Upgrade to 3 monitors

  • Thread starter Thread starter Martin
  • Start date Start date
M

Martin

Hi

I want to upgrade from my present 2 monitor setup to a 3 monitor setup
and am wondering what the best option is.

My motherboard is an Asus M4A88T-M/USB3 with an AMD x6 1055T CPU, and
i currently have a PCI Express x16 Radeon 4350 video card.
The 4350 has HDMI, DVI and VGA outputs but can only power 2 monitors
at a time on those 3 outputs.
So i have 1 monitor on HDMI and 1 on DVI and it works perfectly.

The motherboard has 2 PCI Express x 1 slots (both free) and a PCI slot
which is also free.
I've ordered a new monitor and it has HDMI, DVI and VGA inputs.

Originally i thought i'd simply buy a PCI video card but after some
research it sems that i'll not get a (cheap) PCI video card to work
with Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit or if it works then i'll lose the aero
desktop features.

PCI Express x1 video cards are expensive and it looks like my best
option is to get a new PCI Express x16 video card - an ATI that
supports EyeFinity - and a DisplayPort to VGA adaptor so i can run a
third monitor from it.

Is that the most cost effective option i have?

Has anyone got any construcive suggestions?

Thanks.

Martin.
 
In message
<[email protected]>
Martin said:
Hi

I want to upgrade from my present 2 monitor setup to a 3 monitor setup
and am wondering what the best option is.

My motherboard is an Asus M4A88T-M/USB3 with an AMD x6 1055T CPU, and
i currently have a PCI Express x16 Radeon 4350 video card.
The 4350 has HDMI, DVI and VGA outputs but can only power 2 monitors
at a time on those 3 outputs.
So i have 1 monitor on HDMI and 1 on DVI and it works perfectly.

The motherboard has 2 PCI Express x 1 slots (both free) and a PCI slot
which is also free.
I've ordered a new monitor and it has HDMI, DVI and VGA inputs.

Originally i thought i'd simply buy a PCI video card but after some
research it sems that i'll not get a (cheap) PCI video card to work
with Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit or if it works then i'll lose the aero
desktop features.

PCI Express x1 video cards are expensive and it looks like my best
option is to get a new PCI Express x16 video card - an ATI that
supports EyeFinity - and a DisplayPort to VGA adaptor so i can run a
third monitor from it.

Is that the most cost effective option i have?
Click to expand...

I just recently picked up a
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102906 and am
running three monitors (two DVI and one HDMI) off the same card.

I bought mine within the last month but it's already marked as
discontinued from NewEgg.ca. However, it's likely similar exists.
 
Martin said:
Hi

I want to upgrade from my present 2 monitor setup to a 3 monitor setup
and am wondering what the best option is.

My motherboard is an Asus M4A88T-M/USB3 with an AMD x6 1055T CPU, and
i currently have a PCI Express x16 Radeon 4350 video card.
The 4350 has HDMI, DVI and VGA outputs but can only power 2 monitors
at a time on those 3 outputs.
So i have 1 monitor on HDMI and 1 on DVI and it works perfectly.

The motherboard has 2 PCI Express x 1 slots (both free) and a PCI slot
which is also free.
I've ordered a new monitor and it has HDMI, DVI and VGA inputs.

Originally i thought i'd simply buy a PCI video card but after some
research it sems that i'll not get a (cheap) PCI video card to work
with Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit or if it works then i'll lose the aero
desktop features.

PCI Express x1 video cards are expensive and it looks like my best
option is to get a new PCI Express x16 video card - an ATI that
supports EyeFinity - and a DisplayPort to VGA adaptor so i can run a
third monitor from it.

Is that the most cost effective option i have?

Has anyone got any construcive suggestions?

Thanks.

Martin.
Click to expand...

What are you trying to accomplish????

If you need ultimate speed, you're stuck.
But, you may be able to get by with any video card
that supports directX9 and pixelshader2. At the time
I looked there were many cheap ones available, but
I was looking for AGP.

If you don't need ultimate speed, think outside the box.
There exist usb devices that connect to a display
and provide additional video outputs. I have zero direct experience,
but this might be a place for someone who has one to chime in.

There's also a software option called zonescreen.
It makes your third,or more, virtual screen show up on a different networked
computer. And that second computer provides significant extra
horsepower if you have a lot of background stuff running.
In my case, I had a second $20 used computer sitting here that I used
for experiments. Simple matter of software to have an extra display
on my main machine when I needed it.
The cost of the second used computer was way less than it would have
cost me to buy a more capable video card. But you also have to
figure in the cost of electricity to run it.

If you run the second computer independently, there are programs
like VNC that can extend your keyboard and mouse seamlessly to the
second computer.

This also offers other advantages since it's networked.
You can run your stock ticker on a display in the other room
so you don't have to miss doing business while "you do your business".

I haven't looked lately, but I did download zonescreen that claimed
to be vista compatible...probably works on in Win7. The thing I don't
know is if the capabilities of the second display system can cause
the main system to revert back from the Aero features. I turn off
that resource hog, giant steaming bucket of eye candy anyway.

A lot depends on what you're trying to accomplish.
 
What are you trying to accomplish????

If you need ultimate speed, you're stuck.
But, you may be able to get by with any video card
that supports directX9 and pixelshader2.  At the time
I looked there were many cheap ones available, but
I was looking for AGP.

