Two Video Cards

[Warchamp7]

I have a 5 year old PC with AGP (No PCI-E) slots. I was wondering if I could plug in a second AGP video card and run a second monitor off it.

I doubt it's possible without a motherboard designed for such a thing but it's worth asking.

[Vermette]

Did you bother to check inside for a second AGP slot?

Short answer: yes, it's quite possible.

Longer answer: You could also use a PCI card in tandem, but you'll probably run into performance issues. Another option is buying a single GPU with two outputs, but I think the market on AGP cards is quickly becoming scarce.

[Euphoracle]

You have two options. Firstly, if you have two AGP slots, you can buy any other AGP card and stick'er'in and it should work (make sure your 5 y-o PSU can support it). The alternative is to find a single AGP card that is dual head (two video outputs). I don't know of any off the top of my head that do this for AGP, but I'm sure a quick glance at the later nvidia or ATI AGP cards would give you this information (if it exists). However, I'm fairly sure that there are quite a few AGP FireGL cards that are dual monitor. Likewise, if you're not going to be doing anything intensive on the second screen, you can use an old PCI graphics card (such as the FX5200 PCI or something silly like that). The main downside to this is the bandwidth difference between PCI and AGP, but that's how they used to do it (:

[apomb]

any AGP Nvidia 6 series and up will have two outputs. unless you get a 6200 or something of that sort, but a 6600+ will allow you to attach 2 screens to one videocard.

[Warchamp7]

Oh, I have like 5 AGP slots open lmao

As for Power, I have like a 500W supply in so that shouldn't be an issue.

I guess I'll give it a shot, first I need to find a place for a second monitor though XD

Edit: Theres metal plates over the back where the slots would open up to and they don't seem to come off (At least easily)

Though I am able to run a second monitor off my same video card using some adapter plug that came with it (It has pins and then like a little + shaped set of pins on the side, had an adapter that converts that to a monitor port)

All in all, I'm running two monitors lol

[md]

Warchamp7 @ 2008-09-26, 9:54 pm wrote:

Oh, I have like 5 AGP slots open lmao

As for Power, I have like a 500W supply in so that shouldn't be an issue.

I guess I'll give it a shot, first I need to find a place for a second monitor though XD

Edit: Theres metal plates over the back where the slots would open up to and they don't seem to come off (At least easily)

Though I am able to run a second monitor off my same video card using some adapter plug that came with it (It has pins and then like a little + shaped set of pins on the side, had an adapter that converts that to a monitor port)

All in all, I'm running two monitors lol

You do not have 5 AGP slots. PCI slots maybe but not AGP.

[Insectoid]

The one with the 'plus' sign is DVI. The normal port is for analog signals (don't remember the acronym...). DVI is digital. It is supposed to result in better picture, though I've never found any difference.

[Warchamp7]

md @ Sat Sep 27, 2008 12:07 am wrote:

Warchamp7 @ 2008-09-26, 9:54 pm wrote:

Oh, I have like 5 AGP slots open lmao

As for Power, I have like a 500W supply in so that shouldn't be an issue.

I guess I'll give it a shot, first I need to find a place for a second monitor though XD

Edit: Theres metal plates over the back where the slots would open up to and they don't seem to come off (At least easily)

Though I am able to run a second monitor off my same video card using some adapter plug that came with it (It has pins and then like a little + shaped set of pins on the side, had an adapter that converts that to a monitor port)

All in all, I'm running two monitors lol

You do not have 5 AGP slots. PCI slots maybe but not AGP.

This is what I get for typing when half asleep XD

All the same, how do I get those metal plates off if at all? Am I just being too careful?
(This was a problem way back when I first bought new RAM, I couldn't get it in cause I was afraid of breaking something haha)

[Zeroth]

If you go inside the the computer by unscrewing the right panel, you will see that those little things are held on with screws. That is, unless the case manufacturer went absolutely nuts.

[Warchamp7]

I don't see any screws : /

These panels appear to be held in place by some magical force

Right Side of PC with panel off


Inside the PC looking from left side

[Insectoid]

Likely there is a clip that you have to push/pull/turn to take them out. Funny, your network card has a screw, but there aren't any on the slot covers....

[Warchamp7]

insectoid @ Sat Sep 27, 2008 12:33 pm wrote:

Likely there is a clip that you have to push/pull/turn to take them out. Funny, your network card has a screw, but there aren't any on the slot covers....

Well, on the side the screws go in, I managed to pull a plate off by that end and it appears the plates are all lightly attached to the case itself O.o

So I just lightly twisted and turned and managed to pull it off : /

What a weird case

[andrew.]

You can either:
A - get a second AGP graphics card that may or may not work with the original one
B - buy a newer AGP graphics card with dual outputs

I would go with B because it will be more powerful, and will probably work better. The only thing is that most AGP graphics card don't have dual-DVI or VGA, they have like 1 VGA and 1 DVI if that is fine for you.

[Warchamp7]

andrew. @ Sat Sep 27, 2008 3:43 pm wrote:

You can either:
A - get a second AGP graphics card that may or may not work with the original one
B - buy a newer AGP graphics card with dual outputs

I would go with B because it will be more powerful, and will probably work better. The only thing is that most AGP graphics card don't have dual-DVI or VGA, they have like 1 VGA and 1 DVI if that is fine for you.

Pretty much what I did, my video card has a DVI output and the video card came with a DVI adapter