Can I combine onboard graphics and a GeForce 7200 GS to get a dual monitor setup without a new gfx card?

Hi

My computer has an onboard video chipset, and an nVidia GeForce 7200 GS, which has one monitor output. The output on the motherboard (I presume onboard gfx) is taped over by the manufacturer, with an instruction instructing users to use the gfx card. What will happen if I remove this tape and connect a second monitor through the onboard gfx?



Matt|||The reason why your motherboard VGA jack is taped over is because in the presence of a separately-installed video card like the 7200GS, the onboard is automatically DISABLED.



If you attempt to connect a monitor to your motherboard VGA jack while your 7200GS is still plugged into your computer, you will get NO image from the motherboard jack.



You want to run multiple monitors on your computer, you need a video card that supports multiple monitors-- i.e., you need to replace that 7200GS with something better.



What upgrade options you have depends on what video card slot type is your 7200GS. If it's AGP, the best you can do is an ATI HD4670 AGP, which does support dual monitors. If it's PCIExpress 16x, you can go all the way up to an ATI HD5000-series card with a DisplayPort jack that can support THREE monitors.|||No, although for a dual monitor set up you shouldn't need to. As i remember it the GeForce 7200 GS actually includes 2 outputs on the card a DVI and VGA. Just use both these outputs to drive your two monitors and you shouldn't have any trouble.



If both your monitors are vga, you may wish to pickup a dvi to vga adapter which you can get for a few quid.



In most cases, using the onboard graphics chip set and that of a separate gfx card is not possible, so your best option is to simply run both off your graphics card :)



Hope that Helps.|||Most likely you would be able to do what you're asking, but it is very likely that you will basically have the same stuff on two monitors. The other possibility is that the on board one is disabled, and you won't get anything.



There is no harm in trying, it's not like it will break your monitor. I would suggest testing it by unhooking your monitor from the GFX card and plugging it into the on board port, and see what it does.|||It will only run one or the other. And if you use the onboard, it will probably look worse.