4 Monitors?

[maxiscool1994]

I am going to build an insane computer soon, and I want to have four monitors on this thing ( two 20 inches, and two 22 inches. ) The problem is, most graphics cards support only two monitors. My question is:

will dual graphics cards allow me to have four monitors? If so, will I need to alter my chipset/motherboard choice?

[nextgenxbox]

4 monitors? JESUS! What are you going to use 4 monitors for?

[maxiscool1994]

video editing, gaming, web design, graphic design, and for all of my damn browser windows. I guess if dual graphics cards would require an exorbitant amount of equipment, I could cut down to two large ones.

[nextgenxbox]

You don't need quad monitors for video editing though.... two 24" monitors = perfect.

[mikec]

hmm, I know of a place that has 55 Avid suites and the editors use one monitor. No, they aren't monster sized displays either. The editors do one thing and they do it very well.

[miner2049er]

To run 4 monitors you would require 2 graphics cards of the same type I think.

You can then use the drivers to arrange the monitors how you want.

i.e. 4 horizontal or a 2x2.

[tokenuser]

I suspect that you are specing an insane system with little thought to how you might use it.

Dual monitors FTW - but once you start getting beyond that unless you are trading stocks or monitoring systems in real time, then you have wasted $1500.

These 20" and 24" monitors you are considering ... what is their resolution? How far back are you going to be sitting from them?

What you are trying to spec is possible, and Windows (and other OS) will support them. You will need multiple graphics cards. Ideally they should be matched ... but keep your receipts, since when they are coupled together graphics cards will often give better performance to a single large monitor (ie allowing it to run at a maximum resolution) rather than allow a bajillion monitors to be run.

[maxiscool1994]

I guess you're right. So, if I get two of the same graphics cards, they will automatically work together on two monitors?

[tokenuser]

I guess you're right. So, if I get two of the same graphics cards, they will automatically work together on two monitors?It comes down to the maximum resolution that a graphics card is capable of driving, as well as the resoluition of the monitors you are considering. For example Samsung make a range of monitors that are 1920x1200 resolution (some with HDMI as well as DVI /w HDCP - something else to consider if you want to playback BluRay to the screen).

The Ati 3000 series cards (http://ati.amd.com/products/hd3000series.html) are capable of resolutions beyond 1080p, and can drive multiple monitors (1 DVI and one on HDMI I think). Not sure about having multiple cards in the machine though - they require PCIe 16x card buses, so you would need a mobo capable of supporting that as well.

[maxiscool1994]

Here is what my build is going to be:


Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price 1 XION II XON-101 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450W Power Supply - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811208005)
Model #: XON-101
Item #: N82E16811208005

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$74.99 $74.99 1 GIGABYTE GA-EP35C-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Dynamic Energy Saver Ultra Durable II Intel Motherboard - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813128082)
Model #: GA-EP35C-DS3R
Item #: N82E16813128082

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$149.99 $149.99 2 SAPPHIRE 100221SR Radeon HD 3870 X2 1GB (512MB x 2) 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814102723)
Model #: 100221SR
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$389.99 $779.98 2 mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996557 - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820146692)
Model #: 996557
Item #: N82E16820146692

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$81.99 $163.98 1 Patriot 2GB 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Laptop Memory Model PSD22G6672S - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820220229)
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Item #: N82E16820220229

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$40.99 $40.99 1 Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822148274)
Model #: ST31000340AS
Item #: N82E16822148274

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$229.99 $229.99 1 Ideazon Merc Stealth Illuminated Gaming Keyboard- ZXP-2000 Black USB Wired Ergonomics - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16823161028)
Model #: ZXP-2000
Item #: N82E16823161028

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$89.99 -$15.00 Instant $74.99 2 Acer P243WAid Black-Silver 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor with HDCP Support - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16824009125)
Model #: ET.FP3WP.001
Item #: N82E16824009125

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$399.99 -$20.00 Instant $759.98 1 LITE-ON 2X Blu-ray Disc Triple DVD Burner Black SATA Model LH-2B1S - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827106037)
Model #: LH-2B1S
Item #: N82E16827106037

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$399.99 -$40.00 Instant $359.99 1 LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model DH-20A4P-04 - OEM (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827106228)
Model #: DH-20A4P-04
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$24.99
I am sure that those graphics cards would be capable of playing back Blu-Ray.

[ArmpitOfDeath]

I am going to build an insane computer soon, and I want to have four monitors on this thing ( two 20 inches, and two 22 inches. ) The problem is, most graphics cards support only two monitors. My question is:

will dual graphics cards allow me to have four monitors? If so, will I need to alter my chipset/motherboard choice?

Well - it depends on what you want. There are single-card 4-monitor solutions available. I use a few of them, and the card I use is the Quadro NVS440. This PCI-E card has two dual headers. The disadvantage is that it's performance is for 2D work only: You won't get screaming gameability out of this system. As others have said, it's for when you're poring over large spreadsheets, trading stocks, etc.

Another alternative is getting hold of a board like the Asus P5W64 WS Pro. I also have a couple of these lying around and they support 4 PCI-E display adapters, although not all at x16.

