Help Needed: Setting up Dual Monitors, Graphics Card update??

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by Skinno, Jun 9, 2014.

  1. Skinno

    Skinno Private E-2

    Hi there,
    I need a bit of advice. I currently have a 24" Samsung monitor with my Dell Inspiron 570. I am thinking of buying another 24" monitor so that I can have a dual screen set up.
    However, (please excuse my ignorance here) I have just been informed that before I buy the 2nd monitor that I also need to buy a graphics card to enable me to work the two monitors as my PC only has one socket for one monitor.
    So, I was wondering if anyone could help me decide which type of graphics card to buy. I intend buying a 2nd hand one from eBay. I am NOT a gamer so I won't be needing anything too flashy but I'm open to ideas for something quite decent.
    My current system reads thus:

    Win7 Home Premium
    AMD Athlon IIx4 630 Processor 2.80 GHz
    4.00 GB RAM (3.75 GB usable)
    64 Bit Operating System
    After looking in Device Manager, it appears that my existing (built in???) Graphics card is ATI Radeon HD4200 - whatever that means.
    Someone did suggest buying a Radeon HD4350 but again, this means nothing to me and I don't know whether:
    a) they are any good, and
    b) it would be compatible with my Dell Inspiron 570.

    If anyone can help and offer suggestions, I'd be very grateful.
    Many thanks in advance:
    Skinno
     
  2. plodr

    plodr MajorGeek Super Extraordinaire Moderator Staff Member

    You need to mention the brand and exact model of the computer. That way, specs and motherboard can be looked up to see what sort of slots are available for cards.
     
  3. Skinno

    Skinno Private E-2

    hi plodr,
    thanks for the reply, appreciated. I did mention that my computer was a Dell Inspiron 570 but am not sure exactly what other specs you would need to know. I have AIDA64 installed which tells me all the specs but not sure which exactly I need to mention. What else do you need and in which AIDA64 spec folder / category would I find them?
    Here's some specs I found that might help:

    Motherboard:
    CPU Type QuadCore AMD Athlon II X4 630, 2800 MHz (14 x 200)
    Motherboard Name Dell Inspiron 570
    Motherboard Chipset AMD 785G, AMD K10
    System Memory 3840 MB (DDR3-1066 DDR3 SDRAM)
    DIMM1: Elpida EBJ10UE8BDF0-AE-F 1 GB DDR3-1066 DDR3 SDRAM (8-7-7-20 @ 533 MHz) (7-7-7-20 @ 533 MHz) (6-6-6-18 @ 457 MHz)
    DIMM2: Elpida EBJ10UE8BDF0-AE-F 1 GB DDR3-1066 DDR3 SDRAM (8-7-7-20 @ 533 MHz) (7-7-7-20 @ 533 MHz) (6-6-6-18 @ 457 MHz)
    DIMM3: Elpida EBJ10UE8BDF0-AE-F 1 GB DDR3-1066 DDR3 SDRAM (8-7-7-20 @ 533 MHz) (7-7-7-20 @ 533 MHz) (6-6-6-18 @ 457 MHz)
    DIMM4: Elpida EBJ10UE8BDF0-AE-F 1 GB DDR3-1066 DDR3 SDRAM (8-7-7-20 @ 533 MHz) (7-7-7-20 @ 533 MHz) (6-6-6-18 @ 457 MHz)
    BIOS Type AMI (01/25/10)

    Display:
    Video Adapter ATI Radeon HD 4200 (256 MB)
    Video Adapter ATI Radeon HD 4200 (256 MB)
    3D Accelerator ATI Radeon HD 4200 (RS880)
    Monitor Generic PnP Monitor [NoDB] (H4MF105359)
    Monitor LG TV (220116843009)

    Motherboard Properties:
    Motherboard ID 64-0100-000001-00101111-012510-ATHLON64$A785R000_BIOS DATE: 01/25/10 13:49:11 VER: 08.00.15
    Motherboard Name Dell Inspiron 570

    Front Side Bus Properties
    Bus Type AMD K10
    Real Clock 200 MHz
    Effective Clock 200 MHz
    HyperTransport Clock 2000 MHz
    North Bridge Clock 2000 MHz

    Memory Bus Properties
    Bus Type Unganged Dual DDR3 SDRAM
    Bus Width 128-bit
    DRAM:FSB Ratio 16:6
    Real Clock 533 MHz (DDR)
    Effective Clock 1067 MHz
    Bandwidth 17067 MB/s

    Motherboard Manufacturer
    Company Name Dell Computer Corporation
    Product Information http://www.dell.com
    BIOS Download http://support.dell.com
    Driver Update http://www.aida64.com/driver-updates
    BIOS Upgrades http://www.aida64.com/bios-updates

    DMI:
    DMI BIOS Vendor Dell Inc.
    DMI BIOS Version A01
    DMI System Manufacturer Dell Inc.
    DMI System Product Inspiron 570
    DMI System Version 00
    DMI System Serial Number 82NSL4J
    DMI System UUID 44454C4C-3200104E-8053B8C0-4F4C344A
    DMI Motherboard Manufacturer Dell Inc.
    DMI Motherboard Product 04GJJT
    DMI Motherboard Version A00
    DMI Motherboard Serial Number ...........
    DMI Chassis Manufacturer Dell Inc.
    DMI Chassis Version Not Specified
    DMI Chassis Serial Number 82NSL4J
    DMI Chassis Asset Tag
    DMI Chassis Type Desktop Case

    Thanks:
    Skinno
     
  4. Skinno

    Skinno Private E-2

    <Bump>
     
  5. plodr

    plodr MajorGeek Super Extraordinaire Moderator Staff Member

    First as I'm reading, the power supply is 300 watts. Posters are saying to add more power.
    Scroll down to video on this page
    http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3514/t/19490818.aspx

    PCI Express x16 is the card you'll be looking for.
    Manuals here: http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/product-support/product/inspiron-560/manuals

    I've never run onboard video and a card at the same time. I'm not sure if you will get two separate displays or just a clone of the first desktop on the 2nd display.

    Before you buy a larger power supply and a video card, ask if your computer supports two different displays.
     

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