Cheap triple monitor card

[Feronix]

Heya guys!

My neighbour just asked me to build him a new PC for his business and he wants to use triple screens. All he plans on doing is work stuff, so things like browsing and Microsoft Office and such. No gaming or even watching video.

I need the cheapest possible graphics card that can run three screens, preferably with the same connections, which would be DVI-D or D-SUB (VGA). It doesn't matter too much for him as it's just for office work.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

 

[QuietOne]

I have no idea if this will be of any use but one of these?

http://www.scan.co.uk/shop/computer-hardware/all/gpu-nvidia/geforce-gtx-550-ti-pci-e

 

[jamesriley94]

Definitely Nvidia over AMD or you'll just have to spend an extra £20 on active display port adapters.

A GT 640 is probably about the cheapest you'll get away with that supports 3 natively/is standard on most of the range.
KFA2/Galaxy do a GT 610 which can run 4 monitors, but they aren't so easy to come by these days, but that will probably be your cheapest option if you can find one.

It's unlikely you'll get one with 3x DVIs (unless you can get that KFA2 oine). It will most likely have to be 2x DVI and HDMI.

 

[WYP]

I have no idea if this will be of any use but one of these?

http://www.scan.co.uk/shop/computer-hardware/all/gpu-nvidia/geforce-gtx-550-ti-pci-e

for nvidia 500 series cards and below you can only run 2 screens of a single card and 3 on dual card setups.

go nvidia 600 series or AMD for 3 screens.

 

[Feronix]

Definitely Nvidia over AMD or you'll just have to spend an extra £20 on active display port adapters.

A GT 640 is probably about the cheapest you'll get away with that supports 3 natively/is standard on most of the range.
KFA2/Galaxy do a GT 610 which can run 4 monitors, but they aren't so easy to come by these days, but that will probably be your cheapest option if you can find one.

It's unlikely you'll get one with 3x DVIs (unless you can get that KFA2 oine). It will most likely have to be 2x DVI and HDMI.

Thanks mate! I found that I can get a GTX 650 for just €2,- more than a GT640 and it has 2x DVI and an HDMI port. The screens don't have HDMI though, is there an adaptor for this? They do have VGA, which the card also has. Could always use this is it's necessary but I'd prefer not to.

https://www.4launch.nl/shop/get/p-18#p-4-productid-129579

for nvidia 500 series cards and below you can only run 2 screens of a single card and 3 on dual card setups.

go nvidia 600 series or AMD for 3 screens.

Good to know, thanks for this information mate

Edit; I don't know much about DVI. Would these cables work?
https://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-031068

 

[Mathius]

RE-Edit.... :lol:

There are 2 types of DVI, DVI-D (25pin) and DVI-I (29pin)

You can only use Adapters for VGA monitors on the DVI-I port of videocards, due to the additional 4 pins being the analogue pins.

In my case, I have a VGA only monitor and connecting it to a DVI port on the Videocard, a) the dvi port needs to be the 29pin slot type and b) you need the VGA-DVI-I (29pin) adapter.

The Asus card you linked......

As you can see the DVI ports are 25pin only (DVI-D and wont work with adapaters.

by way of an example.....

This would work with adapters, but has no vga. lol, but you can see the DVI difference

 

[Feronix]

Okay, then how do I hook up this card to 3 monitors that have one VGA and one DVI-D input each? :huh:

 

[maniac]

I'm guessing hook two of them with normal dvi cables and for the third one use something like this

 

[Feronix]

I'm guessing hook two of them with normal dvi cables and for the third one use something like this

Erhmm.. if I'm going to use VGA anyway I might as well use the actual VGA port on the back of the card? :lol: Assuming that I get one of those things with each monitor anyway...

And then I can use the DVI cables that I just linked? It doesn't say DVI-I or DVI-D though
https://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-031068
Edit; it says 24 Pin... Does the dash thing count as the 25th?

 

[WYP]

you can always go for something like this. HDMI-DVI

 

[Lazlo]

Or if the card has 2 DVI ports and at least one of them is capable of "dual link" you could always get a dvi dual link Y splitter cable.
This way you can connect all 3 displays via dvi.

 

[garih]

erm.... why not just get any gpu and run the third screen from the onboard gpu???

as long as ya get a mobo with a vga port,

 

[Feronix]

Okay, just to be clear guys. If I get this card:

And these screens:

Which have HDMI, DVI-D and D-Sub in-put according to LG's own website and this picture.

Can I use these (24 pin) DVI cables to connect 2 monitors:

And then a VGA or HDMI cable for the third one?

 

[jamesriley94]

You'd want HDMI over VGA.

I'd imagine the screens would come with the DVI cables you'd need? You shouldn't have to buy anything else.

 

[Feronix]

You'd want HDMI over VGA.

I'd imagine the screens would come with the DVI cables you'd need? You shouldn't have to buy anything else.

Depends, usually monitors only come with VGA cables over here. I don't know why really.

I understand that HDMI is digital and VGA is analogue but he's already spending €1050,- on the whole thing so saving some euros is a plus. Especially when you consider I'm getting 3 VGA cables with the screens anyway.

Edit; Now looking up if they come with the screens.

Edit 2; Oh, so it doesn't come with any cables other than the power one. Also in the unboxing I was watching there was no HDMI port. On the English version of the LG site it also didn't mention an HDMI port like the German one did. I could obviously see one in the pictures though so I'm a bit confused now.

Guess he could always run it off VGA, and IF there is an HDMI port, he can buy the HDMI cable later. It's not *that* important anyway.

All I wanted to know is... As I've put it in the previous post. Will it work? Yes or no?

 

[SuB]

woh hang on yeah, use hdmi to dvi, i wouldn't stick one on vga!

 

[Feronix]

woh hang on yeah, use hdmi to dvi, i wouldn't stick one on vga!

Fair enough, I'll see if I can find one cheap.

But there's still the actual question that no one has answered so far :huh: :
http://forum.overclock3d.net/showpost.php?p=682578&postcount=13

 

[garih]

No comments on my suggestion?

 

[Feronix]

No comments on my suggestion?

Well I liked the idea but firstly I'm not sure if you can run both at the same time and I'd like him to at least have the option to drop VGA and go HDMI in the future. Most board with HDMI are a tad more expensive though and he's on a budget so yeah

 

[Feronix]

For those wondering: The screen had no HDMI input but everything works like a charm using 2x DVI and 1x VGA. Can't tell the difference within Windows tbh

If he wants to, he can buy an HDMI > DVI cable but I doubt he will.