a LOW BUDGET video solution

drew571 · Post by **drew571** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 1:57 pm

Holler.

I'm looking to build a new PC. I've been looking at the Asus P5B socket T MOBO. I am going to need a new graphics card as my old AGP won't be compatible. This is going to be a computer for audio production, not gaming. I don't care at all if this isn't the latest in graphics, I just want something that's VERY quiet and doesn't break the bank. it also needs to support multiple monitors.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

Drew

mr. poopyhead · Post by **mr. poopyhead** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 3:37 pm

have you considered a motherboard with integrated graphics?

lm · Post by lm » Tue Dec 05, 2006 3:44 pm

Matrox G550 PCIE is passively cooled and energy efficient, and it has great picture quality and dualhead support. You can forget 3D with it, though.

However if you can get dualhead support integrated in the mobo, then it would be ideal for you.

rei · Post by **rei** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 4:24 pm

Matrox is somewhat irrelevent to the home user nowadays though. I'd get a motherboard with good integrated video for this case.

qviri · Post by **qviri** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 4:33 pm

rei wrote:Matrox is somewhat irrelevent to the home user nowadays though. I'd get a motherboard with good integrated video for this case.

Nope. It's irrelevant to the gamers. What's one thing a non-gaming, internet-browsing, word-processing home user does that a Matrox card can't give him?

rei · Post by **rei** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 4:38 pm

i don't trust their driver support to fix bugs in non-games apps. for all their vaunted 2d quality, i don't trust buying a card and relying on drivers from a defunct company that's abandoned the mass market, gamers and non-gamers alike. also, matrox is hardly 'low budget' since what few cards you can find in distribution channels are still quite overpriced.

each to their own, of course. but it's akin to buying something from rendition or s3 for some some mythical 2d quality.

what happens if you god-forbid need support/replacement/repair? it's just harder getting that support from matrox when their focus is elsewhere.

i guess that's just me. carry on.

drew571 · Post by **drew571** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 6:13 pm

a few things I should clarify I suppose. I hadn't thought about integrated graphics. I would need the option to be available on an ASUS board though that would support an e6700 processor. I want to go with ASUS because i've liked them in the past and they are supposed to be the best for audio apps. Does anyone know of an ASUS board, with integrated graphics, that supports two monitors?

To complicate matters, I will be needing support for a 3rd display as well. Right now, I have two cards in my PC, one agp with two monitors on it and a pci card with one monitor on it. They're both low budget cards but they definitely do the job. Again, they don't have to be hi performance. No gaming here. Just display. Is it possible to run integrated graphics and PCI cards at the same time?

I would probably like to stay with better known names like ATI and NVidia for the obvious support benefits.

Thanks for the replies so far. This is helpful.

rei · Post by **rei** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 6:33 pm

Yes, you can run 3 displays : integrated + the 2 outs on a single video. Generally though, the limitation is that if you get an nvidia-integrated board it can only do 3 display with an nvidia card. Likewise for ATI.

I'm not too familiar with the Core 2 Duo type chipsets with the Intel video. Intel video likely won't play nicely with ATI or NVIDIA dual displays.

Do you absolutely need Intel? I know of some AMD boards offhand that can easily do the 3-way thing. I'm less confident in my knowledge of Intel boards.

Although I'm THINK you can skip integrated video and do a 2-output card (2 DVI) on PCI-E bus + 1 normal PCI card. Or, going back to Matrix, they sell an external device called TripleHead 2Go that, with drivers, tricks output on 3 monitors.

rei · Post by **rei** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 7:01 pm

If you do no gaming at all, I'm sure all you need is a 2 output NVIDIA 7100GS or 6200 PCI-E card for <$50 if it is able to work with the onboard Intel. I believe it's just easier to use the same monitor management driver/software if it's all 1 manufacturer.

If you check Froogle.com for the Matrox G550, it averages $100-150, which is hardly "low budget." Recommending Matrox for this task is like an audiophile recommending Bose from the Skymall catalog someone looking for cheap, effective speakers.

Get eVGA, XFX or BFG for warranty coverage.

rei · Post by **rei** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 7:21 pm

Nope. It's irrelevant to the gamers. What's one thing a non-gaming, internet-browsing, word-processing home user does that a Matrox card can't give him?

$50 more in his pocket.

drew571 · Post by **drew571** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 9:10 pm

rei wrote:Yes, you can run 3 displays : integrated + the 2 outs on a single video. Generally though, the limitation is that if you get an nvidia-integrated board it can only do 3 display with an nvidia card. Likewise for ATI.

I'm not too familiar with the Core 2 Duo type chipsets with the Intel video. Intel video likely won't play nicely with ATI or NVIDIA dual displays.

Do you absolutely need Intel? I know of some AMD boards offhand that can easily do the 3-way thing. I'm less confident in my knowledge of Intel boards.

