Thinkpads Forum

Hey Everybody,

Has anybody purchased and installed a Dual DVI video card in the Advanced dock? I think there are a few that I think will fit but want to make sure. I currently have a Diamond ATI but it has 1x DVI and 1x VGA. I wanted to get dual DVI but am not sure which card will fit. If somebody can help I would really appreciate it. I would like to get an ATI card that is Dual DVI that will fit if possible. Thank you to everybody in advance.

xaveon wrote:Hey Everybody,

Has anybody purchased and installed a Dual DVI video card in the Advanced dock? I think there are a few that I think will fit but want to make sure. I currently have a Diamond ATI but it has 1x DVI and 1x VGA. I wanted to get dual DVI but am not sure which card will fit. If somebody can help I would really appreciate it. I would like to get an ATI card that is Dual DVI that will fit if possible. Thank you to everybody in advance.

Do you mean a card with one dual link DVI (often called 'dual-DVI', as opposed to a single link DVI), a card with two dual link DVI, or just one with two DVI ports, both single-link?

What I would like to get is Two DVI ports. It would be great if it's Two Dual-Link DVI ports. But I will be driving monitors at 1900x1200 so it doesn't really have to be Dual-Link, I just want to future proof. I basically need to drive three digital monitors at 1900x1200. Do you know if there are any cards that have 2x Dual-Link DVI ports that will fit in the Advanced Dock for sure? Preferably ATI cards?

Can you provide specs for your system? You previous posts imply that you have (had) an X6x.

If you're running Windows XP, you can go with pretty much any card that fits in the Advanced Dock. I like the ones that have a heatsink rather than a fan, as I like my systems totally quiet. The less power it uses, the better off you'll be.

If you're running Vista, and you want to run Aero with both your internal adapter and an add-on video card simultaneously, then you need a card that has the exact same chipset as your system. For example, I have a T60p with an ATI v5200. I bought this card from ebay ($200) : http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FI ... 73-7640059

So now I can run quad display, full digital (two of the dual-link DVI) from either XP or Vista. I've been running under Vista 64 and my entire system has been rock-solid reliable. It's been bliss.

Hey RonS,

I have the exact same specs as your T60p. I also have an X61 Tablet. So you're confirming that this card fits perfectly in the Advanced Dock and is totally compatible with the Advanced Dock? I say this because I remember the Advanced Dock and T series laptops are very particular about these PCIe video cards. Since it's the same chipset, I would think that it's fine. I'm also planning to run Vista x64 to get the full 4GB of ram. So this card (the one that you provided the link to) will drive two Dual-Link DVI ports?

Yes, that ATI card will drive two Dual-link DVI monitors. I'm running that card right now in my Advanced Dock.

On another note, you will never see 4GB RAM on your T60p. The most you'll see if 3GB. That's the most that the T60p's chipset will support.

Hey RonS,

Even with the latest BIOS and Vista 64?

Yes, even with the latest BIOS and Vista 64.

Hmm, i'd really love a card that supports CUDA.
As this wasn't something that ATi supports, this needs to be from nVidia...

So has anyone tried with a geforce 8600 gt, 8500 gt, 9500 gt or similar new cards in the advanced dock?

.. on a t60p

If you put a graphics card in the advanced dock will the laptop fully utilise it, for instance to speed up games?

Yes, but only at what PCI-e 1x provides, which is a limitations set by Intel in their I/O controller hubs.
On all of the latest laptop chipset offerings the external PCI-e is still 1x.

EDIT: That being said, it is still faster than the dedicated/discrete video cards, found on the T60p or T61p, it's just a matter of finding a fast enough card

Thank-you for that. I'm thinking it might be worth investing in an advanced dock for my T61. I'm going to have it for quite a long time. I'm at university you see and I'm not used to just having integrated graphics.