Can I add a 2nd video card to a Dimension E510 (Need answer now!)

[PennDisc]

I dunno that much about the E510 but generally as long as you have a free slot you can add whatever you want. I'd guess your PCIe x16 slot is being used by the videocard that you currently have so if you want to still use that one you'd want to make sure your 2nd card will work in your PCIe x1 slot.

[TheMetetron]

[ QUOTE ]
I dunno that much about the E510 but generally as long as you have a free slot you can add whatever you want. I'd guess your PCIe x16 slot is being used by the videocard that you currently have so if you want to still use that one you'd want to make sure your 2nd card will work in your PCIe x1 slot.

[/ QUOTE ]

What is the difference between a x16 and a x1 slot?

Will this work?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150098

for the second video card. I only need it to play poker on.

[PennDisc]

To be honest I haven't used PCI Express before - I built my current computer 2 years ago and haven't followed the hardware scene that closely since. But essentially all cards used to be AGP (which came in x1, x2, ... x8 configs) and a card made for x8 would still work in a x4 or whatever but it wouldn't be as fast (since you're only playing poker, then that wouldn't matter).

Now they've moved on to PCI Express for graphics. Your computer has 1 x16 slot and 1 x1 slot, along with 4 regular PCI slots, at least from the specs I looked up. I would assume that an x16 board would work in a x1 slot with less bandwidth just like old AGP boards did, but I couldn't say definitively.

You might be able to find the answer in a FAQ on the XFX manufacturer's page, or by calling their support. Alternatively, I've never been to the computer technical help forum but perhaps they could give a more definite answer.

[TheMetetron]

Eh, this isn't promising.

http://www.realtimesoft.com/multimon/articles/pcie/

So what the hell can I use in one of these PCI-E x1 slots?

Apparently this would theoretically work in one of the PCI slots:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...33#DetailSpecs

But isn't the low bandwidth of PCI an issue?

[TheMetetron]

Okay, I need to find a PCI-E x 1 card with dual DVI and fast.

[ QUOTE ]
For higher potential bandwidth, PCIe devices and systems can optionally support links using multiple simultaneous lanes – for example, a "x16" link uses 16 lanes. To support extra lanes, a PCIe card and slot must be designed to accommodate the extra electrical lines required (2 lines per lane). Currently, card and slot types exist for x1, x4, x8, and x16 links. PCIe cards will physically fit into slots designed for their lane configuration or higher (up-plugging) but not into slots designed for lower lane configurations (down-plugging). So, for example, a x1 card will fit into x1, x4, x8, and x16 slots but a x16 card will only fit into a x16 slot. A x1 card in a compliant PCIe slot will always run in x1 mode

[/ QUOTE ]

Edit: This would work, but it doesn't support 1600x1200 in dual-dvi, so the only option would be to run both in analog.

http://www.matrox.com/mga/workstatio.../g550_pcie.cfm

[PennDisc]

OK so I guess PCIe x16 won't work in an x1 slot - I had no idea they were actually different physical sizes. And I have no idea what you can put in the x1 slot then.

But as for PCI video cards, all cards were PCI before AGP came along so there's enough bandwidth. They wouldn't make a PCI card to plug 2 DVI monitors into if there wasn't. I just wouldn't expect much in the way of 3d graphics, but you just want to play poker so I'd assume it'll work fine.

[TheMetetron]

[ QUOTE ]
OK so I guess PCIe x16 won't work in an x1 slot - I had no idea they were actually different physical sizes. And I have no idea what you can put in the x1 slot then.

But as for PCI video cards, all cards were PCI before AGP came along so there's enough bandwidth. They wouldn't make a PCI card to plug 2 DVI monitors into if there wasn't. I just wouldn't expect much in the way of 3d graphics, but you just want to play poker so I'd assume it'll work fine.

[/ QUOTE ]

So *if* I wanted to play 3d games (which I don't), I could just use a monitor attached to my 256 MB video card that comes with the computer. Yeah, I know the video card that comes with it sucks, but it should be able to handle DVD/tv etc. I can just use the other monitors for poker/web/word right?

[PennDisc]

[ QUOTE ]
I can just use the other monitors for poker/web/word right?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah. I'd make the monitor attached to your PCIe card your main one, with the 2 others just for poker/basic apps.