how to up grade to run 5-6 monitors

[bc165]

I am currently running 4 monitors with 2 evga 9800 gt cards. I want to add another monitor to my system. I dont do any gaming, or movies. I am trying to figure out how to expand. should i find a card that supports 3 monitors or add a third card? i am using the two pci x16 slots, but have pci express x1 slots open. any help would be great. just dont want to screw up what i currently have

SYS:
mobo:gigabyte ga-p55-ud4p
intel core I7 860 processor
750 watt pwr supply
antec 900 case

[zburns]

Hi bc165,
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. What you describe is unusal in that it rarely comes up -- so not much real experience on the topic. Because you are already running 4 monitors, I suspect, there is not a limit on adding a fifth monitor. Your two present video cards take PCIx16 slots, but I did read somewhere that video can run via the PCIx1 slot. So maybe all you need is a video card that plugs into that slot.

However, before doing all that you should run it by evga and gigabyte to see if they raise any flags. I will be glad to research it on the net and try to find out. But since this is a 'late' response to your question, let us know your progress and if you still need help.

Just remembered!! Do your 9800 cards have a third video output, albeit maybe a mini HDMI plug? If you still have a Evga instruction booklet or sheet, it should tell you how many monitors per card (although I suspect you know this already) you can run.

Anyhow, I would think your idea is doable; again, I would just check with EVGA and Gigabyte to look for 'roadblocks'.
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Last Comment, I hope. Here is a card and the Newegg spec: 'The SAPPHIRE HD 6770 FleX delivers a true SLS (Single Large Surface) work area without the need for costly DisplayPort monitors or Active adapters. With the SAPPHIRE FleX solution, the first two monitors are connected to the two DVI outputs, as usual. A third DVI monitor can be connected to the HDMI output with the passive adapter supplied. The SAPPHIRE HD 6770 FleX can also support up to four simultaneous, independent monitors if you choose to include the use of a DisplayPort monitor or active adapter.'

Here is the link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102938

[bc165]

if I do go with another card in a PCIx1 slot does it need to use the same drivers? i read if the cards are not the same then the new one willl over ride the others and they will be blank. im a total rookie on this. my current cards have another output that looks like an old svideo port, maybe i can use that?

[zburns]

my current cards have another output that looks like an old svideo port, maybe i can use that? Only if your specs on the present cards say the card will support three monitors. If you do not have your original instructions, call Evga Tech Support, they may want the model number and serial #, but they will have the specs that state whether three monitors are supported.

Before my first post I did look for your cards on the Evga site, but they did not show up, presumably, out of date or discontinued.

[ARchamps]

What type of outputs do your monitors use?

Most NVIDIA cards have 2 DVI ports and one HDMI port. You could also check out ATI's cards, with their Eyefinity feature. I believe the ASUS 6950 has 4 display port outputs, in addition to HDMI.

[zburns]

bc165

Here is your easiest solution: You have no pci e x 16 slots left to use; therefore, your open slots are what the new video card must fit into. Here are some Newegg links, the first one to a page with 3 video cards on it that fit into a pci e x 1 slot. These cards will fit into either your pci e x 1 slots or pci e x 2 slots. Surely you have one of these unused. These are video cards, not 'gaming' video cards -- normal 'business' monitor video cards.

The monitor outputs are: 1 x HDMI and 1 x DVI .

There should be no effect on the other two video cards or your system by using one of these cards. Just make sure your new monitors have matching input connectors.

I think (will check) you can 'adapt' the HDMI to DVI via "adapter cable'.

Here are the links: First link is Newegg page with 3 cards on it: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=100006662&isNodeId=1&Description=pci+e+video+card&x=23&y=17

Next link is one of the three items. The 'Details' page is the specification page, link is: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500230
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I will look for a similar card with two DVI outputs later today. Please note that this page has only three items on it and they are cheap, in the $ 60.00 range. The pci e x 1 slot config 'tends' to mean that we will not find a large number of this type card available -- nothing like the pci e x 16 cards.
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Summing up, this card or a similar one should do what you want; two DVI outputs might be preferable and is probably out there if we look hard enough.
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Important final note: When you use the second link for the specific video card, you will find at the bottom of the page several other video cards, including one for pci e x 2 slot (which will work). My point is that these cards have different features, including Direct X 11 which you do not need since you do not 'game'. But I suggest you look at all the cards at the bottom of this page; see if anything, feature wise strikes you as something you want.

Last comment: we are not done looking. The smaller pci e x 1 slots and 'x 2 slots' are items I have never seen show up on this forum in any discussion -- so they are unfamiliar items -- takes a little time to get used to the specific features, etc.

[zburns]

bc165,
Here is your quote:
i read if the cards are not the same then the new one willl over ride the others and they will be blank.

Take a look at this card on Newegg, read under "FEEDBACK" the short statement by xxx. This statement seems exactly what you said above. This means we keep looking for a PCI e x 1 or PCI e x 2 card with a clear statement that it will work with two PCI x 16 cards. If we cannot find a card, this probably means that the 'circuit configuration' of the two PCI x 16 cards plus the PCI x 1 or 2 card does not work period.

