Using integrated graphics with ATI Radeon X1300/X1550 Series

[OchayeTheNoo]

I have just very recently as today started using a new PC with Windows 7, Dell Optiplex 745/755, 8gb, 160gb hdd. Dual monitors is important to me so i got a ATI Radeon card which fitted in and works. My problem being is that on my other PC, Optiplex 520 running XP, i had a Nvidia Quadro 280 PCI card which worked along with the on board graphics which i had my 42in TV connected to for streaming sports, films and such. I would really like that set up again on this machine, is this possible with changing some settings ?? On the old PC i just inserted, configured and started using the 3 monitors. In fact i had 4 running at one point but 2 were of the same display. There is also an svideo connection on the ATI Radeon card, could that be used as a third monitor ? I am not a gamer as such, i use poker sites, watch sports for gambling, so its all quite basic in terms what i need for power. Any help here is great appreciated, thanks.

 

[Mellon Head]

Does the second monitor show any picture at all? Your PC supports two monitors with a Radeon card. have you installed the Radeon drivers from Dell? You have to go into the Control Center program for the graphics card to enable dual monitors, assuming you get a picture on the second one.

 

[OchayeTheNoo]

Hi, thanks for the reply. I have dual monitors working off the ATI Radeon. My main concern here is getting a third monitor working off the on board graphics card like i had on my other PC. In the display properties it is showing a third could be connected but it is not on the on board, so is it maybe the svideo connection on the Radeon ?? I have limited knowledge when it comes to it with computers, but i am very keen to learn. Thanks.

 

[Mellon Head]

It might use the Svideo, but you probably won't get a very good picture from it. Your monitor will also have to have an Svideo input on it to make use of the signal. To my knowledge they haven't built a monitor or TV with an Svideo connector in years.

Have you tried connecting the TV to your onboard graphics card to see if it works at all?

 

[OchayeTheNoo]

Yes i have it connected in there atm, just the same as my old set up, nothing coming through. It has a vga connection and svideo with rca, if that is the correct term. Can I ask you about all the updates im going through since i started using this computer with windows 7, will the settings i am trying to achieve settle down and become noticeable ? The resolution seems to revert back 'recommended' everytime i restart, and there are other things but i'm sure i'll get round to them in time. Thanks

 

[OchayeTheNoo]

I am waiting to get another VGA cable sent through in the next couple of days, i'll connect my old PC to my TV and check the display settings i had on there. I was hoping my Nvidia card would've fitted in this new machine but it wouldn't go dual screen, only giving me split/clone display, hence why i got the ATI Radeon. The main reason i want my TV connected is for the better streaming i get from this new PC with fibre broadband. I guess it's something i'll figure out one way or the other.

 

[OchayeTheNoo]

I have just thought of something here ? The Nvidia card fits in the PCI slot next to the ATI Radeon card. Would it be worth my bother trying them together to see if they work, maybe giving me an extra monitor connection ? Or could that open up a can of worms and set me back ?. Just a thought.

 

[stormy13]

Using the onboard in conjunction with a video card is entirely dependent on whether the bios supports it or not. If the bios doesn't support it, then there is nothing you can do from within Windows to get it to work. You will have to look in the bios settings to see if there is any setting that allows for using the onboard simultaneously with a video card. I'm guessing the old computer did, hence why it worked.

As for using the old Quadro with the ATI card, I wouldn't bother as there are no Windows 7 drivers (or Vista that I can find) for it. You cam try it with the last XP driver,

NVIDIA DRIVERS ForceWare Release 90 WHQL

but likely won't work, or cause problems.

As far as 3 displays off the ATI card, not going to happen. You need a card from the HD 5xxx series and up to get more than 3 displays at once. Your card is from the R500/X1xxx generation of cards (and your Quadro is even older, being based on the old FX 5200),

AMD Eyefinity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[OchayeTheNoo]

Another thought i've had is that on my other PC i was already running on board card for single monitor, so adding in the Nvidia for dual display it all just fell into place. But with my new PC i didn't really do alot until i got the ATI Radeon card. So what i guess i'm trying to say is, if i had ran the new PC for a few days with on board single display, then added the ATI card, would it all work out differently ? Like the way it went with the other PC ?.

 

[OchayeTheNoo]

Looking back into the display settings, No1 and No2 are my connected monitors. No3 says, Display device on: Component. In the multiple displays options box it says, Duplicate desktop on 1 and 3, same for 2 and 3, Extend desktop to this display, Disconnect display and Remove display. It shows that a third monitor has or will be detected, but is not connected.

 

[Mellon Head]

I checked the model of your PC at the Dell website, and it says that it does support a dual onboard/graphics card split. So you could theoretically get this working. I wonder if it's a setting in the bios?

EDIT: The information I can find on the Dell forums says that with this PC, plugging in a secondary graphics card turns off the onboard graphics. Here's a link to a relevant thread (Warning, it's confusing):

Optiplex 755 and two monitors - Desktop General Hardware Forum - Desktop - Dell Community

So I guess the short answer is no, your onboard graphics port is not going to let you hook up a third monitor on this particular PC.

 

[OchayeTheNoo]

Thanks for that. I'll read through it later. I did a bit of searching and reading myself last night and i think i'm stuck with the dual monitors, which isn't bad. I have a clone splitter so i'll try that to see if i can get the TV connected. One way or another i'll figure something out. Like i say it's just for streaming sports, save sitting in front of monitors watching. Thanks again guys.

 

[logicearth]

The other port on the x1300 is not S-Video, rather it is an Audio/Video port for connecting up to a tv. It uses a special breakout cable.

ATI Technologies X1300 - Radeon 256 MB PCI Express Video Card User's Manual (Page 104 of 148)

 

[OchayeTheNoo]

Thanks for that. I have some svideo, RCA cables here, plus some other stuff. I'll work through it all. All help is greatly appreciated.