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I have an Asus P5KPL-AM IN/GB motherboard with onboard graphics connected to a Dell 1708FPb 17 inch flat panel monitor.

The second (identical) display is connected to an Nvidia GeForce 210 PCIe graphics card, also using a VGA lead.

When the machine boots up, the monitor connected to the onboard graphics VGA adapter is not detected. I have tried using another adapter, which didn't work.

Is is possible to run two displays simultaneously, both connected using VGA leads, one via onboard graphics and the other from an independent graphics card?

Or do I need to buy a separate DVI cable and run both monitors from the PCIe graphics card?

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    What OS are you using?
    – MadHatter
    Commented Aug 9, 2011 at 11:23
  • 2
    Windows XP Home and Ubuntu 11.04 dual boot.
    – unpossible
    Commented Aug 9, 2011 at 11:51

3 Answers 3

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This will depend on the motherboard/BIOS. Some allow the onboard graphics others don't.

It appears that the Asus doesn't and to run a second monitor you'll have to use the 2nd output on the graphics card.

You don't have to buy a DVI lead - though using one will give you a better image - you can get DVI to VGA converters and use your existing lead.

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  • How did you find out that the motherboard doesn't allow this? Is it worth buying a DVI lead or would you buy a DVI-VGA adapter? If I opt for a new DVI lead, will I see a noticeable increase in performance?
    – unpossible
    Commented Aug 9, 2011 at 12:05
  • @mejpark - I don't know how you find out other than checking the manufacturer's site. As I said a DVI lead will give a better image as it's all digital. What do you mean by "performance"?
    – ChrisF
    Commented Aug 9, 2011 at 12:35
  • mejpark: Some older low-end Intel motherboards have on-board video that stops functioning when an add-in card is installed in the AGP slot. The only ways to determine if this is the case for your motherboard is to either try it, or consult the motherboard's documentation.
    – Randolf Richardson
    Commented Aug 9, 2011 at 12:37
  • @Randolf I tried it, it failed which would assume that it is indeed unsupported. I've looked in the manual for my motherboard and searched online and I can't find anything definitive. I was hoping to read it for myself in black and white. Can either of you provide a link to confirm that this is in fact the case?
    – unpossible
    Commented Aug 9, 2011 at 13:41
  • @mejpark: If your motherboard documentation doesn't mention this, then you might ask the manufacturer if you're experiencing a defect -- if they say "yes," then you may be able to get it replaced (I've found that occasionally manufacturers will still replace out-of-warranty equipment if the problem is caused by a serious design defect; I had a motherboard once that was 5 years old that I got replaced for free because its manual mistakenly indicated that it could support more RAM, but I discovered this was incorrect when I added more RAM).
    – Randolf Richardson
    Commented Aug 9, 2011 at 14:14
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The G31(which your motherboard has) chipset does not support Concurrent video card and onboard graphics.

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    Thank you for confirming this. Can I ask how you found this information out?
    – unpossible
    Commented Aug 10, 2011 at 12:04
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Your motherboard has the Intel G31/ICH7 chipset (see also the manual which is more specific for your motherboard). This chipset does not work at the same time together with an PCI Express card which you have, but it supports working in parallel with an PCI graphics card. See datasheet, page 283 (linked from the chipset specifications website).

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