AMD Radeon 6850, 2nd monitor

[timftse]

I'm trying to get a 2nd monitor connected to my AMD Radeon 6850. It has 2 DVI ports, but only the first one will register a monitor. I've tried all combinations of cables and monitors and everything works on port 1 but nothing on port 2.
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Tim

 

[goombawaho]

Device Manager shows no problem devices - correct?

You have installed the latest driver for the video card - correct?

 

[RichLee]

Have you disabled any on-board video?

Richard

 

[rclarke250]

Have you tried just using port 2? And what is the make and model of the video card? Some have different specs.

 

[timftse]

Thanks.

I have the latest drivers.
Device Manager shows a ? against Other Devices, and expanding it lists PCI Device, PCI Memory Controller, SM Bus Controller & Unknown Device all with ?! against them. (Not sure what they all represent..)

The card is an XFX Radeon HD 6850, model no HD-685X-ZN. (I have no documentation and the box doesnt mention monitor support). I've checked the DVI ports and both are DVI-I, so as I understand it should work with VGA monitors. (I've tried connecting to a digital TV, and that only works on port 1 too).
Also tried only using port 2, and the monitor goes to sleep.

The motherboard is a Gigabyte GA-K8NF-9, which does not have onboard video.

 

[goombawaho]

Worth a shot to clean up the unknown devices.

Post the PCI\Ven string from the DETAILS tab of each unknown device in device manager IF you don't know how to get all devices installed yourself.

 

[JimInKS]

I googled the part number. Is this it?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150515

If you zoom in on the photo that shows the DVI connectors only one of them is marked VGA so only one analog monitor supported. You will need a monitor with dvi connection for the second.

 

[timftse]

I dont think that's the same one. It has 2 fans, not 1, and the ports look different. Mine's part no is HD-685X-ZNFC.

Re the devices: do I need to install or delete them? As far as I know everything works fine.

 

[goombawaho]

My rule of thumb is never leave any device uninstalled. You don't delete them, you find drivers for them. I wouldn't consider a PC "loaded" until all devices are present and functioning.

If you delete them, they'll just come back at the next reboot.

 

[cdogg]

Tim,
I agree with Goom. You need to take care of the "Other" device list. PCI refers to important components integrated on the motherboard, and Unknown could be as well. Getting these installed will add to the list of available features on your system as well as improve stability and speed. You can obtain drivers from the vendor (HP, Dell, etc.), or if you built this system yourself, then visit the motherboard manufacturer's website for the latest.

After doing that, I suggest uninstalling the ATI software, rebooting, reinstalling it, and rebooting again. Should be good to go after that! Don't forget that you often need to enable the 2nd monitor either from Windows display properties or from the ATI Catalyst control panel.


JimInKS,
That is not necessarily true. Each DVI-I port can be converted to VGA with the use of a simple adapter that usually comes with the video card. You may be thinking about DVI-D ports which are missing the analog pins necessary for conversion to VGA.

-Carl
"The glass is neither half-full nor half-empty: it's twice as big as it needs to be."

[tab][navy]For this site's posting policies, click [/navy]here.

 

[timftse]

Thanks for the tips.
I've tried installing the mystery devices, but Windows cannot find the drivers for them online, so refuses. I've deactivated them; it seems to make no difference.

I have VGA-DVI-I adapters for both monitors. I've been into Windows display properties to activate the 2nd monitor, and extend the desktop onto it, but nothing happens. Ditto with ATI Catalyst Control Centre, which seems to do the same thing. I have the latest ATI drivers. I reinstalled them recently when CCC stopped working suddenly, the solution eventually was to uninstall .NET down to vsn 2. (for XP) Dont know whether this is relevant..

 

[goombawaho]

I think you need to get those devices installed and apparently you don't have the experience needed to do so. Often windows update will NOT find drivers and I generally don't let it handle the task of finding drivers for unknown devices. It can screw things up.

As stated, it should be done and the motherboard manufacturer or specific hardware manufacturer will have the drivers. You just have to know how to look for them and install them.

If you're out of your skill league or out of patience, it may be time for a professional. If not and you want to keep stabbing at the bull, you have to post the PCI\Ven string as I mentioned above for each missing device.

 

[JimInKS]

JimInKS,
That is not necessarily true. Each DVI-I port can be converted to VGA with the use of a simple adapter that usually comes with the video card. You may be thinking about DVI-D ports which are missing the analog pins necessary for conversion to VGA.

