On Sat, 8 May 2010 12:58:52 -0400
Bob Paddock <bob.padd...@gmail.com> wrote:

> I want to get my machine set up with two monitors.
> 
> Is it better to get a single video card that can handle multiple
> monitors, or to have two different video cards?
>
> [...]
> 
> What are the best options for cards with prices below $300 (the
> budgeted amount), from real experiences?

I use an nVidia GF 6800 (Apollo-branded) in an AMD64 Gentoo system, using the 
195.36.15 driver.  It only cost something like $130 when I bought it new, 
online, about four years ago.  It is dual-head (one VGA, one DVI), has 128MB 
onboard, and it's reasonably fast.  I use it with a pair of fairly non-descript 
Dell flat panel monitors (each at 1280x1024) via the nVidia "twinview" feature.

If you ever do decide to throw something 3D at it, it'll handle stuff like 
OpenArena/quake3 and similar, Google Earth (but if you turn on the 3D 
buildings, heavily populated areas will be kinda slow).  You get the idea.

As I said though, it's a somewhat older card now, so it's only AGP and hard to 
find, but if you can find one, it'll do well for this kind of work.  Other 
similar cards from this same era should also be fine, and they'll use the same 
driver series.  

No need to spend 300 bucks on a high end card.

-- 
"There are some things in life worth obsessing over.  Most
things aren't, and when you learn that, life improves."
http://starbase.globalpc.net/~ezekowitz
Vanessa Ezekowitz <vanessaezekow...@gmail.com>


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