Video card for dual monitors?

I'm using a Dell with the standard on-board video. I do no gaming whatsoever, so this has been fine. Since I got my 24" widescreen from I-Deal, I think I want to start running a dual set up.

What's a good video card for me? Like I said, the extent of what I do is web browsing, and some web design. DVI or VGA out is fine. I would like if it had an S-Video out also, but that's not a deal-breaker.

Is this doable for under $50?

very doable.

Assuming you PC is a few years old, it will still use the older AGP interface.

In any case, there are a plethora of options for under $50, with s-video.

I like this one- its among the cheapest, but does not have a fan, so it should be quiet.

http//www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814127181

Mike

I've got a eVGA 6200, which often sells for around $50. Nice for the price.

It's probably about 2 years old, so I'm not sure if that means it would still have an AGP interface. I got it from the Freepay (Gratis, at the time) desktop computer site.

do you want dual vga or dvi monitors?

edit nm i just re read your post...


which one of these connectors look like your slot?

http//www.edvblogger.de/wp-content/uploads/2006/08/pic-agp-pcie-cards.jpg

and here are some good deals on various cards

.(AGP).

Diamond S120 Radeon 9550 / 256MB DDR / AGP 8x / DVI / VGA / TV Out ($39.99)
http//www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2145957&CatId=0

PNY Verto GeForce 5200 / 256MB DDR / AGP 8x / Dual VGA / TV Out ($54.99)
http//www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2148784&CatId=0


.(PCI-E).

HIS Radeon X300SE HyperMemory / 128MB DDR / Supporting 512MB with Hypermemory / PCI Express / DVI / VGA / TV Out ($44.99)
http//www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2448031&CatId=0

Connect3D Radeon X300se / 128MB DDR / PCI Express / VGA / DVI / TV Out / Video Card with FREE Tenomichi Editing Software - a $50 USD Value ($49.99)
http//www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1086167&CatId=0

Hope that helps...

Thanks for the help, everyone D

Now I can sell my Mac Mini, so I can use my PC for video streaming instead.

When I get home tonight, I'll take a picture of the inside of my PC. Would someone mind identifying for me what kind of slot I have?

Also, will I need to disable my onboard video, once I get the new card installed?

Post your mobo (or pc) model number. A Google will then reveal the slot type. (Likely still AGP)

I'm unsure if you need to disable on board video in the BIOS. When I insert a AGP card into my old Gateway, it just recognizes it as the display adapter, and disables the on board one automatically. I think I had to set it manually for old PCI video cards (non-express).

[quoteee8775fd5d="Tholek"]Post your mobo (or pc) model number. A Google will then reveal the slot type. (Likely still AGP)

I'm unsure if you need to disable on board video in the BIOS. When I insert a AGP card into my old Gateway, it just recognizes it as the display adapter, and disables the on board one automatically. I think I had to set it manually for old PCI video cards (non-express).[/quoteee8775fd5d]

It's a Dell Dimension from the FreeDesktopPCs site, received about 2 years ago. Does that help? ?

Mrrph. They updated that a couple of times. Can you read the number on the front or back?

It's a Dimension 4700

http//reviews.cnet.com/Dell_Dimension_4700_for_Home/4505-3118_7-31292625.html

It's PCI-E, apparently, although "4700" is more of a "series" model number. The number on the back is probably more specific.

I'm burning a DVD right now, but once it's done, I'll turn the case around and see what the number is.

In the meantime, can someone direct me to some decent PCI-E cards that match what I'm looking for? The two that dudeextrem2000 recommended are unavailable for purchase now (

[quote973836cfd6="Tholek"]http//reviews.cnet.com/Dell_Dimension_4700_for_Home/4505-3118_7-31292625.html

It's PCI-E, apparently, although "4700" is more of a "series" model number. The number on the back is probably more specific.[/quote973836cfd6]

The 4700 is PCI-e, I'm using one as a HTPC and have the stock ATI x300 in there, which supports dual monitors I think (DVI and VGA).

Well, I'm no longer going to run dualies. I just want something with DVI, and S-video out.

As a side note - is it possible to have my video going through my DVI and S-video out at the same time? I imagine having a widescreen monitor would cause a problem.

