It wasn’t long ago that if you wanted to use three or more displays at a time, Matrox was the professional’s weapon of choice. But with AMD’s Eyefinity on the scene, suddenly the consumer has more choice on which vendor they selected for multiple display systems.  AMD even showed off an Acer netbook running triple monitors using an external GPU during CES 2010 earlier this month (read the story here) which leaves Matrox competing on two fronts.

Not to be outdone, today Matrox is announcing the DualHead2Go and TripleHead2Go Graphics eXpansion Module (or GXM) which connects to your system’s existing VGA, DVI, or Display Port and effectively doubling the output. This would mean that for both mobile and desktop systems, all you need is at least a single VGA connection to get a 2×1 or 3×1 display – making it more flexible than AMD’s model which requires either a propietary interface (mobile solution), or a display port monitor (3 monitor desktop solution).

You can also add another DualHead2Go or TripleHead2Go to drive even more displays as long as the two XGPs are of the same type (Dual or Triple, no mixing).
  • 1 video signal + DualHead2Go = 2×1 display.
  • 2 video signals + 2x DualHead2Go = 2×2 display or 4×1 display.
  • 1 video signal + TripleHead2Go = 3×1 display.
  • 2 video signals + TripleHead2Go = 3×2 display or 6×1 display.
I think the key selling feature here is that the GXM works with just a USB port for power, and an existing video signal from your computer – no extra hardware or power necessary.

Multiple versions are available now (Display Port editions to be released in February 2010) and at various price points:
  • Matrox DualHead2Go Analog Edition – Part number: D2G-A2A-IF    $169 USD
  • Matrox DualHead2Go Digital Edition – Part number: D2G-A2D-IF    $229 USD
  • Matrox DualHead2Go DP Edition – Part number: D2G-DP-IF            $229 USD
  • Matrox TripleHead2Go Digital Edition – Part number: T2G-D3D-IF   $329 USD
  • Matrox TripleHead2Go DP Edition – Part number: T2G-DP-IF           $329 USD
Matrox Announces Multiple Graphics Expansion Module (GXM) Support - Graphics Cards 4Matrox Announces Multiple Graphics Expansion Module (GXM) Support - Graphics Cards 5

Matrox Announces Multiple Graphics Expansion Module (GXM) Support - Graphics Cards 6ISE 2010, Montreal, Canada, January 27, 2010—Matrox Graphics Inc., the leading manufacturer of specialized graphics solutions, today announced multiple DualHead2Go and TripleHead2Go Graphics eXpansion Module (GXM) support to drive up to four or six monitors, respectively, from a single system. A second GXM can now be connected to the secondary output of a supported dual monitor graphics card so two DualHead2Go GXMs can power up to four outputs in 2×2 or 4×1 modes, while two TripleHead2Go units can be combined to connect six displays to produce either a 3×2 or 6×1 set up.

“Multi-GXM support offers a tremendous amount of flexibility by simply having to connect the GXMs externally to your system or workstation,” says Ron Berty, Business Development Manager, Matrox Graphics. “Business professionals for example, can now conveniently upgrade to a four- or six-monitor workspace to run additional applications for real-time viewing. Additionally, AV specialists can effortlessly build six-screen presentation or digital signage platforms to drive dynamic, digital messaging while benefiting from the natural synchronization of the screens being driven by a single GPU.”

Matrox currently offers multi-GXM support with the 2.06 (or above) GXM software suite. A maximum of two GXMs—of the same make and model—can be connected to a supported graphics card with two available outputs of the required type. Multi-GXM stretched desktop mode is available with Matrox M-Series cards, while independent desktop support is available with supported M-Series, ATI, and NVIDIA graphics cards. For complete details, visit the Multi-GXM page.

Matrox partners will be showcasing this technology, alongside a wide range of Matrox digital signage graphics solutions, at Integrated Systems Europe 2010, RAI, Netherlands, from February 2-4.

Visit Matrox for more Details.