Is it possible to use my laptop for a extra PC monitor without having to disassemble anything?
Asked by
XYZZYtja (
233
)
November 28th, 2011
So I have a desktop PC, but I recently bought a new laptop.
And I was asking myself if it was possible to use the laptop as a extra monitor for my PC. I searched on the internet and found some interesting sites on how to disassemble my laptop monitor so I could use it as an extra monitor. As you’ve read the question this is NOT the thing I would like to do. I simply want to be able to keep my laptop in one single piece BUT still use it as a extra monitor for my PC.
First of all is this possible?
Secondly I don’t want to transfer data from my PC to my laptop, because this is something I already am capable off.
I know some friends who have two monitors with only one PC. But I was wondering if i could use my laptop as one of the monitors.
If someone could leave some feedback, please let me know!
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5 Answers
If you have some sort of S-video output on the desktop and that as an input on the laptop, or something simmilar you could probably find a program to display the feed, but I don’t know that it would work as a second monitor.
Why not just buy one off kijiji, or ebay or wahtever. I have 4 that I got simmilarly, 2 on one computer, and two are 20 inch widescreens that I got for 90 apeice.
Nope. The display is directly connected to the video drivers on the system board. Any video connection on the laptop is to show what is on the laptop and not what is on an external device.
If you are trying to get more video real estate by extending the desktop to another monitor, that is a function of the desktop video and it being able to recognize the other monitor/display.
You have not stated what OS you are running either.
If you simply want to display the same screen image on the laptop display that is on the desktop, you can always have them on the same network and run RDP on the laptop and connect to the desktop and show it full screen. But that is only if you wish to display the same on each screen.
I have never seen a laptop used as a monitor for a laptop; they lack video inputs. Every multi-monitor rig I have seen used actual monitors, or disassembled laptop displays.
I have connected a desktop monitor to a laptop to expand the screen space of my laptop, but unless you have a great GPU in that laptop, you will run into issues with anything graphically intensive.
Your best bet is to pick up another monitor; of you look around, you can get one cheap or free. Just be sure that your desktop can actually drive dual screens; many cannot.
Ok, then I know enough, thanks for the responses everybody, I wasn’t really sure if this was possible, but it actually makes sense that it isn’t. I’m actually sure my PC can handle dual monitors. It is not the best desktop out there, but I can actually handle any game and can multi-task just fine on my desktop, so that should not be a problem. But to be sure I will first with a borrowed screen.
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