Need 2nd Video Card for 3 monitors

R

resnickta

New Member
Here is the background:

I have 2 24" monitors (both 1920x1200) right now running off of my PCIe ATI Radeon 2600 XT using DVI. I have no problems.

This week, I am going to get a 3rd monitor which will be a 30" with (2500x1500 ish) resolution which I will want to hookup with dual DVI. For this, I will need to buy another video card which I will need someone to recommend for me.

Some computer info:
Windows XP,
2.3Gz Core 2 duo
2 gigs ram
ASUS P5K SE motherboard

Now, my question is basically what video card should I get that will be compatible and support the new monitor. I believe (but am not positive) that I can hookup the 30" to my ATI card and replace one of the 24 inches without any problems, however, my only concern is if the video card can support the higher resolution. Nevertheless, I do want all 3 monitors working.

My motherboard is ASUS P5K SE and has the following slots:
4 Memory - DIMM 240-pin, 3 PCI Express x1, 2 PCI, 1 Processor - LGA775 Socket, 1 PCI Express x16 <-- in use by current ATI card

So my new video card should:
Be what brand/model?
AGP/PCI?

Thanks for any help in advance, and if you need more details on my motherboard/setup, let me know and I will try to dig up the info. I should also clarify that i do not need a strong video card for gaming. I just need it to run smoothly for playing movies and regular internet browsing or whatever.
 
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Chances are, you can't get the third monitor working unless you get a new MoBo with mroe PCI-Ex16 slots. PCI cards are realle expensive nowadays, and most PCI cards are older models, which may cause problems (outdated drivers & whatnot). Your PC doesn't have an AGP slot, so PCI cards are your only option unless you get a new mobo...

I would look at some fairly recent cards, like the NVIDIA 8- and 7-series, and/or ATI X1xxx, 2xxx and 3xxx series PCI cards... I would rather go with ATI, since you already have an ATI card so you'll minimize any risk of driver mess-ups.
 
Buy a triple head 2 go. It's a bit pricey though.


On Matrox's website, Analog version (VGA) costs $300 and the Digital (DVI-D) costs $330.
 
Thanks for the reply everyone. I looked up some ATI X1xxx, 2xxx and 3xxx cards, but they all seemed to be PCI express, unless I am missing something.

I am not really interested in getting a new motherboard at the time being so i want to get a second video card with the following requirements:

1) is ATI
2) uses DVI
3) Uses PCI (not express)
4) Supports 2560x1600 resolution

again, I am not interested in gaming or anything that takes a lot of graphics rendering, nor do I want something too expensive.

Can someone suggest some specific models? I am really more interested in getting something that just works as opposed to a good deal.
 
Can someone suggest some specific models? I am really more interested in getting something that just works as opposed to a good deal.
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See post #4. That's probably your best (and cheapest) option right now, and you'll be able to link up a fourth monitor if need be - all on a single card.
 
okay thanks, so to clarify:

3870x2 by asus is
1) compatible with PCIe (I do not have PCIe 2.0)?
2) and it can run 2 monitors at (1920x1600) and a third at (2560x1600)?

also, I read some reviews for this card which say that it is VERY loud. Any good alternatives which are not loud?
 
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yes they are backwards compatable, it should run those miniters, i can tell you it will run 3, but im not sure, they should all be at thier native resolutions, its hard to tell about the card, i don't personally own it
 
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