Do I really need a high powered video card for dual monitors?

jforman

Junior Member
Dec 2, 2012
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Long time listener, first time caller here.

I am looking to upgrade my displays at home from 2x21" LCD to 2x27" LCD. I've got my eye on a pair of Samsung S27A850D [1] monitors, whose resolution runs at 2560x1440. It's been a long time since I have had to shop for a video card (I am still running the 21 LCDs off of a Gefoce 9600GT), and I am confused at some of the new acronyms, and looking for some help in finding a class of video cards that suits me.

I know that if I power each display via DVI it must be dual-link DVI. Is it true that some video cards with two DVI ports have one single-link DVI and some dual-link? Can I make sure to get a card with both, or can I power one monitor via DL-DVI and another via display port or HDMI?

I do not plan on playing any games, ever. I merely use two massive screens for the sheer resolution they offer. I run 100% Linux and find myself with browser and terminal windows all over the place. I don't need a crazy-high frame rate. I play the occasion Youtube video and downloaded MPEG, but that's the extent of my high-performance needs.

I have always been fond of Nvidia based cards, never had a problem with them, so I'd like to stick with that GPU. But do I need a GTX680 card that runs >$400 to drive 2x27" LCDs at 2650x1440, or can I get by with a cheaper card?

Hopefully I have provided enough parameters to get me along. I appreciate any feedback and suggestions.

[1] http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824001523
 

Eureka

Diamond Member
Sep 6, 2005
3,822
1
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If you're just driving youtube and video, find the cheapest card that will support your requirements (2 displayport, or 1 dvi-d with a displayport, I believe).

Since you're running Linux, I do believe nvidia support is still superior in that regard.
 

3DVagabond

Lifer
Aug 10, 2009
11,951
204
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AMD doesn't do 2xDL-DVI. I've never seen an HDMI->DL-DVI adapter and the DP-> DL-DVI adapters aren't cheap at ~$90 to ~$100. You are better off with an nVidia card. Especially since you seem comfortable buying nVidia, anyway.
 

KingFatty

Diamond Member
Dec 29, 2010
3,034
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Also remember there is an unstated 3rd option: Just buy a relatively inexpensive 2nd video card. Run one monitor per video card.
 
Aug 11, 2008
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Also remember there is an unstated 3rd option: Just buy a relatively inexpensive 2nd video card. Run one monitor per video card.

Why doesnt AMD make 2 x DVI outputs? I have an old 9800GT with 2 dvi outputs and I could use one DVI and one DVI to VGA adapter to power 2 monitors. The AMD HD7770 I bought, has only one DVI, one display port and one HDMI. If I want to use 2 monitors, I have to buy a HDMI or display port cable and an adapter to use my 2 monitors that both have DVI and VGA inputs.

Anyway in reference to the OP, isnt there some kind of splitter cable? I dont know where they got them, but our desktops at work have one DVI output from the computer and attached to that are 2 DVI outputs to connect to separate monitors, like a "y" splitter. Dont know what resolutions it supports though.

I would think it would also be easy to find an old video card cheap that has two DVI outputs.
 

Eureka

Diamond Member
Sep 6, 2005
3,822
1
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The EVGA 650 Ti, for one, has dual dual-link DVI.

Everyone seems to jump on AMD for the OP, but if I remember correctly, driver support for Linux is abysmal on AMD chips. Nvidia is actually the better option here.
 

Greenlepricon

Senior member
Aug 1, 2012
468
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0
If I remember right, AMD's cpu's are good for Linux, but Nvidia gpu's work better. For only running the os though, either company should work fine.
 

3DVagabond

Lifer
Aug 10, 2009
11,951
204
106
The EVGA 650 Ti, for one, has dual dual-link DVI.

Everyone seems to jump on AMD for the OP, but if I remember correctly, driver support for Linux is abysmal on AMD chips. Nvidia is actually the better option here.

I'm not sure what you mean by "jump on AMD". AMD just isn't the practical choice in the OP's situation. Adding the cost of a DL-DVI adapter just makes a cheaper AMD card poor value.
 

Fox5

Diamond Member
Jan 31, 2005
5,957
7
81
The EVGA 650 Ti, for one, has dual dual-link DVI.

Everyone seems to jump on AMD for the OP, but if I remember correctly, driver support for Linux is abysmal on AMD chips. Nvidia is actually the better option here.

Wouldn't display port solve the issues for the OP? AMD cards have multiple display port outputs, and most high end monitors will come with a display port cable now.


Also, AMD driver support has improved immensely on Linux, both in the proprietary driver and open source. The downside is that AMD tends to drop proprietary driver support for old cards after 3 years, so you're forced into using the open source driver regardless of quality. Nvidia drivers are made in a more version independent way, so the same driver can work on pretty much any version of linux. (not sure if AMD has updated their drivers for this as well)
 

jforman

Junior Member
Dec 2, 2012
2
0
0
Wow, I had no idea this would elicit such a great stream of responses. After doing some more digging after some folks said there are Dual Dual-Link DVI cards, I came upon this one from EVGA:

EVGA GeForce GTX 668 Superclocked

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130826
http://www.evga.com/Products/Product.aspx?pn=02G-P4-2662-KR

It looks to have all the requisite ports, and after reading the spec sheet, it specifically calls out "two dual-link dvi" ports, plus the fact that this card is a non-trivial amount of money less than the one I initially started looking at. Thanks all for the recommendations and knowledge!
 

jiffylube1024

Diamond Member
Feb 17, 2002
7,430
0
71
Long time listener, first time caller here.

I am looking to upgrade my displays at home from 2x21" LCD to 2x27" LCD. I've got my eye on a pair of Samsung S27A850D [1] monitors, whose resolution runs at 2560x1440. It's been a long time since I have had to shop for a video card (I am still running the 21 LCDs off of a Gefoce 9600GT), and I am confused at some of the new acronyms, and looking for some help in finding a class of video cards that suits me.


[1] http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824001523

You don't need a higher end video card to drive those monitors. Those screens have DisplayPort, so you just need a video card with any of these configurations:

2x dual link DVI (more rare these days)
1x dual link DVI, 1x DisplayPort
2x DisplayPort (or 2x Mini DisplayPort, which is the same thing just with a smaller connector)


So, if you have a higher end card you can use 2x mini-DP to Displayport cables (you can buy those cables for under $5: http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10246&cs_id=1024606&p_id=6007&seq=1&format=2 ).

You could buy a used AMD 6850 or 5850 off the forums for ~$100 - those have 1x dual link DVI and either 1x DisplayPort or 2x mini-DisplayPort.

A card like the 7770 mentioned above would work fine, or a 6770.

For a bit more money (but better Linux support) the EVGA 650Ti (mentioned in an above post) has dual dual-link DVI ports.
 
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Rikard

Senior member
Apr 25, 2012
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I used to use my main screen plus a HDTV connected to a Nvidia 9800GT and that worked without problems in Linux. Your needs seem even less demanding than mine, so do not waste your money on a current generation gaming card. I had more problems with AMD in Linux than Nvidia, but I do not know if that is just because of my only AMD experience is a rather new model and Linux is usually lagging behind and needs some time to catch up with respect to drivers etc. (It took 2 long years until Linux supported the wifi of one of my computers for example.) If I were you, I would ask a friend if I could borrow some old card they have in a drawer, and if it works at your resolution trade it for a crate of beer (or what your interfriendship currency is).
 
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