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Displays Dual screen: one side game, other side windows

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by sotu1, 25 May 2015.

  1. sotu1

    sotu1 Ex-Modder

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    Hi guys,

    anyone know if it's possible to dual screen and use one screen to game in full screen, and use the other screen in dedicated windows format?

    Basically use alt-tab to switch between the two monitors?

    Cheers!
     
  2. deathtaker27

    deathtaker27 Modder

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    isnt that just extend desktop to this display? or am i missing something?
     
  3. sotu1

    sotu1 Ex-Modder

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    I'm not sure. I've not actually run dual displays before. But if you run a game (say off steam for example) doesn't it dominate both screens for the game?
     
  4. GeorgeStorm

    GeorgeStorm Aggressive PC Builder

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    Not by default certainly, games will only take the single screen, unless you've set it up specially.

    A lot of games will not overly like you alt-tabbing to the desktop if they're being run in full screen though, full screen windowed solves this mainly.
     
  5. Cerberus90

    Cerberus90 Car Spannerer

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    Also a lot of games will just cause the other screen to go black, some of them keep the desktop there, but it won't be updated, so if a video is playing for instance, you won't see it playing.
     
  6. Digerati

    Digerati Minimodder

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    It is up to you, not the game. Even if the game insists on running in "full screen" mode, it is up to you whether that means across both monitors or not.

    BTW - once you start using a multi-monitor setup, you will wonder how you ever lived with just one monitor! ;)
     
  7. [PUNK] crompers

    [PUNK] crompers Dremedial

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    This does happen with some games but I find most are fine, I run my temp monitoring software or my teamspeak on my second monitor, pretty handy and doesn't seem to effect performance.
     
  8. DraigUK

    DraigUK Minimodder

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    Yes you can do this.

    Exactly how you do it depends which cards you use Nvidia or AMD.

    I've 3 monitors, and for some games I have it set so that it is one huge screen (Elite for example) and for others it uses the centre screen for the game and the one on each side for different things. I usually have my browser open in one watching You tube vids, twitch or a film, BBC iplayer stuff like that.

    The other has "work" stuff going on, emails, docs I'm working on, and things like system temps.

    You will suddenly really appreciate borderless window settings in games a lot more, and as a previous poster said also wonder how you ever managed with just one.
     

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