Three Monitors (or more) on an ASUS P8Z68-M Pro?

[jwka]

I have now searched a fair amount of time (with no result yet) IF the above raised question will be answered with "YES" and if so, what I need (does the board do the job or is another grafix card needed)?

Background:
I am NOT a hardware specialist, however, have some multiple years of experience. I use my computer for developing software.

I currently use a DELL 2711 (2560x1440, on DisplayPort) and a BENQ FP2091 (1200x1600 90 degrees turned on DVI) which works quite well.

Now, I would love to add one (or two) more monitors to have additiona screens just for notes, seeing the log's, the server's console etc. and other "helper work".

Plugging in a third monitor (I have one spare HP2310i that should be capable for 1920x1080) via VGA cable, the Intel grafics tool installed obviously recognizes that monitor (shows it as a "Monitor") and also in the Device Manager, the device is shown (Non-PnP Monitor) but I can only choose from options with TWO monitors, which seems to me I can only use this OR that but not all.

Here's my questions:

- Does it (3 or more monitors) work at all with that motherboard?
- Is there any step-by-step tutorial on how to achieve the goal?
- What do I need (additional grafics cardm, I would assume)?
- Any recommendadtions like "use grafics card XYZ, I know it works"?

Thanks in advance for any imput!
jwka

 

[giantbucket]

presumably you're using your motherboard's built-in graphics, and yeah some of the older or simpler ones can only run 2 at a time even though they have 3-4 ports for you to pick from.

as long as you can use a different connector type on your Dell monitor (DVI or HDMI), then my fav card is an Asus GT640-2GD3 which can drive 4 screens. it's around $100. it's not suited for gaming, but it's great for productivity. maybe some mild gaming like Solitaire would be fine.

another option - depending on whether your BIOS will allow it - is to combine the onboard graphics with a separate card. by default installing a card disables the onboard graphics, but most BIOS let you re-enable it. depends on who made your computer and how dirty their fingers got.

 

[jwka]

Very late reply, sorry about that.

I finally decided for a Geforce GT 730. Two reasons for that desicion:

- It runs passive, which means no noise, significant for me in the very silent office
- I got a recommendation from someone that has exactly that setup and guranteed it will work.

As I bought two new screens aside (Acer K272HUL) for an absolute cheap price, the Dell is now orphan but I would like to try out to use th card in parralel to the built in one.

Is there any information source (step-be-step) you could refer me to helping to try it out or maybe kind of test-program to tell wether it's possible or not at all with this particular setup?

Thanks in advance again!

 

[giantbucket]

a guide to get into BIOS? depending on who (which company) made the computer, it could be simple or a waste of time. some BIOS is customized and won't allow you to make any real changes, whereas many BIOSes that come with "sold individually" motherboards are wide open so you could tinker around quite a bit.

it appears that you have the second type, the "sold individually" one, which is a good start. download the manual and start reading the BIOS section.

usually the best thing to try is to mash the "Del" key when turning on the computer until you get to a screen that says BIOS somewhere along the top. it might look modern, but it might look very vintage with generic colours and blocky text. once you're there, start looking through the "tabs". the bottom-left of the screen should tell you what buttons do what (PgUp, +, Enter, and so on)

now, i've not used a GT730 so i don't know what the limitations of that are. i use the GT640 i mentioned and each card runs 4 screens. i have also in the past run 2-3 separate cards (not using SLI or CrossFire) on the same motherboard to get more screens and that has been a Plug-n-Play experience since Win7.