USB Video card suggestion?

Rombus

2[H]4U
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Oct 12, 2001
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I recently got a promotion and got issued a new laptop. It is a Dell E6410 with a E-Port Plus docking station hooked up to 2 Dell 1910 LCD screens (1440x900 60hz). It acts as my desktop while in the office. As far as I can tell, there is no way I can use both the LCDs AND the laptop screen for a 3 monitor setup without picking up something like a usb video card. It does not any serious work, mostly website display and general office work.

So can anyone make any suggestions on a good USB video card?
 
EVGA plus adapters work pretty good. Nothing great for gaming but for simple connections, they work well.
http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-100-U2-UV16-A1-Supporting-1600x1200-Resolution/dp/B00191GZ8U


Isn't there an open source program that allows what your asking to do? I think I may be mistaken as I re-read your post.

Does that port rep allow for a video card installation? Old IBM port reps used to allow for PCI video cards but I still don't know about hooking up several monitors. Looking at the one for your machine looks like you have plenty of outputs though.
 
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It does not. Dell offered an extended size D series dock that could take a PCI card but they didn't make one available for the E series.
 
Have you tried the display port output on the back of the dock for a 3rd monitor? Only being able to use 2 of internal panel + DVI ports is likely for the same reason as the 5xxx series cards: the expense of adding a 3rd legacy clock gen. DP needs a different type of clock so that hardware sharing logic doesn't apply. If the port works it has a dedicated clockgen, it's just a case of if the GPU itself can drive 3 monitors at once.

I've been trying to find someone who's tried this for a little while but haven't had any success. If it works I'm a cheap DP-VGA adaptor away from having a tri-monitor hookup at work.
 
Most all of the USB video cards are made by one company. I have used a couple and the EVGA one is pretty solid for how cheap it is. As mentioned, you really can't display much in terms of graphically intensive stuff, but they do the job in any office with normal workload.
 
@DanNeely

Yeah, I've tried, its limited by the laptop, i can use the laptop and an external monitor, or two external monitors, but not both.

Looks like there is a newer model of what Pkirk618 linked to: http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-100-U2-U...solution/dp/B003L53C2E/ref=dp_cp_ob_e_title_2

And off that i found this: http://www.amazon.com/Kensington-Un...er-Black/dp/B002F9NSMQ/ref=dp_cp_ob_e_title_1

which looks to be the same res as the EVGA one, but right now its $41 after rebate! I just ordered one, ill let everyone know how it works.
 
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