GA-G41MT-USB3 :: Video card + onboard video

[sam_2011]

I have a GA-G41MT-USB3 mothorboard which has onboard video. I also have a GeForce 210 PCI-Exp video card. I have dual monitor setup where one monitor is connected to the onboard video while the other is connected to the PCI-Exp video card. For a reason beyond this post, I can't connect both monitors to the video card.

In BIOS Setup under 'Advanced Chipset Features' I have:

'Onbaord VGA' set to [Always Enabled]

'Init Display First' can have one of three values: Onboard, PCI or PEG.

If I set 'Init Display First' to 'Onboard' the computer works fine. If I set it to 'PEG' or 'PCI' the computer doesn't boot (while booting it gets stock at 'Starting Windows').

Are 'Onboard' and 'PEG' functionally the same other than determining the initial boot display? Or there are other functional differences after the computer has booted?

Thanks,
Sam

[Dark Mantis]

Hi

Onboard - refers to the built in chip that works the graphics from within the motherboard if no external graphics device is present. ie graphics card.

PEG - refers to the PCIE Enhanced Graphics and is for the dedicated external graphics card when installed.

In your situation where you have set the Onboard VGA to always enabled means that it will work even when a external GPU is present in the slot.

[sam_2011]

Thank you Dark Mantis,

I understand what you have explained. Since setting 'Init Display First' to PEG causes the computer not to boot, I have to set it to 'Onboard'. Thus I am asking if 'Onboard' and 'PEG' are functionally the same other than determining the initial boot display? Or are there other functional differences after the computer has booted?

[TigetLi]

Hello Sam,

Please post the full part number for your GeForce 210 video card? Does it have 512 or 1024 Video memory? Your 210 is multiple display capable, why can you use it?

Specify the video connections you are using for onboard and Ge Force 210. What Nvidia video driver version are you using?

When you do boot into windows, do Nvidia control panel and Windows see your 2 monitors? If so have you been able to set the monitors configuration set-up you desire?

Is there anything wrong with your GeForce 210? Have you used and tested it in another system? Not being able to boot into windows with PEG selected points to something deficient with GE-210 or its driver? Suggest you re-seat the video card and double check its power connectors. Also try the VGA, DVI-I and HDMI connectors to see if that makes a difference. Check the DVI video cable you are using for compatibility with both your video card and its allocated monitor DVI connectors. Your VGA card as a DVI-I socket and your monitor may have a newer DVI-D connector.

Post the PAVP settings you are using in BIOS?

Finally, Goto the members Profile section of this forum and post your system parameters in your signature block to helps us help you. Use DM and I signature block as benchmarks.

Regards,

[sam_2011]

Thank you TigetLi for wanting to help

Video card: MSI N210-MD512D3H/LP GeForce 210 512MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127550&Tpk=N82E16814127550

I can't keep both monitors connected to the GeForce 210 because the computer case prevents me from inserting the thick KVM switch VGA cable into the VGA port unless if I keep a removable piece of the case removed but that is not appropriate (phisycal conflict between the case and the thick VGA cable).

I am using the HDMI port on the GeForce 210 and VGA port on motherboard. Nvidia driver is the latest which is 280.26

PAVP setting in BIOS is set to 'PAVP Light Mode' which is the default value. The two other choices are 'Disabled' and 'Paranoid PAVP', selecting them didn't fix the problem.

"When you do boot into windows, do Nvidia control panel and Windows see your 2 monitors? If so have you been able to set the monitors configuration set-up you desire?"

YES/YES

Thank you,
Sam

[sam_2011]

When I found out this issue about a month ago I did all kinds of troubleshooting I could think of but I don't remember now what I did.

Is there anything wrong with your GeForce 210?

Nothing wrong that I know of

Have you used and tested it in another system?

I will test it in another system with a similar dual monitor setup. I may not get to do that before the weekend.

"Suggest you re-seat the video card and double check its power connectors. Also try the VGA, DVI-I and HDMI connectors to see if that makes a difference.