However, there should be a shortcut in that some 'How To' author will tell us this straightout in a article.

Assuming this winds up being the case, this would mean you would need one new card that supports three monitors along with either one of your existing cards that supports two monitors. That would give you five monitors. If you wanted six monitors, you would have to replace both existing cards with two cards that support three monitors each.

[zburns]

bc165:

This is an update. Here is the URL for Matrox, a (I assume) business/industrial/workstation graphics card manufacturer: http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/products/graphics_cards/m_series/m9188pciex16/ . A single card that supports up to eight monitors. Click on cat # M9188 PCIe x16 in the 'info box on left side of webpage -- see Features then Specifications. In 'Features' underneath the picture frame, there are eight numbered boxes horizontal, click on box # 8 and you will see a large room with something on the order of 27 monitors in use. All the monitors are showing stationary images of data.

Repeating, one of their cards (M9188 PCIe x16) can run 8 monitors, but judging from the story that 'one card, 8 monitors and stationary images' tells the reader that 'the images must be stationary' in order to render that number of different video signals.
'My Super PC Forums' is a lot about 'gaming'. High energy games that keep increasing in 'energy' (increasing speed and colors) require a lot of bandwidth whereas the 'stationary images' on the matrox site require a minimum of data in the stationary, but color image -- herein, lies the reason one card can operate so many monitors.

Therefore, if you do not do gaming, and only require stationary images, you theoretically can get a 'single matrox (or others) video card' and get to your six monitor requirement. Or maybe your existing two video cards will let you use up to three monitors apiece with an adapter cable getting you that third monitor per video card.

If your present video cards are limited to two monitors per card, you should be able to use one of your three PCIe x 1 slots, and install a compatible PCIe x 1 cheap (about $ 60 to $ 70) video card and run an additional two monitors (video card selected must clearly state that the card supports at least two monitors - I also, assume you are looking at stationary images)
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Changing the topic!!
if I do go with another card in a PCIx1 slot does it need to use the same drivers? i read if the cards are not the same then the new one willl over ride the others and they will be blank

Here is the problem with your statement. Your smaller expansion slots, per GB specification, are: 3 x PCI Express x1 slots and 2 x PCI slots -- wording in your quote and this spec (just referred too) that refers to PCIe x 1 and 2 PCI is confusing!!

What I mean by confusing is this: I actually indicated you could use the PCI 1 slot (really is a PCIe x 1 slot). So if what you read referred to a PCI 1 slot (and not a PCIe x 1 slot), then the article may have been correct.

From Wikipedia, the following: PCI slots and PCIe slots are not interchangeable. At the software level, PCIe preserves backward compatibility with PCI. I have my interpretation of what backward compatibility means and that is that a pci (not pcie) card might be supported, but having some monitors driven from pci e cards and some more monitors driven from a pci card on the same computer has nothing to do, necessarily, with 'backward compatibility'. Here is the Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCI_Express

However, I am suggesting that your computer with the present two cards (pci e x 16) running four monitors and one card installed in one of the pci e x 1 slots might work. However, before doing this, you should talk to EVGA and clear exactly what you plan to do with their tech support. Your present evga cards are several years old -- no telling how they differ from todays cards, etc..

You can get a video card for a pcie x 1 slot that will run at least two monitors, if not more -- pretty sure I saw it on Newegg, it is the link several posts back; however, I must go to the Zotac site and look for the 'runs two or more monitors' specification. Will do this and update this post.

It would be helpful to hear from you as to exactly how you solve this problem so that our collective knowledge is updated!!

[bc165]

first off, holy cow, thanks for all the help and research! I talked with a EVGA rep and they recommended this card. said there should be no problems integrating into my system. said to pwr down install and reboot.
Sparkle GeForce 8400GS 512 MB DDR3 PCI with Native HDMI Graphics Card SFPC84GS512U2LP. they sounded quite confident about it.
I like the 8 monitor idea. I run stock trading charting software so no super fast gaming stuff. im gonna check prices before i make a decision

Thanks again
BC

[zburns]

Hey BC,
Looks like you made some good progress. I wanted to ask you, if in the conversation with EVGA, you were clear that your present video cards were in the two PCIe x 16 slots. The card you will be getting is a PCI card. My point is that if you were clear in your discussion that you had two PCIe x 16 cards and EVGA talked about you using a PCI card -- then it is reasonable to assume that both you and EVGA were on the same page -- and you can assume the PCI card will work fine. Another point, did you discuss the little short PCIe x 1 slots (you have 3 of them) and the longer two PCI slots on the mobo?

As I mentioned earlier, PCI cards hardly ever show up on this forum (maybe 'never'); at least I do not remember any PCI discussion versus PCIe (PCI Express).

Since at the beginning of your first Post, you did indicate you were new to 'computer building', all I am trying to do is get a sense of how detailed was your discussion. One last point, I noticed as I reread my posts that in several places I kept writing PCI when I meant to be writing PCIe; that is because it is easier (for me) to 'call the slots PCI slots and ignore the 'e' for express on the end. Again, all I am trying to do with this discussion, is for you to be sure you were making a distinction between PCI e and PCI when talking to EVGA-- they are absolutely not the same.

