Where Can You Find Cheap DVI Video Cards? 89
iansmith wonders: "I have a new Gateway computer hooked to a flat screen monitor. The problem is the video out is only VGA which does not look as sharp as a DVI output. To help with this, and also to let me run dual displays, I want to add a video card to the machine. In the past I would just grab a standard VGA card for $20, plug it in and go, not needing fancy 3D graphics. I do not want to spend $300 for a gaming video card... does anybody make a video card with DVI out that is not a souped up 3D powerhouse, with a price tag to match? Even worse, all new machines seem to be PCI-Express and so that makes it even less likely I'll find something affordable. I can't even use an old 3D card from home. What would you all suggest I do?"
BFG Turbo Cache PCI-E (Score:3, Informative)
Here (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Here (Score:5, Insightful)
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One has to wonder how these Ask Slashdots make the front page. I mean, a simple Google search for "dvi pci-e" gave me
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Heck, I was looking for just a similar beast for one of my computers last night and I found a bunch of sub $50 that will do just what he was looking for. It isn't that hard, why is this even a question?!?!?!
BTW - newegg IS the way to go.
RonB
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Seriously... find your favorite online shop and run an advanced search. That's what they're there for.
Re:BFG Turbo Cache PCI-E (Score:5, Funny)
I just couldn't help but think about the blank look that would be on my mom's face if she had to translate that sentence into English.
Of course, she thinks that I'm a total computer guru because I know how to copy and paste.
Re:BFG Turbo Cache PCI-E (Score:5, Funny)
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nVidia = crap analog output (Score:3, Interesting)
Tom Forsyth has posted about the lack of quality in nVidia cards this back in 2006
Title: VGA was good enough for my grandfather
I keep having this stupid conversation with people. It goes a little something like this:
Them: I need to get a new card - one with dual-DVI. Any ideas?
Me: You really need dual DVI?
Them: Yeah, VGA's shit.
Me: VGA's actually pretty good you know - are you running at some sort of crazy res?
Them: Yeah - 1600x1200 - it's a blurry mess.
Me: That's not crazy a
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Plus, don't forget you can play with t
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What bus do you need? (Score:2)
I have a 7300 for just over $50 and I'm quite happy with it.
WTF? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:WTF? (Score:5, Insightful)
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Hey mods, I've always wanted a +5 Funny... and that would be fitting here, since this isn't funny at all... unless of course it really does get modded +5 funny... then... that would be funny.
How hard can it be... (Score:2)
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Try Newegg (Score:1)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Subm it=ENE&N=2010380048+1069109630&Subcategory=48 [newegg.com]
Or try froogle:
http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=dvi+video+card &btnG=Search+Froogle&lnk=pruser&price1=20&price2=4 0&btnP=Go [google.com]
As for a recommended card, I wouldn't know.
if it is new it probably comes with Vista (Score:2)
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I know some people who got Aero running on a Mac Mini, those don't have great GFX cards in them. Apparantly, the i945/i950 and better intel graphics can handle Aero pretty well, as well as most Radeon 9xxx+ and most/all GeForce 6xxx+ series cards (maybe even the 5xxx cards, but I'm not sure)
At least they have the capacity, depending on manufacturer screwups and driver mishaps, YMMV.
So, just about anything bought now sould work.
That being said, the machine probably has an integrated
Newegg search (Score:2)
Just check what bus and the number of DVI ports you need, and sort it by ascending price.
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impossible (Score:2)
Alternately, you can go to Google, [google.com] click the 'more' button and select Froogle, [google.com] then search for 'DVI video card'. [google.com]
Only PCI-E? (Score:3, Informative)
Just get someone else's garbage (Score:1)
If you read Slashdot, chances are you've got a few friends (yourself included) who have a box of old hardware they aren't using but won't throw away.
I needed a PCI 2D only card for a secondary monitor and got it free after just a couple emails.
Another option (Score:2)
Get a VGA (male) to DVI (female) adapter for $3ish.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N8
Moral of the story: don't look for parts at big box stores. You're paying 400% or more the suggested retail on any video card you look at.
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(This was vertical bands of fuzziness that no amoun
And today ? (Score:3, Insightful)
What's keeping you from doing that today ? There's plenty of cheap graphics cards out there (they may all say that they're "3D" cards, but the cheap versions are way too slow in this area to be useful). You don't even need to get the latest generation of cheap-ass cards, since the ones from two generations ago may already have been available in PCIe/PEG flavors.
