Gracie Allen
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Just built a new PC with a GTX 970 FTW video card. My primary monitor is a 30" connected via display port. Secondary monitor is an older 22" I beileve is a VGA. I'm not sure of the exact terms, but the older monitor has a 15-pin plug.
With my previous video card, it appears both DVI plugs were the same and I could put the 22" monitor DVI adapter in the lower plug and everything worked.
With the 970, the two DVI plugs are different - the top one will only accept a DVI with a narrower horizontal pin and the DVI adapter has a wider horizontal pin. I've switched to a different secondary monitor for the short term and ran the DVI on the lower plug. Everything works, but I'd prefer to use the other monitor for the secondary unit.
Sorry for the poor explanation, but am I correct that there's a difference between the plug on a monitor with a DVI cable and the DVI adapter for the VGA cable?
Am I not able to use the older monitor as the secondary monitor with the 970 video card and the primary monitor on the only display port?
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Tropickz
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Re: Using a 970 FTW with primary display port and secondary vga monitors
2014/12/25 18:25:23
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You should be able too, the adapter should plug into the DVI-I (4 square holes around it).
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Gracie Allen
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Re: Using a 970 FTW with primary display port and secondary vga monitors
2014/12/26 07:30:36
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I thought so too, but it doesn't seem that way... I just crawled back under the desk and contorted myself into a position to see the plugs...
The 970 has a top row with a DVI connector and a display port connector. And a bottom row with a DVI connector and several holes that I don't think do anything.
The top DVI connector has a slot with 4 holes around it... ALL my DVI adapters have a side lug and 4 pins around it.
The BOTTOM DVI connector has a slot with NO holes around it. None of my DVI adapters will plug into the bottom plug.
Having read your reply, and starting to understand the thing a little better, I found some info about DVI connectors - of which I didn't even know THERE WERE DIFFERENT ONES!
It appears the 970 has one DVI-I (the top row?) that passes both digital and analog signals. And one DVI-D (the bottom row?) that ONLY passes digital signals and won't feed an older D-SUB (I think that's what my older monitor must be) monitor.
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SO, when I initially set things up, I plugged the adapter into the top DVI, and the monitor into that, and it worked FINE. BUT, I only had one monitor - the secondary one. The primary monitor that was plugged into the display port on the top row, next to the DVI connector I was using, never got seen. Didn't show up, couldn't extend desktop, couldn't do anything...
SO, since I couldn't plug in the old monitor, I left the primary monitor in the display port and plugged the 24" monitor into the LOWER DVI-D port. Everybody came to life, things are happy...
A couple questions:
Is it POSSIBLE for me to use the top row DVI plug for the secondary AND the display port for the primary monitor and have them both work correctly? I wasn't able to yesterday.
With my current setup, when I reboot the system, everything comes up on the SECONDARY monitor... BIOS, boot info, startup info, etc. It isn't until it's booted and logging in that the primary monitor comes to life and shows the icons and taskbar. Is this normal? Does the video card think the DVI is the primary monitor even though it's plugged in on the lower DVI port and the primary is in the display port? Shouldn't EVERYTHING THINK the primary monitor would be on the display port or is there something I need to tell the 970 so it KNOWS where the primary is? Windows knows, but what do I have connected wrong? Or is there a BIOS setting I need to find?
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howdy2u2
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Re: Using a 970 FTW with primary display port and secondary vga monitors
2014/12/26 07:34:31
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Gracie Allen
I thought so too, but it doesn't seem that way... I just crawled back under the desk and contorted myself into a position to see the plugs...
The 970 has a top row with a DVI connector and a display port connector. And a bottom row with a DVI connector and several holes that I don't think do anything.
The top DVI connector has a slot with 4 holes around it... ALL my DVI adapters have a side lug and 4 pins around it.
The BOTTOM DVI connector has a slot with NO holes around it. None of my DVI adapters will plug into the bottom plug.
Having read your reply, and starting to understand the thing a little better, I found some info about DVI connectors - of which I didn't even know THERE WERE DIFFERENT ONES!
It appears the 970 has one DVI-I (the top row?) that passes both digital and analog signals. And one DVI-D (the bottom row?) that ONLY passes digital signals and won't feed an older D-SUB (I think that's what my older monitor must be) monitor.
--------------
SO, when I initially set things up, I plugged the adapter into the top DVI, and the monitor into that, and it worked FINE. BUT, I only had one monitor - the secondary one. The primary monitor that was plugged into the display port on the top row, next to the DVI connector I was using, never got seen. Didn't show up, couldn't extend desktop, couldn't do anything...
SO, since I couldn't plug in the old monitor, I left the primary monitor in the display port and plugged the 24" monitor into the LOWER DVI-D port. Everybody came to life, things are happy...
