UPDATE: 4 monitor output, budget ;;; graphics card, monitors and cables (and tower)

[fire400]

***7/14/2015 UPDATE***

nVidia Quadro NVS_450 ended up not working with the display-port_to_DVI-D cables. nothing would post at all. tried all sorts of things. either the card is defective, or the "industry standard" cables that nVidia claimed would work on their PDF wasn't clear. or perhaps the card is extremely picky and needed the special adapters supplied by its chip makers. done hours and hours of research and just gave up.

so here's what I did instead...

selected dual graphics mode in BIOS:

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2x video outputs (HDMI + D-sub_VGA) from Radeon R5 (MSI A68HM-E33 integrated_2GB shared)

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2x video outputs (DVI + D-sub_VGA) from PNY Geforce GT 730_2GB_dedicated PCI-e

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several dollars for cables and $50 for the graphics card.

honestly, if I could redo this, I would have just gone the cheap Geforce route and paired it with my onboard Radeon for the 4 display outputs.

also, tested the J5-Create USB 3.0 extended display out unit, which was $50, as well. and this option is extremely flexible and offers very good performance from a USB 3.0 standpoint. only very, very slight, noticeable lag compared to an actual real graphics output adapter (hdmi, vga, dvi)

anyway, the AMD CCC interface and the nVidia control panel do not conflict and the system is extremely stable.

found some two monitors from local trades for the cost of almost nothing. then found two more monitors on craigslist for $20 each. so I didn't end up going with the HP monitors, thank goodness. and as for the display-port_to_DVI-D, the cables cost me close to $40 all together and are completely worthless right now. as for the nvs450, in the process of refunding it.

***6/30/2015 UPDATE***

TOWER_BUILD :
PSU: SeaSonic SSR-350ST 350W -- ($45)
Mobo: MSI micro ATX FM2+ _A68HM-E33_military_class *NiB!!* -- ($10)
Memory: G.SKILL AEGIS 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3 Desktop RAM -- ($94.99)
CPU: AMD_A6_7400K retail -- ($60)
CPU Cooler: Arctic Alpine 64 GT -- ($9)
SSD : Samsung 840 EVO 120GB -- ($60)
CPU Compound: Arctic Silver 5 paste -- ($0)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H22_x4_large fans included -- ($40)
Network: Tplink PCI-e wireless N300 adapter -- ($20)
Graphics: NVS Quadro 450 -- ($85)
OS: Windows 8.1 Pro x64 OEM system builder license -- ($28)
Optical: NONE -- ($0)
ACCESSORIES: Extra internal cables, splitters & extender -- ($8)
Other charges: Taxes, shipping and fees -- ($26)

TOWER_SUB_TOTAL: **$486**

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VISUAL_OUTPUT_BUILD :
4 x 1080p VESA Monitors - $100/each -- ($400)
4 x display port to DVI-D cables -- $10/each -- ($40)
1 x quad monitor VESA stand -- ($83)

Other charges: Taxes -- ($30)

VISUAL_OUTPUT_SUB_TOTAL: **$553**

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GRAND TOTAL w/TOWER + VISUAL_OUTPUT: ***1039***
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p.s. got everything except for the final choice of monitors as of yet, which is probably going to cost more than $100 each for a nicer set, anyway.
was going to get a manufacturer cloned PC, but didn't want to skimp on cheap parts like crappy motherboard, a useless heavy case and cheap PSU.

*** 6/27/2015 ***

anyone see any limitations on this setup?, and the probability it will work?

web surfing for finance charts is all it's being used for.
i've researched as much as I could, and nVidia offers windows 8.1 x64 drivers for it, and HP promises that as long as DVI cables are utilized, there shouldn't be any degradation with screen/image quality output. the cables seem very reputable.

video card:
Nvidia Quadro NVS 450 4 Port Display Video Card

cables:
10 ft DisplayPort to DVI-D Dual Link Adapter Converter Cable - DP to DVI-D (10')
Length: 10ft
DisplayPort Male
DVI-D Dual Link Male (24+1)
Gold Plated
30AWG
Black

monitors:
HP LA1905WG 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 250 cd/m2 1000:1, 300:1 (Dynamic)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...e=4_monitor_video_card-_-24-276-061-_-Product

everything comes to exactly $360 shipped, so far

 

[i7Baby]

I gather you're using it for CAD?

Why 4 x 1080p monitors? Why not just one 1440p?

 

[fire400]

UPDATE:

swapped parts out: A6 7400K + msi m-ATX motherboard + PNY geforce GT730 (2nd successful attempt, loud clicking fan, Best Buy version of GT730 from PNY) / radeon R5 passive cooled (3rd successful attempt, not great performance on passive)

swapped parts in:
CPU: i7-4790K -- ($280)
MOBO: Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H LGA1150 mATX -- ($90)
VIDEO: 2x Gigabyte Geforce GT 730 1GB 80mm fan -- ($130 for both)

8 monitors supported, x6 monitors from both GT 730, and x2 monitors from intel onboard graphics.

the system was too damn slow with real time stock charts on the A6 7400K, and the passively cooled XFX Radeon R5 was junk because it kept getting too hot @ +130F, and custom fan modding for the Radeon wasn't worth the extra noise.

entire system runs stable on 350w Seasonic PSU, 24/7.

the x4 monitors (currently on only 4) came out to be $40 for them since some were sourced from other options, and the stand was $80. didn't need 1440p to read numbers and graphs. only one of the monitors was 900p - 1080p, 3x dells and 1x samsung.

when things get settled in, will do 8x1080p matte IPS monitors sooner or later.

mistake was going quadro and A6 and passively cooled Radeon. also, came across too many forums where the quadro was problematic. also, the A6 chip got slower when TDP was maxed out while multitasking even when doing basic marginal tasks with absolutely no charts running, oddly.
but running stock i7 cooler with IC-7 thermal compound and it's barely any more db's than the aftermarket A6 CPU cooler, and is barely audible when hitting the 4GHz mark. the geforce 80mm fans are louder than the i7 stock cooler.
the system now has never slowed down since the final upgrade.

also, upgraded to Windows 10 Pro x64. i like Windows 8 Pro x64, but Win10 is extremely more useful with virtual desktop, where all the monitors adjust equally to the environment when changing or moving to another virtual desktop.

windows 8 multimonitor tweaks available here:
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/5552-taskbar-hide-show-multiple-displays-windows-8-a.html

for win10, didn't need tweaks to get things working well.

Tenda PCI wireless network card works far better on Win10 than TP-Link PCI-e wireless network card.