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Nik 2007-09-03 17:09
Hi guys
WIN XP SP2, AMD X2 3800+, Asus A8N-E, 2 GB
Got sent over here from Anandtech. I am running dual monitors off an X300 SE right now (one DVI, one CRT of course). I want to switch to 3 LCDs (all Dell 2005fpws). Now... Since the graphics proc on this card is a Radeon, I feel I should try to stick with Radeon. I am NOT a gamer. I do not need very intensive graphics capabilities.
Can anyone suggest
1. A relatively inexpensive card that I can throw in alongside the X300 SE, a dual DVI card that will give me a total of 3 DVI outs for my LCDs?
2. If mixing cards is a very bad idea, then a suggestion for a dual DVI card that I can buy 2 of, giving me a total of 4 DVI outs.
3. I want a setup that will be relatively plug and play (I am not really a techie). Can I use Ultramon to optimize my setup process? I am happy to buy Ultramon if it will make this easier.
Here are a bunch of Radeon based cards with 2 DVI outs
newegg
Here is my
current card
Any help getting my triple monitor rig together would be appreciated
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Christian Studer 2007-09-04 06:46
What type of slots do you have available?
For example two PCIe x16 slots, or one PCIe x16 + one PCIe x4, or an AGP + one or more PCI slots.
UltraMon probably won't help much with setting up the system, but will work fine with 3 monitors.
Christian Studer - www.realtimesoft.com
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Nik 2007-09-04 15:41
Hi Christian
Here are the slots on my mobo
1x PCI Express x16 slot 2x PCI Express x1 1x PCI Express x4 (supports up to 1GB/s) 3x PCI
Hope that helps in terms of giving me guidance re: how to set up the hardware
On the software side, I understand you to say that I will need some sort of software other than Windows Dualview if I want to run more than 2 monitors - is that correct?
Thanks so much for taking the time to repsond here.
Nik
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Christian Studer 2007-09-05 10:21
You would probably need to get a PCI ATI card, I don't think that they have any x1 PCIe cards.
There are only a few x1 PCIe cards, the Nvidia Quadro NVS and Matrox G550 for example. An x1 card could also be used in the x4 slot.
For Vista compatibility I would recommend using cards with the same brand of chipset, though I'm not sure if this will work, for example I've had problems with a Vista system with a PCIe and regular PCI Nvidia Quadro NVS card.
Another option would be to replace your current card with a quad (4-monitor) video card. All of those cards will support 4x DVI. Look for the ATI FireMV, Nvidia Quadro NVS or Matrox MMS.
You don't need any additional software, Windows has built-in support for multiple video cards.
Christian Studer - www.realtimesoft.com
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Nik 2007-09-05 17:58
Excellent info, Christian, thank you very much for taking the time to respond.
Regards Nik
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