Need help with buying video card

[Bazarhuu]

I have a P4 2.4 system with 512 RAM. The video card came with the computer, a Geforce 2 MX400.

I have two displays, one a 17" LCD and one a 19" Philips CRT. I would like to use both at the same time with the displays being extensions of each other. In other words, I want to have different applications open on each display, as an example.

The applications that I will use more often are Photoshop CS and Adobe Premiere 6.5. I also do some light gaming, and some 3D ability would be nice, but this is not a deal-breaker. Others also mention that Directx9 capability is something to look for in a card.

At this moment I really do not know which cards offer this dual display ability. Even my present Geforce2 talks about having this features (forced recognition of multile displays), but I don't see where to plug the second monitor. I notice the the ATI 9600/9800 PRO cards have DVI and Analog inputs for dual display use. However, I am not sure what a DVI connector should really look like, and whether all LCD displays (which would include mine) have this.

Could someone help me out with what I need? I'd like to spend less than $150, but if a good sale is out there, I could go into the $200s.

Bazaa

 

[Bazarhuu]

I've now realized that my LCD is analog, and the DVI connector would look very different. Are there any workarounds, or are my options limited to a Matrox Millenium 650 or 750 type card?

 

[Delorian]

Most current cards have a vga & dvi output which can be used for dual display purposes. If you have two analog devices most cards also come with DVI->VGA connectors so you can use 2xVGA devices. I know my radeon 9800 se by powercolor did and I'm sure a lot of others have as well. the 9800 se is around $150. What are you going to be using this card for? mainly desktop? games of what type?

 

[Peter]

No problem, just get a card that includes a DVI-VGA adapter dongle. ATi cards from 9200SE upward provide good signal quality on both heads. Scale upward over 9550SE, 9600SE, 9550, 9600, 9600pro, and the 9800 series as budget allows and 3D performance is required.

 

[Bazarhuu]

Thanks for the reply. I've spent the last two hours researching my question, and finally discovered that the DVI input can be converted to VGA.

I'll be using these for video work (capturing and video edit via Premiere 6.5) and for Photoshopping. I might try a game like C&C Generals, but to tell you the truth, I've even played that game on my Geforce2 440MX and was entertained...

I'm now coming to about two choices:

BFG Tech Asylum Ti4600 128MB $120 shiped OEM new

ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 128Mb $120 plus shipping retail new

I'm now tending for the BFG, simply because nVidia's nView has more options for dual monitor support.

P.S.
I've been reading that I should stay away from the nVidia FX series.

 

[Delorian]

Here is a roundup of quite a few cards on Tom's Hardware Guide. The 9600 pro will be generally faster in 3d games and does support dual display (always check though before purchasing). The only thing I can find that Nview offers that ATIs doesn't is the horizontal span mode. I believe the 9800 se I have at home can do a "stretched desktop" which sounds like the same thing though I'm not sure. Also, this is only a driver issue that ATI may well correct soon so you wouldn't need to change hardware to support that.

The FX line was a black mark on Nvidias record but later model FX cards aren't really too bad. Either card you've selected doesn't sound bad though and good luck with whatever you pick.

 

[Bateluer]

Originally posted by: Bazarhuu
Thanks for the reply. I've spent the last two hours researching my question, and finally discovered that the DVI input can be converted to VGA.

I'll be using these for video work (capturing and video edit via Premiere 6.5) and for Photoshopping. I might try a game like C&C Generals, but to tell you the truth, I've even played that game on my Geforce2 440MX and was entertained...

I'm now coming to about two choices:

BFG Tech Asylum Ti4600 128MB $120 shiped OEM new

ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 128Mb $120 plus shipping retail new

I'm now tending for the BFG, simply because nVidia's nView has more options for dual monitor support.

P.S.
I've been reading that I should stay away from the nVidia FX series.

That used to be true, but its not so much a factor today, given all the work nVidia has done with their drivers. A 5900XT is not a bad card, neither is the 5700U.

Personally, I wouldn't buy either of those two cards. The Ti4600 is too far removed from current generation, lacking even basic DX9 support. It was a contender in its day, but its been eclipsed by superior cards. The 9600 Pro has DX9 support, but its not going to deliver much performance. Granted, if all you're going to be playing is Generals, I'd go with the 9600 Pro. You can find it for a tad less here. About 115 shipped, although I don't know much about that particular brand.

 

[Bazarhuu]

Thank you for all the replies. Looks like the 9600 Pro is a much better contender, especially with DX9 support.

However, the 5700U looks interesting, and Newegg has the Leadtek nVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 Ultra for $145.

I'll spend some time checking that there should be no problems with it, and I might just go for it.

B.

 

[Peter]

ATi have just brought out a new control panel software, finally cleaning up in the multi-monitor controls. The cards are just as capable. See the review right here on Anandtech. ATi also has a more consistent track record in the analog output signal quality, particularly on the 2nd head as well as on the digital DVI at higher resolutions.

On the card prices, remember that "OEM" packs typically don't have the DVI-VGA adapter.

 

[Bazarhuu]

That was a great heads-up on the new control panel from ATI. Just finished the article. I finally did go with the Leadtek nVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 Ultra. The driver issues seem to have been taken of, and GDDR3 seems to have taken care of the heat, which I remember as a problem when these types of cards first came out. And I got it for around $145+. I might have hit $180 or above trying to get a similar ATI card.

Regardless of which card I would have gotten any that I named seem like light-years ahead of anything I've used to the present. Should be fun seeing what they do.

B.

 

[ponyo]

You made a good choice. It's been like a year since I used ATI Hydrovision but I remember it didn't have horizontal span. It also couldn't do separate wallpapers on different monitors and didn't have the tab for sending the image to the other screen. Granted most of these are minor points but still annoying.