Do DVI-out PCI-Express cards work?

December 15, 2006 7:09 PM

Will this [see Newegg] DVI-only, PCI-x add-on card work with many/any motherboards?

My new Dell E521's onboard video is DVI-less, and I was pondering the merits of a cheap, low-end 3D card to hold me over until I can afford something fancier. Then, I saw these barbones DVI-out cards. Any rants, raves, or cautionary tales?

posted by onshi to Computers & Internet (8 answers total)

That's PCI-E, PCI-X is something completely different (beefed up PCI, as opposed to completely redone PCI).

Also, that's no graphics card, it's some icky Intel graphics add-on: "This ADD2 display adapter card provides an ideal low-cost, low-power and low-noise Dual-DVI output solution. Rather than using an add-on graphics card, the Pegasus ADD2 card interfaces with the on-board graphics chipsets via the standard x16 PCI Express socket"

Do you need dual DVI? I can see similarly priced real cards with 1 DVI and 1 VGA output.
posted by Freaky at 7:31 PM on December 15, 2006

Your PC appears to have an NVidia motherboard chipset. The SDVO feature that card is based around is an Intel technology. So no.
posted by cillit bang at 7:36 PM on December 15, 2006

Best answer: Clarification: Some NVidia chipsets support it, as seen here. But Dell's site says your PC has an NVidia 6150 LE, which isn't compatible.
posted by cillit bang at 8:11 PM on December 15, 2006

Wow, it should be obvious from the picture that it's not a graphics card, at least not one made in the past decade or so. The chips are tiny.
posted by delmoi at 8:43 PM on December 15, 2006

If you want, you can get a plain PCI graphics card with DVI output. this one has DVI output and only costs $29. It's only got 64 megs of RAM, so I guess the 3d won't to be too impressive, but if you just want to use regular windows with a crisp flat panel image it should be fine.
posted by delmoi at 8:48 PM on December 15, 2006

You can easily pick up a used PCI-E graphics card for the same amount of money. Almost any graphics card will be far better than your onboard solution.

For example, you might be able to pick up an nvidia 6600GT card for as little as $50, and you should have no problem getting an nvidia 6200LE for much less. But, be careful with the later, the nomenclature is very confusing.

So, you don't want this product, even if you could use it.
posted by Chuckles at 12:46 PM on December 16, 2006

Before you buy anything, you should open your Dell up and make sure you have a PCI-e slot first (second from the top, usually white). I've been opening up a lot of Dells at work here that have the pins for a graphics card slot, but no actual slot. I guess they like to save money.
posted by ODiV at 1:23 PM on December 16, 2006

Response by poster: I could see it wasn't a whole-hog graphics card. But what should I have called it? It's a card. It has a video output. So, I called it and 'add-on' DVI-out card.

And I do, indeed, have a PCI-e slot (cracking open the case was first on my to-do list after I got it out of the box a few weeks ago). I was asking out of curiosity, not blind ignorance... I don't really want this thing, but I was curious about how, and with what, it might work. Couldn't tell if it was an Intel-only phenomenon, or a rarely-used aspect of some wider standard.

I don't need dual DVI (right now), but I picked that Newegg link because the single DVI version of this has a low-profile bracket that would give me grief.
posted by onshi at 11:48 PM on December 17, 2006