Ok, so looks like i need either the machine you mention above or basically any machine that's got 2 PCI 16x slots in which I can run 2 NVS 290/295 cards. I use ensign software which does take some power I guess? The issue with the T3500 is that its processor is 1 ghz slower than the precision workstation i'm on now (2.4 vs 3.4 ghz) so I'm concerned about a noticeable different in speed. I'll call HP up again and relay the above to them and see what they say.
The T3500s have CPU speeds from 2.4-3.6GHz. However in a trading rig... once the programs are loaded they mostly run from RAM and only momentarily access the CPU for various functions.... If you're running lots of Tic charts, the CPU is used on every tic. If you're not doing that or running custom indicators where the CPU is used constantly doing calculations, you likely won't be able to tell any speed difference at all. (Verify on your machine by checking your Task Manager after all your trading apps are loaded. If it's very low... say 0-10%, you probably won't see speed difference with faster CPU.. I just checked mine... it's running 1-4% with 4 monitors and various apps.)
Understood re CPU. Here's another thing I was wondering about: take a look at this machine: http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/s...p/psg/desktops/All_desktop_series/p7xt_series it says it's got: 1 PCIe (x16 graphics), 3 PCIe (x1), 1 MiniCard would it be possible to run 2 screens off the 1 PCIe x16 and the other two off the minicard? Note power supply says only 300 watts but maybe its upgradeable.
Mini-card is not for video. You MIGHT be able to run 1, x16 card + 1, x1 card... not many cards made in both x16 and x1 configurations. Personally I wouldn't mess with that risk. If you want to run 4-monitors, plan on a quad-port card or having 2, x16 slots. BTW... not all mobos will run a quad-port card... especially cheap mobos... like this one is. Having "onboard video" chip is a hallmark of an el-cheapo motherboard.
My gut feel is that you're right Scato. Check this out: I talked to tech support (India) and they said that this pavilion p7xt can come with this card: 2GB AMD Radeon HD 7570 [ DVI, HDMI, DP & VGA adapter] and they also said I can run my 4 screens (dell 1905fp dvi/vga ports) on that one card if I use an adapter on the HDMI port. I must have asked them at least 4 times "are you sure this is feasible. have you seen this done before" and the guy answered in affirmative. Do you think they're nuts? What would be the catch to a card like that? overheating? The power supply on the machine is 300w and he said it would be fine for a card like that. Thanks so much for your thoughts, appreciate it.
That's one of the Eyefinity series video cards. Specs indicate it will run 4-monitors. Power draw is 60W. Specs say "400W PSU required". You are in India?
No sir, good ole USA, thank God. wow, so looks like Indian tech support isn't crazy after all, ha. sending you a pm
Cool link to Eyefinity cards: http://www.amd.com/us/products/tech...gy/for-consumers/Pages/what-is-eyefinity.aspx Does anyone know how loud these Radeon cards are for general computing and trading (no gaming)? Like the Radeon HD 6580?
Why keep wanting an AMD card which leans more towards the gamer market, with 4 monitors on one card? The HP box in the opening page has 2 PCIe X16 slots. Just grab 2 cheap EVGA 8400 GS 1GB (dual monitors each) and be done. ~$60 for 2 cards, brand new. If you search for the 512MB model (if available), price is even lower. I have the 8400 GS for 2 years. I expect these cheap cards to go out on my any time... but so far they haven't. 8400 GS is not passive cooling, unfortunately. But the card is so small, they put in a dingy little fan on the heat sink. It's hardly noticeable, size-wise or noise-wise.
Regarding power supply, I have not had any issue with my Dell Precision workstation. I have 4 monitors, and was unaware of the DMS-59 on my Nvidia 290's vs. the "2-DVI" on the ones I mentioned. Thanks to Scat for pointing that out.