How do I run 4 Monitors or more? 3

[jdunderhill]

Hi

I am looking for a solution to get a Core 2 Duo Desktop PC to handle spanning across 3 or more displays (Haven't bought this PC yet but have been looking at systems with at least one PCI Express slot)

I would like the ability to drag an app\window across all the displays and drop it on the desired display to display as full screen so that effectively the system is an extended desktop where you can see multiple apps all at the same time

Just wondered if there is any video cards that would handle 4 displays? and whether you could have 2 of these video cards in one system to make up 8 displays!

If not...

I have seen some setups where 2 video cards with dual dvi are used that would work for four but I am stuck on what pairings would work because I think I would end up buying a PCI Express card and a PCI?

Any advice is greatly appreciated as I know very little about video cards

Regards

Jamie

 

[jdunderhill]

Sorry I forgot to ask what is the least expensive way of achieivng a 4 monitor setup?

Regards

Jamie

 

[BadBigBen]

In my opinion, getting a mainboard with two PCIe 16x ports, and two PCIe graphics cards, would be your best option...


Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[vacunita]

I agree with Ben.

If you are starting form the ground, why start putting obstacles.

Get a motherboard that has at least 2 PCIe x16 ports and then look for PCIe Video cards that can handle multiple outputs.


Nvidia has the Quadro which can handle up to 4 displays each.

http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_quadro_nvs_450_us.html

Just build the machine around it. Get two of them to drive 8 displays.




----------------------------------
Phil AKA Vacunita
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Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

 

[jdunderhill]

Thanks very much for your suggestions. I have seen plenty of motherboards that have 1 PCI Express x16 slot but not many with z PCI Express x16 slots

To confuse matters I have also seen boards with 1 PCI Express x16 slot and 2 PCI Express x1 slots!!

Is it possible to run 2 video cards, once using a PCI Express x16 slot and the other using a PCI Express x1 slot to drive upto 8 monitors? (I only ask as there are some decent core 2 duo systems that fall within my budget!)

Regards

Jamie

 

[vacunita]

It comes down to the drivers. I would assume it to be possible, but personally I've never attempted it so can't make any guarantees. Though I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't work.

As long as both Video cards are recognized in Windows it should be possible.

The only issue I see with that, is that there aren't that many PCIe x1 video cards. And even less, if any, that will support 4 displays. The best you can hope for is 2 displays. And even then they are likely to be VGA outputs instead of DVI. Or 1 one of each.
So you'll end up with just 6 displays 2 of which will be of lesser quality then the other 4.





----------------------------------
Phil AKA Vacunita
----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

 

[Grenage]

You'll want/need a board with two PCIe slots, and need to settle for four outputs.

My desk currently has 8 monitors, but the only way I could get that config to work was by using several machines and Synergy.

"We can categorically state that we have not released man-eating badgers into the area" - Major Mike Shearer

 

[jdunderhill]

Thanks for all of the suggestions so far, lots of different ideas coming together. The main issue I have is that I have got to put together a system initially on a low budget to get a new busines off the ground

This system I am putting together is for my uncle and he plans to do day trading and needs at least 4 monitors\displays

For scaleability I am looking at adding a solution to provide upto 8 displays for the future and I am thinking either 2 x quad output graphics cards or 3 or 4 dual dvi graphics cards

I am thinking a decent dual core machine will do the job for about £300 max (excluding the graphics cards and monitors)

I have noticed that Desktops that fall in the £300 price range only have 1 PCI Express X16 slot but some do have 2 or 3 PCI Express x1 slots

I have seen a card with some potential, it is a PCI Express x 1 card that will handle 4 monitors:

nVidia Quadro NVS 440 Quad Output PCI-E-x1

Could I use two of these Graphics cards in a system to handle 8 displays, this is assuming I buy a mobo with at least 2 x PCI Express X1 slots?

Regards

Jamie

 

[Grenage]

It should work, using two of those cards; XP does support 8-10 monitors.

It might also be worth taking a look at these sorts of offerings:

http://www.cinemassivedisplays.com/spectrum.php

"We can categorically state that we have not released man-eating badgers into the area" - Major Mike Shearer

 

[jdunderhill]

Excellent, I think I will end up buying 2 x Quad PCI 1x Graphics cards and put them into a middle range Core 2 Duo system that will handle both of the cards then that should give 8 monitors

Thanks everyone

 

[vacunita]

Yup, that sounds right. Had not noticed that there was a PCIe x1 version of the card that could handle 4 displays.

2 of those should be good enough.

You want to look into the power supply for the machine make sure it can spare the power. As you'll need, to be on the safe side, 100 watts to power both cards. Make sure the power supply in the machine can handle that and the other components.






----------------------------------
Phil AKA Vacunita
----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

 

[SimonDavies]

Umm why not simply go for a Matrox Quad? you have a single card that allows you to feed 4 monitors at the same time.

http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/products/graphics_cards/qid_series/

They are easy to use, fairly powerful (you don't mention what you want them for) and don't have as much energy requirements as some of the newer Nvidia or Ati cards.

Simon

The real world is not about exam scores, it's about ability.

 

[cdogg]

Jamie,
It really boils down to the type of apps that will be running on the workstation. If none are CAD-like intensive that require you to manipulate high-resolution images, then the NVS line of cards will be fine for you. I recommend comparing prices with the NVS 420 and 450 which are more powerful than the 440 offering more memory and higher resolutions (2560 x 1600).


If you do plan on working with high-resolution images, then you may want to consider the Quadro FX series which give you that added horsepower. For a lot of the high-res imaging I've worked with, the FX 1700 and 3700 have worked nicely. I believe the current model you'd probably want to look at in this line is the FX 1800. The downside to the FX series is that they only support two displays (so that might not fall within your price range). Where I work we typically have 4 to 6 monitor setups that have cards in the PCIe x16, x4, and x1 slots.


Good luck!

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Einstein
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[cdogg]

Simon,
I used to be a big fan of Matrox cards years ago, especially when they were one of the first to offer mainstream video cards that supported 3 displays (Parhelia-512 in 2002). They also led the pack back then with their RT.x10 and RT.x100 models for video creation with Adobe Premiere.

Over the last few years, however, they've seem to fall off in the number of products aimed at the everyday consumer. While they still have great products for areas like Medical Imaging, most are high-end or extreme high-end. The QID products you reference above are also more expensive than ATI and Nvidia solutions, not to mentioned outdated (from 2005). The QID LP PCIe costs anywhere from $600 - $700 at places that I've looked, only has 128MB of regular DDR memory, and a low max resolution of 1600 x 1200. For the price, it certainly isn't worth that now IMHO.

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Einstein
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