Integrated VGA = no adaptor card?

[Sal Amie]

This may sound a bit dumb but of a motherboard has integrated VGA
graphics then is there a socket on the board to plug in the monitor?

Or do I still need to have a PCI card to connect the monitor? If so,
then it seems pointless as I may as well get a motherboard without
VGA and add a very cheap graphics card.

Can someone advise me please.

 

[Chippy²]

This may sound a bit dumb but of a motherboard has integrated VGA
graphics then is there a socket on the board to plug in the monitor?

Ok, I'll bite. Yes.

 

[Jim Howes]

This may sound a bit dumb but of a motherboard has integrated VGA
graphics then is there a socket on the board to plug in the monitor?

Yes, either:
A) In place of one of the serial ports on the ATX backplane
B) A ribbon cable which connects to a D15 connector on a mounting
bracket (to go into an unused slot) (This was common with AT boards,
but isn't so common on ATX boards)
or
C) Somewhere else. Typically the board will come with a replacement ATX
backplane cover that matches it's non-standard port layout.

Or do I still need to have a PCI card to connect the monitor? If so,
then it seems pointless as I may as well get a motherboard without
VGA and add a very cheap graphics card.

No.

Integrated VGA, and to a lesser extent, integrated audio[1], are fine if
you plan on using the system for typical 'user' tasks. If you are
planning on playing games requiring 3D graphics cards, you will probably
find that the integrated graphics are not up to the job, and you need an
AGP (not PCI) card that supports DirectX version (something) and/or
OpenGL. Such cards vary from cheap (£25+) to ridiculously expensive.

You might want to look at a motherboard that has integrated VGA 'for
now', but also has an AGP slot for you to expand into in the future.

Everything said, it's pretty much a case of trying to predict what will
happen over the lifespan of that machine. I tend to build myself a new
box every three years or so.

Jim

[1]Integrated audio is usually fine and dandy, especially if it includes
a digital output with more than two channels (so you can plug it into
your dolby digital neighbour-irritating-and-oblitterating device).
However, your needs may be different (You might be seriously into
multi-channel music composition/mixing, or need some specialised hardware).

 

[DaveW]

The motherboard will have a VGA port.

 

[Ron Bean]

Integrated VGA, and to a lesser extent, integrated audio[1], are fine if
you plan on using the system for typical 'user' tasks.

Everything said, it's pretty much a case of trying to predict what will
happen over the lifespan of that machine. I tend to build myself a new
box every three years or so.

I bought integrated video/lan/etc to save slots for future use
(audio falls under "etc", I would have left it out if it hadn't
been included). They keep reducing the number of slots on
"standard" motherboards, and I like to have a couple of free ones
for whatever comes along. Most cases seem to have space for seven
slots but you'd have to search to find a motherboard with that many.

In this case it was a good thing, since SiS screwed up their USB
ports and I had to add a USB card to replace the ones on the
motherboard. I also needed a SCSI card to support an old scanner.
If you like multi-headed displays, you need one slot per video
card.

But then a lot of devices are now USB (including ethernet
adapters) so maybe slots are less important than they used to be.
Back in the day, I bought an extra-tall tower case so I'd have
room for whatever came along-- which turned out to be nothing.
Stuff just keeps getting smaller. I wanted to reserve a slot for
a firewire card, but at this point I don't think I'll ever need
one.

 

[JT]

I bought integrated video/lan/etc to save slots for future use
(audio falls under "etc", I would have left it out if it hadn't
been included). They keep reducing the number of slots on
"standard" motherboards, and I like to have a couple of free ones
for whatever comes along. Most cases seem to have space for seven
slots but you'd have to search to find a motherboard with that many.

In this case it was a good thing, since SiS screwed up their USB
ports and I had to add a USB card to replace the ones on the
motherboard. I also needed a SCSI card to support an old scanner.
If you like multi-headed displays, you need one slot per video
card.

Lots of multihead video cards out there. Most companies ship a dual head
card version. Matrox has a triple headed video card in their permedia line.
Don't need one slot per display.

JT

 

[Kez]

Lots of multihead video cards out there. Most companies ship a dual head
card version. Matrox has a triple headed video card in their permedia line.
Don't need one slot per display.

JT

matrox also do a four headed card

paul @ www.itdealers.co.uk has one for £60

2 x DVI outputs, and 2 X analogue

 

[Tony A.]

[...]

card version. Matrox has a triple headed video card in their permedia line.
Don't need one slot per display.

You mean Parhelia. Permedia was a 3D Labs graphics chip from way back I
think.

Tony

 

[JT]

[...]

card version. Matrox has a triple headed video card in their permedia line.
Don't need one slot per display.

You mean Parhelia. Permedia was a 3D Labs graphics chip from way back I
think.

Tony

Right. Thanks for the correction. Caffeine level to low when I posted

JT