iGPU Multi-Monitor vs. Discrete GPU

1Wolf

1Wolf

Limp Gawd
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Jul 10, 2007
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I've got an ASUS P8Z77 board and a discrete GPU. I was wondering if it was possible to run a video-out (DVI) to my GTX 680 discrete GPU for my primary display, and then run a second video out (HDMI or DisplayPort) from the motherboard to a second display to use the iGPU for the second display.

In a nutshell, I'm wondering whether I can dedicate my discrete GPU to full-screen gaming on my primary monitor while I dedicate the iGPU to a secondary monitor for things like Teamspeak, music, apps...etc. I was just wondeirng whether I could avoid any horsepower drain from the primary card by using the secondary card to power by second display.

I see, in the BIOS and in the mobo manual where it describes activating iGPU Multi-Monitor in the BIOS should you wish to use LucidLogix Virtu MVP...but I'm not really referring to the Virtu MVP functionality.

Thanks!
 
The LucidLogix Virtu MVP option in the ASUS board is quite misleading. You need to enable this option JUST to enable the use of the iGPU on your processor and for it to be recognized in windows so you can install the necessary intel drivers.

The only way the LucidLogix Virtu gets enabled is if you ALSO install the lucid logix virtu software.

Once you have enabled the setting in BIOS, installed the Intel HD Graphics drivers for your iGPU and perhaps a necessary reboot or two, your iGPU is now ready to accept a connection and you can use a 2nd monitor or whatever using HDMI.

I keep my 27" Samsung connected to my Discrete GPU via DVI and my 47" Samsung LCD TV is connected to the Motherboard iGPU via HDMI for when I want to drag a VLC window or whatever to it and watch my movies on that or sometimes my other 20" LCD as my "Sidecar" monitor (IMs, Steam window, IRC, etc).

Either way, when I play games or whatever all the acceleration is being done on my discrete GPU at all times, I monitored this with the MSI Afterburner software AND GPU-Z. The only way to mix and match both (use the iGPU for 2D and the Discrete for 3D) is with the LUCID software and thats mostly a hit or miss with some games and probably more of a power saving feature.
 
Do you need to do any of that? I run two monitors on my rig now, just use two ports of the 6950. I'm not using them like eyefinity or anything, just one for gaming and the other for apps like you said, vent, dps meters, browsers, movies, etc.
 
He's only curious if you could, sometimes it's easier to dedicate a slim HDMI cable to a secondary monitor than it is to snag another bulky DVI or VGA(bleh) to a secondary screen. The Load of using Multiple Monitors is a slight one but perhaps some GPU load can be saved using the iGPU for it instead of the Main Discrete one.
 
Thanks Stromknight.

Yup...you hit the nail on the head...thats exactly what I want to do. I want to use a second monitor as a "sidecar". I understand that I could hook that sidecar monitor up to another port on my video card and run it that way. However...I was thinking "Gee...I've got this iGPU thing....maybe this would be a good use for it?!?".

So I was hoping that maybe I could dedicate my discrete card to gaming...and use that iGPU for the sidecar without it leaching any horsepower from the discrete card.

Would that work? Would it indeed reduce the 'load' on my discrete GPU by running the sidecar monitor on the iGPU?

Or is there reasons that I'm better off just running the sidecar on the discrete card?

The only way the LucidLogix Virtu gets enabled is if you ALSO install the lucid logix virtu software.

Once you have enabled the setting in BIOS, installed the Intel HD Graphics drivers for your iGPU and perhaps a necessary reboot or two, your iGPU is now ready to accept a connection and you can use a 2nd monitor or whatever using HDMI.
Click to expand...

I'm just a smidge confused by the above...

Does this mean that I do not need to install the actual LucidLogix Virtu software to run the iGPU to a second monitor....and all I need to do is enable the BIOS setting and install intel drivers? Or does this mean that I need to install actual LucidLogix Virtu to use the iGPU at all?