ATI X300/X1300, Geforce 6200/7300GS, whatever is cheapest.
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Not really. Take, for instance, this incredibly cheap-ass card [dabs.com]. Undeniably cheap, but it supports full DirectX 8.1 pixel shaders and has 4 pipelines @ 266MHz, which really is enough for many applications. It probably won't be running Doom3. But it'll cope with anything less demanding.
eBay search "DVI card" (Score:2, Flamebait)
Next, I'm going to Ask Slashdot how to pick my own nose, and possibly follow it up asking for techniques for sucking eggs.
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1. Ronco's Combination Electric Nose-Picker/Salad Shooter.
2. Ask Granny.
Improper LCD Calibration (Score:2, Informative)
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Chances are really good that the "fuzziness" mentioned is a product of non-native resolution being pushed on the LCD, if I were to guess based on a couple clues in the question (Gateway, $300 for a "3D Card").
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Is it really any wonder that such a braindead question was asked here?
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What in the hell are you talking about? Are you saying that there is no percievable difference between DVI and VGA? are you on drugs?
DVI looks SOO much crisper its not even funny. Especially the higher up you scale the display. Try putting a 42inch plasma on VGA. It looks horrid. Are you actually suggesting that any amount of calibration can bring a vga connection up to the quality of a DVI one?
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And if it's DVI-I, well, just make sure you're not running on the -A ports.
Those are the analog parts of the DVI spec, which arent much better than the VGA spec. Still, a nice crisp monitor with super-clean DACs (like Matrox and those who care about 2d) is preferred to a crap setup (read nVidia) with DVI-D.
Still, many are intent on spreading FUD on how much better the DVI specs are, along with new upcoming specs (HDMI for graphics cards). Good VGA is also guaranteed t
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How about an SDVO card? (Score:2)
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You can even get a dual DVI SDO card, providing the OP with exactly what they want.
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One Generation (or two) behind (Score:2)
I got a better "Ask Slashdot" question (Score:2, Offtopic)
Please note, this collection is about the different technologies that came out at the beginning of the soundcards era, not the thousands of SoundBlaster clones that were available.
So, if anyone has an Innovation SSI 2001, or know where I
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Nope, the Adlib card just had the Yamaha FM Synthesizer chip. Sound Blaster added the joystick/MIDI port, but more importantly, it added a DAC for digital audio recording/playback.
Activate basic brain functions? (Score:2)
How about waking up from your koma and use this thing called internet. 15 seconds max. to find one.
Then again, the guy who put your question up needs a mental reboot aswell imho.
AGP with dual out? (Score:2)
I got a Sapphire X700 card. Runs in my AGP x4 slot, with both DVI and VGA outputs.
Was supercheap from Newegg.
What? (Score:2)
Granted, if he's after PCI, he's mostly SOL.
NVidia GEForce MX440 (Score:2)
Matrox (Score:2)
Are you sure it's only VGA? (Score:2)
Try google (Score:2)
directron.com and/or provantage.com (Score:1)
Another place I buy from is Provantage [provantage.com], though I'll admit I
quality of cables (Score:2)
In my limited experience, fuzzy VGA has always been caused by cheap cables or a cheap KVM in the middle. You want the kind with a choke on the end near the monitor (that 3/4 inch cylindrical thing) and the cable itself should 1/4 diameter, any less and it doesn't have room for proper shielding. Final thing is to keep the length down. 1m if possible, never more than 2m. If you have a KVM, try connecting your monitor w/o it and if the improvement is noticeable get a better KVM.
As others
Looks like he's a sports guy (Score:2)
The slashdot editor that approved it is still laughing at the "story" and all of us reading it.
Lay Off (Score:2)
Be sure it has slots for a videocard... (Score:2)
Just had the same issue. (Score:1)
huh? (Score:2)
That qualifies for virtually every video card that you can actually PURCHASE NEW right about now. My GF6200 has DVI, my Radeon 9550, 9600, have DVI. All are the extreme bottom of the line right now.
still rather hard (Score:2)
* Dual head
* DVI on each head
* An nVidia-based GPU
* AGP 4x/8x
* A low price
None fit this criteria. But there's really no good reason why. Inexpensive single-head DVI cards have been around
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Sorry, but I don't see how that would help. I wanted an all-digital solution, but that's impossible without an affordable dual-head digital-output card.