Can a machine have two graphics cards?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mike W
  • Start date Start date
M

Mike W

The ATI TV Wonder Pro card has TV channel capabilities
and is $64. It uses a PCI slot of which I have one left. I'm guessing
that my current AGP slot video card [can't open the machine now to
recall what GeForce model it is] is better and it has software to
change things without a reboot.
My question is this: Can a computer run two video cards? If so,
any idea how one goes about it? Is it straightforward or tricky?

Thanks in advance
Mike
 
Mike said:
The ATI TV Wonder Pro card has TV channel capabilities
and is $64. It uses a PCI slot of which I have one left. I'm guessing
that my current AGP slot video card [can't open the machine now to
recall what GeForce model it is] is better and it has software to
change things without a reboot.
My question is this: Can a computer run two video cards? If so,
any idea how one goes about it? Is it straightforward or tricky?
Click to expand...

The TV Wonder is not a video board, it's a tuner and analog capture board.
It's designed specifically to coexist with the ATI All-In-Wonder boards but
will work with other brands and models of video board.

Since you don't have an All-In-Wonder you might to better to look at one of
the Compro boards, which are a bit cheaper than the TV Wonder and use a
newer and better chip.

In general with current versions of Windows you can have several video
boards in the machine, as to how to how one goes about it, you install the
board and drivers and then tell the OS what you want displayed where. The
only trick is getting the drivers for the two or more boards to not fight
each other. That's not generally an issue with capture boards though.
 
Mike said:
The ATI TV Wonder Pro card has TV channel capabilities
and is $64. It uses a PCI slot of which I have one left. I'm guessing
that my current AGP slot video card [can't open the machine now to
recall what GeForce model it is] is better and it has software to
change things without a reboot.
My question is this: Can a computer run two video cards? If so,
any idea how one goes about it? Is it straightforward or tricky?

Thanks in advance
Mike
Click to expand...
Hey Mike,
yeah man you can put 2 in it as long as you have
resources for it,, mainly a free irq and possibly a dma number
free-open for it, using the monitor out and the tv out on my single
card, they both use the same irq dma and stuff, but i wouldnt know in
your case having two seperate cards,,, i dunno if they can use the
same system settings,, but if you have free resources then its pretty
straight forward ,, be sure to notice the first two or three screens
that popup when you start installing driver/software for your new
card, there maybe a couple new ones your not ust to and id hate for
you to click yes/ok and bleep past important info because of the
second card, its easy Mike, GO 4 it,, of corse i already know you had
couple hours since ur response so its prolly already done :) later

knott_head
 
I don't know what OS you're using, but when I ran Win98 I used 2 video cards
all the time for dual displays on my CAD system. As far as I know, you could
run at least 3 cards, maybe more. At the time, one of the cards had to be
one off the "list" of secondary cards that would work. So I could run an AGP
TNT/Ultra and a PCI Trident card, for example. It could be that eventually
the "list" disappeared and all cards would work, but I'm not sure. I haven't
done it for a while and never tried it with W2K, but I don't know why it
wouldn't work.

Gary
 
I do. I use a Radeon 64 DDR VIVO (7200) agp and a Xpert98 pci.

The biggest problem is ATI's stupid installation routines do not examine the
installed hardware as well as they should. Specifically,

I have to NOT have the Xpert in the system when installing the Radeon
software. The install basically balks and can't seem to find the Radeon (for
most versions of their installation routine), obviously stopping after
looking at the Xpert on the pci bus. The odd version that will install just
screws the VIVO features over as it clearly is looking at the Xpert and
determines no VIVO and is basically too stupid to look further at the Radeon
and do it properly.

After the Radeon's working properly (VIVO included) I then put the Xpert in
the system. I then copy the ati files that are in system (etc.) to a temp
location. I then install only the Xpert's driver with any duplicate files
being KEPT and not allow being overwritten..

I then have to manually examine files and undo the over-writes to the
control panel files the Xpert's install corrupted.

It usually works after that but only with specific driver sets. I've not
been able to get any MMC8.x to work regarding VIVO with 7.7 being the only
"reliable" package for me.

I should note that even after it's all working there's still one irritation
under 98se but not under XP that I can't "bypass".

Under 98SE if both displays are enabled upon boot, the Properties Sheet page
hides the Displays tab (even though in registry it says it should be
displayed). This means I can't easily and directly control the TV-Out
enabled/disabled. I have to boot with the Xpert disabled to retain that
specific tab. Odd that the Tab remains even if I then enable the Xpert after
booting.

If anyone knows how I can overcome the above, PLEASE let me know.

Also, under 98SE, if I have TV-In going and try to access the Properties
pages, I crash big time. Always have with every version of their drivers
I've tried so far. Again, I assume it's their detection logic sees the Xpert
and then becomes totally screwed as it doesn't have any "VIVO" but yet it's
there off the Radeon.

As I said, clearly the problem is their incomplete examinination of all the
installed hardware during their installation and at run-time also under at
least one circumstance.

Updating drivers is a bitch and if I can ever get my hands on an old TNT2
(pci) or similar.the Xpert's out of here as I figure the drivers wouldn't
then clash so badly.

Mike W said:
The ATI TV Wonder Pro card has TV channel capabilities
and is $64. It uses a PCI slot of which I have one left. I'm guessing
that my current AGP slot video card [can't open the machine now to
recall what GeForce model it is] is better and it has software to
change things without a reboot.
My question is this: Can a computer run two video cards? If so,
any idea how one goes about it? Is it straightforward or tricky?

Thanks in advance
Mike
Click to expand...
 
According to J. Clarke said:
Since you don't have an All-In-Wonder you might to better to look at
one of the Compro boards, which are a bit cheaper than the TV Wonder
and use a newer and better chip.
Click to expand...

This is not correct. The TV Wonder can be used with an All-in-Wonder card for
picture-in-picture. However, since AIW cards already have a tuner, the TV
Wonder is primarily for people /without/ an All-in-Wonder who want to add a
tuner to their existing video capabilities.
 
Back
Top