12" PowerBook and another display

dr. john zoidbergdr. john zoidberg
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
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

  • Reply 1 of 9
    merovingianmerovingian Posts: 436member
    Quote:

    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.
  • Reply 2 of 9
    dmband0026dmband0026 Posts: 2,345member
    Spanning will take your VRAM and divide it in half between the two displays. I have a 16MB graphics card in my cube, and it works just fine for Exposé, older games, video editing...anything like that. So you'll be more than fine. And if it doesn't perform to your liking, shut the lid on your 12" and just use the external display.
  • Reply 3 of 9
    gsxrboygsxrboy Posts: 565member
    When you want to be portable, what is the method for connecting disconnecting an external screen - do you need to shutdown/sleep first or do you just turn off the ext monitor and pull plug? If the external is used as the main screen does the powerbook screen immediately become aware its the main man and displays menu bar etc if it was prev on the other screen?



    Questions for powerbook miniDVI to ADC apple displays which are powered (hence prob more critical) as well as straight DVI or VGA monitors..
  • Reply 4 of 9
    paulpaul Posts: 5,278member
    the f7 key (on my Ti, it may be different for the Als) is used to "refresh" the active displays on the computer... just plug or unplug and hit that key...
  • Reply 5 of 9
    escherescher Posts: 1,811member
    Quote:

    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
  • Reply 6 of 9
    paulpaul Posts: 5,278member
    I usually sleep before plugging my book as I like to keep it in the case... but I don't use it that way often...



    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...
  • Reply 7 of 9
    dr. john zoidbergdr. john zoidberg Posts: 60member
    So it's safe to hot-plug display devices? It won't short out like with ADB or SCSI?
  • Reply 8 of 9
    escherescher Posts: 1,811member
    Quote:

    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.



    Quote:

    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
  • Reply 9 of 9
    torifiletorifile Posts: 4,024member
    Quote:

    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.
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