Dell Vostro... 4-Monitor... Quad or 2 Dualheads... Anybody Using?

So gnome has anyone been successful running 3 monitors on a dell inspiron 530? I just called dell and the tech wasn't all sure but she told me that I could install a video card and use the onboard card but it has to be a pci card and not a pci-e and that the picture isn't going to be that great of quality. Weird answer but I guess the inspirons work with a video card plus onboard. Anybody tried the inspiron 530?

Quote from gnome:

There are some ETers who have other Dell budget models with Foxconn mobos (like Inspiron 530) with 2 dualhead cards running, so it's not only an issue of "Foxconn mobos".

Apparently the BIOS in the Vostro was not configured to allow running video cards from more than one slot... or so it seems.

Dell mostly eliminated the mid-grade PC. Their Inspiron and Vostro lines have budget mobos with G31/33 chipsets.

High end XPS have 650/680i SLI chipsets.

Precision T3400 has X38... big difference over a G31/33 mobo.
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Quote from brazilianwonder:

So gnome has anyone been successful running 3 monitors on a dell inspiron 530? I just called dell and the tech wasn't all sure but she told me that I could install a video card and use the onboard card but it has to be a pci card and not a pci-e and that the picture isn't going to be that great of quality. Weird answer but I guess the inspirons work with a video card plus onboard. Anybody tried the inspiron 530?
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If I recall correctly, somebody on ET has 4 monitors running on a 530.

The tech's statement about the "PCI displays not great quality" is false. If it works at all, the picture will be just fine.

Whether you can use the onboard video chip with another card is up to the BIOS... I wouldn't trust Dell tech's statement about that, either. They just are not well schooled on multi-card setup and use.

You'll just have to try it and see.

So, if you want to try to run 3 monitors on your 530, you have to decide whether you want to try "onboard + dualhead PCI" or "onboard + PCIE dualhead". If you have extra cards or can get one out of another computer, try it. By process of elimination you should be able to find out which, if either, will work.


What monitors are you planning to use?
 
I am hoping to bring a 530 to Brazil where I live so I am really hoping that it works. My plan is to use 2 dual head pci cards in it to get 4 or onboard+2 dual card pci card to get 5. The 530 is cheap and small which makes it easy to bring it without paying duty charges. Has to be under $500.

I am running 3 samsungs right now on ati radeon cards.
 
You might have to make an adjustment to the onboard chip through the BIOS to run extra video cards, so keep that in mind.
 
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