Thinking of having Dual Monitors with a Laptop Computer? That’s great thought, however do some homework before proceeding ahead.
Does you Laptop has a extra VGA Output connection? In case yes, there are good chances that you will only need an extra Monitor only and associated wires to connect the other Monitor to your Laptop. Connecting an extra Monitor to your laptop making it Dual Monitor Laptop can be helpful in many ways, such as
- The Extra Monitor can give you wide viewing area (depends on physical size of the Monitor & Resolution Supported by Laptop & Monitor)
- In case your Laptop Screen is broken, and you do not want to get it fixed but still want to use the laptop, the extra Monitor can do the job (provided your laptop does have required working port available to connect the extra Monitor).
- You can Extend your Desktop or Clone your Desktop to the other Monitor. In case of Clone Mode, you will be able to see duplicated displays in same resolution and in case of Extended Mode, you will be able to extend your working area in same or different resolution.
In case your laptop does not have an extra working port available to connect the other Monitor or Display device (but does has an available working USB Port), you might need to spend some money to buy USB Graphics Card. The USB Graphics card will allow the other Monitor to be connected to your laptop and use your Laptop as Dual Monitor Laptop. Speed, Resolution, Cost, Make of the Graphics Card can be few of the deciding factors when looking to buy a USB Graphics Card.
General Information about Dual Monitor Graphics Card is also available in this blog which can be helpful as well when understanding the Dual Monitor concepts such as Dual Monitor Graphics Card, Different types of ports, connectors such as VGA to DVI etc. One you do have the required homework done, you can proceed ahead and make your decision depending on your needs towards constructing your Dual Monitor Laptop.