Can't find the right kind of graphics card...

December 17, 2008 1:44 PM

Can anyone find a PCI-E x1 or PCI graphics card in the UK?

I've run out of monitor ports and I only have one PCI-E x16 slot which is currently full... clearly the correct solution is to buy another graphics card so I can have a third monitor :D Only problem is, I actually can't find a graphics card that's not x16 or AGP. I'm in the UK but open to anywhere that ships here (i.e. not newegg). Mefites, please help!

VGA is fine, DVI is nice though!

You can do that, right? Run two graphics cards for extra monitors? I'm being plagued by sudden doubt...

(I have an EP35-DS3R at the moment, with an 8800GT. Running Vista.)

posted by katrielalex to Computers & Internet (10 answers total)

Best answer: You could pick up a 1x to 16x adapter from Scan and pair it with a 16x PCI-e card. I'm guessing you'd need a 2/3 height graphics card to compensate, and the card would be hobbled to 1x.

This is assuming you couldn't simply plug a 16x card into a 1x socket; I think it's doable if the socket and card are compatible (open ended socket or slotted card).
posted by Nice Guy Mike at 2:01 PM on December 17, 2008

Since no one else has answered, Amazon UK has plain PCI graphics cards. I have no specific recommendations but the linked card is £32.95 so it's not a huge gamble to try it or a similar one out. I have no idea if random mixing of video cards will work very well.
posted by GuyZero at 2:25 PM on December 17, 2008

I think dabs.com is good for the UK, and looks like they have PCI cards that would do the trick.
posted by jmd82 at 2:25 PM on December 17, 2008

This seems to be one, and this.
posted by pompomtom at 2:28 PM on December 17, 2008

Run two graphics cards for extra monitors?

Yes. Here's one. You want to google PCI-E x1 graphics card for more. Plan jane PCI (not pci-e) cards are cheap, do you have any free PCI slots?
posted by damn dirty ape at 6:00 PM on December 17, 2008

Best answer: Be aware, the 2nd graphics card will almost certainly need to be the same type of chipset as your current one - i.e. both nvidia or both ati. I've never sucessfully mixed the two when doing multi-card multi-monitor.
posted by ArkhanJG at 8:10 PM on December 17, 2008

Oops, missed that you had an 8800gt. Any nvidia that's supported in the current driver should work to allow you to do triple head in windows.
posted by ArkhanJG at 8:13 PM on December 17, 2008

Be aware, the 2nd graphics card will almost certainly need to be the same type of chipset as your current one - i.e. both nvidia or both ati. I've never sucessfully mixed the two when doing multi-card multi-monitor.

I had the same problem when trying to use both my PCI-E x16 slots. However, a PCI video card will almost certainly 'just work', manufacturer doesn't matter.

I'd look for a used PCI card, or drop some bucks on a PCI-E x1 card. Putting £32.95 into a PCI card seems like false economy.
(I could ship you a PCI video card for $5 plus cost of shipping, for example -- it would be real old :P    An online forum with lots of Brits would probably net you an even better price, and probably a newer card than mine :P)
posted by Chuckles at 11:54 PM on December 17, 2008

Another option would be a USB video adapter, such as this. They allow you to add another monitor to your system via a USB connection.
posted by hootch at 7:51 AM on December 18, 2008

Response by poster: In the end I bit the bullet and got the £30 nvidia PCI card. It works like a dream and I even have room for a fourth monitor in case I get greedy :).
posted by katrielalex at 1:24 AM on January 17, 2009