A couple questions:
Is it POSSIBLE for me to use the top row DVI plug for the secondary AND the display port for the primary monitor and have them both work correctly? I wasn't able to yesterday.
With my current setup, when I reboot the system, everything comes up on the SECONDARY monitor... BIOS, boot info, startup info, etc. It isn't until it's booted and logging in that the primary monitor comes to life and shows the icons and taskbar. Is this normal? Does the video card think the DVI is the primary monitor even though it's plugged in on the lower DVI port and the primary is in the display port? Shouldn't EVERYTHING THINK the primary monitor would be on the display port or is there something I need to tell the 970 so it KNOWS where the primary is? Windows knows, but what do I have connected wrong? Or is there a BIOS setting I need to find?
This is normal.... I know it makes absolutely no sense...... I have searched to the last page of the web and found no solution. Mine does the same thing.....
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Gracie Allen
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Re: Using a 970 FTW with primary display port and secondary vga monitors
2014/12/27 07:44:16
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One more question (hopefully, only 1)...............
I found the nVidia control panel on the site. Is this something that will work with the 970 and provide useful tools? I was expecting find something like the catalyst control center, and so far I haven't found anything but the geforce experience which I've now installed and removed twice 'cause it doesn't appear to do anything useful for my environment...
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howdy2u2
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bdary
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Re: Using a 970 FTW with primary display port and secondary vga monitors
2014/12/28 10:47:47
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A DVI-D port is a "Digital Only" connector. Meaning no VGA adapters can be used.
A DVI-I port is a digital/ analog connector and can be used with a VGA adapter.
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Gracie Allen
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Re: Using a 970 FTW with primary display port and secondary vga monitors
2014/12/28 11:59:57
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OK, so on the 970 I have a DVI-I on the top row and a display port. On the bottom row I have a DVI-D.
Since the firmware appears to want to make the D-SUB, then DVI and finally display port, CAN I plug the 30" on the display port and the 22" on the D-SUB through a DVI-I adapter on the same row? Or do I have one monitor plugged into the top row and one plugged into the bottom?
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Gracie Allen
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Re: Using a 970 FTW with primary display port and secondary vga monitors
2014/12/28 12:13:21
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On the nVidia Control Panel... I think the Alzheimer's is getting worse! I installed the drivers. And looked all over the apps screen and the start menu for the control panel. I even went out to nvidia to download one. After reading your note I hit the context menu on the desktop and there it was........
Good grief.
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bdary
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Re: Using a 970 FTW with primary display port and secondary vga monitors
2014/12/29 09:16:55
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Gracie Allen
OK, so on the 970 I have a DVI-I on the top row and a display port. On the bottom row I have a DVI-D.
Since the firmware appears to want to make the D-SUB, then DVI and finally display port, CAN I plug the 30" on the display port and the 22" on the D-SUB through a DVI-I adapter on the same row? Or do I have one monitor plugged into the top row and one plugged into the bottom?
It shouldn't matter what row you use for your display's. The only thing that would matter is whether or not you can use a VGA (analog) adapter from the connectors (ports) on the GPU. The only thing it might affect is which display you'll see the boot screen on.
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Gracie Allen
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Re: Using a 970 FTW with primary display port and secondary vga monitors
2014/12/29 15:26:45
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There was a discussion somewhere in here about the order in which the firmware decides who's going to be primary and who's going to be secondary. It appeared that the order was such that the least capable monitor would always be "primary" in that the BIOS and startup screens would appear there. Once it boots the system would switch to whatever screen is defined in Windows. That's what I see on my system. The DVI-D connected 24" monitor gets the BIOS and startup information, then when it's time to log in, it switches to the main 30" monitor.
I searched all over for information on how to make the 30" monitor be treated as primary, but was told it's in the firmware of the 970 and not likely to change any time soon...
BUT, at least if I want to, it sounds like I can put the cheap D-SUB 22" monitor back on this system so I can use the much better 24" monitor on the old system that will be moving to the RV. The secondary monitor is just for palettes and non-essential stuff anyway and doesn't have to be as accurately calibrated as the primary.
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bdary
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Re: Using a 970 FTW with primary display port and secondary vga monitors
2014/12/29 15:37:04
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Sounds like you're pretty well squared away now? If you have any other questions, post back. Plenty of helpful members here on the forum... 
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Gracie Allen
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Re: Using a 970 FTW with primary display port and secondary vga monitors
2014/12/30 14:30:28
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Thanks for the help... It boots, it runs, the monitors eventually figure out who's who... Now if I can just get these HORRID colors changed! But I'm not sure that's a video card problem...
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bdary
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Re: Using a 970 FTW with primary display port and secondary vga monitors
2014/12/30 15:44:48
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Usually correcting color, brightness, contrast, etc, needs to be adjusted on the monitor itself or by using a 3rd party calibration tool. Assuming the GPU is functioning properly.
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