3 monitor setup (Please help)

I just bought a Gateway DX4860 - UB21P. It's an Intel i5 processor, Windows 7, w/ a 300w power supply, has a built in Intel HD Graphics 2000. I have 3 monitors with VGA cables (two Asus VH197 LED monitors and 1 AOC, dont know model number). Unfortunitly I only have 1 PCI Express 2.0 slot on my mobo. Does anyone know what kind of graphics card I need to run 3 monitors? I'm only doing business programs like Quickbooks, this isn't for gaming. I noticed that most graphics cards have DVI slots and I'm not sure if the 2 Asus monitors can use DVI cables. If I need adaptors I need to know if I need passive[b] or [b]active.[/b][/b]

I've tried ATI Radeon HD 5450 that has DVI, VGA, and Disploy port but I could not get all three monitors to work, only 2 at a time.

On my previous pc I had an Intel PIII w/ Windows XP, a built in graphics chip and I used an AGP graphics card from Galaxy with 2 VGA ports. I was able to use the built in graphics chip and the video card at the same time with all 3 monitors and it worked fine.

for eyefinity, 2 card needs to be conneected via DVI and the middle 3rd must be with display port.


Question: what are u gonna use it for ?

here you go kman

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102938

this card will do 3 monitors really well for your apps....and here is a displayport adapter

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814999030

after hooking all this up......activate them in your control panel using the "extend this desktop" option in the display options......

good luck

badtaylor: I checked out the video card you posted, I like it but a couple questions. Since the 3 monitors that I have are VGA how would I hook 1 of them up to the display port? When I bought the ATI Radeon 5450 (returned it of course) I used a VGA to DVI adaptor and piggy backed that into the DVI to Active Display port adaptor and It didnt work. Is it possible to hook up a monitor w/ a VGA connection into a display port? If it is possible then I would need an adaptor for each port on that card and by using an adaptor for each port could it still operate all 3 monitors?

greghome: here is a link for the Asus monitors http://www.asus.com/Display/LCD_Mo [...] ifications or http://www.all-monitors.com/monito [...] sus_vh197d

From reading the specifications, they are VGA only..... None of the monitors that I have are DVI or Display Port. They are VGA only. I know theres a VGA to DVI adaptor but what about the display port adaptor?


If it helps the link below is the PC that I bought. In the specs under Available Expansion slots shows 2 PCI Express x1, 1 PCI Express x16. I was pretty upset when I realized that theres only 1 PCI Express x16 slot on the mobo. I've seen video cards for PCI Express x1 but the variety is extremely slim. There are only 5 on Newegg.com and I dont know if 2 or 3 can work at the same time.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Gatewa [...] Id=2632043

well, then u'll have to grab a flex card then..........
the 3rd monitor will always have to be digital, so HDMI to VGA is more common than display port to VGA, plus the other 2 can just suck output outta VGA or DVi-VGA.

One more thing: Never buy PCs from best buy, or any stores for that matter.......go ,DIY

Here's the cheapest Flex card.,
Sapphire HD5670 Flex

Almost all AMD DX11 GPU cards can do 3 monitor on one card, but they require the use of the display port output, however since ur monitors are all old stuff, u cant use the display port output, partly because I've never seen or heard of a display port-VGA adapter.


Sapphire Flex cards do not require the above said criteria, Eyefinity can be set up with them by using the HDMI instead of display port, considering HDMI-VGA should technically be easier to find

I'm surprised they don't have dvi connectors. My 2004 LCD has both dvi and VGA. I've never done this myself but apparently for lower resolution some passive adapters work, but I've never tried sine all my monitors use dvi. Some feedback how it turns Out will be greatly appreciated.

Hey can i use the Sapphire Flex 5670 With a DVI / VGA and HDMI. I already have the HDMI wires ran thru the wall, and really don't want to untie and re-run wires. I have 3 Monitors i am using for work. Nothing fancy, One display need to what serquirty camera via internet, the other screen will be for emailing, third for internet browsing.

So I goes my question is, Can I use this card for what I need ? and do I need to buy any adapters. I would like to use HDMI and either 2 DVI or 1 DVI/1 VGA thanks

I wish I had seen this thread earlier. For non gaming buisiness purposes a Jaton Quad is your best bet for running more than 2 screens on a single card.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 814139037R

No, just regular old PCI.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814139055

That one is PCI-E.

I wonder though, is it not possible to use your integrated graphics and the PCI-E card at the same time? Can you enable them both from bios and have the card you got (5670) run 2 monitors and the integrated graphics run the other one?

It works with some, while not with others. On my AMD board for exmaple I can use my integrated with a dedicated GPU. Not much need for it though since I already own an eyefinity ready card. So point being, it will depend on your motherboard.

I've actually been MIA from the whole setup for a while because it's my brothers pc that I was setting up and he ran out of money. Anyway I haven't set up the third monitor yet but it is possible and I'll tell you how. The only problem I ran into is that there aren't any HDMI to VGA adapters (just converters and they aren't cheap), BUT I did find several solutions and I posted the link below under Monitor 2. The settings are easy to configure since the software that came with the vid card is pretty user friendly.

I still have the Sapphire Flex 5670 HD installed and used:

Monitor 1 (middle)
Display Port to VGA Adapter:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6812270279

Monitor 2 (left) <---below is a link that show's 4 adapters that'll probably work, but I haven't tested one yet. I plan on picking up one of those and setting it up this week. I'll post the results.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/52342203/adaptors.jpg


Monitor 3 (right)
I used the adapter that came with the video card. Link below is what it looks like.
DVI-I to VGA Adaptor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6812119041

Awesome, thanks kman...I will review the above post today

And I have not procured my third monitor.

I currently have two DELL 2007FP 20" and a NVIDIA GeForce GT 520 Display Adapter.

The monitors I have are Dell™ UltraSharp™ 2007FP 20.1-inch Flat Panel LCD Monitor - Dell site says "digital (DVI-D) capabilities" and Video Input = DVI which I connect both to a single Y-cable into my video card.

*** CORRECTION *** That was my old Dell system setup...with my Gateway, I have one monitor connected via DVI (white) and the other VGA (blue).

What would you recommend...and can I have a larger middle monitor with the two 20"'s on the sides? Or is it a distraction? I am sure another 20"-er is fine, but perhaps a larger central viewing area would be nice...as long as it is not a distraction moving from one to the other.

Thanks for your advice...it is much appreciated.

easyA

I have the desktop expanded