Hey you computer gods, I’ve got a question: If I want to run two screens simultaneously with my desktop, what do I need to consider aside from getting a second graphics card? If it helps, I’ve got a highend Dell (3.4 ghz, 2 Gb ram, 250 Gb hd) that I bought a half-year ago, so systems resources shouldn’t be an issue. I’ve got an older graphics card that isn’t being used, so I could use that to run the second screen. But I feel like I need to tap into the abundant knowledge of these boards to get more information on this matter.
Setting up a second monitor is pretty straightforward. Two graphics adapters, and two monitors and you’re all set. Windows usually takes care of the rest.
Graphic adapters = graphic cards, right? I’m a bit rusty with the lingo. 
No, there’s room for only one graphic card in a (normal) computer. Your video card may be dual setup ready with two outputs (have a look), or you need a VGA splitter (a thingy with one input and two outputs, which can be a box or a cable).
Once you have that you probably (not in case of the latter I think) need to double click the Display icon in the Control Panel, find the Advanced button and choose ‘clone’ somewhere.
A second thought, you are thinking about using a second monitor with your computer, right? Or did I misunderstand you?
In anycase, you probably have LCD, in which case you probably have DVI input, not VGA.
Actually, there’s room for two, provided one is a regular old PCI card (as opposed to a PCI express card). Granted, I don’t think you can go into a normal store and buy a PCI card anymore. Otherwise, yeah you’re going to need to get a dual-monitor ready card. Sorry I forgot to leave this vital peice of information off of my earlier post - I was in a bit of a hurry.
Yeah, I want to use the monitor with my computer. And I do have a lcd monitor that can either connect to a VGA or a DVI port… So if my graphics card has both imput possibilities, does this mean that I can plug in two monitors?
Typically you would just use a single video card with dual outputs
I’m not entirely sure how a motherboard would react to having two separate video cards booting (having 2 in SLI is a different matter)
Well, technically they’re “outputs” but yes, if you have two video outputs on your video card you can have two monitors. I think most people with dual monitors use this setup (single video card with dual outputs). Any relatively decent video card these days should have dual outputs… I replaced the video card on my boss’s home computer with one with dual outputs for something like $40 about 9 months ago, and that obviously wasn’t even a very good video card. Windows XP can configure this all very easily. There are cheap adapters that will convert your DVI output to a standard VGA output also, if you need to. I’ve got about 6 of them in my desk at the office (this assumes that your DVI output on your video card sends out both analog and digital signals, I forget the official term for this, but I believe the vast overwhelming majority of video cards are configured in this manner). Just plug in the second monitor to the other video output, and play with the configuration in your Display Settings, under the tab “Settings.”
Personally, I recommend that both of your monitors be of similar type. I’ve tried using an LCD monitor and a standard CRT, and it gave me headaches. If possible I’d recommend you use an identical LCD as the one you have now. There’s no reason not to, LCD monitors are dirt cheap these days compared to what they used to cost.
Good luck with it, I think you’ll find that after you’ve gone to dual monitors you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it 
Here at work I’m running dual monitors off an AGP card with dual outputs. But the motherboard also has onboard video, so I’ve got three video ports to choose from. In theory, is it possible to run triple monitors, thereby proving to the world that I have an enormous penis?
I run three on my PowerBook (one of which is of course the built-in TFT). Doing so does not appear to have affected my penis. The monitors do not have to be the same type, you can run a flatscreen DVI and a greyscale VGA and a flatscreen TFT VGA, and set one to a different bitdepth than the others, computer won’t care.
As far as I know, you could run as many monitors as you’ve got slots for video cards. Go nuts and buy a Magma expansion breakout box or two and fill it with various video cards and run 16 screens. I’ve seen web pix of people running 6 or 8.
Well sometimes particularly inadequate males need a 4th or 5th, keep trying. 
The easiest way is as Capa84 says; most graphics cards have 2 video ports, mostly one DVI, one VGA. Said cards almost always come with a DVI->VGA adapter; I’m sure they’re not expensive if you need to buy one.
If the easy way isn’t an option, you won’t be able to run 2 AGP cards, but you can run an AGP and a PCI, or 2 PCIs (though I wouldn’t recommend it). I’m unsure about any limitations with PCI-X.
MbossaRunning triple monitors should be possible, it just depends how the onboard video is configured. If it’s AGP, you won’t get it to run in combination with your add-in card. If it’s PCI, and you have Win XP or higher, it shouldn’t be terribly difficult to get Windows to get that working for you.
I’m running my pc with an nVidia GeForce 7300LE. Don’t really know if it has the capability to run two monitors simultaneously. Even though it has both a DVI input and, what I’m guessing is, a VGA input (that’s the one that is blue colored, right?)-
http://daggle.com/060406-105831.html was easy to find
It does no harm to pick up a PCI video card off eBay for peanuts, to experiment with - you might find it does what you need.
If it looks like this 7300LE then you have both VGA (blue is the color) and DVI. Just hook up your other monitor and you’ll be fine.
Ain’t that the truth.
I run two monitors off a three-year-old GeForce FX5200 graphics card. I don’t keep up with the latest and greatest in graphics card technology, but i assumed that almost any card you could buy nowdays would be able to handle two monitors. Is this not the case?
Anyway, if you’re willing to spend another 40 bucks to improve your dual-monitor experience, i highly recommend Ultramon, a utility that lets to do a bunch of cool things with multi-monitor set-ups.
Yes, but your penis still won’t be anywhere near as big as this guy’s.