HELP ! with graphic cards (multiple monitors)

Discussion in 'Computers and Technology' started by singapore, May 14, 2010.

  1. singapore

    singapore Level III

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    Hi all..

    so, i need to have a 3 monitor display platform. all operating from a single CPU..

    it have to be compatible with windows 7.

    so far i only know of 1 100% way to do this.
    A Matrox TripleHead2Go.

    i have read online that it is possible to use 2 different graphic cards to do this 3 monitor thing. however, i do not know how to do this..

    i currently already have a XP OS that have this 3 monitor display thing. I am using the Matrox P750. but this graphic card is not compatible with windows 7..

    so..any help?
     
  2. tharoux

    tharoux Level IV

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    Nvidia P750 ?
    Sure you're not talking about a Matrox Mil. P750 ?
    Cause there's driver for windows 7 if you're talking about the later.

    Edit: another way to achieve more than 2 monitors is to use a 2 X output card and one el-cheapo PCI card.
    Windows is nice enough to understand what you're trying to do and will sort everything for you.
     
  3. singapore

    singapore Level III

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    hmm..i think u saw wrong Thar..i did put matrox..(nah, the edit was for a fullstop and not for changing the nvidia to matrox)..



    LOL! thanks for pointing that out..made the changes to my post already..yeah it is a Matrox card..

    just discovered smth this afternoon..the problem isn't the compatibilty with windows 7..its the graphic card itself..the motherboard on the new CPU (the one that have the windows 7 OS) has a PCI slot whereas the older CPU (the one that already have everything) is a AGP slot..that is why i can't use the Matrox P750 for the new CPU..

    about what u said on the 2nd part, how do i do that?
    My current MB only has a single PCI slot.

    (PS:sorry for the lack of detailed information as i am still getting to know some of the hardware for this school project of mine.)
     
  4. tharoux

    tharoux Level IV

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    Ok, so the problem is that new board have PCI-X and not AGP anymore.
    Forget about the card, it's impossible to fit it.
    And some of the new board don't have spare PCI so you'll have to find a 3 X output PCI-X card.
    If you do have a spare PCI port, you'll just need a card and the drivers for windows 7.

    What is the board name and model ?

    A quick google:
     
  5. singapore

    singapore Level III

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    the Matrox P750 has only 2 output (both DVI output) but i have this white adapter that allows me to split and connect to 2 VGA monitors. the other output is also using a adapter to connect it to a VGA monitor.

    about the model of the mother board, i think i can only tell u nx wed/thurs i think. the CPU is in sch :D and i won't be going to that rm till nx week:S..

    yeah, did check the MB today and ya it only has one PCI slot so i think the 3rd option will have to be left out.

    checked the hd 5870 out, seems like a pretty good solution. would like to keep my budget to the bare minimum and so far i think the hd 5870 is the best option.
     
  6. tharoux

    tharoux Level IV

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    Personnaly, I'm running an ATI HD4850 (a bit less than the 5870 XD) and it's my 4th ATI card. They do the job pretty well and they are truly kicking some ass regarding multi monitors setup.

    Granted, the card ain't cheap, but this card will do everything you need. With my current system (Dual Core 3.0 Ghz Cpu, 2gb ram + HD4850) I can run any game on my LCD 37" at 1920X1080 (1080p) with all the settings maxed out (AA at 16X). You can't go wrong with them.
     
  7. gimmickation

    gimmickation Newbie

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    The 5870, the 5850, and the 5770 should all get the job done. They all support eyefinity and could deal with 3 monitors no problem. If you aren't going to be doing any serious gaming I'd go with the 5770 - great card for the price.
     
  8. singapore

    singapore Level III

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    opps. sorry didn't see your reply for this..erm..by 5770 u meant from nvidia or matrox? and do u noe if its compatible with windows 7?
     
  9. tharoux

    tharoux Level IV

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    his talking about ATI ;)
     
  10. singapore

    singapore Level III

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    ok thanks a mil !

    but..it seems that those graphics card that u guys have mentioned are almost all for gaming purposes but i do not need to have it for gaming purposes..and having a gaming purpose graphic card will only increase the cost of it..

    so..any graphic cards that can support 3 monitors and is REALLY cheap? :D

    the ATI 5770 costs around USD 170..a tad too expensive for me:(..
     
  11. tharoux

    tharoux Level IV

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    You NEED a powerfull card to run 3 monitors ;)
    If the card is not strong enough, you'll end up like this:
    One monitor will have full power to play all the 3D and animation and the other 2 will barely be able to play a youtube video. That's the problem I had with my ATI 9600XT at the time.
     
  12. battledome

    battledome Level I

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    Would it even let you render 3 different things at once? I'm not sure if eyefinity solved this problem, but if you run 2 monitors and one has a full screen game, the other monitor won't have any interaction, and clicking it will tab out of the game. I currently have a 5770, and I know this is definitely a problem of mine that no driver has been able to fix. Also, you should note that if you want an eyefinity setup with the one card, one of the monitors will have to be run off display port. The adapters aren't cheap (relative to other video adapters) and will cost around $10 to $15 for a generic one.
     
  13. singapore

    singapore Level III

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    sorry for the gravedig mods but kinda need to post this here so that the others can see and reply to this :)

    eh, i asked around and yeah any card with the eyefinity will solve this problem..however, i need a higher power supply now. that will be solved by my groupmate :) thanks for all your help guys.

    btw, saw the triplehead2go and dualhead2go on youtube, its really really simple way of getting 2 or 3 monitors..just basic plug and play..the price is really steep though.