Video card for 3rd monitor?

[imported_lyrrad]

I just got a 3008WFP, and my other two monitors are a 2407WFP and an old 19" Benq (1280*1024).

I have a Q6600 with a 8800GT. I don't play 3D games that much, so I think the 8800GT is adequate.

I'd like to get a 2nd video card to be able to connect all 3 monitors. I was thinking of getting a cheap 8600GT off eBay.

Should this be OK? Would having a slower secondary card slow down 3D performance on the primary monitor?

Should I connect the 3008 and the 2407 to the 8800GT, or only the 3008 if I'd want to play 3D games on the 3008?

Thanks.

 

[Lonyo]

Might as well get something even slower. It won't affect 3D performance. Cheapest you can find pretty much (but make it NV because it simplifies things).
Probably better off connecting the 8800GT to the main monitor only, even though there is minimal difference over one 3D + secondary vs just 3D.

8800GT -> 3008FWP
Cheapest other NV card -> 2407 + BenQ

 

[imported_lyrrad]

The 8600GT's seem to be only $30 on eBay with shipping, so I don't think I'd save much by trying another card. (NewEgg doesn't seem to have anything cheaper after shipping).

I'm guessing Vista Aero and x264 1080p/BluRay video aren't going to be adversely affected a the slower card either?

 

[akugami]

If your CPU is sufficiently beefy, you won't have to worry about your video card's performance with Blu-Ray. The 8600GT should have Purevideo HD which will handle 100% offloading of video decoding (according to nVidia press releases) in players that support it. However, without knowing the specific card you plan to buy, it's really hard to say.

I've never paid too much attention to video decoding be it ATI or nVidia because my CPU's have been on the upper mid range for the most part so I haven't really checked much benchmarks on how well it'll handle video decoding.

Vista Aero should be a breeze on that 8600.

 

[ther00kie16]

snag a 9500gt on ebay, should be faster than 8600gt and less power draw/heat.