Seems some ETers have tried to run the NVS 440 and/or 2 video cards on the Vostro... but the mobo isn't cooperating. Anybody using the above to run 3 or 4 monitors?
gnome, who is having a prob with this? I was thinking of purchasing this exact setup cause I can get it with XP, and its pretty cheap. Is there dedicated graphics on the mobo? I've rarely heard of a mobo not running multiple monitors if they are of the same type (cards, not monitors). Jay
Yeah, that's the common sense. However there have been at least 2 fellas I've tried to help get set up but no joy. Dell has even said, "won't work"... Apparently the mobo/chipset is prohibiting the use of more than one video card. And yes, it does have onboard video... which if you've read my stuff before, I've cautioned against getting such a computer if one intends to run multi-card rigs. (On some mobos with onboard video you can disable the onboard and run 2 video cards... but apparently not on the Vostro.) Unless a few ET'ers chime in and say they are running quads or dualheads on Vostro, I suggest you look to the Dell Precision T3400. It has a much better mobo anyway. If you want cheap, check out the Dell Business Outlet... just a few minutes ago I saw a T3400, 2GB of RAM, but only E4400 CPU, + NVS 290 dualhead (but that's plenty powerful enough for trading)... for $589
I bought the vostro 400 with the nvadia card. It was the higher end card. 8600 gts I believe. I just put a nvadia geforce 5200 pci card in. It was a pain but it is working fine. I am running 3 monitors. John
What was "pain" about it? Driver something? The 5200 comes in many varieties... is yours the dual DVI?
Dell has had low end and high end systems all along. The T3400 is like mid-high, and well priced. I was surprised when I saw what they are offering and at what price.
Wow, where have you been the last week when I could have used your input? I tried putting in an eVGA GeForce 6200 PCI card into my brand new Dell Vostro-400 and I couldn't even get the computer to power "on" . . . It didn't matter if the integrated video was disabled, or if current nVidia drivers were used. The computer still would not power "on". In the meantime, I have run into a couple of other Dell computer users over in a Dell Community Forum that have had the exact same issues with GeForce 6200 cards. Strangely enough, I was told by nVidia that the FX-5500 and the FX-6200 were compatible with my 8600 GTS PCI-Express card that came on my Dell Vostro. ( they all use the same driver ). I sent the computer back, and am now seriously looking at the Precision T3400, which is not all that expensive, yet comes with 2 PCI-Express slots, a choice of two power supplies that are much stronger than the 300w unit in the Vostro, and more flexibility overall.
No mine is the cheap $50 card. Two vga and one s-video. http://www.nvidia.com/page/fx_5200.html Pain was the computer would not recognize the card. I had a friend to it for me. He said drivers on nvadia site were a problem. Dell has their drivers for cards. Maybe that would be the better place to get them. I was at Frye's and didn't know what slots the Vostro came with but I knew it had to have pci slot so I bought that card. John