USB video card vs. internal

[xinjingqiao]

I want to add an additional monitor to my computer. I am intrigued by the idea of using a usb video card because it will not add more heat to the inside of the computer. I want to use the second monitor for video editing when doing real time editing - use the first monitor to view the video and the second monitor to make the changes - but will also use the second monitor in other situations mainly for IM chatting and surfing to support the work that I am doing on the main monitor.

Do you think this is a good idea? If so, what things should I look for in a usb video card?

[edDV]

I want to add an additional monitor to my computer. I am intrigued by the idea of using a usb video card because it will not add more heat to the inside of the computer. I want to use the second monitor for video editing when doing real time editing - use the first monitor to view the video and the second monitor to make the changes - but will also use the second monitor in other situations mainly for IM chatting and surfing to support the work that I am doing on the main monitor.

Do you think this is a good idea? If so, what things should I look for in a usb video card?

Keep the heavy lifting video on the internal card and then test the USB card for simple display and find it's limits. I've wanted to test one of those. They usually lack video acceleration features typical of better internal cards (e.g. PureVideo, Avivo or game 3D).