Urgent Help With Triple Monitor Plan

[mfaulk]

hello. i want to be able to run a three monitor setup of 24 inch LG's. i already have them picked out and all. i just realized (don't judge my common sense please) that my graphics card doesn't support multiple monitors linked together (pretty sure thats how it was explained). from my specs i understand that my processor is the AMD 5500 and my graphics card is AMD 7560D? i am pretty clueless haha. i apologize for my ignorance but some help is really needed on this part. anyways, on the back of my computer all there seems to be is one DVI port and one VGA port. i assume that three monitors would not work under these conditions.

what should i get to upgrade to a triple monitor display? would i need to upgrade my CPU for power? i have also heard about something called PSU, would that need to be upgraded? all of this is in a relatively low budget.

lastly, i will be gaming only on the center monitor. i can already assume that gaming on all three would require a large overhaul. the other two, however, should be able to play videos and maybe browser games, etc.

i am sorry for my ignorance haha, thank you all

 

[13thmonkey]

Why are you going for three screens? for surround gaming or other purposes?

 

[mfaulk]

Why are you going for three screens? for surround gaming or other purposes?

for multitasking purposes, and the whole spaceship theme. like i said, i will only be using the center monitor for gaming UNLESS it would be possible to upgrade cheaply to something that would enable triple monitor gaming. but i would be fine with just the center monitor being used for that purpose.

 

[13thmonkey]

The reason I asked was that the components need to do 3 screen gaming are a lot more expensive than 3 screen productivity.

What you have is a GPU (Graphics processing unit) built into your CPU, it's OK, but not great. Can it run three screens, I'm not sure, technically yes, but it requires that the motherboard has the support built into it.

So, I would suggest a discrete card, you could get one that works with your 7560HD, but there will be complications and the discrete cards that will work are now old and therefore not worth buying.

So, I need to know more information from you.
1. what is your PSU (Power Supply Unit), look inside the case, you'll see a box like this with a sticker on it, I need make and model number. https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=psu&biw=1366&bih=677&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=j3mmVP-TC4KrUcXdgbAL&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=tRF7vIEhFU5bwM%253A%3BbO69zadbMYNG-M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.dansdata.com%252Fimages%252Fgtr450%252Fpsu_1280.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.dansdata.com%252Fquickshot035.htm%3B1280%3B1171
2. how big is your case at the point where the pci-e slot is, https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=pci-e+slot&espv=2&tbm=isch&imgil=PGhfgpdOw6s2DM%253A%253B5T4FDqEgajMqIM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fcomputertroublesolver.com%25252Fvideo-cards.html%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=PGhfgpdOw6s2DM%253A%252C5T4FDqEgajMqIM%252C_&usg=__wrogKAKel2mKuh0ZaZAX3EP_3Fo%3D&biw=1366&bih=677&ved=0CCoQyjc&ei=wXmmVOioJ4n2UtGKhKAL#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=PGhfgpdOw6s2DM%253A%3B5T4FDqEgajMqIM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fcomputertroublesolver.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2013%252F09%252Fpci-express-slot.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fcomputertroublesolver.com%252Fvideo-cards.html%252F%3B445%3B307
3. an indication of some kind of budget.

I'll try and then give you a best value suggestion, and some other options.

 

[mfaulk]

first of all, maybe this is a solution to the issue. on here http://articles.multi-monitors.com/ it says that my processor supports up to three displays, is that correct?

moving on,

1. my PSU http://www.circotech.com/hp-replacement-power-supply-model-number-fh-xd301myr-part-number-633189-001.html
2. the inside does not look the same as that but it seems there are two open slots for relatively large cards and then there is a smaller one

here is someone else's picture of my computer http://i.ytimg.com/vi/GDpC7v-bbcY/maxresdefault.jpg

3. i am getting a good deal on three monitors very soon, but i will only have around 100 dollars left. this deal ends verryyy soon. please help!

 

[13thmonkey]

theoretically you can if your mobo supports it, as it has the connections. Given the below I propose the following.

