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Anyone dual-box with two monitors?

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JonnyRandom
#1 - 2011-12-25 22:49:51 UTC
I want to do lvl4 missions with two accounts at once. I'm wondering how feasible that would be to keep alt+tabbing back and forth, so thought of maybe getting a second monitor? My system is more than capable of running two clients at once, but I've never used two monitors before and wanna know how exactly would it work? Would I be able to seamlessly move my mouse from one eve client on monitor 1, to the other eve client on monitor 2?
Laboratory Rat
Red Right Hand
#2 - 2011-12-25 22:53:01 UTC
As long as your video card supports two monitors, you just plug in the 2nd one and set the windows display to stretch over two monitors. You need to then have each client in windowed mode. It's just like an extra big desktop spread over two monitors.

A word of warning though, it starts with two accounts but that's never enough. I used to run 5.
Endeavour Starfleet
#3 - 2011-12-25 22:56:35 UTC
I run two accounts on a single 20 inch display (16:9) I simply change them to minimum 4:3 size and run two on the same display with no issues.

However be aware tho. EVE likes to eat A GREAT deal of ram these days. I suggest two gigs of memory per client at full settings. Reducing settings greatly may help this.

Video memory dosent seem too bad but if you get into any kind of situation where there is alot on both screens it will choke without a good gig or so vram.
Roh Voleto
Doomheim
#4 - 2011-12-25 22:58:20 UTC
First of all: You want two monitors anyway. After only a few days you'll start asking yourself how you made do with just one.

As far as EVE is concerned: I simply play in windowed mode. This way you can switch between clients just like any other application.
Endeavour Starfleet
#5 - 2011-12-25 23:04:08 UTC
Roh Voleto wrote:
First of all: You want two monitors anyway. After only a few days you'll start asking yourself how you made do with just one.

As far as EVE is concerned: I simply play in windowed mode. This way you can switch between clients just like any other application.


Lack of space on my desk. Also I like that my single display only uses 20 watts. My old display used closer to 100 and the electric bill was starting to reflect this.

Now I have gotten used to this setup and the advantages for me are better than running two. However yes two is better in a classic sense.

For my next PC build. Power efficiency will be king so I can recover enough to run two displays without guilt.
Darren Corley
Deep Core Mining Inc.
Caldari State
#6 - 2011-12-25 23:06:45 UTC
Yes it can be done, and if you're using SLI it's actually easier than expected. You just set the second client to the second GPU and it will put itself on the second monitor. It won;t only use the second GPU, both will render both, it's just in game you can use fixed window and they will go to the appropriate screens.

Now, it is far better to use 2 computers and a program like Synergy or Input Director. Just so much better, and no need to click back to each client to make it active and accept commands again.
Endeavour Starfleet
#7 - 2011-12-25 23:11:13 UTC
I don't know much about SLI but would it not be better to unlatch EVE in whatever profile SLI uses and use one GPU per client?
Darren Corley
Deep Core Mining Inc.
Caldari State
#8 - 2011-12-25 23:14:42 UTC
Endeavour Starfleet wrote:
I don't know much about SLI but would it not be better to unlatch EVE in whatever profile SLI uses and use one GPU per client?


Theoretically, but it may not quite work as expected. You would need the second monitor connected to the second GPU, and select said second GPU in the second client. I've done this under Wine in Linux, but not in Windows. I just use 2 computers now.
Endeavour Starfleet
#9 - 2011-12-25 23:16:48 UTC  |  Edited by: Endeavour Starfleet
Darren Corley wrote:
Endeavour Starfleet wrote:
I don't know much about SLI but would it not be better to unlatch EVE in whatever profile SLI uses and use one GPU per client?


Theoretically, but it may not quite work as expected. You would need the second monitor connected to the second GPU, and select said second GPU in the second client. I've done this under Wine in Linux, but not in Windows. I just use 2 computers now.


I get it now! (Frak! Should have had a V8 *forehead slap*)


If both are connected to the primary GPU I can see where doing this under SLI is far better.

Does it scale properly tho?

