W7, 3 monitors

[g***@aol.com]

I have a Dell Optiplex 9010 with the Intel HD Graphics 2000 (iCore
DC/QC Intel 7 Series Express Chipset
CPU-GPU combo) display adapter. (I think. ... That is what Dell
tells me)
It has 2 display port outputs and 1 VGA. I seem to only be able to get
any 2 of them to work at the same time. When I try to set the 3d one
to "extend desktop..." it says it can't save that configuration. The
first time I plugged in the 3d monitor it had all 3 going for a few
seconds and then it disabled one. I thought maybe if I set 2 to mirror
each other it might work but no joy.
Searching around I did find one lie that I know for sure is not true.
Several places said you can't use a plug in adapter along with the on
board adapter and I have been doing that for years on a couple of
different machines so it makes me wonder how good the rest of their
information is.
In this case it is all in the integrated display adapter tho.
It is not really crucial but it is interesting that I can't get it to
work.

[Paul]

Post by g***@aol.com
I have a Dell Optiplex 9010 with the Intel HD Graphics 2000 (iCore
DC/QC Intel 7 Series Express Chipset
CPU-GPU combo) display adapter. (I think. ... That is what Dell
tells me)
It has 2 display port outputs and 1 VGA. I seem to only be able to get
any 2 of them to work at the same time. When I try to set the 3d one
to "extend desktop..." it says it can't save that configuration. The
first time I plugged in the 3d monitor it had all 3 going for a few
seconds and then it disabled one. I thought maybe if I set 2 to mirror
each other it might work but no joy.
Searching around I did find one lie that I know for sure is not true.
Several places said you can't use a plug in adapter along with the on
board adapter and I have been doing that for years on a couple of
different machines so it makes me wonder how good the rest of their
information is.
In this case it is all in the integrated display adapter tho.
It is not really crucial but it is interesting that I can't get it to
work.

For older devices (GMA), the limit was any two of three output connectors
can be running at once. In a laptop, the screen is a primary display,
leaving one additional output as the most logical build config. On a desktop,
with three connectors on the IO plate, it would be any two of three.
The most outputs on a desktop with integrated graphics, was around four or so, and
not all of those can, or will, work at the same time.

https://web.archive.org/web/20100812121021/http://www.intel.com/support/graphics/sb/CS-031040.htm

Later integrated graphics support three at once.

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000025673/graphics.html

Modern crossbars ("Eyefinity") support two outputs, each consisting
of a 1x3 bank of monitors, for a total of six connectors. NVidia has
a similar feature, but I don't remember the name of it. For a while,
Nvidia was doing 1x3 + 1 for a total of four outputs driven at once.
So then AMD had to do 1x3 + 1x3 like this.

Loading Image...

The best AMD card for that, was uniform, and had six mini-DP connectors
on the faceplate (as two 1x3 arrays if you wanted to use all of them).
But other products have DVI, HDMI, four DP, which is
a mess when trying to hook up six identical monitors as two banks of three.

if you DONT use the 1x3 array concept, then those cards with six outputs
have other rules, as to how many can be independent displays. You might
be surprised and shocked at the answer in that case.

There are "stock trader video cards" with four connectors, and you can
use all four for sure. Why is that possible ? Look at the card.
There are two GPU chips on it :-) And I think someone has put more than
two GPU chips on a single card, too. Matrox used to do some of those,
but perhaps PNY would be a candidate today.

If you make a too-whizzy monitor setup, there will be lag between
monitors, and it will "look like ass" when gaming. Don't do that.
It takes a lot of care and attention to detail, to have your
monitor fleet, millisecond-synced. I am all the time running
into people telling me "I plan to do this..." and I warn them
"lag, dude", but nobody listens to me :-) So they use the laggy
config instead. Some of their monitor outputs, change before the
other monitors. Since I've done that here and bought the TShirt,
I know what that looks like.

