seeking multi-monitor advise

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by tr51, Jan 20, 2008.

  1. gnome

    gnome

    NOT funny! If you'd FUBAR'd your sysem, you wouldn't be laughing.


    LOL...:D
     
    #31     Feb 21, 2008
  2. Remember the 440 didn't work for me either. All my monitors were black when I booted up. T3400. We assumed something wrong with the card.

    OldTrader
     
    #32     Feb 22, 2008
  3. gnome

    gnome

    I think NVS dualheads are a better solution anyway.... cost and all.
     
    #33     Feb 22, 2008
  4. Gnome,

    There is no "second" video card driver.
    The latest NVidia driver for the 8600 GTS PCI-Express card is the same for the GeForce 6200 series as well. You can check the NVidia website to confirm, or ask an NVidia tech as I did.
     
    #34     Feb 22, 2008
  5. At this point, it is quite possible that with the "newer" motherboards there is an interest in not allowing additional PCI slot graphics cards because of the rather large disparity in bandwidth, speed, specs, etc., as compared to what is running in most everyone's PCI-Express (16x) slot.

    One way for me to find out for sure is to simply install the GeForce 6200 PCI-slot card without my GeForce 8600 GTS PCI-Express card installed.

    In any event, I have heard that the only way around this is to purchase a PCI-Express (1x) card. Unfortunately, there is currently not much made for this slot at this time.

    I most likely will have to take a look at the PNY Quadro-4 NVS 290 card for the PCI-Express (1x) slot. It will give me the opportunity to support a 3rd monitor.

    They are $150 at NewEgg.

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133211
     
    #35     Feb 22, 2008
  6. gnome

    gnome

    I was thinking in terms of a 3rd party card... one based on Nvidia graphics engine, but made by someone else.. Like "XFX GeForce 6200", where "XFX" is the 3rd party. They almost always have their own driver and it's a bit different from others.
     
    #36     Feb 22, 2008
  7. gnome

    gnome

    Trying to deduce here... both of your cards are ones which intend to be the "primary" video card... and because of this, they may be in conflict.

    Your first point about "mobo not allowing PCI graphics cards"... is probably NOT correct.

    Suggestion:

    1. Get a Nvidia Quadro NVS 280 PCI card off of eBay (about $30) and install with your 8600. A few ETers have said the 280 works just fine with Geforce Cards. The drivers are different for GeForce and NVS, so be prepared to try each separately.

    2. If that doesn't work, replace your 8600 with an NVS 285 PCIEx16 card.

    You're running WinXP, right?

    Please keep us posted on what you tried that didn't work as well as what did.
     
    #37     Feb 22, 2008
  8. Yes, I am running Windows XP Pro.

    I just spoke to a tech at Nvidia and they are telling me that I will not be able to run a Quadro4 NVS290 PCI-Express 1x card with the 8600 GTS PCI-Express 16x card. I think that there reasoning behind this is that these cards require different drivers due to their use ( gaming vs business ) being so different. But, I am really starting to wonder if these techs at NVidia really know what they are doing, given what you say about some configurations running fine with GeForce and Quadra PCI slot cards.

    In fact, they (NVidia) cannot understand why I am unable to run a GeForce 6200 in the PCI-slot along with the GeForce 8600 GTS in the PCI-Express 16x slot. They continue to maintain that these 2 cards are indeed COMPATIBLE, and that I should be able to run both of these cards simultaneously to support 3 monitors.
     
    #38     Feb 22, 2008
  9. Again, one of the only things left to try is to simply install the 6200 PCI-slot card without the 8600 GTS PCI-Express card and to see if the computer finally boots up.

    If power comes on ( and the card works), then I know that the PCI-slots are good on the mobo, and that the card is in good shape. I also learn that there is INDEED an issue of compatibility with the 8600 GTS PCI-Express card, regardless of what the techs at NVidia have continually asserted to me over the phone on several different occasions.

    If power doesn't come on, then I really haven't learned anything new, because it's really quite hard to fathom at this point that I would have yet another "dead" 6200 card from eVGA ( I am on my second ) or that the PCI-slots on the mobo could be "dead".

    I believe that people with Dell XPS machines have been running 3 monitors. Hard to believe that this would not be the case with a Vostro-400 which uses the G33 chipset and is supporting an Intel E6850 microprocessor at 3.0 GHz. and a 1333 FSB.
     
    #39     Feb 22, 2008
  10. I believe that the only way that these ETers have been able to make such a configuration work is because they have not been using the GeForce "8" series with the Quadro NVS cards that you speak of.

    In fact, Nvidia says that the Quadro NVS cards are NOT compatible with the "8" series.
     
    #40     Feb 22, 2008