Triple Monitor...

[mmh]

Hey all...

I currently have a dell dimension 9200 (core 2 duo, radeon x1300 (i think) with VGA and DVI out)

I want to run a second DVI dell monitor and keep my TV (32" samsung) plugged in via VGA and run the 2 montiors side by side with the 32" above them...

what card do i need to get to do this efficiently?

I'm not sure whether my current x1300 is AGP or PCI-e - I looked yesturday and it looked like AGP to me, but then again, its been so long since i messed inside computers that i dont know the difference in looks to AGP to PCI-e... (the slot was brown if that helps)...

i have 4 free PCI slots, but i dont know if they are just PCI or PCI-e? do PCI-e look the same as PCI or are they different? how can i tell?

I'd like to run the same graphics card (x1300) as presumably the ATI Catalyst Control centre will be able to set up both cards and layout the screens how i want them?

I'm currently running the dell monitor on DVI and the TV out of the VGA and it works perfectly, i want the same ease of use when adding a 3rd monitor if possible...

Help appreciated. Any other info needed, just ask (may need pointers on where to find the info though!)

Ste

[jim]

I would be almost certain that if that PC had any PCIe slots (in addition to the X1300 that might be PCIe or AGP) they would be PCIe x1, and would be about an inch long.

[mmh]

then the graphics card is definately AGP... so i need a PCI card to run along side it?

[Funkstar]

PCIe slots:


PCI slots


AGP slots


Note that PCIe slots are narrower and have much denser pins, but are in line with CPI slots. AGP slots are set back from the front of the board.

[mmh]

AGP slots

definately AGP with 4 spare PCI slots

i should probably also point out that it wont be used for gaming...

just so i can use protools spread over 2 montiors without craning my neck looking up at the TV on the wall... but still allowing me to play movies through my tv when necessary

[DDY]

The Dell Dimension 9200 has a PCIe slot as opposed to an AGP slot.

I can think of three options.

1) Buy a PCI card (i.e. second graphics card)
Used PCI cards with DVI can be found quite cheaply on eBay, don't expect high performance from the cheaper (say £15) cards.

2) Replace your PCIe X1300 with a Radeon 5xxx series with triple output
This option gives you the best performance but will be expensive since you'll also need an active DP-DVI adaptor.

3) Buy a USB graphics device
Worst performance out of the three options but easy to install. Bear in mind this method sucks a bit of CPU power to work. This will set you back around £40.

[jim]

then the graphics card is definately AGP... so i need a PCI card to run along side it?

That's not what I was saying - the graphics card might have a x4/x8/x16 PCIe slot, in which case it would be longer, same length as a PCI/AGP slot.

I'm talking about the other slots - because it's extremely unlikely that it has more than one x4/x8/x16.

[mmh]

now i'm really confused as according to Wiki its a pci-e x16 slot:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dell_Di...on_9xxx_Series

yeah the other slots are pci

Its hard to know what will be compatible for the second graphics card though :/

any suggestions?

[Funkstar]

I think W7 allows cards from different manufacturers to be used in the same system, but other than that you need to keep to the same driver pack for all cards.

The other option is the Matrox Dual Head 2 go boxes.

[mmh]

I'm still using Vista >.< not w7

[mmh]

so would this card work:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ATI-Radeon-920...item3a5e2bbc4c

?

[Funkstar]

Actually yeah, that should work

[mmh]

nice1 thanks everyone

[Funkstar]

check the drivers first, i'm having a look for you just now

edit actually i'm not sure, it's difficult to get a definitive answer. I don't know if they have dropped support for their older cards in the latest drivers or if they just don't mention them.

[jim]

I'm fairly confident that they drop old drivers as they go on, that's why I didn't recommend a specific card.

[scaryjim]

EDIT:

Arrrgh! Dammit!

Just checked the AMD website, and Vista only supports back to the 9500, not the 9200. You might still be able to get it working, but I'd google carefully before you buy, as it's obviously not officially supported