[RLConner]

Computer Configuration:

MicroFlex 23B - MicroFlex 23B
COOLER MASTER Centurion 534
500W Power Supply
Asus P8P67 LE
No Monitor
Intel Core i5 2400 (new Sandy Bridge)
Intel CPU Fan and Heatsink
8GB DDR3 Memory 1333MHZ
WD 500GB SATA 3.0Gb/s 7200RPM 16MB Cache
WD 500GB SATA 3.0Gb/s 7200RPM 16MB Cache
1.44MB External USB Floppy Disk Drive
Super Multi Blu-ray Disc Burner (Reads & Writes any media)
No Second Drive
No Modem
On Board 10/100/1000 Network Card
Logitech Internet Keyboard and Optical Mouse
High Definition Audio subsystem
Nvidia GeForce EN210 GT 1GB Silent (can run 2 monitors simultaneously)
No Speaker
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

My computer runs two monitors and has a HDMI connector that I have connected to my Panasonic big screen HDTV. I would like to watch streaming video(movies) and MLB.TV. Plus, I would like to have two monitors working while I watch the TV. I run the two monitors together just fine. When I try and watch basball or movies, I have a problem. I loose one of the monitors when watching a games or a movie.

1. Can I get this to work with my configuration.
2. If #1 is possible, how do I do it.
3. If #1 is not possible, how to I upgrade my computer to get it to work.

Thanks In advance

[ElfBane]

The HDTV that you want to watch TV on needs to be plugged in to a TV card installed in your tower. Which means you need an available slot in the tower.

[compnovo]

Hi RLConner,
I just built an i5-2400 system for a friend, SFF with no video card, and I hooked it up to my HDTV to make sure it would stream Netflix adequately using the onchip graphics. It did the job very well, and although I didn't test it the i5-2400 chip is supposed to be able to run dual monitors. Sounds like you should be able to do what you want.

I googled MLB.TV and it looks like it's an internet streaming service, so you shouldn't need a TV tuner card. They're really nice to have, though, if you want to use the PC as a DVR.

[Dellinsp531]

Update the drivers for the graphic card.

After that, see if it works. Try the settings as well.

If it does not, than the card is only a dual-monitor and does not support tri-monitor.

This means that the card can only send two signals at once. (ie one to monitor and one to tv or one to monitor and one to other monitor).

Check the specs for your card and see if it can ouptut three signals.

[LiveBrianD]

Wait, so you want 3 displays? (2 computer monitors and one TV) You can't do that with most graphics cards. However, you can with an ati card that supports eyefinity (those are still limited to 2 monitors, but Displayport monitors are exempt from the limit, so you can run 3 or 4 if you want that way).

[waldojim]

RLConner, on 27 March 2012 - 09:07 PM, said:

Computer Configuration:

MicroFlex 23B - MicroFlex 23B
COOLER MASTER Centurion 534
500W Power Supply
Asus P8P67 LE
No Monitor
Intel Core i5 2400 (new Sandy Bridge)
Intel CPU Fan and Heatsink
8GB DDR3 Memory 1333MHZ
WD 500GB SATA 3.0Gb/s 7200RPM 16MB Cache
WD 500GB SATA 3.0Gb/s 7200RPM 16MB Cache
1.44MB External USB Floppy Disk Drive
Super Multi Blu-ray Disc Burner (Reads & Writes any media)
No Second Drive
No Modem
On Board 10/100/1000 Network Card
Logitech Internet Keyboard and Optical Mouse
High Definition Audio subsystem
Nvidia GeForce EN210 GT 1GB Silent (can run 2 monitors simultaneously)
No Speaker
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

My computer runs two monitors and has a HDMI connector that I have connected to my Panasonic big screen HDTV. I would like to watch streaming video(movies) and MLB.TV. Plus, I would like to have two monitors working while I watch the TV. I run the two monitors together just fine. When I try and watch basball or movies, I have a problem. I loose one of the monitors when watching a games or a movie.

1. Can I get this to work with my configuration.
2. If #1 is possible, how do I do it.
3. If #1 is not possible, how to I upgrade my computer to get it to work.

Thanks In advance

You need a video card that supports 3 displays, nothing more. There are ways to do this with Nvidia cards, but you end up either tricking things to work (using display port adapters) or buying a second card and running two cards. Your easiest method, is to upgrade to any AMD 5000 series or newer card with Eyefinity. Even the most basic 5xxx series cards support 3 displays. For movies, I would suggest the 6750 though. The others don't fully support the video enhancement features, and may impact your frame rates. You will still need one monitor connected via display port, but you can use a very cheap passive adapter this way.

[waldojim]

Dellinsp531, on 28 March 2012 - 08:33 AM, said:

Update the drivers for the graphic card.

After that, see if it works. Try the settings as well.

If it does not, than the card is only a dual-monitor and does not support tri-monitor.

This means that the card can only send two signals at once. (ie one to monitor and one to tv or one to monitor and one to other monitor).

Check the specs for your card and see if it can ouptut three signals.

There are ZERO Nvidia cards that support this configuration (apart from cards that are actually a 2-in-1 setup). Updating drivers is a waste of time.

[RLConner]

LiveBrianD, on 28 March 2012 - 02:33 PM, said:

Wait, so you want 3 displays? (2 computer monitors and one TV) You can't do that with most graphics cards. However, you can with an ati card that supports eyefinity (those are still limited to 2 monitors, but Displayport monitors are exempt from the limit, so you can run 3 or 4 if you want that way).