I believe I did re-seat the video card when I performed my troubleshooting about a month ago. I was using the DVI port on the GeForce 210 before using the HDMI port. I will see if using the VGA port will fix the problem. I will probably do that on the weekend.

Check the DVI video cable you are using for compatibility with both your video card and its allocated monitor DVI connectors.

I'am using an HDMI cable. I don't know if the logic you are suggesting still applies?

Your VGA card as a DVI-I socket and your monitor may have a newer DVI-D connector.

I didn't understand what you mean.

Here I want to make a little correction. I said when setting 'Init Display First' to 'PEG' the PC gets stock at "Windows Starting". Actually, "Windows Starting" disappears and the computer gets stock at a blank screen. Also, the music indicating that the system has completed its booting never plays.

That said, I want to clarify that my original question is theoretical since I do have my dual monitor setup in good working condition. Of course, I will be happy if this issue can be resolved (be able to set 'Init Display First' to 'PEG').

The original question: is setting 'Init Display First' to 'Onboard' and 'PEG' functionally the same other than determining the initial boot display? Or there are other functional differences after the computer has booted?

Thanks,
Sam

[Dark Mantis]

As far as I am aware there is no difference after bootup between the PEG and the other options apart from it just guiding the BIOS to which display should be used.

You should be able to run two monitors directly off the GPU anyway without a KVM switch.

Have you got both the power cables connected to the graphics card ?

Have you checked to see if you are running the latest BIOS for the motherboard ?

There might also be a firmware update for the GPU.

[TigetLi]

Hello Sam,

DM brought up some very good points. Here are some more for you to consider.

Good to hear from you again. To reach the member profile to enter your system's parameters simply look at the top of this page for a "PROFILE" button and click on it. It will open a new page. Look at the top left hand column for "Modify Profile / Forum Profile Information" and click on the later one. This will open a new page call "profile". Look at near the bottom for "Signature" and enter your system parameters there and then click on the "Change Profile" button.

"Onboard" and "PEG" set the first display. With onboard selected your onboard graphics chip and the monitor attached to it should display display the BIOS boot screens as welll as the Windows start up screens. The other monitor should remain blank during this portion. In the later stage of the Windows boot process you Nvidia driver should kick in and the monitor attached to your GeForce 210 video card should become available. With "PEG selected the process should be reverse.

I now think that your GEForce video card is funtional since it does Boot in BIOS wiith PEG selected up to the windows starting display screen. Furthermore with "Onboard" selected it appears to work fine in windows. Here is why I think that we are unable to proceed past "Starting Windows" with PEG video option selected in BIOS. Insofar as your WIndows set up is concerned the primary display is the the one conected to your motherboard VGA outlet. This could be due to two things. First, when you initially installed Windows the onboard video and motherboard VGA connector were used causing the LCD dispaly attached to them to be recorded as primary by Windows. Or you modify windows video settings and NVidia control panel afterwards to make the LCD attached to your motherboard #1 primary. If I am right, when you boot with the video "PEG" option the video signal from your GeForce 210 is used for the BIOS Boot display. It is then transfer to Windows for its start up. Part of Windows start up sequences is to find and initialize its primary video driver and display. It hence starts looking for a signal from your onboard / VGA display which is not available yet since PEG is selected as the first display.

I recommend that you boot into windows and then change the multiple monitor settings in both Windows and Nvidia Control Panel to make whatever LCD display is attached to your GeForce 210 the # 1 / Primary monitor. Once you have done that save settings, return to BIOS, select the video "PEG" option., reboot and see if you can get pass the "Windows Starting" screen.

Once you have setup your video settings with Windows and Nvidia Control Panel, do not change your connections or move LCD displays around.