If you're a gamer and you intend to SLI, you can only use one monitor - so make that the biggest possible. Once again big depends on how far away from the screen you're going to be but the highest resolution large monitor you can generally buy is the 30".

[maxiscool1994]

Would the two video cards I picked work together? Or should I just go with one 1gb card?

However it ends up, i want my two 24" monitors.

[thear]

You didn't list a CPU and power supply.


XION II XON-101 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450W Power Supply - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811208005)


That case is ugly, buy a Lian-Li or Antec case instead.


GIGABYTE GA-EP35C-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Dynamic Energy Saver Ultra Durable II Intel Motherboard - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813128082)


Only one PCI Express x16 slot.

[maxiscool1994]

I changed a few things around. I changed the motherboard to one that has two PCI express ports, and that can handle 8gb of DDR3. Here is what the new list looks like. Please tell me if anything won't work/other suggestions.


Qty. Product Description Unit Price Savings Total Price 1 SIGMA La Vie LBYWBP Leather Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811226014)
Model #: La Vie LBYWBP
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$89.99 -$20.00 Instant $69.99 1 EVGA 132-CK-NF79-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI DDR3 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813188025)
Model #: 132-CK-NF79-A1
Item #: N82E16813188025

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$349.99 -$10.00 Instant $339.99 2 SAPPHIRE 100221SR Radeon HD 3870 X2 1GB (512MB x 2) 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814102723)
Model #: 100221SR
Item #: N82E16814102723

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$379.99 $759.98 2 Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 Kentsfield 2.66GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80562Q6700 - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819115027)
Model #: BX80562Q6700
Item #: N82E16819115027

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$274.99 $549.98 2 Patriot Viper 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model PVS34G1333LLK - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820220286)
Model #: PVS34G1333LLK
Item #: N82E16820220286

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$394.99 -$50.00 Instant $689.98 1 Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB 10000 RPM SATA 1.5Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822136012)
Model #: WD1500ADFD
Item #: N82E16822136012

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$169.99 $169.99 1 Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822148274)
Model #: ST31000340AS
Item #: N82E16822148274

Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy (http://www.newegg.com/CustomerService/ReturnPolicy.asp#2)

In Stock
$229.99 $229.99 2 Acer P243WAid Black-Silver 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor with HDCP Support - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16824009125)
Model #: ET.FP3WP.001
Item #: N82E16824009125

Return Policy: [LCD] Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy (http://www.newegg.com/CustomerService/ReturnPolicy.asp#21)

In Stock
$399.99 -$20.00 Instant $759.98 1 LITE-ON 2X Blu-ray Disc Triple DVD Burner Black SATA Model LH-2B1S - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827106037)
Model #: LH-2B1S
Item #: N82E16827106037

Return Policy: Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy (http://www.newegg.com/CustomerService/ReturnPolicy.asp#3)

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$399.99 -$40.00 Instant $359.99 1 LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model DH-20A4P-04 - OEM (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827106228)
Model #: DH-20A4P-04
Item #: N82E16827106228

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$24.99 $24.99 1 Microsoft Windows XP Professional With SP2C - OEM (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16832116400)
Model #: E85-05040
Item #: N82E16832116400

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$139.99 $139.99

[mikec]

On the last episode of DL.TV there was a question about needing eight monitors off of one PC. Not sure if anything they talked about would help the OP.


Maybe I am getting old? Maybe kids just need everything right up front? I can live with one 19" monitor.

[masherscf]

Before I had a second kid, I had the room for a three monitor set-up. I ran off of three separate cards.

You need to get a MB with at least 2 PCI-express slots and run two cards that use the same driver stack. The only really issue is guessing which monitor that it will boot to.

[tw33k2514]

There are a couple issues with your setup.

1). 32-bit OS + 4GB-8GB of ram = Nope. you would need a 64-bit OS to fully utilize the memory.
2). Using the PSU that comes with the cases you have shown interest in will most likely not work out to well. (try something like a corsair 520W) In fact the PSU that comes with that case probably does not even have all of the connections you need.

[maxiscool1994]

There are a couple issues with your setup.

1). 32-bit OS + 4GB-8GB of ram = Nope. you would need a 64-bit OS to fully utilize the memory.
2). Using the PSU that comes with the cases you have shown interest in will most likely not work out to well. (try something like a corsair 520W) In fact the PSU that comes with that case probably does not even have all of the connections you need.

Ok. Besides buying the 64bit version of XP, not much else is wrong?

If I run two of the same video cards, they will run in tandem?

[tw33k2514]

you should be good. might wanna check out a program like Ulltramon just to enhance the experience. but other than that I think your set.

[maxiscool1994]

Awesome! So..now I just need to wait a few months to get the parts...

[ArmpitOfDeath]

You know what? It seems like you're much better off buying a complete one at this point in time if you don't want a 'work in progress' so much as a solid computer. I think you need to do more research / learn more until you're fully aware of what you want and how to build a reliable PC.

[maxiscool1994]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119142

is that enough power, or should I just buy a power supply and put one in...