Want to set up 3 monitors, have questions.

[GVSS]

Hello all,

I am trying to set up a three monitor system with my desktop.

I currently have an Nvidia GeForce 7300 se card installed running two monitors. I want the third monitor to be my HDTV to use when I stream movies from netflix and tv shows from Hulu ect.

All 3 monitors will never be used at the same time, i.e. - two monitors on desk for work and such, HDTV used by itself when watching movies, ect.

My mobo has built in VGA that is being bypassed with the Nvidia card.

Can I use the built in video and the Nvidia card at the same time to power the three monitors? Can I use a splitter from one of the 2 outputs on the card to power all three monitors? Do I have to get another graphics card to make it all work?

Any advice is appreciated, and aplogies if this question has been posted before. I searched the forums without any luck.

Thanks,
GVSS

 

[foothead]

Well, you may or may not be able to enable the onboard vga (thats what I'm doing right now) Go through the BIOS and look for a setting that asks whick graphics processor to init first, and change it from auto to PCI express/onboard and that should work (assuming it has the option) If not you will have to buy a second graphics card, and for that we will need either your motherboard model or the model number of your computer.

 

[GVSS]

If I have to add another graphics card, can I mix agp and pci, or PCIe and pci cards from the same manufacturer?

Thanks
-GVSS

 

[lhuser]

Yes, but AGP and PCI-E won't. PCI and PCI-E, will do, but if you're intending it on gaming...forget it.

You'll need an SLI/Crossfire ready system and a 2nd GPU.

 

[GVSS]

Originally posted by lhuser
Yes, but AGP and PCI-E won't. PCI and PCI-E, will do, but if you're intending it on gaming...forget it.

Not planning on gaming at all. The combo would either be PCIe and PCI or AGP and PCI. Would either or both of those combinations be compatible with a multi card setup?

Thanks
-GVSS

 

[foothead]

yes they would but PCI card are pretty horrible for anything but basic desktop use.

Make sure you don't have a second PCI express slot before you buy PCI.

Did the onboard not work?

 

[GVSS]

onboard didn't have the option. The default was set as the internal, but when I connect a monitor to that vga port i get nothing.

The combo is pci express (that slot is currently being used by the Nvidia card now) and two available pci slots.

Not using it for gaming at all, just want to be able to use my two monitors when i'm working and use the HDTV as the third display and not have to always fiddle with the cables and unplug/plug in the other monitor when I want to stream a movie/tv show.

thanks for the help

-GVSS