DUAL MONITOR Set up... Please Help

[kab1]

Hi All,

Lurker first time poster, thanks for all help so far..

I have a stock Dell Dimension 9200 that I use for my work office now using my new 23" monitor.. graphics look nice and crisp on my stock NVIDIA GeForce 7300 LE...

I want to still use my old Dell 19" monitor as a 2nd monitor for dual display..

After research it seems I need to buy a new graphics card for the extra monitor..

Since this is for work (80% of time is used on excel/email/web research) can I buy the crappiest and cheapest video card for my 2nd monitor??

Does the 2nd video card have to be the SAME or related with my first video card at all (ie MUST be same family as NVIDIA)?

Since my current graphics card for 1st monitor is decent..will there be any drawbacks in using a slower card for the 2nd monitor (ie will the 1st card slow down at all to keep pace with the slower card 2nd card as I do game on this system lightly)..

cost is an issue for me - that's why I'm fine with a basic graphics card for the 2nd monitor.. though if it DOES affect performance for my 1st monitor/graphics card I would up it to about equal specs, since I hate system slowdown..

Thanks much

 

[voyagerfan99]

Since this is for work (80% of time is used on excel/email/web research) can I buy the crappiest and cheapest video card for my 2nd monitor??

Yes. Just be sure it's the right slot interface for your motherboard (PCI, AGP, PCI-e)

Does the 2nd video card have to be the SAME or related with my first video card at all (ie MUST be same family as NVIDIA)?

Nope. It can be nVidia or ATI.

Since my current graphics card for 1st monitor is decent..will there be any drawbacks in using a slower card for the 2nd monitor (ie will the 1st card slow down at all to keep pace with the slower card 2nd card as I do game on this system lightly)

You'll be using the card, not the onboard and the card at the same time, so you'll wana get a decent card if you're gonna game a bit. If you want nice clear graphics on the 23", you'll wana get one that has either DVI & VGA, or dual-DVI ports.

cost is an issue for me - that's why I'm fine with a basic graphics card for the 2nd monitor.. though if it DOES affect performance for my 1st monitor/graphics card I would up it to about equal specs, since I hate system slowdown..

How much do you want to spend? Also knowing the slot interface the card will be going in will help.