Edit: BTW 2 computers? Would hate to see your power bill if you don't have a solar collector or windwill outside your house.
CCP Stillman
C C P
C C P Alliance
#10 - 2011-12-25 23:25:26 UTC
Personally I will run up to 3 monitors across 3 screens(Powered by 2x HD 5770s).

It's a lot easier with Nvidia cards in my personal experience(I run a GTX 275 at the office, runs 2-3 clients smooth as butter) across 2 screens. With ATI, you have to tweak the output adapter to get a good experience.

Also, the others who pointed out that if you go with 2 monitors, you'll never look back. Especially for EVE. It makes multi-boxing so much of a smoother experience.

If you don't plan to have more than 2 monitors, there's no need for SLI assuming you have a graphics card that's not terribly old. I'm not convinced you'll get any benefit from it, since EVE does run fairly well graphics-wise, as long as you're not in a big fleet fight!

(Again, I'm just talking from personal experience. It's my own opinion Smile )

Just a random dude in Team Security.
JonnyRandom
#11 - 2011-12-25 23:26:43 UTC
Darren Corley wrote:
Yes it can be done, and if you're using SLI it's actually easier than expected. You just set the second client to the second GPU and it will put itself on the second monitor. It won;t only use the second GPU, both will render both, it's just in game you can use fixed window and they will go to the appropriate screens.

Now, it is far better to use 2 computers and a program like Synergy or Input Director. Just so much better, and no need to click back to each client to make it active and accept commands again.


Synergy? Input Director? What do those do?
Ptraci
3 R Corporation
#12 - 2011-12-25 23:30:14 UTC
I use 4 monitors and up to 6 EVE clients at a time. So long as you have decent graphics cards and plenty of system RAM you won't have any trouble using just the one mouse. Most graphics cards nowadays let you plug in at least 2 monitors per card, and most motherboards support more than one card thanks to SLI/Xfire. Just make sure your graphics cards are similar (like don't mix AMD and Nvidia on the same box) or you can run into driver issues.
JonnyRandom
#13 - 2011-12-25 23:30:33 UTC
CCP Stillman wrote:
Personally I will run up to 3 monitors across 3 screens(Powered by 2x HD 5770s).

You have three monitors on your desk? How do they fit? Do you have a photo?
Endeavour Starfleet
#14 - 2011-12-25 23:35:35 UTC
JonnyRandom wrote:
CCP Stillman wrote:
Personally I will run up to 3 monitors across 3 screens(Powered by 2x HD 5770s).

You have three monitors on your desk? How do they fit? Do you have a photo?


If electrical power here was 3x cheaper I would run 3 displays myself. Likely the one center one per side slanted towards you. As that enhances immersion.
Tarkoauc
Deep Core Mining Inc.
Caldari State
#15 - 2011-12-25 23:35:36 UTC
Endeavour Starfleet wrote:
[quote=Roh Voleto] Also I like that my single display only uses 20 watts. My old display used closer to 100 and the electric bill was starting to reflect this.


Really? The 80W difference is negligible from a power cost perspective. If you use your monitor for 8 hours a day and live in the US, the electricity cost difference is $2.44 @ 12.7 cent per KWh, if you live in the UK it would be 4.95 pounds... you recognize that in your power bill? If you keep it on for 24 hours, the difference is $7.31 or 14.86 pounds. Now you might recognize that difference in your power bill but the true source of your problem is not the power consumption of your monitor.
Vaako Horizon
Caldari Provisions
Caldari State
#16 - 2011-12-25 23:39:14 UTC
you dont need more then 1 graphics card, I run with 1x ati 4870 with 2x 22inch monitors... and thats with 4x clients :D
Window mode on all clients and make 3 clients in the lowest possible resolution ( put them on the second monitor ) and then have your main account a little larger resolution on screen one. I have my fleet buffer, salvager, frigate annihilator on the lowest possbile graphics setting and then my tank on the highest possible just to have some nice affects somewhere :D
Endeavour Starfleet
#17 - 2011-12-25 23:42:24 UTC  |  Edited by: Endeavour Starfleet
It is not that low but I will concede that I am far too picky about that. The recession knocked us back quite a bit and I have learned to be as power conscious as possible.

