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    Does Dell Docking Station Use Its Own Video Card?

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by swordfish01, Jan 28, 2008.

  1. swordfish01

    swordfish01 Notebook Consultant

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    I am currently using a docking station for my 830.

    I use a 22 and 19 inch monitor and am actually upgrading to a 24 ultrasharp this week as my main.

    I am worried that my docking station will not give me the quality I need.

    I have a 256MB NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M Latitude D830 video card.

    Am I better off, taking off the docking station and just plugging everything in manually?
     
    swordfish01, Jan 28, 2008
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  2. jawbone

    jawbone Newbie

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    I am currently using my D820 with a 256MB NVIDIA Quadro NVS 120 with a docking station / 22" ultrasharp. The docking station has a DVI port and I beleive the docking station is just a passthrough connector. The docking station does not have it's own video card.

    Jeff
     
    jawbone, Jan 28, 2008
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  3. Nalada

    Nalada Notebook Evangelist

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    Some Dell docking stations have their own graphics cards and others do not. I think the ones large enough to house a drive bay generally do and the smaller ones do not.

    I am using a M4300 with NVIDIA Quadro FX 360M.
    The laptop panel uses 1920x1200
    The external display is a Dell 2007FPb (20" display).
    The other day I thought I had a resolution over 2000x?? on the external monitor but today it won't let me go above 1600x1200.
    I am assuming this is due to the difference between using one or other card (though perhaps it is something else like available graphics memory)

    I am pretty sure I saw somewhere a control on whether to use the internal or external graphics card but I cannot find it now.

    Checking the web for the specs of the external display and I see it doesn't support more than 1600x1200.
    (I am starting to wonder if a colleague has pulled a switch on me.)
     
    Nalada, Jan 9, 2009
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  4. wodstock

    wodstock Notebook Evangelist

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    you can install a gpu into the toaster dock dell offers
     
    wodstock, Jan 9, 2009
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  5. Lack

    Lack Notebook Consultant

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    I had a D830 with the basic dock (port replicator) plugged in to a 24" (1920x1200) monitor via DVI and had no problems.
    Since the laptop itself doesn't have a digital video out plugging directly (VGA) would probably decrease quality.

    No docking station have graphic cards by default. The big dogs though have a pci slot and can house a small graphic card.

    It's in the bios.
     
    Lack, Jan 9, 2009
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