I thought about that, as I have a few spare USB->DVI and USB->VGA adapters but I don't think they are usable during the BIOS post.

While a great idea, and I would love to do so. This is a desktop motherboard in a server chassis, with no serial/usb output. It is a Gigabyte GA-X99-UD4. I ended up picking up a Nvidia GT 710.

You hit the nail on the head for me. I'm not a fan of Google, but for the cost spread across a few people, it's actually not a bad price. Knowing the creators I watch actually helps justify