Feb 18, '09 07:30:00AM • Contributed by: Anonymous
I have two 20" LCDs that run at 1600x1200 each. After reading up on the Matrox TripleHead2Go Digital edition, I decided to buy one. After having some initial problems, I was dismayed to find out that the MacBook uses an unsupported chipset, and so their support department was of no help. If you want to take the jump, don't worry, it works, but with a few caveats...
In order to get the high resolution, you'll need the Dual Link DVI adapter, which currently runs about $100. In addition, you need the digital version of the TripleHead2Go at ~$300 (even if you only have two screens), because it's the only version that supports DVI input, and you won't be able to get the high resolutions on the MacBook without DVI.
The final piece of the puzzle is a laptop cooler. I'm using a Targus cooler that cost me $15 at my local office store. The laptop cooler is necessary (even when running from a desk) because the computer really heats up when driving this much video output, and the second channel starts flickering and will even black out if the computer is too hot. The laptop cooler will prevent this from happening.
Once you have everything together, remember to plug the monitors into position one and three, not one and two on the TripleHead2Go, because you'll be left with a blank screen otherwise. You'll need to install the Matrox Powerdesk software to configure the device with the proper resolution (2x1600x1200 in my case; feel free to fill in additional options afterwards).
With everything plugged in, your displays might not light up. To make sure they come on at your selected resolution, you have to plug everything in, then unplug the USB cable that connects the TripleHead2Go to the MacBook and then plug it back in again. This will cause the MacBook to reconfigure the external displays and light them up.
If you wish to use the external displays without the internal one (like I do) and with an external keyboard, you'll need to close the laptop display after everything is plugged in. After doing so, using the mouse or pressing keys will wake up the MacBook without lighting up the displays. Unplug the TripleHead2Go's USB cable and plug it back in, like you would with the display open, and the external displays will light up, allowing you to get your work done.
The last thing you should know is that the two screens will show up as one external display, not two. This means that your menu bar will extend across the two displays, and that the maximize button will fill up both screens. All is not lost, however, as the PowerDesk utility installs shortcuts (Command-Option-1 and -2 by default) that will resize the current window to maximize on the given screen.
In addition, they provide a UI that will allow you to reposition the dock to the left or right, so that it won't be split over the two monitors. Luckily, the Quicksilver menu can be dragged over to one or the other of the displays, but I can't say the same for the task switcher. It's my last major annoyance with the setup, but I figure it's worth it to be able to use two displays.
