Six monitor setup - Gaming vs. Non-Gaming $

[atlantic]

Thanks for a great forum and expertise.

Recently, I purchased new components for an office PC.

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with Upgraded USB 3.0
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

ASRock 970 EXTREME4 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157262

(X4) CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233218

AMD FX-8350 Vishera 4.0GHz (4.2GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 125W Eight-Core Desktop Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113284

Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371030

I installed two Nvidia Geforce 8800 GT 1GB with SLI bridge (I had them from another computer). They each have dual DVI outputs.
http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-8800-gt/specifications

At this point, I am utilizing three outputs to three 24" monitors.

I would like to add an additional three monitors to this configuration and need to know everyone's opinion on the best course of action.

The motherboard has three PCI Express ports 8x8x4.

Could I continue to use the two cards with SLI and simply add an additional card to utilize all six monitors at 1920x1080? Is SLI required for multi-monitor setups?

Basically, I really just want to be able to have several windows open on different screens for web design, virtual machines, etc. I do not plan on gaming... Unless there is an alternative card configuration solution that would be cost effective.

My budget for the cards is around $300.

Thanks in advance!

 

[atlantic]

By the way, I also realize I may need a more powerful power supply. Please comment on this as well.

 

[blazorthon]

I think that you'll have to update your graphics to get more displays. Some AMD cards can run six displays on their own and all of them can run at least three AFAIK, so it wouldn't be an issue to get six displays with however much performance you want. I you want to stick with Nvidia, then you're practically stuck with needing two cards to get six displays AFAIK, still not an issue.

Upgrading your PSU won't be necessary if you don't go way overkill in your upgrade, but it wouldn't be unreasonable.

If you want strictly Nvidia suggestions, I think that two GTX 650 cards if you want an upgrade in performance over your current cards. They can be had for around $200-250 altogether. More of an upgrade would be two GTX 650 Ti cards if you want more performance.

 

[atlantic]

I am not apposed to replacing the NVIDIA 8800GT cards I installed. I simply used them because I had them. I wasn't sure if I could add an additional 2 DVI port card without complications.

Any advise on AMD replacement cards to get six outputs? One of the monitors is DVI only, but the other 5 have HDMI and DVI.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236102

 

[blazorthon]

Sorry I'm so late to reply

It seems that the supply of cheap AMD cards with six display outputs has been exhausted. The best that I can find support up to four display and there are a few options from both AMD and Nvidia with such functionality.