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  #1  
Old August 1st, 2020, 08:04 AM
chris18 chris18 is offline
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Connecting 2nd Monitor

I have the following system:

Comprising of:
1 x Arctic F12 Case Fan
1 x TP-Link TL-WN881ND 300Mbps PCI Express WiFi
1 x Cooler Master Hyper TX3 EVO CPU Cooler
1 x Corsair VS Series VS450 450W 80+ PSU
2 x CCL Choice 8GB (1x 8GB) 2400MHz DDR4 RAM
1 x ASUS PRIME H310M-E R2.0 Intel Motherboard
0 x Aero Cool Cylon Mini Gaming Case - Black
1 x Intel Core i5 9400F 2.9GHz 6 Core CPU
1 x XFX Radeon RX 570 XXX 8GB Graphics Card
1 x Antec NeoECO Modular 650W Semi-Modular PSU
1 x GameMax Gamboge Mid Tower Gaming Case

I wish to add a second monitor , if possible, can anyone tell me how I go about it please i.e where do I connect the second monitor??

Thanks
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  #2  
Old August 1st, 2020, 06:22 PM
Ensign Tzap Ensign Tzap is offline
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Chris18,

WHAT???

You have 2 Power Supplies, and 2 Cases {Mid Tower case & a Mini Gaming Case.}
Thus, this sounds like 2 systems, and not 1.

In any case, the XFX Radeon RX 570 XXX 8GB Graphics Card has 4 HDMI Ports and 1 DVI Port.
You should be able to connect up too 5 monitors to the video card.
But check the driver software and utilities for the video card,
as too how you can configure it to work.



Signed: Ensign Tzap
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  #3  
Old August 1st, 2020, 09:42 PM
IPR512 IPR512 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ensign Tzap View Post
Chris18,

WHAT???

You have 2 Power Supplies, and 2 Cases {Mid Tower case & a Mini Gaming Case.}
Thus, this sounds like 2 systems, and not 1.

In any case, the XFX Radeon RX 570 XXX 8GB Graphics Card has 4 HDMI Ports and 1 DVI Port.
You should be able to connect up too 5 monitors to the video card.
But check the driver software and utilities for the video card,
as too how you can configure it to work.



Signed: Ensign Tzap
Looks to me like he has one case.
0 x Aero Cool Cylon Mini Gaming Case - Black
1 x GameMax Gamboge Mid Tower Gaming Case
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  #4  
Old August 2nd, 2020, 08:53 AM
chris18 chris18 is offline
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Sorry for the confusion, didn't check my copy & paste. I only have one case The Gamboge and the Antec NeoECO Modular 650W Semi-Modular PSU.

If I connect a second monitor to the GPU should I connect that to either the VGA or DVI on the Hanns-G second monitor (with suitable adapter).

What are the pitfalls I need to be aware of when connecting a second monitor?

I intend to use the second monitor primarily with x-plane 11 to show an external moving map.
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  #5  
Old August 2nd, 2020, 03:40 PM
Digerati Digerati is offline
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Quote:
If I connect a second monitor to the GPU should I connect that to either the VGA or DVI
Which ever one works but I recommend trying the digital connection (DVI) first.

Other than some times being a challenge to set the primary and secondary monitors to the right monitors, there are no pitfalls that I am aware of - EXCEPT - once you get used to have two monitors, you will wonder how you ever lived with just one before!
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Old August 11th, 2020, 09:36 AM
chris18 chris18 is offline
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Right, have experimented with using the two monitors using hdm-dvi. It worked, but on many action I took on my main monitor i.e, clicking Brave only showed on the 2nd monitor.

Likewise clicking Display only showed on the 2nd monitor which is not what I want. After a short time I lost the signal on the 2nd monitor, it didn't go blank just a lot of interference so I disconnected the hdmi just in case!

My mouse control was erratic i.e it didn't flow from one screen to the other as I had expected. Sometimes it did sometimes it didn't.

So the question now is how do I set my main monitor as the primary when I don't need any display on the 2nd monitor. As I said the main purpose for the 2nd monitor, at least initially, is to use it as a moving map for flight simulator.
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  #7  
Old August 11th, 2020, 04:02 PM
Digerati Digerati is offline
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Interference? There should be no interference with a digital connection. What did it look like? Were the cables securely fastened?

As far as where programs open, that's tricky. This is often caused by the individual program always wanting to open on the same display, or always wanting to open on the last display it was seen on.

I have never been able to resolve this myself consistently. It works with some programs but no others. Then it works for awhile then doesn't.

See this for some things to try:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...off-the-screen

Also, some times you just need a special utility to get things to behave like you want. See UltraMon – not free, but worth it IMO (see also the free DisplayFusion) and Dual Monitor Tools.
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  #8  
Old August 12th, 2020, 05:32 PM
chris18 chris18 is offline
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Hi again, I think I have cured the interference issue, probably due to the dvi cable not being correctly fitted.

I have installed both Display Fusion and Dual Monitor Tools to see how they work but so far have only used Display Fusion. Very confusing that my taskbar displays on the second monitor and I haven't as yet managed to work out why and also how to get my mouse cursor to go across the monitors.