I tried to find some info on this particular card. It is odd that there seems to be a dearth of info on it as I can usually find an manual on-line. The point I was trying to make was that just because one of the dvi ports supports an analog monitor i don't think that guarantees the other will also. I don't know what resources the OP has, but if it were me I would certainly try a monitor with a DVI port to eliminate the possibility that the second port does not support an analog monitor. Even if the analog pins are present on the connector I wouldn't put it past a manufacturer to not support them with a particular chip set, model of card, or whatever.

 

[cdogg]

Even if the analog pins are present on the connector I wouldn't put it past a manufacturer to not support them with a particular chip set

I have worked with a wide range of video cards and have yet to see a DVI-I port not support the analog conversion. While it is possible that perhaps there are some out there that don't, I can comfortably say that the likelihood of running into one is extremely low. XFX is a reputable manufacturer and not some cheap knock-off brand, so that would be unlike them not to use a DVI-D port instead of DVI-I if it was there intention to only support one analog connection.

Here is a link to the type of card that matches the OP's model number:
[URL unfurl="true"]http://xfxforce.com/en-us/Products/Graphics-Cards/AMD/AMD-Radeon-HD-6000-Series/AMD-Radeon-HD-6850/HD-685X-ZNFC.aspx[/url]

-Carl
"The glass is neither half-full nor half-empty: it's twice as big as it needs to be."

[tab][navy]For this site's posting policies, click [/navy]here.

 

[timftse]

Just checked the XFX page you mention. Did you notice:

Display Output
HDMI Ready:Y
Max Supported Resolution (ANALOG):2048 x 1536
Max Supported Resolution (DIGITAL):2560 x 1600
Output - Display Port:1
Output - DL-DVI:1
Output - HDMI:1
Output - SL-DVI:1
Dual link Support:Y

Does that mean the 2 DVI ports are 1 single link and 1 dual link? If so is that a problem?
And what is Display Port? Could I get an adaptor and use this or even the HDMI for a 2nd monitor?

 

[rclarke250]

In order. Yes. Could be, depends on the monitor. From the wikiisplayPort is a digital display interface developed by the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA). The interface is primarily used to connect a video source to a display device such as a computer monitor, though it can also be used to transmit audio, USB, and other forms of data.[2]

The VESA specification is royalty-free. VESA designed it to replace VGA, DVI, and LVDS by creating a high performance standard. Backward compatibility to VGA and DVI by using adapter dongles enables consumers to use DisplayPort fitted video sources without replacing existing display devices. Although DisplayPort supports much of the same functionality as HDMI, it is expected to complement the interface, not replace it.

And last, Yes: displayport to DVI:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812270280

HDMI to DVI:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812270288

There are many ways to do this.

 

[timftse]

Thanks. How about DP to VGA and HDMI to VGA? I notice there are adaptors on Ebay.

 

[cdogg]

Tim,
Yes, I noticed those specs. And yes, you are correct that it means one of the DVI ports is dual link while the other is single link. The only real difference is that single link will max out around 2 megapixels (roughly the same as 1080p, or 1920x1080), while the dual link can reach the max resolution specified. I have not tried to use a digital-to-analog adapter on a single-link DVI port before, so it's possible that's the issue here.

The best thing about DisplayPorts is how easy it is to convert them to VGA or DVI. I recommend getting a quality VGA adapter by HP or Belkin - I've had problems with some brands like SIIG. Typical retail is around $25. For future reference (since it doesn't apply in this situation), DisplayPort-to-DVI passive adapters are single link only. More expensive dual-link active adapters exist, but those cost over $100 and require additional power by plugging into an available USB port.

And finally, it is usually best to go with DisplayPort adapters over HDMI when you have a choice. The reason is that the DisplayPort specification addresses the different formats (VGA, DVI, and HDMI) by design, whereas HDMI was later modified to accomodate them. Because of this, most adapters on the market for DisplayPort have higher quality standards through testing to meet the standard. With HDMI, that level of quality is hit and miss.



-Carl
"The glass is neither half-full nor half-empty: it's twice as big as it needs to be."

[tab][navy]For this site's posting policies, click [/navy]here.

 

[timftse]

Well I got a Display Port - VGA adaptor and it worked fine straight away. Hooray!