Although I'm THINK you can skip integrated video and do a 2-output card (2 DVI) on PCI-E bus + 1 normal PCI card. Or, going back to Matrix, they sell an external device called TripleHead 2Go that, with drivers, tricks output on 3 monitors.

I'm currently on an ASUS P4S800D-X MOBO and am running a NVidia Geforce FX 5500 for two monitors on an agp slot and then running an old pci ATI All In One Wonder thingamajiggy card and it runs 3 displays without any hitch.

Yes, I want to go with the new intel Core 2 Duo chips. I want this thing up to date and since video isn't my primary concern anyway, I'd rather work around the processor than the video card.

And that NVIDIA 7100GS card with the heatsink will be completely quiet, right? no fan? If I go and get another one that is PCI for the 3rd output, i should be all set, correct? Just look for the ones with the heatsink with no fan?

rei · Post by **rei** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 9:17 pm

The Asus P5B-V comes with the Intel X3000 onboard video. You -could- try using that and seeing if you can 3-monitor with it and a PCI-E card.

By asking about Intel, I was wondering if you would consider Athlon 64 X2.

drew571 · Post by **drew571** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 9:29 pm

I know the x2 is good too but I think i want to stay with Intel, everyone seems to love them and they are faster, correct?

Rei, could you send me a link to the motherboard you were talking about? The only one I could find was a $100 bucks more. I just want to be sure we're on the same page. Thanks!

rei · Post by **rei** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 9:34 pm

i think it's pretty expensive. $300.

http://www.asus.com/products4.aspx?l1=3 ... odelmenu=1

why not get a non-overclocking rock solid intel board? i haven't heard asus as any sort of gold standard for DAP boards, i would have expected the vanilla, no-frills-but-stable-reputation intel mobos to be more the kind to be recommended.

you want normal ATX size or micro ATX?

no-frills?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813121035

drew571 · Post by **drew571** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 10:06 pm

normal atx and I would like to have the option to overclock it. The core 2's are supposed to be good at it, and as long as I have the equipment, I might as well.

rei · Post by **rei** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 10:48 pm

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813128018

not sure about o/c-ability and has no firewire, have to throw in a pci firewire card if you need it.

merlin · Post by **merlin** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 2:44 pm

qviri wrote:Nope. It's irrelevant to the gamers. What's one thing a non-gaming, internet-browsing, word-processing home user does that a Matrox card can't give him?

Availability, price, modern drivers, support, good useability in all situations. In fact, matrox is more expensive for a budget video card now. Matrox cards tend to be $100+ and hard to find. You can easily buy a cheap dual output video card like a x300 or 6200 for $50 or less in many online stores. They're also passive, energy efficient, dualhead, and can actually do "low end 3d". There's no gain in even thinking matrox now. Plenty of budget choices for non-gamers.

Mike_P · Post by **Mike_P** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 5:02 pm

the cheapest way to support 3 monitors is through AMD and the Nforce 6150 boards. (with a catch though).

what monitors are you using, LCD? CRT? are they connecting w/ VGA or DVI??

the best bet is to get a 6150 AMD socket am2 board and stick another low end PCI-e card w/ dual dvi. you can get up to 2 monitors! and the cost is far far less for am2 based 6150 boards than current intel g965.

rei · Post by **rei** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 5:18 pm

don't be blinded by the 'core 2 duo' as 'best' chip. consider your overall mobo features, peripherals as well. The value equation is not just in the raw chip speed. I weighed a bunch of features and went with amd for now.

i too was enamored with the core 2 duo "15% faster than comparable amd chips" but i quickly changed my mind due to the $100 premium on motherboards to get the exact features i wanted.

MC FLMJIG · Post by **MC FLMJIG** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 6:11 pm

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813127013

Only board you should consider... Get a x2 am and you're done.

If you dont have an AGp or a DVI just get a $1 dollar converter.

It's what I use and it's great. Best AM2 board outside an SLI solution and the DFI Lanparty.

rei · Post by **rei** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 9:26 pm

they make $1 agp converters?

drew571 · Post by **drew571** » Wed Dec 06, 2006 10:00 pm

thanks for all the replies. i think I mentioned it, but I will again. I'm already using 3 monitors on my cheap rig now. I just have two cards, an agp and a pci card. I never have any problems. I'm looking to do the same thing, so I'm probably just going to get a cheap pci express card and a regular pci card that are both passive.

Does anyone know if you can actually run 4 monitors with two video cards that have two outputs each?

and i currently have three crt's but plan on making the switch to some lcd's when I get the new computer. they might still have the agp connection though.

rei · Post by **rei** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 2:55 am

monitors don't have agp connections, agp is the type of slot/bus.

you must mean dsub vga.

drew571 · Post by **drew571** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 6:51 am

yeah, woops, i did mean that.