TRIPLEHEAD2GO - Triple Analog
From Matrox
Building on the award-winning DualHead2Go technology, Matrox is proud to present TripleHead2Go VGA Splitter, a palm-sized box that uniquely allows you to add two or three monitors with a combined resolution of up to 3840 x 1024 to your workstation, gaming system or laptop. Also supports regular VESA-compatible single screen modes at up to 1600 x 1200 on center display. TripleHead2Go delivers incredible productivity boosts to office work, Surround Design to workstation environments for professionals and an immersive Surround Gaming experience to enthusiasts with support for over 150 popular gaming titles.
- Brand: Matrox
- Model: T2G-A3A-AJF-P
- Dimensions: 12.00" h x 3.00" w x 10.00" l, 2.30 pounds
Customer report
I had a Matrox parhelia card which permitted gaming on three monitors. It was slow and there were no upgrades. Triplehead is a device that attaches to your current video card so that 3 monitors can be used. Works great for me. I have upgraded video cards twice (nvidia) and have had no problems. You can have 3 separate screens for work or you can spread the images over 3 screens for gaming. FSX and Titan Quest look great over 3 screens.
If you play World of Warcraft, Counter Strike, Unreal Tournament, Flight Simulator, etc. you got to get this!
I have this set up on my Falcon Northwest gaming computer along with three Samsung 22 inch widescreen monitors. All I can say is that it makes an incredible difference in playing World of Warcraft, MS Flight Simulator and ESPECIALLY Counter Strike.
When I first hooked it up I was just plain blown away! Everything was so much more realistic and I saw so many things I had missed before I got it, I could never go back to only one monitor again.
When playing Counter Strike I can honestly say my frag rate has gone up quite a bit because I no longer have any blind spots on the sides (where other players can hide and ambush me from) that in its self was worth the money.
It truly has made playing games a lot more fun along with making me a much better player (well much better than I was before I got it).
Till the day comes where they get 3D for computer games, if you really want to be immersed in your games this is what rocks.
There are a couple of possible downsides I should mention, none which are major...
It does take a bit of tweaking to get it working but I found nothing major and the info at the company website covered all the questions I had during setup.
When you start playing it does take a while to get used to the "surround screen" feel. Your eyes are not used to all the peripheral eye candy on each side screen and you may find yourself a little overwhelmed with all that screen real estate for the first couple of days. Quick movement, usually in combat, is where I noticed it the most. I think it is much like what fighter pilots must feel when they get their first experience in a flight simulator. After a day or two your eyes and mind adjust and it becomes second nature.
My other issue is that although the list of supported games is very extensive, it does not support every game so before purchasing you should check out: www.surroundgaming.com to see if your favorite game is supported. (Note: I just loaded Unreal Tournament III and while it does not show up as a supported game it is working like a champ.)
On a scale of 1 to 5 I give it a big 4.75.
Works Best with NVidia Cards -- Not Well With ATI
I can not imagine going back to single screen game playing or computing again, and if that's the functionality you're looking for, then the Matrox TripleHead2Go is definitely the product for you. It will not impede system performance or frame rates in any way which is a vast advantage over software based, multi-screen solutions. However, be aware that it does have some resolution issues with ATI video cards.
I already use Matrox's DualHead2Go and I get better screen resolution across two screens, with my third monitor hooked into the second head on my video card with it, so, unfortunately, I had to return this item. The maximum resolution the TripleHeadToGo could achieve across 3 screens with my ATI 1950x Pro video card was 800 x 600 per screen, which is too low for Flight Simulator 2004, the sole reason I bought this. I will happily stick with my DualHead2Go without complaint either way.
Matrox has historically performed better on Nvidia cards, which, in turn have historically not performed well with MicroSoft Flight Simulator. Nvidia drivers appear to be addressing these problems so the TripleHead2Go will be of greater value once those driver issues are fully addressed.
