GeForce2 MX--running w/o monitor

[rasnetgarland]

Being a Mac and Unix user, I've never really needed to mess with graphics cards for PCs, but now I have a PentiumIII with a GeForce2 MX-400. I'd like to make it work without a monitor. Right now I connect to it with a Remote Desktop Connection to my Mac laptop, but I can't make DirectX games work over the connection.....and I would guess this is because the processor on the graphics card is bypassed with the remote desktop (if you know a way to make the card work with my set up, that would be great, but since i don't think that's very likely.........)

My real question is: the graphics card is not the version that is supposedly "TV Out" with s-video. However, I've seen some cables on eBay that are vga to s-video and rca. Would these cables work with my gforce2 mx 400?

Thanks,
rng

[Torlok2002]

what remote desktop connection are you using?


Is this going over a network? Or is this hardware we talking about?

[Picard]

Most remote access software disables directx when used. That is normal. Actually, I don't know of any the don't disable hardware acceleration altogether.

The cable would probably work, but won't change the behavior when using remote connections. They are usually expensive, though. Might be cheaper to buy a 15" monitor.

[rasnetgarland]

I'm using Microsoft's remote desktop connection, which works over a network.

As for the cables, they're $3 or $4 on eBay, but the most of the people selling them warn that not all cards support them. If I get one, I wouldn't be worried about the remote connection working. I would simply use my television as my display.

[One_Inch_MAN]

g5 :D

[rasnetgarland]

This auction is an example of what I would like to buy:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3074763705&category=15066

Notice the disclaimer about a main or second connector supporting tv out (the phrasing seems confusing), and the seller's estimate that 70% of newer cards support this. I'm not really sure how to take this--is a pci gforce2 mx 400 a "newer" card? I bought the computer from a friend, and I know he bought the graphics card in early December at Wal-Mart...that seems "new" to me.

The nvidia web site has not been particularly useful; they have information about the gforce2 mx, but it seems to lump all of the card's potential features (other version of the card?) into one category.

Also, someone suggested to me that Windows 2003 Server supports actual monitor mirroring over remote desktop. If I upgraded, would this use hardware accelleration and DirectX programs work over the connection?

Thanks,
rng

[Picard]

Originally posted by rasnetgarland
This auction is an example of what I would like to buy:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3074763705&category=15066

Notice the disclaimer about a main or second connector supporting tv out ... the seller's estimate that 70% of newer cards support this....

[snip]

Also, someone suggested to me that Windows 2003 Server supports actual monitor mirroring over remote desktop. If I upgraded, would this use hardware accelleration and DirectX programs work over the connection?
rng

Those cables are not going to work for you. You video card needs to be able to output an interlaced signal at low refresh rate - like 43 on the high end. It states a graphics card with tv out is required, I am guessing this is due to the need to put out a signal compatible with Tvs, but it don't make much since to me to use that on a card that already has tv out connectors.

the 70% figure seems bogus. Things like the ATI all-in-Wonder have it, but few of their other offerings do.

Remote desktop connections, as I already indicated, disable hardware acceleration. It can't work to use hardware acceleration on a pc when another PC is going to display it. In order for your pc to use the hardware acceleration, it has to run the programs itself.