Is it possible to install two video cards (PCI Express + PCI 32 bits) in Lenovo M58 SFF 7360 (Windows 7)?

Question

I have a Lenovo M58 SFF 7360 with Windows 7. This is a E5200 Dual Core.

I have installed a NVIDIA QUADRO NVS290 (PCI Express-x1) which works fine, but the internal video card can not work together with an external card.

The motherboard counts with just:

• One half-length, low profile-height, PCI Express x16
• One full-length, low profile-height, 32-bit PCI 2.3 (5v)

As the PCI-Express x16 slot is now filled with the NVIDIA card, is it possible to use a second different video card in the PCI 32 bits slot which will work with windows 7?

I am not even aware if such video cards exists. Any recommendation for a cheap card is welcomed.

Video usage will be extremely light, mostly ssh terminals and web browsing.

The objective is being able to drive three 1280x1024 monitors. Currently I am only using two with the QUADRA NVS290.

Thanks,

Answer 1

There are PCI video cards. Whether they support running in tandem with other PCIe video cards in a system is going to be up to the BIOS, the Drivers, and the general architecture of the system.

In my experience, Lenovo generally does not support multiple-video-card setups. I've worked with older Lenovo desktops that allowed output on both the onboard video and discrete cards simultaneously, and more recent devices that don't support this.

If your goal is just to get a third monitor, you may have better luck using a USB video adapter. These are designed to add monitors and so are not dependent on the system supporting this ability. Search for "DisplayLink" USB video devices.