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Tom's Hardware > Forum > Graphics & Displays > Graphics Cards > [Solved] Need help with Dual monitors

[Solved] Need help with Dual monitors

Forum Graphics & Displays : Graphics Cards [Solved] Need help with Dual monitors

I recently bought a Sapphire Radeon HD 6870. It comes with 3 ports on the back, a DVI-i on top and a DVI-d + HDMI on the bottom. I ordered a DVI-d male to VGA female and after plugging the second monitor into the graphics card and tweaking with the resolution settings to get the display extended over nothing will work. I have to latest drivers so I don't know if the signals are unable to be converted or if the adapter is a dud.

Thanks in advance.

Reply to qakers

Best answer

I haven't been able to understand head or tail of what you did there, it could have been put in a much simpler way.
Either you have 2 DVI cable Monitors connected to the DVI outputs of the Card or then you have 2 D-SUB(VGA) capable monitor plugged into DVI to VGA Dongles/Adapter On the Card.

Then you reboot your rig so that it detects a flow of current to both the ports, just in case it's not being able to do it when the rig is on.

Let windows automatically detect the monitors, if it does, then use the Windows Desktop Manager to configure the resolutions and positions of the Displays.
You can either then Extend the Desktop or then Mirror/Clone it.

This is what the dongle or adapter looks like

Message edited by alyoshka on 02-07-2012 at 07:28:31 AM

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http://valid.canardpc.com/cache/banner/2026250.png

Reply to alyoshka

Sapphire usually has those included with the Box.
These ones are usually the ones used in the card side of the cable

Message edited by alyoshka on 02-07-2012 at 07:29:54 AM

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Reply to alyoshka

I'll include pictures because I may be mixing names up

According to this image:

The graphics card has DVI-I (Dual Link) in and a DVI-D (Dual Link) in

My first monitor plugs directly into the DVI-I (Dual Link) my second monitor uses a VGA connector so I ordered
an adapter that converts DVI-D (Dual link) male to VGA female.

That's where I am right now, I can't get the second monitor to show anything. I haven't tested it in the DVI-I
port but I was recently using it as a second monitor with an HD 3850 and it worked fine.

Message edited by qakers on 02-07-2012 at 07:37:17 AM

Reply to qakers

"The VGA side was female and the DVI side was male. "
You mean like this

Right?

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Reply to alyoshka

Ya but the only use I have for that is if I was using a VGA monitor as the main one.

Reply to qakers

So what are the resolutions your 2 monitors are capable of, each one with it's resolution pls and which is connected to which port.

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Reply to alyoshka

It sets itself to 1024x768 when I plug it in.

Reply to qakers

There is nothing like a primary display and a secondary display, firstly. Any display on the card can be made primary or secondary.
We usually have a big display or higher resolution display put on a socket/port that allows higher resolutions in your case, it's the, the dual link dvi-i port.
if your monitors itself aren't going to go upto the max those cards can achieve, then you can shuffle either monitor to either port.
You didn't need to buy another dongle.
Use the one that came with the card, plug it into the port it's supposed to be plugged into, and just interchange the monitors and give it a go.
Preferably , now.

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Reply to alyoshka

I can't do that because my main monitors adapter is a DVI-I which has the four square pins above and below the slit on the left side. The cards second port is a DVI-D which has those four pin holes filled in.

Reply to qakers

You mean to say that the main monitor doesn't have a VGA port on it?

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Reply to alyoshka

Oh, yes I do but I don't have the dongle you posted in your first reply, so I can't use that.

If I were to get one and use it, would I notice any difference using the VGA port rather than the DVI?

Reply to qakers

It's all a mater of resolutions. Depending on what the max is supported by the monitor. As you posted , 1024x768, is way below the max, so you'll not notice any difference.

Your case, is pretty weird, sorry but I must use that word. It seems that all the stuff you have is incomplete.
The monitor, when you buy it, has a DVI and a VGA cable with it, the Card also has the compatible dongles with it. Surprisingly, your card doesn't seem to support the second monitor directly, either by VGA or by the DVI-D to top it all neither does the card support the VGA for the first monitor because of a lack of either a dongle, or a cable , or a port.
You seem to have the port, but you refuse to use the dongle that came with the card in either DVI-I or DVI-D ports of the card, I wonder why....

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Reply to alyoshka

This is what I'm dealing with

Not the same monitors but you get the idea, one supports 1920x1080 and the other one 1024x768.

Reply to qakers

And the dongle that came with the Sapphire card?
You really do work hard, but only with half the info....

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Reply to alyoshka

The dongle that came with the card would work in the DVI-I slot but NOT the DVI-D slot. The four extra pins prevent it from even fitting into the DVI-D in.

Reply to qakers

And you got something wrong.... the specs say
Output
1 x Dual-Link DVI
1 x HDMI 1.4a
2 x Mini-DisplayPort
1 x Single-Link DVI-D
Whereas your pic shows a DVI-I Single link and a DVI-D Dual Link

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Reply to alyoshka

Ok put the Dongle in the DVI-I slot that came with the card, put the dongle you bought in the DVI-D slot....
What outputs do you have now?

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Reply to alyoshka

Ya when I was switching monitors half way through I noticed it was a single-link but I didn't think it mattered and didn't want to make this more confusing.

If I put both dongle in I would have two VGA outputs.

Reply to qakers

Cool....
Now do both your monitors have VGA inputs?

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Reply to alyoshka

Yes, and does VGA support 1920x1080?

Reply to qakers

Don't ask questions now.... just connect the monitors and see if they come on....

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Reply to alyoshka

VGA has no limits, it's analog. The DVI is digital so has limits.....
And I bet you thought the other way, although DVI being digital it's a little clearer and can handle much higher refresh rates

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Reply to alyoshka

Ok I found the VGA cord that came with the monitor and did what you said but now my bigger monitor says Cable Not Connected.
Is it possible that the DVI-D port is broken?

Reply to qakers

Interchange the VGA cables and put the smaller monitor that was on the DVI-I port working onto the DVI-D Dongle.....
If it comes on, then neither the Port nor the Dongle is broken.

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Reply to alyoshka

Nope it didn't come on.

So I'm guessing either the dongle or the port is broken.
Hopefully the dongle....

Reply to qakers

Does you big monitor have a DVI port on it?

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Reply to alyoshka

Connect that DVI port to the DVI port on the card, which ever one is compatible and see if it comes on...

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Reply to alyoshka

that's what I've been using. I know the DVI-I port works, but nothing has worked through the DVI-D port yet, although I've only used one dongle, so it could be the dongle but I have a feeling it's the card.

Reply to qakers

Any place where you could test out the dongle? other than your rig?

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Reply to alyoshka

Ya I know a place where I can get it checked, not right now though. I'll mess with more configurations tomorrow, I have to go now.

And thank you so much for all your help, I don't why this card can't have two DVI-I's like my last one but I guess I'll learn more this way.

Seriously, thanks again.

Reply to qakers