If you don't need ultimate speed, think outside the box.
There exist usb devices that connect to a display
and provide additional video outputs. I have zero direct experience,
but this might be a place for someone who has one to chime in.

There's also a software option called zonescreen.
It makes your third,or more, virtual screen show up on a different networked
computer.  And that second computer provides significant extra
horsepower if you have a lot of background stuff running.
In my case, I had a second $20 used computer sitting here that I used
for experiments.  Simple matter of software to have an extra display
on my main machine when I needed it.
The cost of the second used computer was way less than it would have
cost me to buy a more capable video card.  But you also have to
figure in the cost of electricity to run it.

If you run the second computer independently, there are programs
like VNC that can extend your keyboard and mouse seamlessly to the
second computer.

This also offers other advantages since it's networked.
You can run your stock ticker on a display in the other room
so you don't have to miss doing business while "you do your business".

I haven't looked lately, but I did download zonescreen that claimed
to be vista compatible...probably works on in Win7.  The thing I don't
know is if the capabilities of the second display system can cause
the main system to revert back from the Aero features.  I turn off
that resource hog, giant steaming bucket of eye candy anyway.

A lot depends on what you're trying to accomplish.
Click to expand...

Hi and thanks for the replies.

I didn't realise that i could get a card such as that SAPPHIRE
100283FLEX Radeon HD 5770 and run three monitors with no DisplayPort
adaptor required.

I've had a search through some UK online shops and it's tricky to know
from the details what cards have this functionality - i shall keep
searching though as that looks to me to be the best option.

As for my exact requirements - gaming speed isn't one of them.

One of my existing monitors has a rotate stand so i can position it
portrait instead of landscape style and my plan is to have that
monitor in portrait mode and the other two in lanscape mode.
That's for web development where the portrait orientation shows large
screens of code much better.

Other than that i use the PC for browsing and similar activities so
don't need any real high performance video card.

I have MaxiVista software that can use a monitor on a networked PC as
a virtual second monitor but don't want the hassle of running a second
PC purely as a MaxiVista second monitor.

I think i'll search more for the best value Radeon that supports 3
monitors without a DisplayPort adaptor...

Martin.
 
Hi and thanks for the replies.

I didn't realise that i could get a card such as that SAPPHIRE
100283FLEX Radeon HD 5770 and run three monitors with no DisplayPort
adaptor required.

I've had a search through some UK online shops and it's tricky to know
from the details what cards have this functionality - i shall keep
searching though as that looks to me to be the best option.

As for my exact requirements - gaming speed isn't one of them.

One of my existing monitors has a rotate stand so i can position it
portrait instead of landscape style and my plan is to have that
monitor in portrait mode and the other two in lanscape mode.
That's for web development where the portrait orientation shows large
screens of code much better.

Other than that i use the PC for browsing and similar activities so
don't need any real high performance video card.

I have MaxiVista software that can use a monitor on a networked PC as
a virtual second monitor but don't want the hassle of running a second
PC purely as a MaxiVista second monitor.

I think i'll search more for the best value Radeon that supports 3
monitors without a DisplayPort adaptor...

Martin.
Click to expand...

And to answer my own question i have two choices:

Get a Sapphire Flex series card or a standard Radeon DisplayPort
capable card and an active DisplayPort to VGA adaptor.

A cheaper DisplayPort card and adaptor costs much the same as the
Sapphire Flex cards so i've ordered the SAPPHIRE TECHNOLOGY Radeon HD
5770 FleX.

Martin.
 
In message
<[email protected]>
Martin said:
A cheaper DisplayPort card and adaptor costs much the same as the
Sapphire Flex cards so i've ordered the SAPPHIRE TECHNOLOGY Radeon HD
5770 FleX.
Click to expand...

Hope the card treats you well.

Mine does, unless I use mouse trails (I know, I know... But I like the
shortest possible mousetrails when I'm trying to find my mouse across
three 24" or larger monitors), with mouse trails enabled then not only
does the mouse stutter but so does video 1080p video playback on one
monitor while using the mouse and applications on another monitor.

Aside from that, the card has treated me well in the month or so I've
had it.

Oh, also if your card is the same as mine, you might need an HDMI cable
too, grab one from monoprice.com rather than spending dozens or hundreds
more from a local shop :)
 
In message <[email protected]> Darklight
you might want to look at a sli motherboard where you can
use two grahipcs card i have an old m2n-sli duluse
Click to expand...

Well to start with, I'm not the one asking for help here.

More importantly, replacing a motherboard and two video cards (or maybe
one, if a matching pair to the existing one can be found) would be far
more expensive than popping in one of these cards.
 
Replacing a motherboard and two video cards is far more expensive than
just this one card.
 
In message <[email protected]> DevilsPGD
Replacing a motherboard and two video cards is far more expensive than
just this one card.
Click to expand...

Gah, sorry about the double-post, had a draft open and I fat-fingered
it. Cancel sent (for all the good it will do)
 
In message <[email protected]> Darklight


Well to start with, I'm not the one asking for help here.

More importantly, replacing a motherboard and two video cards (or maybe
one, if a matching pair to the existing one can be found) would be far
more expensive than popping in one of these cards.
Click to expand...

EXACTLY that's why i went for the Sapphire Flex card.

Martin.
 
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