FSX on two monitors - one video card

[Joe Flanagan]

I'm trying to run FSX on two monitors with the two outputs on my one video
card. My specs are:

Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700
ASUS EN8800GTX PCI Express Video Card
ASUS P5N-E nForce 650i motherboard
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB SDRAM
etc..

The first monitor is a DLP projector at 1024x768 and the second monitor is a
19" ViewSonic CRT also at 1024x768. I'm using the 101.41 drivers, but it
did this with the 100.65 drivers too.

The problem is, the game loads fine, but when I try to get in the plane to
fly the primary screen just keeps blinking and the secondary monitor goes
blank. FS2004 works fine. If I run just one display, FSX works. Is it a
driver issue? Is there anything I can do to make it work on both displays
like FS2004 does?

Thanks

 

[Brad Brugger]

I am having the same exact problem and I am running Vista 64.

AMD Dual Core 4400
ATI 256 mg GTO 800 PCI Express - latest 64 bit drivers
2 Gigs SDRAM
Gigabyte K8NS-Pro SLI

I am running to LCD's and have tried various resolutions with no luck.

EggHeadCafe.com - .NET Developer Portal of Choice
http://www.eggheadcafe.com

 

[Frenchy]

hey Joe, I just signed up on this forum (3-22-08) I also am an avid
simmer ( expert level) and had just decided, after several issues
within
FSX and one of my favorite aircraft, Wilco CitationX biz jet, to just
reinstall whole FSX, SP1, then CitX all over again. I also do the
2-monitor
setup. both 19". anyway, upon reinstall, had exact same issue (
still do)
Monitor Flickers once inside cockpit. both my screens work fine
outside the sim, but not inside. again, i'm brand new here. haven't
even posted yet. just saw YOUR post, and since your issue is exactly
like mine, thought i would see how you faired? ever figure it out?
drop me a line
and compare notes, will 'ya? thanks, GLenn

169.25 is the latest Nvidia certified drivers.

You CAN'T run two screens in SLi mode, in case you ever try (although U
only seem to have a single Video card).

What you probably need is a 'Triple Head to Go' from Matrox for better
running multiple screens

And grab a Free copy of Display Fusion from

http://www.binaryfortress.com/displayfusion#download

For nice management of wallpaper and a lot of other things on multiple
screens

Frenchy

 

[Andy [YaYa]]

169.25 is the latest Nvidia certified drivers.

You CAN'T run two screens in SLi mode, in case you ever try (although U
only seem to have a single Video card).

What you probably need is a 'Triple Head to Go' from Matrox for better
running multiple screens

And grab a Free copy of Display Fusion from

http://www.binaryfortress.com/displayfusion#download

For nice management of wallpaper and a lot of other things on multiple
screens

Frenchy

Yep, most video cards save for a select few custom cards like the Matrox Triple are not designed to run DirectX on both monitors at once. Basically if you're running a game, the video card dumps all it's graphic powers to one monitor. If you try to display DirectX output to both monitors your game will freak out.

Best solution would be to buy a second video card, and hook 1 monitor to each card. If you have a motherboard with 2 PCI-ExpressX16 slots that should be easy enough, just don't use SLI on the 2 cards so Windows treats them separately.

If you only have 1 PCI-Express X16 slot your other video card will have to be PCI, which limits your choices and means your second monitor probably won't run at a really high resolution. Maybe there's a PCI-Express X1 video card out there somewhere?

Best-a-luck...
-A.

 

[Frenchy]

snip

Yep, most video cards save for a select few custom cards like the
Matrox Triple are not designed to run DirectX

on both monitors at once. Basically if you're running a game, the video
card dumps all it's graphic powers to one monitor.

If you try to display DirectX output to both monitors your game will
freak out.

Best solution would be to buy a second video card, and hook 1 monitor
to each card. If you have a motherboard with 2 PCI-ExpressX16 slots
that should be easy enough, just don't use SLI on the 2 cards so
Windows treats them separately.

If you only have 1 PCI-Express X16 slot your other video card will
have to be PCI, which limits your choices and means your second
monitor probably won't run at a really high resolution. Maybe there's
a PCI-Express X1 video card out there somewhere?

Best-a-luck... -A.

Just to clarify.

The Matrox Triple Head is a stand alone box that sits outside the
machine. It plugs into a single DVI slot in your video card and from
there to the Triple head box and the output is to two or three screens.

I am running an NVIDIA GeForce 8800GTX video card using both DVI ports
(not using Matrox box) and both 20" screens at 1400 x 1050 and
everything is fine. Just running games to the #1 Monitor, not spanned
across them. Can have Gadgets showing Mail etc on the second screen
while playing high end games on the #1 screen.

Frenchy

 

[Andy [YaYa]]

on both monitors at once. Basically if you're running a game, the video
card dumps all it's graphic powers to one monitor.

If you try to display DirectX output to both monitors your game will
freak out.

Just to clarify.

The Matrox Triple Head is a stand alone box that sits outside the
machine. It plugs into a single DVI slot in your video card and from
there to the Triple head box and the output is to two or three screens.

I am running an NVIDIA GeForce 8800GTX video card using both DVI ports
(not using Matrox box) and both 20" screens at 1400 x 1050 and
everything is fine. Just running games to the #1 Monitor, not spanned
across them. Can have Gadgets showing Mail etc on the second screen
while playing high end games on the #1 screen.

Frenchy

Slick, my GT doesn't run dual view very well with DirectX, runs much faster on a single screen. The only game I run on dual view is Supreme Commander, but that game is such a CPU hog I drop the second screen down to 800x600 and use it just for an overview view. Slows down too much when you zoom in.

-A.