[bc165]

zburns,
i really tried to stress the fact that I had no more PCIe x16 slots available. We did discuss the option of using PCIe x1 or PCI slots and they came back with the PCI recommendation. i let them know how i wass using my system and what i intend to display.

Thanks a ton for the effort put into this. Im going to be out of town for a bit but when I return and get it installed I will let you know how i make out, thanks again
BC

[zburns]

Hello BC,

When you make a call about the subject we are talking about, it is very important to 'completely' engage Evga, in this case, in all the details. The only way to do that is to completely cover the subject in detail and hang up the phone knowing that you got good information. Sounds like you handled it all quite well!! Let us know how it works out. Good luck!!

[bc165]

I finally got the space to updgrade to the 6 monitors. everything works well, but when i run my stock charting program, the mouse pointer doesnt move with the mouse. it has a big lag and skips from place to place. trying to figure it out. the program ran fine with 4 monitors. am i low on RAM for running the extra graphics card with the live charting program? Any suggestions would be great. the new graphics card had one dvi output and the other was the old vga output. not sure if that has anything to do with it.

[zburns]

Hey BC, long time; sounds like you have been running pretty good!

Is your mouse wireless or wired?

How much RAM do you presently have and how is it configured in your 4 slots. Remember you have 'dual channel' RAM slots. Each pair has two slots, A & B. The same size RAM should be in each A slot. For the two B slots, same size RAM in each of the B slots. BUT, the RAM size in each of the A slots can be different than the amount in the B slots. This means you can increase the total RAM by only increasing the RAM in either both A slots or both B slots.

So if you are going to increase the RAM, start with two sticks. Either two new sticks in A or B -- I do not think it matters. Repeating myself, A slots must hold identical RAM sticks. B slots must hold identical RAM sticks. The two sticks in A can be different in total RAM than the total in B.
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Before you jump in and order some RAM, try this and I will do the same. Google 'irregular mouse movement' on multi monitor installation. Someone else has had this same problem, and, hopefully, one of us can find it via google.

But the above is my 'quick' ideas, but do not jump on the RAM just yet.
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Another idea is that you could right now have a partially defective single stick of RAM in either A or B and that would cause the speed in A or B to slow down. Remove one stick at a time, try the mouse.

When touching the RAM stick, only touch the fibreglass edges, one finger on one end, another finger on the opposite end. If you have a static wrist strap wear it (as you did during the build) when messing with any of the RAM with your fingers.
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Again, try Google first to look for stuff other than the above -- ie. that person who has already had a similar problem and written it up!
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One more thought. The most obvious is some problem with the new 2 monitor install -- I just toss it out there -- it is part of 'the overall configuration change'.

[bc165]

added 8g of RAM and nothing improved. the processor on my first two cards is 1g and the processor on the new card is 512. I am going to call NVDIA and see what they think. maybe too slow of a video card?
called them and waiting for a call back. when running my charting program is when it has the isues. when i close the data manager in the program but keep the screen open the mouse works fine. is the 512 card too slow to run my qcharts?

[bc165]

looks like i need to upgrade my video cards to be able to run the 6 monitors. i have two pcie 2.0 X16 slots on my MOBO. would love to get a recommendation for a card i can put in both slots to run the monitors. I know there are single cards that will run all 6 (eyefinity) but dont really know anything about it. think it would be easier to buy two cards that will run all 6 monitors with DVI. i was thinking 3 monitors off each card. any thoughts?

[zburns]

Hey BC,

Here are some urls of different sites that deal with multiple monitors. You probably need to look at these and more to get the best 'grasp' of what you can do. I think you need to find video cards that spell out in the specs, in writing just what the card can do. You cannot just look at the output terminals and assume that 'x' monitors can be run from these terminals.

The following urls are for sites on multiple monitors where the video card is specifically designed to run a certain total number of monitors.

Here they are, Matrox seems to be the most advanced and will handle up to eight monitors. The Matrox site has a lot of different destinations; you can actually get 'lost' inside the site and have to start over. Any how it is a good site and will provide you with some good insight.

Matrox site as follows:

http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/products/graphics_cards/

Just below is the outline for the Graphic Cards on the Matrox site. There are approximately 20 different Matrox video cards total that you can look at.
Graphics Cards
G-Series
M-Series
MMS Series
P-Series
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Article on the Matrox cards by 'guru 3D' (one of the best reviewers on computers): http://www.guru3d.com/news_story/matrox_m9188_drives_up_to_eight_displays.html
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Evga site url: http://www.evga.com/interview/specifications.asp
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Article by TechRadar on multiple monitors, just one very long page: http://www.techradar.com/us/news/computing-components/peripherals/the-complete-guide-to-multiple-monitors-1074313
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I did look quickly at them all and they do appear to be worth reading.

[bc165]

I replaced the 3 graphics cards with 2 EVGA gtx 650's. so far so good. From everything i could gather it was either the slow graphics card or the pci slot was too slow for it. working good now. thanks for the help