Multiple Monitors

Hi all,

I have a pretty standard setup almost two years old now. Asus P5KPL Motherboard - 4GB RAM - Gforce 9400 GT - 400WATT PSU - 500GB Hard Drive (Windows 7 64)

I'm currently running a 22 Inch Monitor through VGA and have connected my 50 Inch Plasma to my PC through DVI for Media purpose. (Works Perfect)

I'm looking to add one maybe two 22 inch monitors to my setup and also upgrade motherboard and bits.

Is it possible to run two graphic cards on the current chip set (Asus P5KPL) or will I need a new board?

if so how and what chip set and graphic's card you recommend?

Or can I get one new graphic's card that can run 3 maybe four monitors?

Any help would be great cheers

Thanks (newbie)

 

That is a µATX motherboard so its physical size limits your expansion capabilities. It does, however, have one PCIe x 16 slot, one PCIe x 1 slot and two PCI slots so "in theory, you could install 4 graphics cards, each supporting 2 monitors. However, that many cards would place a large power demand on the motherboards power bus, and a very large demand for power, and a very large demand on case cooling. If that case is also a small or micro sized case, I doubt it will have the necessary support for the additional fans you will need to expel all the generated heat.

As far as recommendations - you need to set your budget then go from there but understand even adding one more graphics card may require a bigger PSU. As for which chipset, technically, it does not matter as long as it has drivers for your OS.

Also note that if your current version of Windows was bought for or came with your current motherboard/computer and is an OEM license (normally the case) then you will need to buy a new Windows license if you upgrade your motherboard. The motherboard is the heart the computer - the "mother" board - and a new motherboard is considered a new computer. You can upgrade any and every other component and not need a new license - just not the motherboard. You can only transfer "full retail" licenses, and you can only reuse OEM licenses when replacing a broken motherboard as part of a repair action with an identical board (or the same maker's suggested replacement if the original is no longer available).

 

Just a suggestion for mutli video cards of the same brand. Make sure you buy ones that are still supported by nvidia since the cards will use the same driver.

Some people have had issues running like a FX5500 and a 9600GT

I run a GTX 275 and a 9800GT without issues. One monitor on each.

I think the one PCI express slot is really going to limit you.

 

Ummm, as noted, there are two, plus two PCI slots.