need to add video card

  • Thread starter Thread starter liv_rong
  • Start date Start date
liv_rong

liv_rong

Knows very little
I am going to purchase another LCD but I need to get a new video card with two VGA outs to acheive this. I do not know anything about them, and I also do not know all that much about computers in general.

If I get a new video card will it be PCI or does it go somewhere else all together? My computer has integrated video, so I am pretty sure its part of the motherboard.

If to add a new video card that is PCI, then I have another problem. My computer only has two slots, and both are being taken at the moment by a firewire card and a wireless internet card(soon to be ethernet again).

So am I basically screwed?? Is there any way I can run dual monitors with what I have going now??

And I know I shouldnt be running interent on my audio machine, but I need to. I just disable it when doing audio work. I will not remove that card from my computer.

Please give a grasshoper some guidance:)

Thanks
 
do you not have any video slots? an older mobo might have an AGP slot, while a newer one probably has PCIe. you are going to be very limited with a standard PCI video card, low performance at a premium price. but since you dont have slots available, this is a non-issue.

if you dont have a video slot, you might consider a new motherboard.

what are your system specs now?

you can download cpu-z for system specs:
http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

and gpu-z for graphics specs:
http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/

a
 
thanks for the fast reply!

I have a newer Dell, a year old almost to the day.
-centrino duo core 2.79 Ghz
-1 gig RAM
-140GB HD

I am not sure about video slots. I guess Ill have to take a look once I get home.
 
oic. thought we were dealing with a desktop. this will further complicate things. how about posting the model # of your computer?
a
 
it is a desktop

dell dimension E520

i checked and the VGA out on the back is connected to the motherboard.

what does a video card slot look like??

should I snap a pic of the inside for better assistance??

thanks thus far
 
ok... you threw me with the centrino stuff (which it isnt). it looks like the e520 has a PCIe slot. basically, even the cheapest PCIe x16 cards are going to offer dual monitor support, though you will probably need an adapter for dual VGA, as most come with at least one DVI output.

at the low-end, something like this:
$19.99 after mir!
dont plan on playing any recent games.

quite a bit nicer:
$100
should handle most newer games at a respectable resolution.

and super-high-end:
bring yer wallet
would be severely bottlenecked by your computer.

as you see, you have literally hundreds of options. and dont be afraid of a low-end card if you dont game, watch hi-def video, etc. my web-surfer has an FX-5200 256MB card (in its day, mid-level at best), and it performs beautifully in that role.

a
 
yeah, sorry about throwing you off haha, like i said i dont know much about computers, i know enough to get me by, then I forget what I actually have. It is Intel....oops:rolleyes:

I will only be using it for audio production nad such, so I do not need a high end one I guess. But I do know that I want maximum resolution for both monitors.

thanks again:D
 
hey, I just checked out those links. Why does the second output look different then the other? How would I hook the other monitor to that? Sorry for my ignorance:(
 
hey, I just checked out those links. Why does the second output look different then the other? How would I hook the other monitor to that? Sorry for my ignorance:(
that is what i was referring to above. that is DVI. you will need one of these to run two VGA monitors.
a
 
Graphics cards quite often come with a DVI to VGA adaptor these days anyway.
 
Back
Top