BlueBMW
01-02-09, 06:25 PM
Hello all,
I am planning to build a new PC within the next few months. I just built the computer I have right now. My father's computer died on him, so I planned to build a new one for me and give him my current one. I thought I'd just build the same computer again for him, but there is one thing I'd like to do differently. I currently use two 19" lcds for a display. I love the two screen setup, but I'd like to do a 3 screen setup. I have a matching 22" lcd that fits almost perfect between the two 19s. However, that would require 3 video ports and hence another video card. My current motherboard (Asus P5Q Green) only has one PCI-E slot.
I guess my question is... can I get an SLI or Crossfire board (with 2 or more PCI-E 16x slots) , put two graphics cards in them, and run 3 monitors that way. Ideally having the best video card connected solely to the 22" screen and the second card to the two 19s. Also, how would a setup like that affect 3d performance on the one primary screen? Any suggestions are appreciated. Below I'll list my current system and then my thoughts on the new system.
Current System
Asus P5Q Green
Core2Quad Q6600 @ 3.0
8gb ddr2 800 ram
XP Pro x64
GeForce 8800 GTS 512mb video
Thoughts on new system...
A new board I looked at was the Asus P5Q-E Green which seems to be pretty close to what I have but with more video card slots. I seem to pull to the asus boards and also the P45 chipset. But I am open to other options. Also, I don't know that I need to upgrade to DDR3 at this time. DDR2 is so dirt cheap and I don't have any performance issues with anything I do right now. I also plan to get a Q6700 CPU this time. As far as a second video card... I dont have plans to run SLI / Crossfire as a Single good card always seems to get the job done. I understand that you cant run sli/crossfire when you do multiple monitors anyways. For right now, I plan to use an extra GeForce 8500 gt card I have as the second video card.
Current Mobo:http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3940037&Sku=A455-2824
Possible New Mobo: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4177356&CatId=14
Any suggestions or thoughts are appreciated.
Oh and also... if someone suggests another motherboard here are some thoughts...
I tend to just use the onboard sound card, but if a mobo has optical or coax out that would be nice.
I dont seem to ever use two lan ports.
If possible... i have a few devices that use serial or parallel ports. They'd be nice, but not required.
I also still use some IDE devices and a floppy drive, so those connectors would be nice too
I havent used raid or anything like that yet. I have a raptor 150gb sata and a 1tb sata drive right now.
I am planning to build a new PC within the next few months. I just built the computer I have right now. My father's computer died on him, so I planned to build a new one for me and give him my current one. I thought I'd just build the same computer again for him, but there is one thing I'd like to do differently. I currently use two 19" lcds for a display. I love the two screen setup, but I'd like to do a 3 screen setup. I have a matching 22" lcd that fits almost perfect between the two 19s. However, that would require 3 video ports and hence another video card. My current motherboard (Asus P5Q Green) only has one PCI-E slot.
I guess my question is... can I get an SLI or Crossfire board (with 2 or more PCI-E 16x slots) , put two graphics cards in them, and run 3 monitors that way. Ideally having the best video card connected solely to the 22" screen and the second card to the two 19s. Also, how would a setup like that affect 3d performance on the one primary screen? Any suggestions are appreciated. Below I'll list my current system and then my thoughts on the new system.
Current System
Asus P5Q Green
Core2Quad Q6600 @ 3.0
8gb ddr2 800 ram
XP Pro x64
GeForce 8800 GTS 512mb video
Thoughts on new system...
A new board I looked at was the Asus P5Q-E Green which seems to be pretty close to what I have but with more video card slots. I seem to pull to the asus boards and also the P45 chipset. But I am open to other options. Also, I don't know that I need to upgrade to DDR3 at this time. DDR2 is so dirt cheap and I don't have any performance issues with anything I do right now. I also plan to get a Q6700 CPU this time. As far as a second video card... I dont have plans to run SLI / Crossfire as a Single good card always seems to get the job done. I understand that you cant run sli/crossfire when you do multiple monitors anyways. For right now, I plan to use an extra GeForce 8500 gt card I have as the second video card.
Current Mobo:http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3940037&Sku=A455-2824
Possible New Mobo: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4177356&CatId=14
Any suggestions or thoughts are appreciated.
Oh and also... if someone suggests another motherboard here are some thoughts...
I tend to just use the onboard sound card, but if a mobo has optical or coax out that would be nice.
I dont seem to ever use two lan ports.
If possible... i have a few devices that use serial or parallel ports. They'd be nice, but not required.
I also still use some IDE devices and a floppy drive, so those connectors would be nice too
I havent used raid or anything like that yet. I have a raptor 150gb sata and a 1tb sata drive right now.