The x300 (which costs about $10 on eBay these days) supports both DVI and S-Video. If you're not gaming, I can't imagine you'd a more expensive card. I have no idea, however, whether it will support simultaneous outputs.

Nvidia cards will usually support output via both TV and PC outputs simultaneously -- at least it seems to be pretty common on Linux with people using them for MythTV cards. I haven't tried on a Windows PC to see if the drivers support it, but they probably do.

Clarifications..

I'm now looking for a video card that can drive two separate monitors at once - one being my TV (via S-video output), and the other being my actual widescreen monitor.

I want to use my current desktop PC for streaming video once and a while - certainly not enough to get a dedicated HTPC, but enough that it's worth spending money on a video card to make it easy.

Can someone point me towards some models of video cards that will do this for me? Or better yet, am I going down the wrong path? What would be the best way to accomplish my goal?

I want to play videos on my TV, but still be able to use my regular monitor at the same time.

After doing some reading and thinking..

What if I have two video cards in my system - one driving the S-video output, the other driving the VGI/DVI output. Could I then have output sent to both my TV and widescreen monitor simultaneously?

Do video cards exist that do output to DVI and S-video simultaneously, with different resolutions on each? Sorry for all the questions, but it seems the more I read up on it, the more confused I get.

Yes, Nvidia cards support the TV-Out as a secondary display, so they can run independent resolutions just like a 2nd monitor. However if you have a card with dual VGA/DVI outputs and a TV-Out, you have to choose between either the TV-Out or 2nd PC connection for the secondary display -- you can't have 3 outputs from one card.

I can't speak to the ATI cards because I've not tried to use one for dual-display.

[quote592ff7c09e="dmorris68"]Yes, Nvidia cards support the TV-Out as a secondary display, so they can run independent resolutions just like a 2nd monitor. However if you have a card with dual VGA/DVI outputs and a TV-Out, you have to choose between either the TV-Out or 2nd PC connection for the secondary display -- you can't have 3 outputs from one card.

I can't speak to the ATI cards because I've not tried to use one for dual-display.[/quote592ff7c09e]

Perfect, thanks so much for your help. I want to have the DVI running to my monitor, and S-video to the TV -- no need to use the 3rd connection.

Got any recommendations on a specific Nvidia card? I've been on the Nvidia site this morning, and I'm not sure what will meet my needs without being overkill.

If you're not into much gaming, you should be able to find a cheap (<$50) 6200 card that should fit the bill nicely. I have an MSI 6200AX AGP in my MythTV box that does HDTV component out as well as Svideo and composite, and I think I paid $60 for it a year ago.

Newegg has a selection of 6200's[=http//www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?SrchInDesc=6200&Page=1&Category=38&N=2010380048+106790703&Submit=ENE&Nty=1&Subcategory=48]selection of 6200's in both AGP and PCIe for under $40.

If you wanted to support some semi-serious gaming, you could step up to a 6600/6800 card for $20-$40 more.

I love my 6200. I'm a light gamer, and it does me fine. No noise either. (Fanless)

Any thoughts on this card?

http//www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814141034

Would I see a noticeable difference between S-video and Component, seeing as it's going to just be on a Standard Def TV?

I forgot to bring this up earlier, but are there some issues with cards that use a ribbon cable to connect to the second port? I thought I read something about that. It was one of the reasons I got the eVGA one.

Tholek - assuming I use the DVI and S-Video ports on the card that I just linked to, would I be alright?

Just when I thought I knew what card I wanted, you throw a monkey wrench into it ;)

Assuming what I raised is an actual known issue, then I think you'd still be ok. I'm not 100% certain that it [i8f08991632]is[/i8f08991632] an issue, though. It was just something I read when shopping for my own 6200.

I was really hoping the oracle, I mean dmorris, would have posted by now with the answer. ;)

I've had cards with the ribbon cables connecting the 2nd connector, and never had a problem. In fact I think the 6200 in my HTPC is like that. Of course if you're not using the 2nd DVI connector then it wouldn't be an issue anyway.

Thanks for all your help and patience, everybody. I ordered my video card. Here's hoping the rest is easy ;)