1. your PSU is weak, only 300W, it will not be able to cope with a 'big' enough card to game well on three screens, but it can take a card that can display 3 screens easily.
2. you may or may not have room for a very long card, but given point 1 a very long card is 'big' and out of the question anyway.
3. $100 bucks can get you: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=r7+250&N=-1&isNodeId=1

I would propose that you try it through your mobo, if that fails then buy the card, the card above will require that you use one connection from the mobo and 2 from the card.

BUT I am slightly concerned about the overall power consumption, it should be ok but it is a lot tighter than I would normally like to run. But you should be pulling less than 150W overall as your CPU uses less power than the ones in this test. http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/radeon-r7-240-and-250,review-32874-9.html

 

[mfaulk]

i was just outbid on the triple monitor setup i was looking for, which would be the only option for me to have triple monitors. there is another deal that leaves me with practically no money left over to upgrade. i have a few options that i thought up and i'd love your advice as you've been very helpful so far.
should i
1) go for the triple monitor setup and hope to the gods that it ends up working
2) purchase something like a 27 inch or so and then later upgrade to dual monitors? and then maybe, triple monitors?
thank you so far, i really do appreciate it.

 

[todesng3l]

Given your AMD A8-5500 APU processor your motherboard should be socket FM2, which means you have PCI express slots. Your 300W HP power supply is going to really hold you back in terms of options, I would look toward the R7 250. Toms hardware measures a total system draw of 150W with GPU load, that should give you decent head room. Order from Amazon that way if your PSU is not enough you can always return it no questions asked and order a R7 240 which has even less stringent PSU requirements. Both cards support 3 displays and do not require separate power (beyond the motherboard).

R7 250:

http://www.amazon.com/XFX-Profile-Boost-Graphics-R7250AZLF4/dp/B00FS6ABEG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1420222125&sr=8-3&keywords=r7+250

R7 240:

http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Radeon-PCI-Express-Graphics-11216-00-20G/dp/B00DR3M050/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420222201&sr=8-1&keywords=r7+240

 

[todesng3l]

i was just outbid on the triple monitor setup i was looking for, which would be the only option for me to have triple monitors. there is another deal that leaves me with practically no money left over to upgrade. i have a few options that i thought up and i'd love your advice as you've been very helpful so far.
should i
1) go for the triple monitor setup and hope to the gods that it ends up working
2) purchase something like a 27 inch or so and then later upgrade to dual monitors? and then maybe, triple monitors?
thank you so far, i really do appreciate it.

Only you can answer that question, to me it sounds like you are wasting your money when one of your reasons justifying your purchase is " the whole spaceship theme". If I were you and had money burning a hole in my pocket I would buy an entirely new system with the money that would be spent on the cards and monitors, your return on investment will be far superior. If you do go the route of purchasing a 27" monitor make sure it is 1080P as anything higher will make gaming challenging for your system.

 

[13thmonkey]

you don't need to buy all the monitors at the same time, for productivity you don't even need them to be the same model. So get another one now to add to your current to go dual, and then go triple as funds allow. But a 250 is the best card I can recommend, and it WILL NOT game very well across all three screens, personally I game on dual screens, teamspeak, monitoring and other stuff on the secondary display.

 

[mfaulk]

in all honesty, i am working off of xmas money to upgrade, so really the only way i can get three monitors now is if i am able to host the monitors on what i have right now. i guess my options would be to either purchase the setup and then wait to have all three running until i can upgrade to the r7-250 (i should be able to do that in a month or two when i get a job), or i could as i said before, pick up a large single monitor and upgrade later. it is possible that with buying a large single monitor i might be able to get the r7-250 for later.

 

[13thmonkey]

However gaming on the larger single monitor will be poorer (assuming the resolution is higher) with a 250. But if you are just talking about 1080p then it'll be OK. look at the review I posted to see what you can expect from a 250, and see if that fits with your expectations.

 

[mfaulk]

thank you very much for all of your advice. currently i am working on a 20 inch HP, i plan to buy a 24 or 27 and the 250 if i am able. eventually i plan to have all three with the 250. thanks again!