Need video card for 2 monitor setup

rgbivens · January 13, 2007

So I have a PC with a 2.53 Intel and right now I'm just using one Samsung SyncMaster 940B 19" monitor. And I currently use a GeForce 3 with 128MB of memory.

For christmas I got a matching Samy 19" 940B monitor. Now all I need is a good video card with dual outputs so I can have a dual-screen set up. I've looked around briefly and have read lots of stuff but wanted some other opinions. My mobo doesn't have PCI Express so I'm stuck with an AGP 8X slot.

I really want to keep the video card under $100 for sure. I don't game so I don't need top of the line stuff and I'm not for sure if DVI is 'better' than RGB so I would like some thoughts on that if you have any to share. Pretty much all I do is work in PS and lots of stuff online.

So thoughts, comments, ect...

Thanks,
-Grant

claudermilk · January 15, 2007

With what you use it for, basically any card will do. Just hit Newegg & narrow your search down to AGP video cards. For under $100 it looks like the best youo'll see is one DVI and one analog connection, but there's a whole truckload of options with that. Heck, I was able to get a PCIe dual-DVI 256MB card for all of $130 6 months ago & it's more than enough for PS work.

cmason · January 15, 2007

is it possible to use a PCI card and AGP card at same time? Maybe just get another card to add to what you have?

rgbivens · January 24, 2007

Thanks for your replies guys...

I tried using the onboard connection at the same time as my agp video card and I don't think that works...or maybe I didn't do something right.

Will using one dvi and one analog yield identical looking screens??? Will one be 'better' looking than the other such as the one coming from the dvi port look better than the one coming from the analog rgb port?

-Grant

davemj98 · January 24, 2007

I have used both an AGP computer & card and a PCIe Computer to run my monitors; one is DVI and the other is VGA and if the card supports two then you may have to tweak your settings, but they can run. my card is new enough to support two different resolutions each seperately and the monitors are great; its like a cell phone, if you never had it you think whats the fuss? But once you get it you will never go back. Make sure that you have the latest set of drivers from your cards manufacturer, and then just follow the setup/help menu.
Regards, David

schmoken · January 24, 2007

rgbivens wrote:

I tried using the onboard connection at the same time as my agp video card and I don't think that works...or maybe I didn't do something right.

From what I've seen, all motherboards will disable the onboard video when a seperate video card is installed.

Pupator · January 24, 2007

rgbivens wrote:

Will using one dvi and one analog yield identical looking screens??? Will one be 'better' looking than the other such as the one coming from the dvi port look better than the one coming from the analog rgb port?

-Grant

The DVI screen will be crisper, but any other differences will be because of the monitors and how they are different, not from the connections. I have my largest monitor DVI and do my photo editing on it while my e-mail, browsing window, etc., are up on the analog monitor.

rgbivens · January 25, 2007

Wow, thanks for the picture and all the info guys...this helps me out a lot!

-Grant

LuckyBob · January 25, 2007

schmoken wrote:

From what I've seen, all motherboards will disable the onboard video when a seperate video card is installed.

Depends on the motherboard. If the board has integrated AGP graphics and an AGP expansion slot (which is quite common), the onboard video will be disabled. Conversely, if either the onboard is PCI based and the expansion is AGP (or vice-versa), there's very few motherboards which cannot run both at the same time. PCIe is up in the air, depending on the motherboard's configuration.

rgbivens · January 25, 2007

Ok guys...here are two cards that are fairly close together that I have found that have a lot of high reviews.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductCompare.asp?Category=38&N=2010380048+1069609639+1069009628+1069109630+1068309611&Submit=ENE&Nty=1&Subcategory=48&CompareItemList=N82E16814150107%2CN82E16814170050

Basically the only difference is the FX5500 is 65 cents more, the memory interface is 128-bit (twice that of the 6200), it uses OpenGL 1.5 (6200 uses 2.0), and it has a fan.

Which one would you guys pick from those two?

-Grant

Pupator · January 26, 2007

Between those two, I'd take the 6200, but it simply doesn't matter. All you're looking for is dual-output. You won't be able to find a card of low-enough quality to be a problem for you. 256MB is even overkill, but seems to be the minimum these days.

Also, if you're a windows user, I recommend UltraMon for customizable control of each monitor that far exceeds what Windows can do natively.
http://www.realtimesoft.com/ultramon/

Seeing those prices makes me realize my offer to you was way overpriced though!

rgbivens · January 26, 2007

Thanks for the link to the software! I read through it and it looks pretty cool. 40 bucks for a license seems a little high to me but I guess it would be worth it. I'll prolly demo it when I get my monitors set up eventually.

You mention your offer was high, how much would you come down? Send me a pm.

-Grant

Pupator wrote:

Between those two, I'd take the 6200, but it simply doesn't matter. All you're looking for is dual-output. You won't be able to find a card of low-enough quality to be a problem for you. 256MB is even overkill, but seems to be the minimum these days.

Also, if you're a windows user, I recommend UltraMon for customizable control of each monitor that far exceeds what Windows can do natively.
http://www.realtimesoft.com/ultramon/

Seeing those prices makes me realize my offer to you was way overpriced though!

Pupator · January 26, 2007

Yes, it's very expensive, I agree. Use the demo, and within 14 days you'll be happy to part with the $$ for what you get.

rgbivens · February 3, 2007

Hey guys just wanted to thank everybody for their input. I got my new card yesterday and got everything set up. I got the GeForece 6200.

Here is a super quick shot of my new setup.

-Grant

jdryan3 · February 3, 2007

rgbivens wrote:

Hey guys just wanted to thank everybody for their input. I got my new card yesterday and got everything set up. I got the GeForece 6200.

Here is a super quick shot of my new setup.

-Grant

Sorry I didn't see this thread earlier. I got the GeForce 6200 over a year ago for the same reasons. Works great. I even have the analog connector on a KVM for another PC. Only complaint/comment is the inability to separately assign profiles to each monitor. I use my Dell 24" FPW profile on my older Sony 19" Trinitron (heh - it's close

). Maybe the Ultramon or MS Color Applet will do the trick.

Need video card for 2 monitor setup

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