DVI-I vice DVI-D quickly. Compare the DVI-I female connector on your GeForce 210 to the DVI-D female connector on your motherboar. Your DVI-I video card connector has four extra pin insert slots at one end. If you have a male DVI-I connector, it will have one flat metal prong at one end surronded by the 4 small pins. If this type of male DVI-I connector will fit your video card perfectly. Unfortunately if will not fit the DVI-D female connector on your motherboard or most newer LCD monitors which have DVI-D female connectors. Some folks have forced them in breaking or bending these four vga pins causing havoc with their video display(s).

Hope this works for you, good luck

[Dark Mantis]

Your DVI-I video card connector has four extra pin insert slots at one end. If you have a male DVI-I connector, it will have one flat metal prong at one end surronded by the 4 small pins. If this type of male DVI-I connector will fit your video card perfectly. Unfortunately if will not fit the DVI-D female connector on your motherboard or most newer LCD monitors which have DVI-D female connectors. Some folks have forced them in breaking or bending these four vga pins causing havoc with their video display(s).

Yes it is very easy to confuse the two connectors. If you fit the DVI-D into a DVI-I there is no problem but if it is tried the other way around as TigetLi mentions there can be all sorts of detrimental consequences. So do check the pins on your plugs before trying to insert them.

[sam_2011]

Thanks for both of you for keeping up with me

You should be able to run two monitors directly off the GPU anyway without a KVM switch.

I'm using the KVM switch to connect one of the two monitors to two computers.

Have you got both the power cables connected to the graphics card ?

The GeForce 210 doesn't have a power connector. It draws all needed power from the PCI-Exp slot. Its a video card appropriate for video payback but not gaming.

Have you checked to see if you are running the latest BIOS for the motherboard ?

YES and its the initial BIOS for this motherboard (F1).

There might also be a firmware update for the GPU.

I didn't know that video cards have firmware. Will that be a NVIDIA firmware or MSI?

I recommend that you boot into windows and then change the multiple monitor settings in both Windows and Nvidia Control Panel to make whatever LCD display is attached to your GeForce 210 the # 1 / Primary monitor. Once you have done that save settings, return to BIOS, select the video "PEG" option., reboot and see if you can get pass the "Windows Starting" screen.

First, I want to correct one of my previous answers. The Nvida control panel only sees the monitor connected to the GeForce 210 video card. I think this makes sence. I answered wrong because I had both monitors connected to the GeForce 210 for a long time (different computer case) and thus I was used to seeying both monitors in the Nvidia control panel. I mistakenly thought that continued to be the case after connecting one of the two monitors to the motherboard.

I wasn't able to change monitor numbers in Windows (Windows doesn't give that capability). Thus, I disabled the onboard video in BIOS which caused the monitor connected to the GeForce 210 to become #1 in Windows (no #2 of course). Next, I rebooted, entered BIOS Setup, activated the onboard video and selected PEG as the initial display. I assume that should do the trick since at this point Windows knew the monitor connected to the GeForce 210 as #1. The computer didn't boot just as before.

[sam_2011]

As far as I am aware there is no difference after bootup between the PEG and the other options apart from it just guiding the BIOS to which display should be used.

If you are right, this is good enough for me. Initially, I thought I should make the GeForce 210 as the initial display because its better (has its own memory and has hardware decoding capability). If the only difference is which monitor shows the booting information then both options are practically equal for me.

Remember I said I will, probably on the weekend, try the GeForce 210 in another computer with similar dual monitor setup. I will no longer do that, but why!

The other computer has XP and a GeForce 8400GS to which both monitors are connected (using DVI and VGA ports). I moved the VGA connection to the onboard video port. BIOS Setup enables me to set the initial display to either the integrated video or the PCI-Exp video card. So now I have a similar setup as the other PC.

Selecting PCI-Exp as the intial display simply ignored the other monitor just as if onboard video is disabled. Selecting integrated video as the intial display gave nothing on both monitors but now I hear the music indicating that the PC finished booting. Gave nothing means I don't even see the boot information and thus can't go back to setup to change the BIOS setting as before. I will have to open the case and clear the BIOS changes using that jumper and or removing and re-inserting the battery. This is a used PC that I hardly use so no worries