[Stephen Gradin]

Will a second video card even fit in with the FX 3450? Seems like that card is thick and may take up 2 slots. Please let me know whether or not this is true?

[Stephen Gradin]

Thank you for all your input. I confess I am new to the HD editing scene and am just doing research at this point. My scenario would be just editing HDV, not HD. Per Adobe’s website, the video card specs they recommend are the NVidia Quadro cards (I assume for better “real time” playback performance for PPRO 2.0 and After Effects 7.0). This is just what Tim confirms. Hence, my desire to get the FX 3450, for faster real time GPU effects. (An Adobe tech told me last week that Adobe does not recommend or support the triple head Matrox Parhelia APVe with the new Production Studio).

I originally wanted to use the FX540 to feed an actual HD TV so I can monitor a true HD picture (not a computer monitor that can display HD). But this would just give me a dual head display, and not a workhourse video card for the “real time” GPU effects. Reading this thread makes me think that to get a better performing triple head scenario I should use the more expensive and better performing FX 3450 to 1) feed my main edit display monitor and 2) feed an HD signal to a widescreen computer monitor. Do I have this right? If so, can a widescreen computer monitor display HD via one of the FX 3450’s DVI outputs? Then, I could use another, less expensive video card to feed my secondary edit display monitor. Let me know if I am making any sense or am I just confusing myself?

[Stephen Gradin]

So, I could use an FX 3540 video card (to get better GPU effects and to feed my two computer monitors) AND and FX 540 video card (to feed an HD TV) in the same PC? I don’t have to use two identical video cards? I can feed to all three monitors and watch HD video from the FX 540? If this is true, this would probably be the ideal solution, at the present time. Let me know, thanks.