Paul

[g***@aol.com]

Post by Paul

Post by g***@aol.com
I have a Dell Optiplex 9010 with the Intel HD Graphics 2000 (iCore
DC/QC Intel 7 Series Express Chipset
CPU-GPU combo) display adapter. (I think. ... That is what Dell
tells me)
It has 2 display port outputs and 1 VGA. I seem to only be able to get
any 2 of them to work at the same time. When I try to set the 3d one
to "extend desktop..." it says it can't save that configuration. The
first time I plugged in the 3d monitor it had all 3 going for a few
seconds and then it disabled one. I thought maybe if I set 2 to mirror
each other it might work but no joy.
Searching around I did find one lie that I know for sure is not true.
Several places said you can't use a plug in adapter along with the on
board adapter and I have been doing that for years on a couple of
different machines so it makes me wonder how good the rest of their
information is.
In this case it is all in the integrated display adapter tho.
It is not really crucial but it is interesting that I can't get it to
work.

For older devices (GMA), the limit was any two of three output connectors
can be running at once. In a laptop, the screen is a primary display,
leaving one additional output as the most logical build config. On a desktop,
with three connectors on the IO plate, it would be any two of three.
The most outputs on a desktop with integrated graphics, was around four or so, and
not all of those can, or will, work at the same time.
https://web.archive.org/web/20100812121021/http://www.intel.com/support/graphics/sb/CS-031040.htm
Later integrated graphics support three at once.
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000025673/graphics.html
Modern crossbars ("Eyefinity") support two outputs, each consisting
of a 1x3 bank of monitors, for a total of six connectors. NVidia has
a similar feature, but I don't remember the name of it. For a while,
Nvidia was doing 1x3 + 1 for a total of four outputs driven at once.
So then AMD had to do 1x3 + 1x3 like this.
https://images.anandtech.com/reviews/video/ATI/Eyefinity/eyefinity.jpg
The best AMD card for that, was uniform, and had six mini-DP connectors
on the faceplate (as two 1x3 arrays if you wanted to use all of them).
But other products have DVI, HDMI, four DP, which is
a mess when trying to hook up six identical monitors as two banks of three.
if you DONT use the 1x3 array concept, then those cards with six outputs
have other rules, as to how many can be independent displays. You might
be surprised and shocked at the answer in that case.
There are "stock trader video cards" with four connectors, and you can
use all four for sure. Why is that possible ? Look at the card.
There are two GPU chips on it :-) And I think someone has put more than
two GPU chips on a single card, too. Matrox used to do some of those,
but perhaps PNY would be a candidate today.
If you make a too-whizzy monitor setup, there will be lag between
monitors, and it will "look like ass" when gaming. Don't do that.
It takes a lot of care and attention to detail, to have your
monitor fleet, millisecond-synced. I am all the time running
into people telling me "I plan to do this..." and I warn them
"lag, dude", but nobody listens to me :-) So they use the laggy
config instead. Some of their monitor outputs, change before the
other monitors. Since I've done that here and bought the TShirt,
I know what that looks like.
Paul

Thanks Paul. I figured you knew what was going on. Just knowing some
Intel does have 3 connectors arranged and pick 2 is what I needed to
know. If I ever decided I needed the 3d one I would plug in another
card.
In my case I have a regular monitor on the VGA and 2 TVs on the video
ports. I will really only use one at a time normally and switching
them is as easy as clicking "disable" on the one I am not using. The
other one pops right up.
I have a 32" in landscape I use for most video stuff and a 46" in
portrait I use for text type stuff or anything you scroll. Used TVs
are dirt cheap and are pretty good monitors if they are 1080 or
better. You can see them from far away ;)

[Ammammata]

Post by g***@aol.com
If I ever decided I needed the 3d one I would plug in another
card.

ages ago I sold a Matrox card with 4 outputs (all VGA): we called it
"the octopus" :D

[g***@aol.com]

