Newbie: Problems getting 2x 6450 Graphic cards working in Old Dell 530

[Korucap]

Hi,
I have an old Dell 530: E4600, 4Gb, Vista business, upgraded PSU (475w), Motherboard: ORY007.
Until recently i had a (old) Matrox quad head graphic card in a PCI slot... until the fan ceased on the card and it overheated :-(.
So I did some research as it seemed that i could fit two ATI HD 6450 PCI-e cards on the ORY007 motherboard. One can fits the x16 slot and i thought i could modify the 1x slot (after reading how to do it on a forum) so the longer card would fit.
Note: I just need 4x screens to display stock charts/prices; so its a very low overhead for the graphic cards as there isn't too much moving at once.
Anyway - the first card works a treat (in the 16x slot) but when i try the 6450 in the 1x slot it does not boot up - just beeps six times.
I have tried with or without the first card - same issue. I have also tried to find what the six beeps means; but i am still at a loss.

So i guess my questions are:
1) Can the ORY007 support two HIS 1Gb HD 6450 cards (i have no issue if they run at a slower speed)
2) If yes to 1); what do the beeps mean and how can i get it working?

Many thanks!

 

[Korucap]

Thanks for the reply Greghome: Yes both cards work in the full (16x) slot, so both graphic cards are working.
I guess i have come to the same conclusion; that OEM motherboards are not designed to be this flexible. I just wanted to confirm this before i embarked on a new build.

I have therefore been looking to build a new system. My logic has led me to look for a 1155 socket (i5 or i7) but once again the motherboard is my main issue.
To give me more expansion capability, i want a motherboard with 3x x16 slots, so i could potentially have 3x 6450 cards (two monitors each).

Therefore can anyone confirm that if the motherboard has 3x x16 slots, i can support 3x graphic cards? - I gather the speed might be slower and a Z68 motherboard write up said if i used all 3x slots, it disables some of the other ports like USB 3 etc.
Someone else told me the board would only support 2x graphic cards... so once again i am confused! (the motherboard i have been looking at is a GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3. Thanks in advance...

 

[mavroxur]

Why not just get an Eyefinity card with 5-6 outputs? Like a 6870 or a 6770? Single card solution, and you can get a 6770 5-output card for about $120 on Newegg.

 

[Korucap]

Guys - many thanks for your input. It's given me some options I hadn't thought of. Many thanks.