Why do you use ASRock motherboards in some of your computers? I've heard they are inferior to ASUS motherboards.

There are is a misconception in the trading computer world that ASRock motherboards are not as high quality as their ASUS brethren. I use the word "brethren" because both ASRock and ASUS motherboards are made by Asustek, the main company that produces the name brand ASUS motherboards. ASRock motherboards are built to the same rigid standards as ASUS branded motherboards, and this is merely an attempt by Asustek to generate more market share by introducing a "competing" product at a lower price point. Many computer component companies do this (as well as manufacturers of other products) to grab a larger share of the market and funnel more customers (possibly, unwittingly) into their product line. Most noticeably was when Seiko did something similar several years ago. They brought out the 'Pulsar' brand of watches which are internally identical to the Seiko range but sell for about 40% less. All in an attempt to gain more budget conscious customers. This is the same thing Asustek is doing, so they can show more people the overall quality of their boards, even if the customer doesn't actually know.

You can be assured that we test all of our motherboards before they go in to your final computer build and any malfunctioning boards (regardless of their manufacturer) are weeded out and replaced with a fully functioning motherboard before the completed system leaves our offices.

If you have any questions about ASRock products, please feel free to contact us.

A Multiple Monitor Case Study for the ages!

There was a great article recently published by the Wall Street Journal that talked about the application of multiple monitors in corporate settings. It detailed many interesting facets of multiple monitors that many people don’t realize. Here at Multiplex PC we know the value of multiple monitors, not just because we sell them and the custom multi-monitor computers to drive them, but we because we have empirical scientific data to prove they are more efficient (than single monitor systems).

Last year we conducted a study with an Orlando, FL based travel agency that employs many agents on single monitor systems and we hooked up a few of their agents with multiple monitors. The results speak for themselves, you can find the complete study and a break down of the results at multiple monitor study.

Get the right Video Card for AutoCAD

One of the hardest parts of selecting the right components for your new multiple monitor computer is choosing the right graphics card configuration. In this blog post I am going to address which video card arrangement to choose if you’re an AutoCAD user and are building a multi-screen computer for use with the program.

nVidia Quadro

Firstly, you need to know that NVIDIA QUADRO video cards are one of the only AutoCAD certified line of cards on the market. This is a bold statement of assurance from NVIDIA and AutoCAD that you’re choosing the right video card arrangement for AutoCAD use when you select the NVIDIA QUADRO series video cards. Now, what makes them so special?

Well, not only does Autodesk certify and recommend Quadro for use with AutoCAD, but many of AutoCAD’s advanced features won’t run optimally without a professional-class GPU like Quadro. So, you need to buy a QUADRO series video card if you’re planning on using your multiple monitor computer for use with AutoCAD.

Also, Quadro graphics solutions are engineered, built, and tested by NVIDIA to deliver exceptional performance when you need it. With an extended 24-36 month product life cycle, Quadro lets you standardize on a supported system for a longer period of time.

I hope this blog entry helped anyone that is interested in purchasing a multi-monitor computer from us for use with AutoCAD.

The MultiplexPC Difference!

The MultiplexPC Difference!

We receive dozens of emails everyday asking how Multiplex PC is different from other multiple monitor computer companies. Well, for one we have the lowest prices and the highest quality. We are constantly keeping an eye out for the best components available to include in our multi-monitor system builds and have authorized dealerships with all the name brand component manufacturers. Rest assured that we are the leader in multiple monitor computers and their accessories and that we will always have the lowest pricing. If you find a lower advertised price at one of our competitor’s please email us or call us and we will beat the price, guaranteed! We hope that you will make Multiplex PC your partner in achieving your multi-monitor computing goals.

The benefits of multiple monitor use in the workplace.

The gain in productivity and efficiency with the use of multiple monitors has been a hotly debated issue since the inception and utilization of multi monitor setups in the workplace and home. Many articles have been written supporting the claim there is a gain in productivity and efficiency using multi monitors while others debate there is no benefit when using them; the latter claiming that because the human brain can only focus on one task at a time, there is no realized benefit when “focusing” on two monitors. Both sides offer little to no scientific data to support their claim or rely on speculation. Here at Multiplex PC we know that using multiple monitors provides a boost in productivity and gives you an edge in work flow efficiency and with this case study provide an objective and unbiased non-scientific view into their benefits.

Multi Monitor Use

The Study.

We recently contracted with a local call center to test our theory of the actual benefits of multiple monitors (dual monitors in this study). Out of the 10 employees that volunteered for the study we gave 5 of the agents an extra 19″ inch monitor to add to their existing single 19″ inch monitor configuration and the remaining 5 agents kept their single 19″ inch monitor setups. The monitors were placed directly flush with the existing monitor to provide a seamless viewing area for the agents to use. We did not use a monitor array stand. Our goal here was to prove that the added screen real estate with dual monitors (with similar monitor size and the same resolution) would allow the representative to cut down on the time they were speaking with one customer so they could terminate the call and be ready to take the next customer. In a call center environment this metric (call center measurement of time efficiency) is undeniably linked to their profit. For example, the more calls an agent can take during their shift, the more products they can sell, and the more current clients they can up sell, which translates into more revenue for the company. Also, if the call center is busy and experiencing many customers in cue (holding area for unanswered calls) the faster an agent can perform their duties, the less likelihood the call center runs of having dropped calls (and potentially missed profits).

