Nvidia NVS 440 vs 285

Hi, I just wanted everyones opinion on this subject. If i plan to have 4 monitors would it be best to just get the 440? Or is it better to get the 285 and a 280 (or the 285 x1 version)combo?

What are the benefits of each? I know with the 440 everything connected to it will have the benefit of being PCI-E x16 as opposed to the 285 combo. What are your thoughts?

Thankyou.

Larry

 

Functionally, there should be no difference, but the 285 PCIEx16 + 280 PCI will be much less costly... try picking them up on eBay... used is OK, too.... just make sure you get the cables with the card. Lots of eBay sellers separate the cable and card sale to increase profits.

 

If you get a dual PCIX X 16 MOBO then you can get two 285 pci-e x 16 for cheaper than the 440 with just as good performance.

 

2 x nvs285 is fine, nvs440 is for more monitor dense systems for people with 8-12 monitors or more

 

I'm using 2 x 285 on PCIe slots; they are fine for a quad-screen setup.

 

Thanks for the replies everyone. I just had 1 final question, assuming i go the 2x nvs 285 pcie x16 cards. How much of a benefit is it to run both on a motherboard that supports (2) pci e x16/x16 at the same time as opposed to pcie x8/x8?

There are some motherboards that if you put 2 x16 cards in, they will both run at x8/x8. While there are others (more expensive) that will run both at x16/x16. I would gladly spend the extra money if there is a benefit with the latter solution. But if there is no benefit (even a slight one), i will not spend the extra money.

Once again thankyou for your replies

Larry

 

You're talking about "video bandwidth" here.. and trading apps use VERY little. Spend your extra money on RAM or backup systems.

 

...or another DSL/cable connection as line backup.

 

If Trading applications such as Tradestation use negligable amount of video bandwidth, what is even the benefit of pci e x16 then? So would using a regular pci slot or agp slot have the same performance (trading wise) as pci e x16? Thankyou

Larry

 

I don't use Tradestation, so I don't know how much CPU horsepower it needs... but the video demand for all trading apps is very low. I've used the same software setup for the last 8 years or so, and I can't perceive any difference when using a 4mb PCI card and a more powerful AGP card.

Your best "value" for 4 monitors in a PCIE mobo would likely be something like a NVS 285 + 280 PCI... and you'd sacrifice nothing in video performance for trading.