If I connect a computer to a external display, i.e. a projector, is it true that the computer had to do more "work"?

If I connect a computer to a external display, i.e. a projector, is it true that the computer had to do more "work" (calculation or whatever)?

Pacerier

Posted 2011-07-17T15:38:59.027

Reputation: 22 232

If you have video going on both sides, then yes. – surfasb – 2011-07-17T16:04:45.323

vaso does that mean that if i connect my laptop to a bigger monitor, i should turn the laptop's monitor off to make the laptop do less work? – Pacerier – 2011-07-18T03:09:22.123

You should not worry, the difference is negligible unless you are talking about an older laptop... – Tamara Wijsman – 2012-02-07T14:05:15.647

Answers

Only if the external display is larger, or if both displays are active at once. Simply going from a digital signal to an analog signal (e.g. DB-15 VGA) does not stress the CPU since there is dedicated circuitry in the video card for this conversion.

Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams

Posted 2011-07-17T15:38:59.027

Reputation: 100 516

so does that mean that if i connect my laptop to a bigger monitor, i should turn the laptop's monitor off to make the laptop do less work? – Pacerier – 2011-07-18T03:09:01.440

No. You need to disable the laptop's display completely. – Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams – 2011-07-18T04:09:08.983