[Zengar]

Hi guys,

does anyone of you know if a ExpressCard adapter to a PCI-E x16 exists? I would like to play with a possibility of using an external graphics card with my new MacBook

Thanks!

[Davros]

lets see if you really do
http://sewelldirect.com/ExpressCard-...ull-Length.asp
only $750

[Zengar]

Well, I already know about that but the price is just ridiculous. If I had so much money, I would have bought a MB Pro in firt place

I know that adapters like 1x PCI-e to 16x PCI-E exist (and are cheap), so I hoped to build something myself. I am not really interested in gaming, but in CUDA and graphics programming; of course, occasional gaming would still be nice.

So, there so many technically gifted people here, any ideas, anyone?

[oddfellow]

Pretty sure ASUS was working on one. Dunno if it's in retail yet.

[AnarchX]

Originally Posted by oddfellow

Pretty sure ASUS was working on one. Dunno if it's in retail yet.

"Was" is the right word, Vista driver model was incompatible to this concept.

[INKster]

Originally Posted by Zengar

Well, I already know about that but the price is just ridiculous. If I had so much money, I would have bought a MB Pro in firt place

Does that mean you only have the regular 13.3 inch Macbook ?
That model does not have ExpressCard slots, in either 34 or 54 form-factors.

So your only chance of plugging an external display adapter would be through USB graphics cards, none of which are available with ATI or Nvidia GPU's.

[Karoshi]

Originally Posted by AnarchX

"Was" is the right word, Vista driver model was incompatible to this concept.

Errr?? What? The fsck? What does vista care how the gfx care is connected? For all it should care it could be connected over RS232? Unbelievable.

[BRiT]

Vista places a limitation on having only one video driver installed.

That places a terrible restriction on the situations an external card would work. If your laptop uses Intel integrated graphics, the external card would have to be Intel as well. The best case scenario is if your laptop uses Nvidia integrated graphics, then the external card could be Nvidia.

[Davros]

Originally Posted by Karoshi

Errr?? What? The fsck? What does vista care how the gfx care is connected?

well it doesnt care about soundcards so why not

[Karoshi]

Originally Posted by BRiT

Vista places a limitation on having only one video driver installed.

That places a terrible restriction on the situations an external card would work. If your laptop uses Intel integrated graphics, the external card would have to be Intel as well. The best case scenario is if your laptop uses Nvidia integrated graphics, then the external card could be Nvidia.

more "Eh?"
I read in the past month a test on the usb display adaptors (maybe hexus iirc, or one of the usual suspects anyway). So those guys (producing the usb adaptor chips) can expect to not be compatible with vista, ever?

[BRiT]

Originally Posted by Karoshi

more "Eh?"
I read in the past month a test on the usb display adaptors (maybe hexus iirc, or one of the usual suspects anyway). So those guys (producing the usb adaptor chips) can expect to not be compatible with vista, ever?

Correct.

Microsoft Specs.

Error Messages for Multimonitor Issues

In a system configured with heterogeneous graphics adapters (that is, adapters that use different drivers), Windows Vista will disable one of the two adapters and present an error message as shown here:



Device Manager will show the disabled device with an Error Code 43. Event Log Viewer will also have a message logged that contains the same text as in the error message displayed.

WDDM and Multimonitor Configurations

The following examples describe possible desktop and mobile system configurations with WDDM-capable graphics adapters in cases where a user wants to connect more than one display device:

• Two monitors or dual-view: Single graphics adapter with two outputs, for example, DVI and VGA.
• Two, three, or more monitors:

• Graphics adapter A with two outputs in an x16 PCIe slot, plus another graphics adapter B with one or more outputs in another x16 PCIe slot.
  Both A and B use the same WDDM driver.
• Graphics adapter A with two outputs in an x16 PCIe slot, plus another graphics adapter B with one or more outputs in an x1 PCIe slot.
  Both A and B use the same WDDM driver.
• Graphics adapter A with two outputs in an x16 PCIe slot, plus another graphics adapter B with one or more outputs in a conventional PCI slot.
  Both A and B use the same WDDM driver.
• Graphics adapter A with two outputs in an AGP slot, plus another graphics adapter B with one or more outputs in a conventional PCI slot.
  Both A and B use the same WDDM driver.
• A mobile PC with an internal graphics adapter A, connected to a docking station that includes an external graphics adapter B.
  Both the internal graphics adapter A and external graphics adapter B use the same WDDM driver.

[Davros]

im sure im missing something here but, isnt one of the reasons for getting a new o/s more features ?

[Zengar]

Originally Posted by INKster

Does that mean you only have the regular 13.3 inch Macbook ?
That model does not have ExpressCard slots, in either 34 or 54 form-factors.

So your only chance of plugging an external display adapter would be through USB graphics cards, none of which are available with ATI or Nvidia GPU's.

I was pretty damn sure that it had one, but after looking the specs over, you are right I guess I mixed up the Pro and Non-Pro specs a bit

[AnarchX]

Interesting:
http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/16/f...-graphics-car/
http://www.hardware.fr/news/9650/xg-...inalement.html

It seems that the Vista problem can be solved through a wrapper driver, which Intel also will use to offer live dedicated gpu turn-off on next centrino plattform.

[BRiT]

By Wrapper Driver, are you refering to XPDM? If so, there's several limitations of it, namely no Aero Glass interface or Windows Media Center on those addon cards. Both features require WDDM support to function.

[AnarchX]

I referring to this:
http://translate.google.ch/translate...hl=de&ie=UTF-8

It seems that Intel will let logical run for the OS Intel IGP and NV/ATi mxm under one driver.