So now that my computer has been built and I bought a desk so support two monitors I wanted to hook them up and use them as one big monitor for movies, internet surfing, videos, and during gaming have the option tuse either both as one or use one for gaming while leaving windows running on the second so that I may surf the net or what need be while gaming.
 
This is the first time I have set this up so I am a newbe at this, I am at work so I can't play around with it for another few hours so I am gathering tips while I wait. I have a 27" Samsung S27A550H (1920x1080p) and an older Westinghouse 24" L2410NM (1920x1200) and was wondering since they have different resolution's if that would be okay too set it up as one big monitor or should I go buy another Samsung of the same model?
 
The Samsung would use HDMI to mini-HDMI and the Westinghouse would use DVI to VGA (or something weird like that) because using HDMI on the Westinghouse washes out the color and nothing can be done about that, known issue with this monitor. My two video cards are EVGA 460GTX 1GB SC X2 in SLI and the rest of my computer is in my sig, any help would be great.

Hmm, thanks for the response. Would 1920x1080 work and look good on a 1920x1200 monitor?

That's too bad, gotta go spend $400 bucks for another Samsung    :-( ehhh such is life I suppose.

I want the ability to game on it that way as well, ehhh why not bite the bullet. Last big buy for this system. It will be super sweet when it's all done. Since they both will be hooked up via HDMI to mini HDMI do I pulg one monitor into each video card?

Those monitors don't do DVI, the only thing I have is a HDMI and a VGA :-(
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Samsung+-+27%22+LED+Monitor+-+Black/2099051.p?skuId=2099051&productCategoryId=pcmcat200900050014&id=1218309759233

Oh wow. The first time I see a monitor with no DVI for a long time. Kind of expensive too for a 1080p TN panel. That's not much less than what I paid for my 27" SPVA 1920x1200. I think there are Asus and Acers with the same panel selling for much less.
This for example:
http://www.amazon.com/ViewSonic-2019s-VX2739WM-27-Inch-1920x1080-Monitor/dp/B003GBRXKU/ref=pd_cp_pc_0
 
If you are going the HDMI route, there are DVI to HDMI converters. The signals are basically the same so there is no signal conversion. Just a plug adapter.

Lol. I am the same although I do have a mismatch setup...

Or try to get a DVI to HDMI connector to keep all of your signal digital. I think it is the only way you will get the surround to work. Or you will have to make both monitors analog by using a VGA to DVI for both.

So now that I have a dual monitor setup (2 monitors in one vga card), how do I enable dual monitor gaming??

Ya, I have been looking around the NVIDIA drivers settings and there is no options for "surround" if you could look when you get home for me that would be amazing! I have been looking all around my computers options and can't find a thing. Ultramon isn't helping me either.

Sadly I looked at that and I have no option for surround, and this is with the newest drivers.

I've always been under the impression that nvidia's option for multi-monitor usage in gaming was rather limited, sadly I believe 3-monitor surround is the only thing their cards will support.
http://www.slizone.com/object/sli_multi_monitor.html#confoptions
 
That section of the multi-monitor config will show you the limitations on dual-monitor setups, only Flight Sim X (which I haven't been able to get to work quite yet...), Supreme Commander (one monitor gets set to the mini-map, the other to the actual game), and world in conflict have dual-monitor modes.
For actual "Surround" gaming, nvidia requires 3 screens...
 
It's especially sad because I'm currently sitting with the funds for a third monitor but no room on my desk....
 

I do believe that is possible without any major modification. I will however caution that in some games I have experienced significant performance differences depending on if the second monitor is still running or not. I don't know if it is sli turning itself off before the game loads, or merely bad drivers on the part of the individual games that experienced this issue (Dragon Age II was the most notable, and we all know how its driver support was...)
 
Frankly it never bothered me that much, as with my 580 it was a difference from 85-90 fps down to 70fps, so I didn't really care and it was sometimes nice to have forums and monitoring software up in monitor two, however your mileage may vary of course.
 
Also I can't comment on recent driver releases effect on this phenomenon, my best advice would be to test it yourself, load up a game with monitor 2 on (and make sure it remains on, some full screen games I've experienced sort of a random chance every time I alt-tab into the full screen as to whether or not the second screen is gonna stay, it'll flicker for a few seconds as the system is loading up the game, and then the second screen will either stay on or turn itself blank) and test the framerates, if they're acceptable then go ahead.
 
Anyone know if this performance discrepancy could be linked to sli not properly enabling (or not being utilized fully) due to their being two monitors, or is that something that was specific to that game/my system?

Let me know if you could, if you experience any performance dips based on one or both monitors active, I'd be interested to see if that was an isolated occurrence with those drivers/games or even specific to my system, I don't have access to much time for gaming in the next few days or I'd run similar tests.