Member Avatar for Zorrro

Hi,

I wanted to setup dual monitor, before trying to purchase I looked up at few articles and forums and most of them had language suggesting it is easy and straight forward. I visited 4 stores and they wasn't sure what they are talking about, 2 of them directly denied that there is any such thing as dual monitor and rest of the 2 wasn't sure about what will work and what not.

I have a HD monitor, Intel i5-4460, 8GB and H81M-S motherboard with single vga output. I don't have graphics card, but from few searches I assumed it will be enough to setup dual monitors without graphics card.

I wanted to get an Full HD monitor and use it along with current HD monitor. So my question is will I be able to setup HD and full HD monitor? From what I gathered today, I will need a graphics card but I don't want to spend too much so can you please suggest a few average graphics card which I can use to setup dual screens. I will mostly use it for Web Development and maybe Android app development in future.

Any suggestions will be great. Thanks.

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A short expert note to close a few gaps raised by , and : the OS side of multi-monitor is straightforward, but the hardware steps and small gotchas deserve a checklist so the setup works first time.

First, verify whether the CPU/motherboard actually provide an integrated GPU and how the BIOS handles it — many boards will turn the iGPU off when a discrete card is installed, but that behavior can usually be changed with an “iGPU/IGD Multi‑Monitor” or similar BIOS option. Check the CPU spec and enable the BIOS option if the plan is to use both onboard and add‑on outputs. (intel.com)

Pick a discrete card that advertises “multi‑monitor” and has at least two native outputs (DP/HDMI/DVI). Mixing one HDMI (digital) and one VGA (analog) normally works for 1080p desks, but VGA is analog so image quality, cable length limits, and hot‑plug behavior differ. For higher resolutions, confirm whether your DVI is single‑link or dual‑link (single‑link is fine for 1920x1080; dual‑link is needed for some higher modes). When using DisplayPort adapters, prefer active adapters when the GPU or its DP port does not support DP++ (passive adapters rely on DP++). (anker.com)

Practical checklist before spending: (1) confirm desired outputs on the card match the monitors, (2) confirm PSU has any required PCIe power connector or pick a low‑power card that needs none, (3) install the vendor driver and use Windows Display -> Detect / Multiple displays to Extend, and (4) if drivers misbehave, do a clean uninstall with a tool like DDU before re‑installing. Low‑power entry cards exist that support two independent displays without extra power — check the manufacturer spec for “supplementary power connectors: none.” (nvidia.com)

This covers the common failure modes (BIOS iGPU settings, wrong adapter type, missing PSU connector, driver conflicts) and should make a budget dual‑monitor setup reliable.

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Member Avatar for rproffitt

This one is simply no. https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GA-H81M-S-rev-10#sp shows one and only one video port.
confirms one video port. Looks to be VGA.

To get to 2 monitors you'll have to add a video card and the onboard might disable so be sure your card notes dual monitor support.

Member Avatar for Zorrro

Thanks.

This one is simply no.

and the onboard might disable

Somewhat confusing reply.

Can you please confirm if I can use HD and full HD monitors without any issue? In one thread I read that using different types of output ports(example: vga for 1 monitor and DVI for another) can cause issues, is that true?

be sure your card notes dual monitor support.

I thought all modern graphic cards support at least 2 monitors.

Member Avatar for rproffitt

No you may not use more than ONE monitor at a time.

You may not also use a DVI-D (there are no less than 5 types of DVI, you must specify) since the board you wrote about has no such connection.

Now that you are possibly going to add a video card, there are a few cheaps ones that are single monitor use only. Until you know what you are getting plus full model numbers on the monitors the answer will be no or unclear.

Member Avatar for Zorrro

Ya I mean after purchasing graphics card will I be able to use 1 HD and 1 Full HD monitor?

You may not also use a DVI-D (there are no less than 5 types of DVI, you must specify) since the board you wrote about has no such connection.

No I mean, I looked at few graphics cards most of them have single VGA output, one or two DVI and/or HDMI outputs. For example 'Gigabyte NVIDIA GeForce (GV-N740D5OC-2GI)' has 1 VGA, 2 DVI and 2 HDMI outputs. So if I use HDMI for 1 monitor and VGA for other, will that be issue? Also, does using outputs of motherboard and graphics card simultaneaosly works?

I would have asked these questions to dealers directly but after today's experience I am not sure I will get right answers from them.

Thanks.

Member Avatar for rproffitt

Again, no. Not that simple. Since only you know what the monitors are (no model numbers in your posts) as well as what video card you are considering, only you can answer "will it work?"

If you want a clear answer you'll need to supply details such as monitors you have and what card you will likely buy.

Member Avatar for rubberman

It mostly depends upon the video card you are going to use. I have dual monitor support on my server (a Linux CentOS system with nVidea 1800GT card w/ 2 ports). My laptop has an HDMI and VGA ports, and runs an nVidia GTX card. Unfortunately, it will display the same output on both monitors... :-( I will report back if I can overcome this problem.

Member Avatar for Zorrro

ohk I got it. Thanks. I will shortlist few options first.

Member Avatar for Zorrro

I bought 'gigabyte geforce gt 740' and LG Monitor, both support HDMI. I needed extra PCIE power cable as my PSU didn't have one, luckily my PSU is 400W as required for this graphics card. After installing graphics card and drivers for it, everything was straight forward. I just connected both HD and Full HD monitors and they work perfectly fine, I didn't even have to configure anything after connecting. In some cases you may have to detect display from 'Screen Resolution' screen and extend displays under 'Multiple displays' dropdown.

Edited by Zorrro
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