I build all my own boxes from scratch and have used video configurations similar to the ones you are working with. I use Asus and Mach speed motherboards in general and have had little difficulties with undamaged components. The Dell Vostro 400 has a foxconn motherboard (so it has been suggested to me) and I have seen some compatibility issue between some of these boards and the chipsets on the NVS video cards. If you r "tech" fellow replaces it with the same board it will be interesting to see if the problem persists. Good luck.
Understood. I believe you are correct, it is a Foxconn motherboard. But I am not trying to use Nvidia NVS chipsets; only the GeForce series, which Nvidia says are in fact compatible. I shall find out more come Monday afternoon. Stay tuned!
Sadly, it appears that many of the newer Dell motherboards no longer support installing an additional PCI-slot type graphics card. It is a LIMITATION of the Foxconn "G33" motherboard. Looks like I will be investing in some big ass 24" displays in order to get the screen space that I want. Seems to be my only option at this point.
You can still use Nvidia Quadro NVS 285/290 and 280 PCI... That should have been first choice all along. Oops... better hold off on this for a bit... till we get some response from the board..
Like what Gnome said above, can't you use a nvs 290 pci express x1 card in congunction with the geforce pci express x16? Don't you have both slots to use or am i mistaken here where one slot would be disabled when the other is in use(this would not make sense though)? edit: ok i see where you thought of this initially. my thought here is if you run both a geforce and nvs is to use the nvs drivers. some people actually use the nvs drivers for their geforce cards since alot of the gpu's are the same(i did it on an older geforce card to enable some features). just a suggestion. otherwise that sucks for you. I was planning on getting a vostro and doing the same as you ....but not anymore.
Again, it appears that the PCI-Express 16x slot winds-up disabling everthing else. So no, you cannot even use the x1 slot for an x1 card like an NVS-290. This really sucks.
Bummer about the x1 slot... What do you mean "disabling everything else"? From other additional video cards? (You should be able to install a modem or other PCI device...)
You could easily have 6 monitors... 2 on the PCIEx16 card of the Vostro, and 4 monitors on the 8300... the 8300 is not restricted like the new mobos apparently are.
True. But I am now told that I am unable to "log-in" to my remote trading software application TWICE. This prevents me from running my trading platform via 2 separate computers. The only realistic way around this is to sign-up with Realtick ( or one of the other charting application companies ) and put all of my charting on the separate computer. That will be another $200 per month.