Dell Monitor Question

[Nick-Zack]

A friend of mine just bought a Dell 8400 with a dual DVI graphics card. He would like to also add a 3rd monitor (VGA). Toward the top of the box next to an printer hookup is a blue set of pins that looks like a monitor hookup but it is male instead of female. Above it there is this - |o|o|. If this is a monitor hookup can he get an adapter to hook up another monitor (and why is it male anyway?)

NZ

[AncientPC]

That's a serial port connector I believe.

It was used 5+ years ago to hook up mice, external modems, etc.

It's outdated nowadays, sort of like the parallel connector for printers no one uses anymore. USB kind of replaced everything.

[krimson]

No, you will need a PCI video card added to the computer.

[Nick-Zack]

To hook up an additional monitor he needs another video card? I know that the DVI cards need their own power supply so I don't want to try and hook that up for him.

Is the 3rd monitor set up in XP as simple as adding the 2nd?

[AncientPC]

Yes, either to replace his existing video card with a 3 or 4-port DVI video card (godly expensive) or to add a second video card (much cheaper alternative).

From what others have stated, it should be just as easy as adding a second monitor.

[Nick-Zack]

The VGA graphics card is just plug in and go though right. If it has to have a seperate power supply, he is on his own. Even my small brain though can add a basic card.

[AncientPC]

As long as his motherboard has a free PCI slot, the video card draws its power from there.