Post by g***@aol.com

Post by Paul

Post by g***@aol.com
I have a Dell Optiplex 9010 with the Intel HD Graphics 2000 (iCore
DC/QC Intel 7 Series Express Chipset
CPU-GPU combo) display adapter. (I think. ... That is what Dell
tells me)
It has 2 display port outputs and 1 VGA. I seem to only be able to get
any 2 of them to work at the same time. When I try to set the 3d one
to "extend desktop..." it says it can't save that configuration. The
first time I plugged in the 3d monitor it had all 3 going for a few
seconds and then it disabled one. I thought maybe if I set 2 to mirror
each other it might work but no joy.
Searching around I did find one lie that I know for sure is not true.
Several places said you can't use a plug in adapter along with the on
board adapter and I have been doing that for years on a couple of
different machines so it makes me wonder how good the rest of their
information is.
In this case it is all in the integrated display adapter tho.
It is not really crucial but it is interesting that I can't get it to
work.

For older devices (GMA), the limit was any two of three output connectors
can be running at once. In a laptop, the screen is a primary display,
leaving one additional output as the most logical build config. On a desktop,
with three connectors on the IO plate, it would be any two of three.
The most outputs on a desktop with integrated graphics, was around four or so, and
not all of those can, or will, work at the same time.
https://web.archive.org/web/20100812121021/http://www.intel.com/support/graphics/sb/CS-031040.htm
Later integrated graphics support three at once.
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000025673/graphics.html
Modern crossbars ("Eyefinity") support two outputs, each consisting
of a 1x3 bank of monitors, for a total of six connectors. NVidia has
a similar feature, but I don't remember the name of it. For a while,
Nvidia was doing 1x3 + 1 for a total of four outputs driven at once.
So then AMD had to do 1x3 + 1x3 like this.
https://images.anandtech.com/reviews/video/ATI/Eyefinity/eyefinity.jpg
The best AMD card for that, was uniform, and had six mini-DP connectors
on the faceplate (as two 1x3 arrays if you wanted to use all of them).
But other products have DVI, HDMI, four DP, which is
a mess when trying to hook up six identical monitors as two banks of three.
if you DONT use the 1x3 array concept, then those cards with six outputs
have other rules, as to how many can be independent displays. You might
be surprised and shocked at the answer in that case.
There are "stock trader video cards" with four connectors, and you can
use all four for sure. Why is that possible ? Look at the card.
There are two GPU chips on it :-) And I think someone has put more than
two GPU chips on a single card, too. Matrox used to do some of those,
but perhaps PNY would be a candidate today.
If you make a too-whizzy monitor setup, there will be lag between
monitors, and it will "look like ass" when gaming. Don't do that.
It takes a lot of care and attention to detail, to have your
monitor fleet, millisecond-synced. I am all the time running
into people telling me "I plan to do this..." and I warn them
"lag, dude", but nobody listens to me :-) So they use the laggy
config instead. Some of their monitor outputs, change before the
other monitors. Since I've done that here and bought the TShirt,
I know what that looks like.
Paul

Thanks Paul. I figured you knew what was going on. Just knowing some
Intel does have 3 connectors arranged and pick 2 is what I needed to
know. If I ever decided I needed the 3d one I would plug in another
card.
In my case I have a regular monitor on the VGA and 2 TVs on the video
ports. I will really only use one at a time normally and switching
them is as easy as clicking "disable" on the one I am not using. The
other one pops right up.
I have a 32" in landscape I use for most video stuff and a 46" in
portrait I use for text type stuff or anything you scroll. Used TVs
are dirt cheap and are pretty good monitors if they are 1080 or
better. You can see them from far away ;)

Update: I poked around some more and I found this
********
The root cause was in the Intel HD Graphics 4000 driver.

Finally I solved the 3 monitors issue myself.

Now I am able to see 3 monitors.

Solution

-------------

- downgrade the Intel HD Graphics 4000 driver. (10.18.10.4176 ->
9.17.10.3040)

- set the 'Active Display' as '3' in 'Intel Graphics and Media
Control' -> 'Multiple Display'.

****
This was on an Intel support site and Intel said they were looking
into it. I also got the latest driver but I am going to try xxx3040
first.
"