Video Card Necessary for Dual Monitor Build?

[justaguy168]

I am building a pc for my parents. They need dual monitors. I would purchase two identical monitors. The sizes I am considering are 1280x1024, 1366x768, or 1440x900. Currently they are just MS Office and web-based e-mail users. I was thinking of an ITX build, low power might be nice. Trouble free operation is important since if something hardware goes wrong, I have to go over there and fix it.

1) Can I have a dual monitor setup only using on-board video?
2) Most of the boards do not have two identical monitor outputs, they have 1 DVI and 1 D-sub but not two of both. It seems like there might be problems running two monitors with two different settings. Some boards have a DVI-I and a DVI-D. I am not sure of the difference between these either.
3) I know once I get this set up and running nicely, my parents are going to say to me, "Gee this computer is really great! I've heard I can watch TV over the internet. Can you show me how to do that?" So, how much extra horsepower is needed to view streaming video over the internet (Netflix and Hulu)? Is on-board video insufficient for the task?

My apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere. If so, please point me in the right direction and I will RTFM.

 

[boochi]

Intel HD graphics do support extended desktop if the motherboard supports it.

http://www.intel.com/support/graphics/sb/CS-031040.htm

 

[frozentundra123456]

I am building a pc for my parents. They need dual monitors. I would purchase two identical monitors. The sizes I am considering are 1280x1024, 1366x768, or 1440x900. Currently they are just MS Office and web-based e-mail users. I was thinking of an ITX build, low power might be nice. Trouble free operation is important since if something hardware goes wrong, I have to go over there and fix it.

1) Can I have a dual monitor setup only using on-board video?
2) Most of the boards do not have two identical monitor outputs, they have 1 DVI and 1 D-sub but not two of both. It seems like there might be problems running two monitors with two different settings. Some boards have a DVI-I and a DVI-D. I am not sure of the difference between these either.
3) I know once I get this set up and running nicely, my parents are going to say to me, "Gee this computer is really great! I've heard I can watch TV over the internet. Can you show me how to do that?" So, how much extra horsepower is needed to view streaming video over the internet (Netflix and Hulu)? Is on-board video insufficient for the task?

My apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere. If so, please point me in the right direction and I will RTFM.

I dont know how available they are, but our computers at work have some sort of splitter that takes one DVI out and splits it into 2. I am not sure what outputs Llano and HD2000 have, but for sure a 40.00 graphics card would give you dual DVI outputs. I think the Llano and SB igps have 2 outputs too, but I dont know for sure.

 

[justaguy168]

Thanks boochi and frozentundra for your replies.

Dad currently has a laptop hooked up to an old monitor and it is very dicey. He gets screen flickering everytime he re-boots. I'm not looking to replicate a situation that is technically possible but practically difficult. If I had more information on the splitter accessory I would research it.

A search of mid-range video cards with dual dvi outputs on Newegg revealed these.

Any more thoughts on this topic would be appreciated.

 

[frozentundra123456]

Actually you dont need 2 x DVI. One DVI and one VGA output should be sufficient. Nearly any even low end graphics card has these. NewEgg has a HD5450 for 29.00 after rebate. The monitors should have both DVI and VGA inputs, so connect one with the DVI from the graphics card and one with the VGA.
Or use a VGA to DVI adapter. They are usually included with the card.

 

[justaguy168]

Thanks again frozentundra. The DVI / VGA solution does seem most economical. See this motherboard. Either the dual out video cards were really cheap (Jaton) or required a 400W power supply (Asus, Gigabyte). Sorry to belabor the point, but won't the OS get confused if one monitor is DVI and the other is VGA? (Assume both have the same pixel dimensions.)

Or are you suggesting that I power one monitor from the integrated graphics on the motherboard and power the other monitor from the graphics card?

 

[MrTeal]

I'd buy a separate card with two proper outputs. You can run with one DVI and one VGA, but I can't stand that solution. Even with matched monitors, I find the white balance is often still out and can't always be brought back. Maybe if the board supports analog over the DVI and over VGA you could run both analog, but why would you when you can watch for a cheap 6450 and get one for $15 or so AR.

 

[paperwastage]

some AMD and Intel 1155 have all-digital dual output, so there won't be a problem

 

[SolMiester]

All HP SFF PC's have Display Port and VGA, we just use these for dual screens

 

[justaguy168]

Paperwastage: I'd be interested what motherboards you are looking at. I haven't seen any though I've tried.

SolMiester: Isn't DisplayPort another kind of DVI? Are the mixing and matching of DVI and VGA problematic as per MrTeal?

This is the issue I am hoping to resolve in this post: is mixing DVI and VGA problematic? Some are saying yes, and some are saying no.

A thread with a similar issue has been posted here.

 

[Mackcro]

Hi justaguy168,

The company I currently work with uses a DVI to VGA solution. Thousands of computers are hooked up this way, it will not cause any issues. One thing you will notice is the DVI display will be much more crisp and clear compared to your VGA display. The VGA may experience a little bit of flickering but it will be hardly noticeable (related to the signal/refresh rates).

Here at the office we also use motherboards with built-in DisplayPort and VGA ports to produce a dual monitor setup. This solution works just as well as the DVI/VGA solution. If you do go for the DisplayPort/VGA solution, I suggest getting perhaps a DisplayPort to DVI adapter as DisplayPort/HDMI monitors may bring up the price tag slightly.

Either way, both will suit your needs. You could also consider buying a low-end video card with dual DVI or VGA, it does not cost a significant amount but it could be beneficial when watching HD movies and television.

 

[justaguy168]

Many thanks Mackcro for your thorough and crisp answer. I'm able to move forward with next steps now.