Normal booting with both monitors bring this problem and I wonder if I need to have some sort of hdmi switch so I can "disconnect" the 2nd monitor when not required and avoid constantly pulling out the hdmi cable on the PC..

I have seen an number of comments about just using W10 but haven't followed up. Is it easy to set up.
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  #9  
Old August 12th, 2020, 05:46 PM
Digerati Digerati is offline
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Odd about your mouse. In display properties, do you have Multiple displays set to "Extend these displays"?

You should not need any type of switch or splitter.

Yes, W10 with 2 monitors is easy. But of course, your graphics solution must support it too.
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  #10  
Old August 13th, 2020, 10:28 AM
chris18 chris18 is offline
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Morning, I am obviously a bit thick!! I have uninstalled the two pieces of software in order to try W10 but when I boot the system i get both displays and I have the task bar on my main monitor but anything I click shows on the second display, is this normal?

Do I have to use the 2nd monitor to make any changes, also where do I find "display properties" in W10.

Lastly, is it OK to hot swap the HDMI connector on the GPU?
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  #11  
Old August 13th, 2020, 02:33 PM
Digerati Digerati is offline
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Hmmm, this is odd. I've been running in a dual monitor setup since Windows 98 and have not seen the problems you keep encountering.

Sorry, I should have said "Display settings". There are several ways to get to Display settings. You can go through the Start menu > Settings > System > Display or the easiest (for me) is to simply right-click on a blank part of your Desktop and select "Display settings" from the right-click context menu. There you can check and set your settings. On the right side of that windows is a Help link to "Setting up multiple monitors" that may be of use.

Quote:
but when I boot the system i get both displays and I have the task bar on my main monitor but anything I click shows on the second display, is this normal?
Okay, when you boot you should get both displays and the task bar should appear only on the main monitor by default. Are you then saying when you click to open any program, it then starts on the secondary monitor?

Again, this is most commonly due to where that program was when you last closed it.

For example, I last had Word open on monitor 2. As I type this reply in my browser on my main monitor (#1), if I start Word again, it opens on monitor #2 because that is where I was last using it. And that's how I want it - that is, I don't want Word to start and cover up what I am doing on my main monitor (typing this reply).

However, if I drag Word over to monitor 1, then close Word, then start Word again, it opens on monitor #1 because this where I last used it.

Most programs behave this way and this is the correct way in my opinion. That is, they should remember where the user last used it, then start there again.

Quote:
Lastly, is it OK to hot swap the HDMI connector on the GPU?
"In theory", yes, HDMI is hot-swappable, but I don't recommend hot-swapping anything that is not specifically designed for it - which includes video cables.

There are several reasons for this in particular with HDMI. The connectors are not very robust. That is, they are not designed to be plugged in and unplugged repeatedly like a headphone jack or even a USB plug.

So if done repeatedly, the connector will start to wear and eventually not make the ideal "mechanical connection" - essential for the best "electrical connection". Unlike other video connector types, HDMI connectors typically do not use screws to hold the connector in its socket. A worn connector may result in a poor connection which may affect the video display.

The communications that occurs via HDMI connections is very complex. It is not just sending video signals. There is a lot of other "control" or "handshaking" information going through there too. This includes EDID (extended display identification data) information stored in the monitor's firmware and this information is exchanged with the graphics solution. Resolution settings are exchanged too, and if the monitor has integrated speakers (as many do these days) 2-channel (stereo) audio is passed through that same HDMI connection.

When you hot swap cables monitors, the monitor and the graphics solution may not sync up properly. This is particularly true if the monitors are not identical.

Last, and as a technician, this is the biggie for me, if not watching carefully it is possible to initially misalign the connector to the socket when inserting the cable connector, potentially shorting the wrong pin to a connector contact. And to watch carefully, you must be able to actually see what you are doing. That is not easy when the connector ports are on the back the computer, and back of the monitor(s).

Unplugging cables is generally not a problem but I recommend connecting HDMI cables when the power is off.
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Old September 25th, 2020, 07:35 AM
chris18 chris18 is offline
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Apologies for non reply. Pleased to say problme has been solved.
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  #13  
Old September 25th, 2020, 03:51 PM
Digerati Digerati is offline
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Quote:
Apologies for non reply. Pleased to say problme has been solved.
I am glad you sorted your problem out but it is important to understand that tech support forums are places to learn and share what we have learned so others may benefit from our learning experiences too.

Simply saying, "problem has been solved" helps no one. How did you fix it?

If you discovered it was a newbie mistake or simple user error, join the club. We’ve all been there. That's part of the learning experience. In any case, share it.
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  #14  
Old September 26th, 2020, 07:41 AM
chris18 chris18 is offline
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Hi, the main issueI had was my not understanding fully the way W10 worked with dual monitors.

The initial interference was cured by simple process of checking the cable as stated.

The main issue related to the way I expected x-plane 11 to work with dual monitors against the way it actually works. I had to make a change in x-plane 11 graphics settings which then allowed me to drag a window on my primary display across.

My sytem is now working exactly as I wanted.
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  #15  
Old September 26th, 2020, 03:40 PM
Digerati Digerati is offline
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Great and thanks for coming back and posting your follow-up.
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