Purpose:

The purpose of this study is to show the agents using a single 19″ inch monitor setup, which must access multiple applications to complete an order or customer inquiry, will take longer than an agent who has dual monitors and can access both applications at the same time, when both applications are previously loaded and ready for use. All computer systems used in this study were similar. Due to time constraints and other variables there are parts of this study that were not able to be controlled and this can only be viewed as a non-scientific representation of the benefits of dual monitor use. We ran the test for one 8 hour shift making sure that all agents received an equal amount of calls with similar difficulty. Any calls that were outside of the realm of normal operating procedure (i.e., manager approval, etc) were left out of the study. Below is the order of the study and the steps we took to achieve fair data.

Setup:

1) We setup the extra 19″ inch monitors to give 5 of the 10 call center agents a dual monitor configuration. We left 5 of the remaining 10 agents with a single 19″ monitor.

2) We spent 15 minutes showing the agents who were using dual monitors how to correctly and efficiently maneuver from monitor to monitor and addressed any issues with use.

The study in motion:

1) All agents started work at the same time and stopped taking calls after their 8 hour shift was completed.

2) All data was taken from 20 calls, per agent, of similar tasks. No averages were used.

3) Metrics software was used to monitor the amount of times each rep accessed the data in their two call center applications, so that we could make sure that each call we were using for the test was similar and fair when comparing to the two. This software also allowed us to see which reps were finished more quickly than others and were subsequently available to take more calls.

4) Upon the completion of our test, the information we had gathered (average time an agent using dual monitors completed a call vs. the amount of time a single monitor agent completed a call) was calculated to find the difference between the amount of available time an agent in each group had available per shift. Basically this time difference was our metric for efficiency. The agents who utilized two monitors had an average increase of 9% efficiency over the agents who only used one monitor and had to toggle between programs to access customer data and provide information on additional products. While 9% is a substantial gain, the benefit of this dual monitor test can be showed in payroll expense more clearly.

Example for payroll savings using data from study:

If you have a call center that employs 100 agents and you pay each agent 10 dollars an hour and they all work 40 hours a week with no overtime, you have a payroll expense of $40,000 dollars per week. If you can decrease your payroll overhead by 9% per week, by employing 9 fewer agents, you have saved $3,600.00 in one week. If you multiply $3,600.00 by 52 weeks (one year), you have an estimated payroll expense savings of $187,200.00 in your first year of using dual monitors!

Calculate your ROI:

With the average cost of our dual monitor being $739.00 you would have an initial expense of $67,249.00. You would recoup your investment in the dual monitor arrays within 19 weeks or in 4.75 months. After recouping your investment in the dual monitor arrays, this solution effectively eliminates over $119,951.00 in payroll expenses in one year!

Why isn’t your company using multiple monitors? Contact us today to get a free quote!

Call toll-free 1.888.707.2652 or email us at sales@multiplexpc.com

Multiple Screens

Multi-screens are a great way to increase your productivity while multi-tasking with your computer. You can use multi-screen setups for a lot of different uses, such as; day trading, online poker, AutoCAD rendering, medical imaging, etc. Whatever the task you use multi-screens for, you will notice a benefit in your work or play.

Trading with Multiple Monitors

A large portion of our customers are day traders and the reason for that is that day trading requires a large degree of multi-tasking. If you’re a serious trader than having multiple windows open on 1 screen will become quite tedious very quickly. You will most definitely need multi-screens to effectively trade in real time. Also, many programs, such as tradestation, require use of the entire screen real estate to view all of the necessary elements of the program. Having multi screens and a multi-screen computer will allow you to have several windows open at the same time so that you do not have to switch between open windows, losing valuable time that you should be using to watch the markets.

Other users of multi-screen computers and multi-screen arrays are online poker players. We have sold multi-display computer systems to some of the largest names in the online poker world. Online poker pros know that having multi-screens allows them to play more tables and increase their hourly win-rate so that they can ultimately make more money. Again, the same principle that a day trader has for using multiple monitors applies to the online poker player and the desired end result is also the same,make more money.

Basically, using multiple monitors in a setting such as the ones listed above is more of an investment in your financial future than it is a “cool piece of technology” or just something nice to have to increase productivity. We hope you agree that multiple screens are great!

Have the newest technology with Multiple Monitor Computers and Monitor Arrays.

Technology is always growing and sometimes it may feel difficult to keep up. But something that is going to be around for a while is the new use of multiple monitor screens and multiple array computers. These amazing machines can be designed for any user. The idea behind them is that they offer more screen ‘real estate’ which allows the user to view more. (Click here to review our Multiple Monitor Case Study) It also engages the user on a much deeper level. Whether the user is working with 2 monitors or 10 monitors the concept is the same; have as much viewing space as possible and as many uses as possible.

Some people decide to use their monitors as one large display for the majority of their work, such as an AutoCAD designer since the resolution on computer screens are much greater than a single lcd tv. While others will utilize each monitor screen on an individual level dedicating every monitor to its own task, like day traders who may have multiple programs as well as graphs and streaming video all going at once. In fact day trading computers and day trading arrays are one of our specialties here at MultiplexPC. It’s because the multiple monitor computers we build are equipped to handle the constant power and resources that day trading programs, as well as video and even gaming, demand.

2 Monitor Array for Day Trading

Please take a look at our wonderful selection of multiple monitor arrays, array stands, day trading computers, gaming computers, and multiple monitor computers. If you have any questions we encourage you to contact us at www.MultiplexPC.com and we will be happy to help. Multiple monitors and their technology maybe somewhat new but they most certainly will not be a flash in the pan. People are becoming more efficient, focused, and fluid with their multiple monitors and the more that use them the more wonder why they ever worked without them!