Can I use my Motherboard's On-board Graphics Port Instead of my Dedicated GPU?

[BrianX91]

Quick question for the community in which multiple searches hasn't yielded many results. I recently installed an older Radeon HD 4870 GPU into my system to get a bit more graphic processing power out of my machine.

Prior to this I was using the VGA port with on-board graphics through the Intel 4670k APU to output to a Vizio LCD television. After installing the GPU and moving my display to the new ports, output from the PC is blurry and difficult to read on all ports even after trying VGA and HDMI adapters and multiple cables.

If I go back to using the VGA port installed on my motherboard, will my PC continue to process graphics through the GPU even though my monitor isn't physically plugged into the card?

 

[Hardwareaddict]

I don't think so.
Have you updated the drivers?
Seriously, a HD4870 seems a bit underkill for a i5-4670k.

 

[ronintexas]

Most TV's aren't equipped to work well as a monitor - the "fuzzy picture" is common - it really depends upon the settings (refresh rate, screen resolution, etc) that you have it set to. You might try different settings to see what gives you the best picture.

 

[BrianX91]

I don't think so.
Have you updated the drivers?
Seriously, a HD4870 seems a bit underkill for a i5-4670k.

I'm using the latest CCC drivers and I don't need much graphics power for what I do.

 

[BrianX91]

Most TV's aren't equipped to work well as a monitor - the "fuzzy picture" is common - it really depends upon the settings (refresh rate, screen resolution, etc) that you have it set to. You might try different settings to see what gives you the best picture.

I'm using a Vizio M220VA for the picture if that makes any difference. I'm aware of the constraints of the television but I'm puzzled because it displayed a perfect picture through the on-board VGA.

 

[ronintexas]

Are you connecting the VGA cable to the monitor, or HDMI? The TV may process the input from VGA in a "computer mode" to clear up the signal.

 

[BrianX91]

I never thought of that. Yes, the clear picture came from connecting the VGA cable to the TV using the motherboard's VGA port. Doing this I used a "PC mode" on the TV but using a DVI to VGA adapter on the GPU didn't give a clear picture even in this PC mode. I'm assuming it's possible the GPU is putting out a different type of signal the TV doesn't process as well.

 

[ronintexas]

That is probably the result, as DVI to VGA connectors on a standard PC monitor play well together, but they do not on a TV. The "PC Mode" smooths out the fuzzy picture.

The reason for this, a TV is typically viewed 4-6 feed away from the set, while a monitor is 1-2 feet. Some TV's have the PC mode, which if you are using a standard VGA output (this is a non-HDCP-compliant output, where DVI and HDMI are) will clear up the screen.

If your Radeon HD 4870 has a VGA output - try using that.

 

[BrianX91]

There is no VGA port on the card, but there are two DVI ports. I've gone ahead and plugged in a DVI to VGA adapter into one of them and am running the TV in PC mode. The picture isn't perfect but far easier to read. Thanks for the help Ron.