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zerosnark

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Z

zerosnark

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December 26th, 2005 22:00

Dual monitors on 8200? How?

Hi.
 
I am interested in upgrading to a dual monitor setup for my 8200 system.
 
Do I need a "special" video card, or will any video card with two video outputs (one DVI, one analoge) work?
 
Are there any websites with good information on this topic?
 
Thanks!
  • V

    VoiS2

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    Posted December 26th, 2005 22:00

    The BFG 6600 GT OC 128MB GDDR3 AGP 4x/8x has dual-DVI outputs.  Personally, I would at this point in time buy only a card which offers DVI-outputs.  (You can convert the signal to VGA, for now, if you don't have a DVI-input monitor yet.  We all will have them eventually, though.)   Here are the reviews for the BFG 6600 GT OC:
     
     "BFG offers one of the most attractive cards on the GeForce 6600 GT side of the fence ... extras that really set the BFG card apart from competing boards ... BFG then goes and guarantees the card for life and offers 24/7 tech support on it. How’s that for unprecedented? ... Other extras include a pair of DVI outputs, unique in that most other cards only come with one DVI output and another VGA port.  BFG bundles a pair of VGA adapters, though, should you wish to connect a pair of analog displays. The option for two digital flat panels alone will certainly sell a number of these cards."
     Review: http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/bfg_geforce_6600_gt/

    Also... "The results from the games benchmarking shows that the BFG 6600 GT OC outperforms the standard model ... a lifetime warranty will certainly give peace of mind to customers who plan to gain many years of use out of the board."  (Beyond3d.com review)

    The BFG product is expensive, running from $167 on the cheapest sale to a normal price of about $197. 


  • Z

    zerosnark

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    Posted December 27th, 2005 03:00

    Hmmm. That sounds like a good start.

     

    I note that the card reviewed in the article is for "PCI express". I presume this is available as a AGP card?

    Will any card with dual monitor outputs (one VGA, one DVI) work?

  • V

    VoiS2

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    Posted December 27th, 2005 04:00

    Yeah, in fact, the 6600/6600GT GPU was built for AGP.  BFG later built a bridge to allow PCI-Express users to be able to use the card, though.  By the way, there is almost no difference in performance between AGP and PCI-Express for these lower-to-midrange cards, so the test benchmarks are valid.
     
    The answer to your question about other cards with the 1-DVID/1-VGA output is "yes".  You have many options available.  If your budget is under $200 then you should be looking at 6600GT, 6800GS, and Radeon X800 variants.

    Message Edited by VoiS2 on 12-27-2005 12:04 AM

  • Z

    zerosnark

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    Posted December 27th, 2005 14:00

    Thanks.

    This project may be easier than I thought :)

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