SPARKLE GeForce 9400 GT 512MB DDR2 PCI Low Profile Ready Graphics Card SP94GT512D2LHPP

Pros: Easy to install, Easy to work, Very good for a older PC without PCI-e slots.

Cons: It takes the space for two PCI slots, so check your PC before buying.

Overall Review: 1. The default output is DVI;
2. You need use the latest driver from nvida's web site; 3. It is a PCI x32 interface found in some old PCs.

Pros: Silent. Excellent image quality. Newegg service and pricing. Theoretically supports the latest in CUDA gpu video processing. More recent tech than what is available from Nvidia for agp.

Cons: Could not solve problem where in Dual-view, the primary monitor never showed the boot menu. Despite setting up the Nvidia control panel in the exact same way I had configured my PNY 7600gs agp, the display on the dvi port was always "favored." If I kept the card and had to work in safe mode I would be forced to use my HDTV as pc display.

Swapping the cables "solved" the problem in that now the boot menu was on my primary/desktop monitor, but now I was forced to connect my HDTV via VGA rather than DVI. Not acceptable.

Overall Review: While google tells me others have this problem with different Nvidia cards the only solution seems to be to swap cables. I'm sure it's a hw problem, since the same drivers with the 7600gs work fine. However, Sparkle tech support insisted this was a "bios" problem (despite no video settings in my Asus mb) and blew me off. Told me the mb would choose the display to use for the boot menu.

It's true that this all happens before Windows (xp sp3) loads but given the difference if cables are swapped between *this* card vs the agp card, the card is at fault. There is no way for my mb to tell the monitors which way to go.

So not the solution I was hoping for to give me 1) silence and 2) newer tech than the 7600gs. This is going back.