Bios screen not showing on 2nd or 3rd video card?

moutwtrng

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Nov 5, 2010
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Just set up my first I7 build, anyway I am currently running 3 Sapphire 6950 Flex vid cards on a Asus P8P67 WS revolution board. Also this is my first time trying eyefinity w/ 3 identical monitors.

The issue I am having is that the Bios screen will not appear while booting if the monitors are plugged in on anything other than the 1st card, it will just be a black screen until it starts booting into windows. Is there a fix for this? Is there something that I am doing wrong or do I not have a choice on this matter?

I would really prefer to connect the monitors on the 3rd vid card because the board defaults this card at x16 and the other 2 at x8 and also the 3rd card runs the coolest as its not being blocked by anything.
 
Pretty sure the vid card in the lowest numbered slot is going to be the one that automatically initializes first unless there is a fancy new setting in the BIOS to select which PCI-e slot is used for the primary video card.

Once you get the BIOS all set how you want it, you should be able to just move everything over to the card in the slot running x16 since Win7 lets you set whatever monitor and thus card to be the primary screen. You won't be able to see the POST screen once you do this, but does that really matter?

edit: a workaround would be to use a second input to the monitor from the primary vid card. If the auto detection works properly on the monitor, it should switch to that input when you turn the computer on. You may have to manually switch the input on the monitor to get the input from the video card running at x16 once you are in windows though. If it is a well setup monitor, it will just be a single button press.
 
Awsome idea on the second input! I'll try both suggestions later when I get back home from work.

I did try looking through the bios to see if there is a PCIE setting to make th 3rd card as the primary but theres no option for it.

Stupid question: How do I set the 3rd card to be the primary one in windows7?
 
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it will always use the primary display port on the number 1 card(look at your motherboard it will have each pci-e slot labeled with a number) no matter how many displays you have connected. so depending on what display you want your bios to show up on you need to move that display to the number 1 display port on that card.

for example on my setup, my bios screen is my left monitor but my windows start screen is my right monitor since that is set as the primary display in windows.
 
I'm sorry I think that I wasnt making myself clear, I have all 3 monitors plugged in on the 3rd bottom vid card.
 
Pretty sure the vid card in the lowest numbered slot is going to be the one that automatically initializes first unless there is a fancy new setting in the BIOS to select which PCI-e slot is used for the primary video card.

Once you get the BIOS all set how you want it, you should be able to just move everything over to the card in the slot running x16 since Win7 lets you set whatever monitor and thus card to be the primary screen. You won't be able to see the POST screen once you do this, but does that really matter?

edit: a workaround would be to use a second input to the monitor from the primary vid card. If the auto detection works properly on the monitor, it should switch to that input when you turn the computer on. You may have to manually switch the input on the monitor to get the input from the video card running at x16 once you are in windows though. If it is a well setup monitor, it will just be a single button press.


Ive tried both suggestions. The windows setting still wont let the bios screen appear on the 3rd vid card. I also tried the using the second input on one of the monitors but it messes up the monitor config when i boot into windows even when I switch back to the original input. This is definitely making me crazy!:eek:
 
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