all I want is dual monitors
Hello folks. Here it is. I bought a new 20in monitor. I would like to be able to hook up the new monitor as well as the 17inch older monitor. I only have a single onboard vga output on my pc now. I have a pci-e port available. So i'm thinking, no problem, I just need a dual output video card. My guitar player allegedly knows all about computers and actually makes a living doing computer repair work. He says "oh, no problem, I've got a bunch of dual output cards laying around." On Saturday he brought me five dual output video cards heaped together in a walmart bag. I was reluctant to put any one of these in my pc since they appeared not cared for. He tells me, it's cool. So I proceed to install each and every one of the five with no results. I am pretty sure that I did the install correctly, (only doubt I have is if I need to somehow disable the onboard output before trying to install the new card, my buddy said no, and I haven't seen this mentioned in my reading about the installation process.) After install of each card, my pc did not recognize any new hardware on start-up, nor could I locate it. OK, so the "I know a guy" technique didn't work out. I will now buy what I need to get dual monitors. I have two concerns now. Could there be a problem with my slot? I would like to hope not, it was a virgin slot. a video card looks like a pretty *censored* delicate piece of technology to just toss into a walmart bag and then have it work again. So I am about to spend money on something and wonder if I should go with an external card. The next issue I have learned about is if I do get an internal card, will my 300watt pc power supply be enough for it? All I want is two monitors with my DAW on one and whatever else on the other. All I do is stare at ableton, email, and watch the occasional youtube videos. I don't need a state of the art video card. What the *censored* should I do. I am leaning towards the external, but I don't know, maybe my buddy has a walmart bag full of those too.
am leaning towards an external card, but am not sure how I would need to set it up for dual display
Here are my specs.
HP Pavilion Media Center m8300f PC (GX611AA) specifications - HP Home & Home Office Products