Marketing Spin:
Intel
motherboards based on the 915G chipset have many new technological
advantages, but the most significant changes are related to video
performance, which most people understand to be due to the addition
of PCI Express I/O slots. The reality is that there is much more to
the video improvements then just PCI Express. With Intel’s latest
integrated VGA, the GMA900, you not only have a faster graphics
engine then the Extreme 2 found on 865G boards, but you also have
the ability to add a second monitor by incorporating an ADD2 paddle
card through the PCI Express x16 slot, because the GMA900 graphics
controller supports dual monitors.
Dual monitor usage models are gaining popularity in businesses,
governments and educational institutions because of the dramatic
improvements in productivity and worker satisfaction. In fact,
recent studies indicate that workers were 10%-15% more productive
when dual monitors were deployed because they were more efficient,
made fewer mistakes, and learned tasks faster. These benefits mean
that employers who invest in dual monitor technology will easily
recover the cost if employees only spend 15% to 20% of their time
doing multiple tasks. Of course, the more multitasking a user does,
the greater the return on investment for the employer and the bigger
the benefit to the organization.
In addition, aside from increasing your Average Selling Price per
system, offering dual monitor technology also allows you as a
solution provider to be able to differentiate your company from
countless competitors including Fry’s, Dell, Costco, Best Buy and so
on who do not concentrate on deploying “Real” solutions other then
the lowest possible cost. Ask someone at Costco for an ADD2 card and
they’ll bring you another shopping cart.
Beating these companies price is easier when you provide a solution
that will improve your client’s productivity and save cost over the
long run rather then just at the point of sale. Dual monitor
technology allows you to present this option to your customers and
move the focus of the selling discussion away from price and back to
a discussion of value and solutions where it properly belongs.
ASI makes dual monitor solutions easy by stocking the ADD2 card
SKU 35579 and Intel has made it
far more affordable by allowing for the integration of a $30 ADD2
card compared to the previous $75 VGA card option. ADD2 cards can
easily be added to any Intel 915G board with a PCI Express x 16
slot.
Technical Info: (enough of that marketing
crap...)
Overview
Advanced Digital Display 2
(ADD2) adapter cards provide a convenient and cost-effective
solution for connecting a DVI digital display to the graphics
controller of any
Intel® 915G Express Chipset-equipped
motherboard with a vacant
PCI Express (PCIe) 16X slot
port. Simply insert the ADD2 card into the PCIe slot and it will be
DVI compatible! When the computer boots-up, the system automatically
loads the ADD2 card configuration information, which is stored in a
serial EEPROM. The card ASI carries
under SKU: 35579 provides a single
Digital Visual Interface (DVI) port connection for your system that
uses Intel's 915G graphics. Note:
ADD2
cards cannot be inserted into AGP compliant systems (e.g. Intel
845G and 865G chipsets).
| ADD2
cards are small-size boards that ensure full hardware and
software compatibility, supporting the full-range of digital
display resolutions from VGA to UXGA (1600 x 1200). Digital
projectors, flat panel displays and digital CRTs are all
compatible with the ADD2 cards as long as you have the correct
cable. ADD2 cards are available in ADD2-N (Non-lane-reversed)
for ATX systems or ADD2-R (Lane-reversed) for BTX systems, and
both are available with a standard or low-profile PCIe bracket.
Both cards mate with DVI-D receptacles.
Currently ASI is stocking the ATX version, which comes with the
standard ATX bracket installed and a low-profile bracket in the
box. |
 |
| |
Compatibility
ADD2 cards utilize
the PCI Express x16 port to receive Intel's
Serial Digital Video Output (SDVO) signals from the 915G
Northbridge (GMCH). ADD2 cards
can allow configurations for TV-out, LVDS, and TMDS
output (i.e. televisions and digital displays/flat panels). The ADD2
card ASI carries uses
Chrontel's
CH7307C DVI transmitter to fully support Intel's SDVO bus
requirements with a video input rate of 1-2Gbit/s, and the ability
to drive external flat panel displays with resolutions up to UXGA
(1600 x 1200pixel) at output rates up to 165Mpixel/s.
Combined
with an
Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator Driver, ADD2 cards can be used
to display system output to a television, digital display, or
simultaneously to a monitor and digital display. ADD2 cards provide
display output options that expand the range of display devices a
system could support. Here are some examples of SDVO Devices for use
on ADD2 cards.
*** ASI's ADD2 card provides one DVI-D port
ONLY***
- Combo Devices:
- Dual Link DVI: dual independent DVI displays
- TV-Out (Composite): primary or secondary TV-out
display
- HDTV-Out: primary or secondary HDTV display
- VGA-Out: drive second RGB independent display
- DVI:
primary or secondary DVI display
*** SKU: 35579 provides this ***
- LVDS:
LVDS interface for integrated flat panel (notebooks use
this)
|
Features and Benefits |
|
Different versions available: |
Supports different Intel chassis architectures: |
- ADD2-N (Non-lane-reversed)
- ADD2-R (Lane-reversed )
|
- ATX (SKU: 35579)
- BTX (no SKU yet)
|
|
Standard or low-profile bracket options |
SKU: 35579 comes with both
brackets |
|
Serial EEPROM with card configuration information stored |
Automatically loads the ADD2 configuration upon boot-up |
|
Dual monitor support capability |
Excellent for engineering and design software applications
|
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|
Applications |
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Resources for Setting up Dual Monitor Support in Windows XP:
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/display_multi_monitors_overview.mspx
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;283674
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/learnmore/multimonitor.mspx
|
Desktop
PC and motherboard ATX systems