The Mobile Intel® 82915GM/GMS, 82910GML Graphics and Memory Controller Hub (GMCH) can be attached to multiple display devices. This GMCH has two display pipes that can output content to one or two of these display devices at the same time (for example: integrated LCD+TV and integrated LCD+CRT).

The existence of multiple display devices on a single system allows for a number of possible configuration options. For example, two devices can be driven independently with different content, resolutions, and color depth to increase desktop space. Another possible configuration can send the same content to different monitors for a large audience presentation.

Below are the system requirements for multi-monitor or multi-display support:

• Integrated Mobile Intel® 915GM/GMS, 910GML Express Chipset family with dual pipe enabled by the system manufacturer. The computer must have the physical connectors for the external display devices.
• Two or more display devices (for example: LVDS, DVI-I, DVI-D, HDTV, TV-out, CRT, Flat Panel) with support for enabled in the System BIOS
• Microsoft Windows 2000* or Windows XP* operating system
• Latest graphics driver installed for the Mobile Intel® 915GM/GMS, 910GML Express Chipset family

The Mobile Intel 82915GM/GMS, 82910GML GMCH supports the following multi-monitor or multi-display modes:

• Intel® Dual Display Clone
• Extended Desktop
• Dual-Pipe Panning

Intel® Dual Display Clone

• Intel Dual Display Clone is used to drive multiple displays with the same content, same resolution, same color depth, but different refresh rates.
• Intel Dual Display Clone is beneficial when using displays of various types and sizes, like one pipe driving an integrated LCD, while the other pipe drives an analog overhead projector that can only sync to particular resolutions and refresh rates.
• To activate Dual Display Clone, click the Intel® Dual Display Clone icon on the Devices tab of the Mobile Intel® 915GM/GMS, 910GML Express Chipset family Properties window. Choose the Primary Device and the Secondary Device, and click Apply.
  
  
  
  Figure 1: Intel® Dual Display Clone as seen in Windows XP Advanced Display Properties Intel® Graphics Devices tab.

Extended Desktop

• Extended Desktop offers the ability of a single adapter with at least two display pipes to support multiple monitor configurations.
• The multi-monitor feature allows for a large Windows desktop that spans multiple displays, creating more screen space than one display.
• The Display applet in Control Panel or the Devices tab in the Mobile Intel® 915GM/GMS, 910GML Express Chipset family Properties window can be used to configure the size and relative position of each monitor. (Figure 2)
• Applications can be moved from one monitor to another, or can be on more than one monitor simultaneously.
• To activate Extended Desktop, click the Extended Desktop icon on the Devices tab of the Mobile Intel® 915GM/GMS, 910GML Express Chipset family Properties window. Choose one device as the Primary Device and one as the Secondary Device, and click Apply.
  
  
  
  Figure 2: Extended Desktop as seen in Windows XP Advanced Display Properties Intel® Graphics Devices tab.
  
  
• Display options can also be enabled right from the Windows* Desktop. Right-click the Desktop to access the Graphics Option menu and see the output options listed. (Figure 3)

Figure 3: Display options as seen on the Windows XP Desktop.

• Applications can behave differently in a multi-monitor configuration depending on their implementation:
  • Standard Windows applications that use the GDI (Graphics Device Interface) can clip the window to each display and accelerate the images separately using the display hardware.
  • Applications that span multiple monitors and use DirectX*, Direct3D*, or DirectDraw*, can be software accelerated.
  • OpenGL* applications can exit unexpectedly, hardware accelerate one display with unknown results on the other, or be software accelerated.
  • A full screen command prompt or MS-DOS* application only functions on the Primary Device.

Dual-Pipe Panning

• Panning is enabled when a display resolution is larger than the display type (like integrated LCD or TV which supports only a fixed/limited max resolution).
• Dual-Pipe Panning allows a high-resolution display on a larger screen, while viewing a zoomed-in version on a smaller screen.
• The view on the smaller screen is tied to mouse cursor movement. Since the screens are different sizes, the mouse cursor can move to different positions on either screen.
• While in the zoomed-in area of the smaller screen, the cursor acts normally. As the cursor moves near the edge of the smaller screen, the view pans toward the cursor until the edge of the full screen is reached. The view on the larger screen stays the same regardless of the activity of the smaller (panned) screen.
• For Dual-Pipe Panning, first enable Intel Dual Display Clone or Extended Desktop. Then, set the resolution larger than one of the supported displays and click Apply. The device that cannot support the full resolution is panned.

Related Topic:
Intel 82915G/82910GL Graphics Memory Controller Hub (GMCH) whitepaper

Operating System:

Windows 2000 *, Windows XP Professional*, Windows XP Home Edition*, Windows XP Tablet PC Edition*, Windows XP Media Center Edition*

This applies to:

Mobile Intel® 915GM/GMS, 910GML Express Chipset Family