dual monitor set up

adamh3678 · Jan 10, 2014

i have recently bought a new graphics card an xfx hd 7870 card and i would like to set up 2 monitors. both monitors only have a vga slot on them, so i bought 2 dvi-i to vga converters, the one monitor works fine but the other one is reciving no signal, what am i doing wrong?

captain kid · Jan 10, 2014

Did you even duplicate the monitor (if on windows 7>>> Windows key+P) or is all you did is hook on the monitor and that's it?

adamh3678 · Jan 10, 2014

i just tried that and to no avail, when i go to the screen resolution section of the control panel it only shows one monitor on there and no other :/

laviniuc · Jan 10, 2014

newer cards can only display one vga monitor without an active adapter. you need either an active dvi to vga adapter or a monitor that can accept dvi/hdmi instead.

adamh3678 · Jan 10, 2014

so basically, my only option is to get a new monitor? which is going to be abit annoying as ive only just rcently got this second monitor for christmas :/

13thmonkey · Jan 10, 2014

you'll find that one dvi output may not have an analogue signal at all and therefore vga convertors won't work. you probably have a DVI-A and a DVI-D
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Visual_Interface

adamh3678 · Jan 10, 2014

well if i was to aquire a dvi d to vga cable would that work?

laviniuc · Jan 10, 2014

adamh3678 :

there are always options, such as active adapters or try the hdmi to dvi to vga route

captain kid · Jan 10, 2014

adamh3678 :

So it's a new monitor. Are you sure it doesn't have any other connection like HDMI or DVI?
I'm a bit surprised a new monitor only having VGA in this digital age.

adamh3678 · Jan 10, 2014

when i say new i mean new to me but wether its a recent model i dont know

laviniuc · Jan 10, 2014

this should work for the second dvi port:
http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-DVI2VGAE-1920x1200-Adapter-Converter/dp/B00C93JQXS

edit: and yes, apparently only one of the ports works with a normal dvi to vga adapter. i assume any of the monitors work connected to one of the ports, right?

adamh3678 · Jan 10, 2014

well yes either monitor works when plugged into a certain dvi slot but when i have both plugged in and one of them is plugged into the second slot its as if its not receiving an input signal

captain kid · Jan 10, 2014

adamh3678 :

I'm not sure what you mean by this.
You have two ports.
If you connect a monitor to port 1 and no monitor on port 2 it works?
If you connect a monitor to port 2 and no monitor on port 1 it works?

What I mean is, if you only connect one monitor does that monitor work on both ports?

Trying to establish if one DVI port is digital only (aka not suited for VGA) or if something else entirely is going on.

laviniuc · Jan 10, 2014

it is, one of the dvi ports is d only so he needs a active adapter like the one above.

captain kid · Jan 10, 2014

laviniuc :

You are most probably right. I just checked all five 7870 cards listed on the XFX website and they all have one DVI out connector for digital only (DVI-D, which does not work with the analogue VGA connection) and one DVI out connector for digital and analogue (DVI-I, which does work with the analogue VGA connection).

adamh3678 · Jan 10, 2014

right it has 2 dvi slots the one on the top when i plug it in there it works, the one on the bottom it doesnt work

captain kid · Jan 10, 2014

adamh3678 :

Then you need like Laviniu said a DVI-D to VGA adapter.
Be aware, this is not like any old cable but this processes the digital image and changes it to an analogue signal.
My point is, not all adapters are of equal quality. I would read some reviews before buying an adapter at random or ask advice which one to buy.

The one Laviniu linked to seems to have 4 stars so probably not a bad buy.

adamh3678 · Jan 10, 2014

this is a link to the card i bought http://img.ebyrcdn.net/472592-489317-800.jpg

captain kid · Jan 10, 2014

adamh3678 :

As you can see, one says VGA and the other does not.
Adapter is the way to go.

laviniuc · Jan 10, 2014

yep, the dvi port with the vga label works with the simple adapter. the second one is digital only and you need an active adapter for it to work with a vga monitor...

there are also hdmi to vga active adapters, that would work too. but same price range 20-50usd

adamh3678 · Jan 10, 2014

i have just remembered i have a hdmi to vga adapter, but the times i used it prior to getting my new card, it worked but was quite dodgy, have got it set up at the moment and seems to be working ok, so we shall see but thank you for your help guys

dual monitor set up

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