1. You'll just have to add a card and find out. It's up to the BIOS how things will work. 2. With onboard video chip, sounds like you have a "budget" mobo*. If so, every attempt to run 4 monitors will be "trial and error". Some budget mobos won't run a single 4-port video card. Some won't run an x1 video card in the x1 slot. Perhaps somebody will chime in who is running 4-monitors on your same mobo. *Usually 1, x16 slot, 1, x1 slot, and 2 PCI slots + onboard video. If this is what you have, on your next computer go up in quality and get one with at least 2, x16 slots.
These are the specs of my current machine: w/ Core i7 3770 (4 x 3.9GHz CPU-8MB Cache+1150MHz Graphics) Asus P8Z77-V LX Performance Cooling Package 32GB DDR3-1600 PC3-12800 (4 x 8GB Dual Channel) 3TB SATA3-6gb/sec 7200RPM (64MB Cache) Hard Drive Thermaltake - Mid-Tower Case (Black w/ Open Cooling) 850 Watt - Coolmax Power Supply - Quad PCIe 6-Pin Compliant Windows 7 Professional 24x DVD+/-RW Drive Standard - Build, Burn-in, Test & Ship Out in Approx 3 to 5 Business Days To determine what card is being used currently, I went to Device Manger -->Display Adapters--> Intel (R) HD Graphics 4000. So I am guessing right now I have this Intel (R) HD Card 4000. The technician also told me to buy any card that supports PCI EXPRESS 16. I do have open slots. So should i just go ahead and purchase Intel (R) HD Card 4000 and install it? If there is a better alternative option please advise.
"Intel HD Graphics 4000" is onboard CPU video and you likely do not have a dedicated graphics card. I looked up the specs for your mobo. Yours does have 2, x16 slots, so no problem. 1. You could try to run 1 dualhead card and see if the BIOS will let you run 4-monitors with the onboard video. 2. If #1, doesn't work, you can buy a 2nd x16 video card to mount in the other x16 slot. Suggest Nvidia Quadro NVS 295 or NVS 300. They're cheap on eBay, but not fast enough for much in the way of gaming... in case you plan to game on the same machine.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/326557-30-asus-p8z77-multiple-display-support Based on that, looks like if I were to install a dual card, then it would disable my current card which is running perfectly fine. So is this the reason people buy a quad card instead of adding an additional 1 card to support 2 additional monitors?
I doubt there was ever much serious consideration of onboard video being part of any >2 monitor setup... though some support it. Having a video card disable onboard video is a common (though not universal) thing. The entire premise of "onboard video" is cost saving through not having to buy a video card. Once you install a video card, the BIOS presumes you prefer the graphics of the video card... so you don't need the onboard to function any longer. (Besides, seems there might be some additional mobo accommodation/conflict if the video has more than 1 source.) People only NEED a quad card when the constraints of available slots and the number of monitors they want to run limit choices. Dualhead cards are preferable, as Boli explained. And if you ever want to run 6 or 8 monitors, the NVS 295/300s also come in x1 versions for mounting in your x1 slots. If you're going the 2x, dualhead video card route... suggest you buy 3 cards. Always good to have a spare video card for a trading rig.
I guess most of the cards you had mentioned is out of stock http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133275 So my plan is to get 1 card which can handle 4 monitors. This will be in addition to the 2 monitors that I currently have. Also, I will tell the computer repair man not to remove the current card. So i could have 6 monitors in total. I suppose ebay is the only place i can buy this? Thanks again for free advice. This is what i am thinking of buying: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133258 It should support 4 monitors. I already have 2. So i have a 6 monitor super machine.
Actually even this would do for me: NVIDIA Quadro FX 48001.5 GB GDDR3 SDRAM PCI Express Video Card On ebay only 118$
The NVS 420 is a good choice but is expensive. Plus it likely will NOT work with your onboard video, you'll still have only 4 monitors working unless you buy an additional card. The FX4800 is an older, high power and formerly expensive CAD card. It also will likely not work with your onboard video, so after purchasing this card, you will still be able to power only 2 displays. Bottom line.... if you want to run >2 monitors, you have to be prepared to FORGET YOU HAVE ONBOARD VIDEO, as it likely won't work with your new video cards. The best and most economical advice is what I said before... presuming you'll not be gaming on your trading machine.... NVS 295/300. You can get set up to run 6 monitors for $100-ish or less, and no noisy fans. (Not that it matters, but I've had 4-6 monitor rigs for more than a decade... and I currently use 295s. My first 4-monitor rig had 4, single head ATI cards.)
I second what Scat said. If you are buying extra graphics cards, you need to prepare to forgo using the onboard graphics. The Intel 4000 HD is the built-in graphics on your Asus motherboard. There is nonthing for you to tell the computer repainman to "remove". There is no extra card for your current graphics. Once you plug in an external graphics card on the PCIe X16 slots, the onboard graphics (for 2 monitors that you said) will likely be disabled. For the NVS 295 that you cited... "Out of stock". They are older models. Not in current production any more I think. So you won't find them in neweggs or shopping sites that sell brand new, current hardware. You should be able to find them plenty on Ebay. New or used. Scat likes NVS series. I like EVGA 8400 GS. If you want just a no-frills solution. The EVGA 8400 GS 1024MB DDR3 is still a current model, could be bought brand new for about $30: http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Express-Graphics-01G-P3-1302-LR/dp/B0049MPQA4 Simple. They work. For charting (simple graphics application), they are fine. The only thing is the video outputs (1 VGA, 1 DVI or choice of HDMI) - VGA is dated. If your monitor (newer model) doesn't take VGA signal then it won't work.