Monitor question

[Milamber]

Right now, I have an nVidia GeForce MX4000 card running a 19" NEC monitor from the VGA as #1 screen and a 15" LG from the DVI as an extension to #1. I have no idea how I managed with just one before, and now I want to add a third to extend #1 onto the other side as well but am not sure how to go about it at a reasonable price. I can get a USB>VGA thingie but at scary prices (almost as much as the monitor in the first place) but does anyone here have any ideas on how I can (cheaper) run another monitor? The nVidia card is an AGP and I do have onboard VGA not used right now... but it's not active for some reason (maybe the card is keeping it closed off).

Arthur

[SpookyKatt]

Hmmmn, I take it by onboard VGA you mean a VGA chipset on the motherboard

Arthur ?

As far as I know you won't be able to activate this if you have a card in the AGP

slot. You can get Matrox Triplehead devices which will split your video output

to three monitors but they are not cheap.

I'm not sure to be honest how you can get a third output from just using the video

card but hopefully someone will be able to offer more advice.

Kathleen

[pete_gamby]

Usually (always?) the BIOS will not allow you to run the onboard video and the AGP card at the same time.

You should be able to add a PCI card to run the third screen assuming you have a spare slot. Not sure there are many PCI graphics cards left on the market though so you might end up paying as much for a new one as for a USB-VGA adaptor. There's a PNY board on Dabs at around £36, for example. I'd have thought you should be able to get a USB-VGA adaptor for under £50.

However, the auction sites might be a good place to look for a second-hand PCI card. I'd guess you should get one for £10 to £15.

[SpookyKatt]

Good point about using a PCI card pete that should certainly work.

Kathleen

[Milamber]

Sadly, I am running a Cube here, so I've only got one PCI and that has the television in it

Doing without the TV is an option I guess, but paying over £30 isn't so I may look into the ditch TV/get PCI VGA route. Would I still be able to extend the desktop across even though it'd be running on a different card?

Arthur

[Milamber]

Incidentally, the card does have an svideo out option as well as the other two... this is no use at all?

[SpookyKatt]

Would it be worth trying to get a diffterent micro ATX (I presume) motherboard that

would give better options in terms of another PCI slot ? So you can have it all ?

Kathleen

[Milamber]

Not too sure Kat, there's not a whole lot of room in there and only two slots out the back anyway.

Arthur

[SpookyKatt]

Any chance you could post some pictures of inside the pc and the back

of the pc ?

Kathleen

[Milamber]

Hmm - it's one of these:

Epox eX5-320S SFF PC - HotHardware

which tells you much more than I could. I know it's old but so am I! I am running only 1/2Gb RAM and an Athlon 2400 is all.

Arthur

[TheThing]

Ah, you speak in tongues!

[SpookyKatt]

Hmmmmn, I've had a look and to be honest Arthur I'm not sure.

Simplist solution probably would be to swap out the tv card. Although

a more future proof solution might be to buy a cheap barebones PC

and swap over some of the cards, mind you even then you still might

need another graphics card.

Maybe somebody else will able to suggest something.

Kathleen

[pete_gamby]

If your budget is as low as £30 then I really think you're going to struggle :-( A triple head card with TV out too is getting a bit too new to hit that target.

If you're willing to gamble on delivery from Hong Kong, there are USB-VGA adaptors at sub-£30 on an auction site rhyming with Flea Way.

[pete_gamby]

And yes, the PCI card would be added to the total Windows desktop.

[Milamber]

Hi Pete - initially, I was only after firing up the onboard chipset, I don't really need the TV (I already have that card but it's not used much hence it's likely demise) and I don't need a triple head card, if the TV goes then a single would do.

Arthur