NEW Here - Need HELP

[guidinggod]

I came across this motherboard when googling - http://www.gigabyte.com/products/pro...px?pid=3443#sp

it has dvi, hdmi and displayport on it with the following 'notes' on its spec page

(Note 2) To use the onboard DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI-D, and D-Sub ports, you must install an Intel CPU with integrated graphics.
(Note 3) The DVI-D port does not support D-Sub connection by adapter.
(Note 4) You can use only one of the onboard digital graphics ports (e.g. DisplayPort, HDMI, and DVI-D) for output when in the BIOS Setup program or when during the POST screens.

so presumably it will run my 3 monitor setup and I don't have to get a graphics card at all then - or am i missing something very basic here? :-s

I'd appreciate any help answering these questions and/or suggesting changes to the build given above as per my requirements - Thanks

 

[VirtualLarry]

Most onboard graphics solutions will not allow three-way multi-monitor support. The chip only supports one digital and one analog output, which means that you cannot use both the DVI-D and HDMI at the same time. Likewise, you cannot attach a DVI-I to VGA adaptor to the DVI port and run two analog monitors either.

The ATI discrete card with Eyefinity is a good deal. You will either have to obtain an Active Displayport-to-DVI adaptor, or use at least one monitor with Displayport inputs. (Certain Dell monitors come to mind.)

 

[mfenn]

For general usage, Eyefinity is pretty much completely irrelevant. You can display the desktop on 3 monitors without it. Does Dell sell PCs in the UAE?

 

[guidinggod]

For general usage, Eyefinity is pretty much completely irrelevant. You can display the desktop on 3 monitors without it. Does Dell sell PCs in the UAE?

Hi, thanks for the replies guys - Dell does have authorized distribution here I think, and some retailers carry their lcd's, notebooks and desktops - with warranty support

I won't be gaming so eyefinity isn't all that much of a big deal for me - I came across the Ati Firepro 2460 card that has 4 outputs and its very low power etc - was just wondering if it will be able to support playback of hd encoded videos as some of our presentations are in 1080p format - its specs are given on amd's firepro site but they are beyond my understanding, any ideas?

I would certainly like to know the best way to get triple or quad monitor output - especially if it can be done without these expensive cards

Thanks for taking the time to reply

 

[mfenn]

The Fire Pro is a good way to get a bunch of display outputs on a single card. I don't know if its drivers support hardware accelerated decode, but that doesn't really matter since any vaguely modern CPU can handle 1080P video without breaking a sweat.

Another way to get a bunch of display outputs is to simply use multiple cards.