Windows 7 3rd monitor crash

[zvit]

This is more of a editing software issue but if anyone can help, I'd appreciate it.

I'm trying to help a friend who has an Asus Motherboard P8Z77-V LE. He also has an AMD Radeon HD 7900 Graphic card. All drivers are up to date. I want to have 2 monitors on the AMD card and a third monitor connected to the on-board graphic card (which has DVI and HDMI and a "DisplayPort" that I don't have a cable for).

The bios has a graphic option to choose my primary Graphic source. There are 4 to choose from: AUTO, igpu (integrated graphics processors), PCI-E and PCI. If I choose any besides the igpu, all works fine but the third monitor doesn't turn on. If I choose igpu, the third monitor works great (it gets an extended part of the desktop) but if I try to open a new project preset in Premiere cs6 or open an existing project and try to import something, Premiere CS6 crashes.

After effects crashes just on trying to open it, with an error about GPU graphics.

If I change the BIOS to Auto or PCI, all adobe products work great but the third monitor won't turn on.

How can I use Adobe software with three monitors?
Why won't the third monitor work with Auto or PCI selected in the BIOS?

 

[Saltgrass]

That system is a little different from what you might be used to. The onboard graphics comes from the processor, which you probably know, and there is a way for the onboard and discreet graphics to work together to manage power consumption by using the best source for the graphics being required.

But basically, I am not sure the system can support 3 monitors in that configuration. I think when you pick the IGpu or PCI, that tells the system where to output the video. I know if you have the LucidLogix Virtu MVP installed, you pick where the video originates in the same fashion.

 

[zvit]

Thanks.

Supposedly, it DOES support this graphic sharing because choosing igpu allows all three monitors to work fine.
The actual choice that the BIOS calls it is "Primary Graphic" something like that. So it seems that the BIOS is not saying that it's just a matter of choosing which GPU to use but it seems to be saying: "Yes, I CAN use all three but just tell me which is the primary". I would guess that this would be telling it where it should get it's main GPU power from. So if it's anyways sharing the GPU power, I don't understand why all three monitors don't work together when choosing PCI.

 

[Digerati]

This is actually a fairly common problem, but sadly, there is no simple fix. I had hoped with Windows 7, current chipsets and modern BIOSes, multi-monitor support would be more refined, but sadly, it is not - ESPECIALLY when integrated graphics and graphics cards are used together to support 3 or more monitors.

The only simple and consistently reliable solution I have found is to use two cards (preferably like cards) and disabling integrated. The downside, of course, is this solution normally requires a beefier PSU, the 2nd GPU with its additional fan generates more noise, and the 2nd GPU creates more heat in need of exhausting. However, the result is a stable graphics solution.

That said, even the latest operating systems sometimes have little issues, and seem to get confused occasionally as to which monitor is primary and which is secondary. So a multi-monitor utility is almost a necessity. My favorite is UltraMon – not free, but worth it. Others have suggested the free DisplayFusion, but I have no experience with it.

With Ultramon, there should be no need to mess with BIOS settings. In fact, I never mess with those, instead, just leave it set to "Auto".

I don't understand why all three monitors don't work together when choosing PCI.

PCI? Do understand that in spite there similar names, PCI is a totally different and incompatible interface from PCIe (PCI Express). You should not be using PCI.

 

[zvit]

PCI? Do understand that in spite there similar names, PCI is a totally different and incompatible interface from PCIe (PCI Express). You should not be using PCI.

Yes, I meant PCI-E

Thanks for the post. I'll give the software a try.

 

[zvit]

Tried the ultramon. If the BIOS is set to AUTO, just like Windows, it won't see the third monitor so there is no way of activating it.

 

[Digerati]

That may be because on most motherboards, when you insert a card, the integrated is disabled. So check in the BIOS to make sure it is still enabled.

 

[zvit]

There is no integration option.

 

[Digerati]

You sure? I don't recall seeing an integrated graphics that could not be disabled, and therefore enabled. If the integrated can not be disabled, a big chunk of system RAM would always be stolen - err... I mean "shared" for graphics.

 

[zvit]

Yup, I'm sure. It does allow me though to choose the amount of "stolen" RAM, from 64 to 1024. So I guess 64 wouldn't be noticeable anyway.

 

[Digerati]

On page 3-20 of your manual, it talks about the iGPU Multi-Monitor switch in your BIOS. Is that set to Enabled?

 

[zvit]

What that is is something called Lucid's Virtu something. If I enable that, I got some serious warning and it said that it can't boot into Windows with that setting enabled. Don't know what that's about.

 

[Digerati]

In reading page 5-4 of your manual, it looks like that feature enable mulitmonitor support using the integrated graphics and a card.

 

[zvit]

That's what I though too. That's why I tried enabling it but then I wasn't able to get into Windows.

 

[Digerati]

Well, then I am sorry - but I am at a loss here, other than going back to my original suggestion - use two cards and forget about the integrated graphics.

 

[zvit]

That's what I told him to do and he will probably do that.

 

[Digerati]

Well, integrated graphics solutions have come a very long way in recent years - to the point an inexpensive motherboard with integrated graphics is perfectly suited for many high-definition (HD) applications such as a PVR in advanced home theater setups used for HD/BluRay viewing on a big screen TV. But integrated graphics solutions still () don't play well with add-in cards in multi-monitor setups.

Since Windows (XP through Win8 in my experience) can handle multiple add-in cards running 3 or more monitors with no problems, it seems to be an issue with the integrated side - either with the integrated graphics itself, or the way the BIOS handles (or tries to handle) multiple graphics solutions that include the integrated graphics solution.

Sadly, with the drive by consumers to move away from large multiple monitors and big PCs (whose sales have dropped in the last couple years) and towards hand-held devices (tablets and smart phones), I fear development for us PC and multi-monitor users will be put on the back burner. I hope I am wrong.

 

[ELiTEFX]

Apparently to enable ATI EyeFinity the 3rd monitor must be connected through a Displayport. Digerati is right. Eyefinity runs off the installed vid cards only. Details here: How to set up Eyefinity? - [H]ard|Forum