Dual monitor setup - graphics card driver update necessary?

Question

I was preparing to install a 2nd monitor (Samsung Syncmaster 710N), so went to check my monitor's drivers and was, through Dell's site, linked to mrdriver.com which scanned the system and prepared a report saying that that half my device drivers were out of date, including my graphics card's drivers…ATI Radeon X1300 Pro.  It provided me with a download of the latest driver for each device.   When I went to my E521 manual to check out the steps involved in installing the 2nd monitor, after connecting the necessary hardware, it said to insert the graphics card CD into the CD-ROM drive to install the necessary drivers.   With this in mind, I have some questions....   1.  Can mrdriver.com be trusted even though  it isn't a Dell site?  Or should I get the driver from the official ATI site?   2.  Could I just install the monitor right now without updating any drivers at this moment?  I am planning to do them all during the first week of April, but want to plug in the 2nd monitor now.  i.e. just connect the DVI-VGA adapter and monitor cables etc.?  I don't play games but just use the basic office, adobe, etc. programs.   System:   Dell E521 3200+ ATI Radeon X1300 Pro 2GB RAM...DDR2 non-ECC 160 GB hard drive Windows XP Pro (automatic updates ON)

all the facts · Answer

1. Get driver from ATI which is AMD now after they bought them. 2. You can hook it up now and it should work with Windows XP or other OS plug and play drivers to check it out. :)

Message Edited by all the facts on 03-20-2007 12:21 AM

stan_1936 · Answer

Thanks for the reply.   Well, I've heard (with non-Dell systems and obviously non ATI Radeon X1300 Pro machines) of a performance hit after adding a monitor.  Is this a consequence or would it be something that is visible during only gaming, video editing, etc.?   for normal basic use, would this be noticeable AND would it occur?

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Dual monitor setup - graphics card driver update necessary?

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