Digital Home Thoughts: Making Multiple Monitors a Snap: The Matrox DualHead2Go Digital Edition GXM

Product Category: Video Hardware
Manufacturer: Matrox
Where to Buy: Amazon [Affiliate]
Price: $215.30 USD
System Requirements: Single VGA output connector, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows XP-64 bit, or Mac OSX 10.4/10.5, Display driver supporting 2048 x 768 or 2560 x 1024 resolution, and Powered USB connector.
Specifications: Dimensions: 10cm x 14cm x 32.cm, Weight: 235 grams, and Connectors: HD-15 (analog) x 1 (input); DVI-I (digital) x 2 (outputs), USB.

Pros:

• Easily connects two monitors to a PC or laptop;
• Quick and easy setup;
• Powered from USB port.
  

Cons:

• Pricy;
• Limited resolution support with some Intel graphics chips.
  

Summary:
Have you ever seen those movies or TV shows where the main characters inevitably have to go see the IT guy or the neighborhood computer guru and he has a cool setup utilizing multiple displays which he uses to show off his super hacking skills? Have you ever thought it would be neat to run more than one display or would just like to put that old monitor back into use again but don't know how? Well Matrox has the answer for you in the form of their DualHead2Go Digital Edition Graphics Expansion Module. It allows a PC or laptop with only one VGA output to connect to two monitors. That is pretty cool, right? So now you may be wondering how easy it is to setup and just how well it actually works. Well I was lucky enough to be able to get my hands on one to play with and I can answer those questions and more.

It's All in The Box!
When you first tear into the box of your brand new DualHead2Go Digital Edition GXM you will find the following:

• DualHead2Go Digital Edition Connector Box;
• A 2-foot HD15-to-HD15 (analog) monitor cable;
• A USB Cable;
• A CD-ROM Containing Matrox Powerdesk Utilities.

Figure 1: Packaging and contents for Matrox DualHead2Go Digital Edition GXM.


First Impressions
At first glance the Matrox DualHead2Go Digital Edition is not an impressive sight: it's a plain looking black box, a little smaller than a paperback book, with a bunch of connectors protruding from it. Given its impressively long name I would have expected something a little flashier or futuristic looking, especially when you weigh in the $230 price tag. However when you look at it from a practical point of view, who cares? It’s most likely going to be stuffed behind a PC or a pair of monitors anyways, so it’s not like you are going to be staring at it 24/7. Regardless of physical appeal, it does look very functional in a kind of barebones, no nonsense kind of way. The question remains, however, just how functional is it? Beautiful or ugly, if it cannot perform the job it was designed to do then looks really don’t matter, do they? So let’s continue on and find out just how well this device does its job.