Multi-monitor setup: one widescreen monitor, one regular (4:3) monitor; is this usually possible?

Question

I'm trying to find out whether it's generally possible to have a multi-monitor setup with both a widescreen monitor and a regular monitor (ie. one with a 4:3 picture ratio).

I'd like to run them in Extended Desktop mode on a Windows Vista machine. The computer is a Dell notebook with an onboard Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics chipset.

While I know that this notebook is capable of driving multiple monitors, I don't know if it is also able to drive monitors with varying resolutions.

My two questions:

1. Generally, are differing screen resolutions and aspect ratios supported in multi-monitor setups?
   
2. More specifically, would this be possible with the Intel GMA 4500MHD chipset?

Answer 1

I can't specifically speak for the GMA 4500 chipset, but there is absolutely no reason I see that it shouldn't work. That is, providing your graphics adapter has the power to serve 2 monitors, it won't have any problem with differing ratios or resolutions.

(I do this myself at home)

Answer 2

I don't know about that particular graphics chipset, but I am running dual monitors here with one wide and one normal.

• 1920x1200 widescreen (16:10)
• 1600x1200 normal (4:3)

(This combination is nice because of the same height, but things still work with monitors with different vertical resolution.)

In my experience I have never seen an adaptor that required the same resolution of each monitor.

Answer 3

I have a laptop with integrated Intel graphics. I've had no problem running dual monitors in different resolutions.

I usually run one in landscape at 1280x1024 and the other one in portrait at 1024x1280 as they are the same size, but I have no problem if I change the resolution of one display independently of the other (e.g. 768x1024 works fine, it just looks giant on the portrait screen).