Dell E521 with ATI X1300 graphics card and Vista Business. Very new.

 

On the back of my PC is an integrated HD15 VGA connector- male. I assume (but I do not know) that this is disabled as the ATI X1300 PCIE16 card is configured as the primary (well that's what the BIOS page settings show). I use multi monitors for work and while I have been able, with the ATI X1300, to set up two monitors utilising the VGA HD15 and DVI DVID connectors on it I cannot add more easily. And I need another two. I used to use a Matrox PCI card (G450 millennium) which did the job excellently. This does not work in Vista. According to the Microsoft page on multi monitors this is because with Vista a second graphics card MUST be from the same manufacturer as the primary card. But not, it seems, necessarily the same card.

So unless I can somehow re enable the integrated VGA HD15 on the back of my PC this means another ATI graphics card. But thats not so easy as I have only one PCI slot to fit it in. ( There is a PCIE x 1 slot but thats probably no use for a graphics card) Looking at ATI cards I am bewildered as to which to choose as I cannot see which is compatible for this purpose. 

I have no idea as to which to select and cannot find info on ATI site of use.

By the way I have tried "splitter" connector ie one cable with VGA connector splitting to two to allow a third monitor . This does not seem to work in Vista as it did with Matrox G450.

In addition with Vista I cannot, as I used to, use different wallpaper on each monitor. And by the way ultramon does not work properly on Vista.

Any help most welcome. Please assume I know nothing about PCs (which is true) thanks Brian