoshop, dreamweaver, illustrator, etc? Do you realize how many need dual monitors? Do you realize how absolutely infuriating it is to have ZERO options through apple and only ONE option (ATI Radeon) through third parties for dual VGA support?

Your store should stock TwinView VGA/ADC, TwinView VGA/VGA, Radeon (PCI), and 16MB Rage Pro/128 (PCI) at the least. The loss of the Rage Pro/128/Orion as a low cost VGA solution for dual monitors is another huge irritation, why not order a bunch of those and stock them for your non-gamer customers who undoubtedly could use them? We don't need 32MB DDR Radeons or nVidia's gut-stomping gaming cards, we need to move our plethora of palettes to another screen, that's all.

We bought our 733s. They are okay, slower than the dual 450s because of that weak cache, but they're okay otherwise. But you know what? We have two nice Sony 17" monitors sitting with black screens on our desks, they've been that way for a few weeks now. They're going to stay that way indefinitely because those with the checkbooks are pissed off in a major way about this whole mess. Thanks for thinking about your customers, Apple.

OS X version 10.1 is great by the way.

**nobody** · October 4th, 2001, 09:16 AM

Um, at the Apple Store Online, there is definately a configuration option for adding multiple display support. True this is only to add additional PCI video cards, but what is wrong with that? That's what expansion bays are for, and you've got 4. Too late for the build to order option, but there is a real easy solution to your problem right here. So buy a PCI video card and get back to work!

**AlanCE** · October 4th, 2001, 03:41 PM

Yeah apple added the radeon pci as a second video card option for $250, must have done that very recently, but that didn't help me a bit when we bought the machines nor does it help me now. Buying a radeon via 3rd party has always been an option, as I stated in my first post. But half of my gripe is the lack of reasonably priced PCI video cards for macs, you don't need a radeon for dreamweaver and photoshop palettes, you need a $50 card. A radeon at $200+ (the PCI versions area all DDR and you don't find them for $139 after rebates like you can the AGP versions) is a big waste of money.

**nobody** · October 4th, 2001, 07:31 PM

There are lots of other PCI video cards, you should be able to find one very easily. I understand that you don't want to pay alot, so forget about the Radeon.

Okay, I see it is hard to find cheap Mac Video Cards. But at Small Dog Electronics they have a special on one for only $99. Go check it out, I think you may be interested.