Yet you must also factor in heat production. While it is winter and there is no difference. In the south and hot summers the extra wattage is involved as heat production. Because the new display is LED compared to the old which was tube light based. The money then to cool the room costs more than its production in the first place.

BTW 4870 and my 4770 ATIs best cards EVER.

My 4770 was from the first production run of 40nm video cards EVER. It helped AMD leapfrog Nvidia by finding the issues with 40nm first which is why the word "fermi" isnt the best thing to say today compared to GTX 570 or whatever.
Darren Corley
Deep Core Mining Inc.
Caldari State
#18 - 2011-12-25 23:42:40 UTC  |  Edited by: Darren Corley
JonnyRandom wrote:
Darren Corley wrote:
Yes it can be done, and if you're using SLI it's actually easier than expected. You just set the second client to the second GPU and it will put itself on the second monitor. It won;t only use the second GPU, both will render both, it's just in game you can use fixed window and they will go to the appropriate screens.

Now, it is far better to use 2 computers and a program like Synergy or Input Director. Just so much better, and no need to click back to each client to make it active and accept commands again.


Synergy? Input Director? What do those do?


They're both Keyboard/Mouse switch software. You set up one computer as the master, and any others as clients. Only the Master needs a keyboard and mouse. Those two programs(there's others too) basically allow you to move the mouse offscreen to another computer, like multiple monitors, but with multiple computers.

I normally run this character on my OP desktop on a 30" Dell, and my alt account is run @ 1920x1080 on my equally OP gaming desknote, and I use Synergy or Input Director to control both with one keyboard and mouse.
Endeavour Starfleet
#19 - 2011-12-25 23:46:51 UTC
Darren Corley wrote:
JonnyRandom wrote:
Darren Corley wrote:
Yes it can be done, and if you're using SLI it's actually easier than expected. You just set the second client to the second GPU and it will put itself on the second monitor. It won;t only use the second GPU, both will render both, it's just in game you can use fixed window and they will go to the appropriate screens.

Now, it is far better to use 2 computers and a program like Synergy or Input Director. Just so much better, and no need to click back to each client to make it active and accept commands again.


Synergy? Input Director? What do those do?


They're both Keyboard/Mouse switch software. You set up one computer as the master, and any others as clients. Only the Master needs a keyboard and mouse. Those two programs(there's others too) basically allow you to move the mouse offscreen to another computer, like multiple monitors, but with multiple computers.

I normally run this character on my OP desktop on a 30" Dell, and my alt account is run @ 1920x1080 on my equally OP gaming desknote, and I use Synergy or Input Director to control both with one keyboard and mouse.


WIndows allows that? or do you have to trick windows by having the software make a ghost display?
Eternum Praetorian
Doomheim
#20 - 2011-12-25 23:53:58 UTC  |  Edited by: Eternum Praetorian
I have 2x screens and only a modest Video card.
... not to mention vista x64 ShockedShockedShocked



Here is How You Make It Work

1. Both screens need to be at the same resolution (regardless of what type of screens you have)
2. You will probably get lag and low FPS on two screens if you don't have a great computer setup.
3. To reduce lag reduce the resolution of the actual EVE Client and run it in window mode
4. Expand said windows with your mouse until they are the size of your screen
5. DO NOT double click on the game to make it stick to the full size of the screen (this will cause lag with lesser video cards) It can be the same size as your screen, you just can "sticky it", don't ask me why. Ugh So make sure that you resize it with your mouse.



If That Does Not Give you Good FPS

Run one client in max settings and run the other in "performance" mode. One screen will be pretty and the other will be old school. That tends to allow me to dual box clients in the Jita lag even with my sub par 2009 computer rig.



My 2X Box Lv 4 Mission Experience

Way back when, before incursions... I dual boxed two nightmares into Amarr Lv 4's. Man did I ever burn through them fast.

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