Yes, I want 3 Displays. It's funny though, my configuration recognizes all of the displays.

[LiveBrianD]

The reason is that video cards typically only have 2 independent clock generators, and a DVI, HDMI, or VGA port needs one of those each to be used. (Displayport does NOT require one though.) That's why you're limited to 2 non-displayport monitors. I saw the same thing myself first hand - I had 3 monitors connected at once, and the PC saw all of them, but would only enable 2 at once.

[RLConner]

waldojim, on 28 March 2012 - 03:21 PM, said:

Dellinsp531, on 28 March 2012 - 08:33 AM, said:

Update the drivers for the graphic card.

After that, see if it works. Try the settings as well.

If it does not, than the card is only a dual-monitor and does not support tri-monitor.

This means that the card can only send two signals at once. (ie one to monitor and one to tv or one to monitor and one to other monitor).

Check the specs for your card and see if it can ouptut three signals.

There are ZERO Nvidia cards that support this configuration (apart from cards that are actually a 2-in-1 setup). Updating drivers is a waste of time.

The Nvidia site doesn't have drivers to download. It has an offer to buy a drivers application that earmarks drivers to upgrade. Then, will upgrade them.

[LiveBrianD]

Don't bother updating the drivers. I can tell you for a FACT, like waldojim said, that you CANNOT easily run more than 2 monitors off an nvidia graphics card. (by the way, you can use the manual driver search feature to avoid using a stupid update utility that you don't need)

[waldojim]

RLConner, on 28 March 2012 - 05:33 PM, said:

The Nvidia site doesn't have drivers to download. It has an offer to buy a drivers application that earmarks drivers to upgrade. Then, will upgrade them.

You don't have to buy drivers from Nvidia. If you really want to try this (pointless, as this is a hardware limitation), go to www.nvidia.com and click drivers at the top.

[Dellinsp531]

waldojim, on 28 March 2012 - 03:21 PM, said:

There are ZERO Nvidia cards that support this configuration (apart from cards that are actually a 2-in-1 setup). Updating drivers is a waste of time.

There are options in Linux that support it but not windows. I did not check the spec on the card so I just said to upgrade the drive since sometimes the updates are worth doing.

[waldojim]

Dellinsp531, on 29 March 2012 - 08:47 AM, said:

waldojim, on 28 March 2012 - 03:21 PM, said:

There are ZERO Nvidia cards that support this configuration (apart from cards that are actually a 2-in-1 setup). Updating drivers is a waste of time.

There are options in Linux that support it but not windows. I did not check the spec on the card so I just said to upgrade the drive since sometimes the updates are worth doing.

No there are not. Software is not going to change the HARDWARE limitations.

[Dellinsp531]

Look into X.Org with Multiple Monitors with Nvidia for Linux. It use a by pass to get around the limitations. It is not an easy set up.

[waldojim]

Dellinsp531, on 30 March 2012 - 05:20 AM, said:

Look into X.Org with Multiple Monitors with Nvidia for Linux. It use a by pass to get around the limitations. It is not an easy set up.

You cannot bypass a complete lack of signal generators. I have been using Linux for over 10 years, and Nvidia cards equally as long. There is a difference between a software and hardware limitation. If the limitations were software based, then a creative hacker would have modified Windows drivers already. For that matter, Nvidia would have released the drivers so they could remain competitive.

This post has been edited by waldojim: 30 March 2012 - 09:27 AM

[MLStrand56]

RLConner, on 27 March 2012 - 09:07 PM, said:

I would like to watch streaming video(movies) and MLB.TV.

Wow, so many specs that have nothing to do with nothing (except bragging).

1st. your CPU cooler & ext. floppy drive have Nothing to do with streaming video, stay on point!

2nd. The most important thing (probably the ONE thing you didn't mention), is how fast your internet connection is. If you live in Korea & have a 1Gig/sec download connection, you're set. If you have a 220Kbs ADSL download connection, you can't even stream small .flv files from YouTube. Obviously you're not on Dial-Up, because you have no Telco modem.

MLStrand56

[waldojim]

MLStrand56, on 30 March 2012 - 01:53 PM, said:

RLConner, on 27 March 2012 - 09:07 PM, said:

I would like to watch streaming video(movies) and MLB.TV.

Wow, so many specs that have nothing to do with nothing (except bragging).

1st. your CPU cooler & ext. floppy drive have Nothing to do with streaming video, stay on point!

2nd. The most important thing (probably the ONE thing you didn't mention), is how fast your internet connection is. If you live in Korea & have a 1Gig/sec download connection, you're set. If you have a 220Kbs ADSL download connection, you can't even stream small .flv files from YouTube. Obviously you're not on Dial-Up, because you have no Telco modem.

MLStrand56

he gave us all the information he had. Too much information is preferable to too little.
2nd. the internet connection means absolutely nothing given the question. He wants to know how to connect 3 displays to one PC. Not weather or not you think his connection is fast enough.

[LiveBrianD]

Also, I think he's talking about watching TV using a tv tuner card, not online streaming services. The only things that matter here are the tv tuner card and graphics card's ability to run 3 displays (which his CAN'T).

[ElfBane]

Ergo my comment in post #2.