12" PowerBook and another display
I am considering buying a new Apple display (waiting for the aluminum models to come out) to use as a second display with my PowerBook G4 (12-inch DVI, 1 GHz). But my PowerBook has a 32 MB video chip. Is that enough to power both the built in display and an external one (possibly 20-inch)? How decent of a performance will I get? Is the 32 MB video chip too underpowered to drive two displays effectively? Will using the PowerBook be noticeably slower due to it having to drive 2 displays?
Comments
Originally posted by Dr. John Zoidberg
I am considering buying a new Apple display (waiting for the aluminum models to come out) to use as a second display with my PowerBook G4 (12-inch DVI, 1 GHz). But my PowerBook has a 32 MB video chip. Is that enough to power both the built in display and an external one (possibly 20-inch)? How decent of a performance will I get? Is the 32 MB video chip too underpowered to drive two displays effectively? Will using the PowerBook be noticeably slower due to it having to drive 2 displays?
Nothing to worry about. Only to day I heard of someone who constantly hooks up their 23" Apple Cinema Display to their 12" PowerBook. m.
Questions for powerbook miniDVI to ADC apple displays which are powered (hence prob more critical) as well as straight DVI or VGA monitors..
Originally posted by Paul
just plug or unplug and hit that [F7] key...
Paul: Do you sleep your PowerBook before (un)plugging the external display? Or do you hot-plug it while the PowerBook is running?
I've played with PowerBooks connected to Cinema Displays in my local Apple Store several times. Apple's implementation of switching between mirroring, splanning, and clamshell mode is just so elegant. I wonder whether PC/Wintel laptops come close.
Escher
when I hook my book up to a TV or other external monitor I just plug it in and hit "detect displays" but I'm sure the F7 button would do the same thing...
Originally posted by Dr. John Zoidberg
So it's safe to hot-plug display devices?
Definitely yes, if you put your PowerBook to sleep first. Not sure whether it's safe to (un-) plug display devices (i.e. monitors) when your PowerBook is awake.
It won't short out like with ADB or SCSI?
The days of SCSI Voodoo and your Mac crashing (or frying) when you plug in an ADB mouse while it's running are long gone. Hot-plugging is one of the main benefits of USB and FireWire. I hot-plug Ethernet all the time, and the modem line as well.
Escher
Originally posted by Escher
Definitely yes, if you put your PowerBook to sleep first. Not sure whether it's safe to (un-) plug display devices (i.e. monitors) when your PowerBook is awake.
Escher
I haven't had a problem just plugging/unplugging the external monitor while my rev. a powerbook is awake. It just refreshes the contents of the screen automatically. I have had one issue with an app not recognizing the screen it was on is no longer there (my most recent thread) but that seems to be an app problem not a system one.