Adding more video cards?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Richard Cavell
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Richard Cavell

Hi,

I want to know how to add video cards (and therefore increase my screen
real estate, etc). Is it as simple as plugging them in and installing
the drivers? Does Windows XP know how to just take care of any
arbitrary number of cards? Is there an upper limit? If any two video
cards work on their own, will they work together?
 
Richard said:
Hi,

I want to know how to add video cards (and therefore increase my screen
real estate, etc). Is it as simple as plugging them in and installing
the drivers? Does Windows XP know how to just take care of any
arbitrary number of cards? Is there an upper limit? If any two video
cards work on their own, will they work together?
Click to expand...

If you don't use more than one monitor there's not a lot of point in
having more than one video card. If you have on board video and would
prefer a better resolution etc then you need to know if you have an
AGP slot free. If so you then need to get an AGP card which suits your
system. They must be inserted correctly into the slot and if there's a
little catch or such on the board to lock it in lace best do that too.
The drivers SHOULD take care of the rest as long as the card is
securely sat in place.

If you don't have an AGP slot free you then need to look around for a
decent PCI video card. You have more PCI slots available (usually) but
I'm not sure how advanced PCI cards are now as AGP is the preferred
one.

If you would like to have your computer linked with your tv you need a
video card which also has a tv out... and you can also buy them with a
built in tv tuner.

It would probably help to know just what sort of system you have and
what you're hoping to gain.
 
If you don't use more than one monitor there's not a lot of point in
having more than one video card.
Click to expand...

Yeah, well I'm suggesting using one monitor for each video card.
It would probably help to know just what sort of system you have and
what you're hoping to gain.
Click to expand...

What I'm hoping to gain, quite simply, is double or triple the desktop
space. I'm aware of the "dual-head" options but I want to simply buy a
$20 obsolete PCI card to drive the second monitor - or indeed a third.
 
Richard said:
Yeah, well I'm suggesting using one monitor for each video card.


What I'm hoping to gain, quite simply, is double or triple the desktop
space. I'm aware of the "dual-head" options but I want to simply buy a
$20 obsolete PCI card to drive the second monitor - or indeed a third.
Click to expand...

I'm not too sure how it would work out driver wise... but thinking
hard (now an easy activity at 9.am) I seem to recall some twin output
PCI cards....

quick search (you might have to cut and paste the addresses

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-139-144&depa=0
http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/radeon7500pci.html
http://www.superwarehouse.com/Jaton...0_128MB_Video_Card/VIDEO-228PCI-TWIN/p/338804

You'll love the prices on these ones!
http://www.superwarehouse.com/PCI_Video_Cards/c3/2860

Some cards available are mac, which is not what you want and I can't
help you on price as I'm in the UK, I have no idea who is cheapest...
You could try ebay.

When we ran a PCI card it warned about making sure drivers were
removed before installing another card as they may conflict but I
think you can have an agp and a pci together, which is how
accelerators used to work. Maybe someone a little more knowledgeable
than me could help here?
 
I read somewhere that it would be preferable to have same make and model, so
there wouldn't be any driver problems.
I've also read about using dual-heads, that the limit is with nine monitors,
the tenth wouldn't work.??


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Yeah, well I'm suggesting using one monitor for each video card.


What I'm hoping to gain, quite simply, is double or triple the desktop
space. I'm aware of the "dual-head" options but I want to simply buy a
$20 obsolete PCI card to drive the second monitor - or indeed a third.
Click to expand...

Make sure the card is supported as a secondary video adapter before
buying it:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307397
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;296538
 
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