Video Card Question

[Jeff]

....perhaps an unusual video card question.

I'm about to order parts for a new business type machine. ...already posted
the specs here a few days ago. ...only 1 question that I still haven't been
able to answer.

I'm looking at a Tyan motherboard. Tomcat n3400b (S2925) for an AMD
processor.

http://www.tyan.com/product_board_detail.aspx?pid=169

I have no need for gaming features like SLI graphics. I already use 2
digital monitors, and will purchase a card that can drive both. I may wish
to add a 3rd monitor in the future and that would require a second video
card.

The Tyan board specs say that it has 1 PCIe x16 (graphic) slot - running at
x16. The board has another slot labelled PCIe x16 (x8 signal). I'm not sure
how precisely to interpret the specs on this second slot and how this will
affect me adding a second video card for the purpose of running a 3rd
monitor if I wish to do so in the future.

If I understand correctly, the second slot is physically able to hold a
modern PCIe x16 video card, but it will not run at the full bandwidth of the
main PCI slot. Alternatively, perhaps this means that I have to get some
type of special x8 video card if I want to run the 3rd monitor off the 2nd
card in this slot.

In either case, does any of this matter for simply running business type
applications and very occasional non-critical video editing?

Thanks in advance

Jeff

 

[tim.dawkings]

...perhaps an unusual video card question.

I'm about to order parts for a new business type machine. ...already posted
the specs here a few days ago. ...only 1 question that I still haven't been
able to answer.

I'm looking at a Tyan motherboard. Tomcat n3400b (S2925) for an AMD
processor.

http://www.tyan.com/product_board_detail.aspx?pid=169

I have no need for gaming features like SLI graphics. I already use 2
digital monitors, and will purchase a card that can drive both. I may wish
to add a 3rd monitor in the future and that would require a second video
card.

The Tyan board specs say that it has 1 PCIe x16 (graphic) slot - running at
x16. The board has another slot labelled PCIe x16 (x8 signal). I'm not sure
how precisely to interpret the specs on this second slot and how this will
affect me adding a second video card for the purpose of running a 3rd
monitor if I wish to do so in the future.

If I understand correctly, the second slot is physically able to hold a
modern PCIe x16 video card, but it will not run at the full bandwidth of the
main PCI slot. Alternatively, perhaps this means that I have to get some
type of special x8 video card if I want to run the 3rd monitor off the 2nd
card in this slot.

In either case, does any of this matter for simply running business type
applications and very occasional non-critical video editing?

Thanks in advance

Jeff

As long as your not 3d gaming or running Windows Vista the speed
difference in the PCI-E slot is not important.

 

[Jeff]

As long as your not 3d gaming or running Windows Vista the speed
difference in the PCI-E slot is not important.

No gaming at all, but I will be running Vista. That 3rd monitor would never
really even be displaying anything other than static content - no video. The
main question is whether a card designed for a regular x16 slot would work
properly in that secondary Tyan slot labelled PCIe x16 (x8speed).

Jeff

 

[Michael Hawes]

No gaming at all, but I will be running Vista. That 3rd monitor would
never really even be displaying anything other than static content - no
video. The main question is whether a card designed for a regular x16 slot
would work properly in that secondary Tyan slot labelled PCIe x16
(x8speed).

Jeff

YES, a standard x16 PCI-E card will fit and work. If you are not gaming, you
will see no difference between x16 and x8 performance. With present top end
cards you will need benchmarks to see a difference.

Mike.

 

[DaveW]

The two video card PCI-E slots are used on that board to drive two identical
video cards in SLI mode so that together the two cards run ONE monitor at
HIGH video output for playing video intensive games.

 

[Jeff]

YES, a standard x16 PCI-E card will fit and work. If you are not gaming,
you will see no difference between x16 and x8 performance. With present
top end cards you will need benchmarks to see a difference.

Mike.

Thanks. I am now hearing something about Vista (but not XP) requiring that
if two cards are used (speaking about to drive 3 monitors here, not for SLI)
they both need to be running the same driver (for the use of the new Aero
features). That obviously won't be a problem if the two cards are identical.
So knowing that the standard x16 will fit and work is helpful.

Jeff