HP/Dell Business computer that can take a PCI-E gaming card?

[aronesz]

Greetings,

We are looking for a business-class workstation from HP/Dell that could handle a PCI-E gaming card. Main reason is because we want to utilize our four NVIDIA Galaxy MDT X4 1GB DDR2 cards.

Problem? HP and Dell make degraded, stripped, and poor quality motherboards that feature PCI-E slots but refuse to operate with real PCI-E equipment, and are proprietary to things like ADDR2 or whatever. If you went out and bought a motherboard off of NewEgg or Amazon (anywhere from $15-50), guaranteed it will handle a PCI-E video card. But go out and buy a standard HP or Dell workstation for $500-800, no dice.

I have tried this card in an HP Compaq 6200 Pro Microtower, and a Dell OptiPlex 380. No dice. And by "no dice", I mean that there is absolutely zero video output anytime and anywhere. I would test it on a couple other models we have, but my supervisor doesn't want me interrupting users.

 

[Dangman]

Are you sure it's not due to not setting the PC to boot with the PCI-E video first rather than the onboard? Or it might be just a compatibility issue with that specific card and other PCs.

AFAIK, any new Dell or HP PC built within the last 2-3 years will support an add-ton video card.

 

[aronesz]

Are you sure it's not due to not setting the PC to boot with the PCI-E video first rather than the onboard? Or it might be just a compatibility issue with that specific card and other PCs.

AFAIK, any new Dell or HP PC built within the last 2-3 years will support an add-ton video card.

When the video card is installed, not even the onboard VGA will output any video. However, if you wait long enough, you can Remote Desktop into the PC from another machine. Just, only that there isn't any video output on physical ports.

And of course, we have tried multiple machines without success, and other MDT X4 video cards (because we have 4 available, all brand new).

However, I will check on the "PCI-E video first" in BIOS and get back with you.