Video card for external monitors: Ins 9300

[AncientPC]

So . . . what's an internal monitor?

[BusterStacks]

Dell support is incorrect. The two options for video cards are the ATi x300 and the GeForce 6800 Go. Both have 1 DVI and 1 VGA. The 9300 uses the Sonoma platform which means that your video card is modular (PCI-e) and is upgradeable in the future. Currently no upgrades exist as this platform is relatively new. The difference between DVI and VGA is not drastic. I would estimate quality it to be 10% worse on VGA, however it is very much within usability range.

edit: a VGA -> DVI convertor would do nothing, if there even is such a thing. you are most likely referring to a DVI-> VGA convertor which is used to hook a DVI panel up to a VGA card.

[BusterStacks]

[ QUOTE ]
Taking a look at Multi-Monitor Guide - Laptops there appears to be a few options to connect dual (or more) monitors to a laptop. A lot of these products look pretty expensive (close to $1000) for what they do. With a little searching you may be able to find something more reasonably priced.

Is there a docking station for the Inspiron 9300 with a PCI slot? That may be the simpliest solution.

[/ QUOTE ]

Currently no docking station exists for the 9300. There is an item that adds a DVI output via a PCMCIA card, which contrary to previous advice in this thread, is a very viable option. IMO, it is not worth the gain of DVI output over VGA to go this route. Nevertheless, here is the link:

VTBook

[mb2696]

Anyone know of anything on par (in both price and function) with the VTBook that doesn't have compatiblity issues with the 2001FP?