Speaking of....what do you think of the LucidLogix Virtu MVP? Is it worth the extra bloat and the footprint to install? Or is it better off just leaving it uninstalled and the extra bloat-ware isn't worth it?
 
It won't decrease the load by much, and it may free up some vRAM on your 680, but the difference would be miniscule.

The LucidLogix stuff was plain unnecessary and irrelevant. Ignore it. It's more of a power saving type feature that allows you to run off the iGPU while in desktop mode, and the discrete GPU while gaming. Which is not what your goal is.

Basically, all you would have to do is enable the iGPU in the bios, and then enable the second monitor in Windows if it's not already enabled. If it is, make sure the monitor on your 680 is set as the primary monitor.

Edit: Some additional info. Using the iGPU will use up some of your system RAM, and may affect your overclock.
 
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Good info to know. Thanks Tsumi! I haven't overclocked yet, but I hadn't thought about it affecting my overclock until you mentioned it. Thankyou.

Would you happen to know if....

If I were to do as described above, and run an HDMI from my motherboard HDMI-Out to a "sidecar" monitor....if instead....I were to run that HDMI-Out to my Receiver, and then an HDMI from that receiver to my sidecar monitor....would that carry the onboard digital audio signal to the receiver? I see a BIOS setting in the HD Audio section that says "SPDIF Out Type" that I can set to HDMI or SPDIF. I'm wondering if that will send my onboard audio signal to the HDMI on the board along with the iGPU signal.

The reason I ask is....

My primary monitor is an ASUS VG278H 27" 3D capable 120Hz. I've heard some folks say that they have a better experience running dual-link DVI to their monitor than HDMI. However, I also wish to run onboard audio through my AVR.

If I run HDMI out from my video card to the AVR, and then from the AVR to the Monitor...that would be an HDMI hookup to the monitor. I'm told that I'm better off using DVI to the monitor (although I don't know if thats true or not and haven't tested).

If I run DVI out direct to my monitor, and then HDMI off the 680 to my AVR to carry the audio....I think that it will interpret the AVR as a 2nd display. So....in other words...if I run a sidecar with this too...then windows would think I have 3 displays. If the AVR is indeed picked up as another display...I have no idea how that works from a performance perspective. I don't know how much video card horsepower that would drain...if any.

However...if the HDMI out on the iGPU can also carry my audio signal. Then if I run the 680 DVI out to my 3D monitor...thats 1 display. Then imy motherboard HDMI out to my AVR and from the AVR to the sidecar monitor...then that would be the second display as well as getting my audio over to my AVR.
 
Typically, from what I've seen on the forums, HDMI on monitors is usually restricted to the 1.3 standard. That means that it's at most 1920x1200 60 Hz capable. In order to get the 120 Hz, you would need dual-link DVI. That's just my guess though.

You can output audio through the HDMI output on your iGPU. I'm going to guess that you should set the SPDIF output to HDMI, and then make sure to select your AVR in the Windows settings. Also, as for using your 680 to send HDMI audio, it should be able to do that as well.
 
Sorry for the late reply, HDMI DOES Carry the sound through, I've noticed it comes up under it's own Audio Device in the Sound Control Panel in Windows.

The only way the LucidLogix Virtu gets enabled is if you ALSO install the lucid logix virtu software.

Once you have enabled the setting in BIOS, installed the Intel HD Graphics drivers for your iGPU and perhaps a necessary reboot or two, your iGPU is now ready to accept a connection and you can use a 2nd monitor or whatever using HDMI.
Click to expand...

What I meant was just that, you do not need to install the Lucid Software to enable the iGPU, just enable the BIOS setting, do the Hoo Doo Intel Driver install reboot dance and that's it.
 
(Would have posted this in a P8H77M-PRO thread if possible)


I have a few issues with Virtu as well - I can't get it to work.

ATM my system looks like this:

Asus P8H77-M PRO, Gigabyte 7850 OC 2G, G620 CPU, Win7 64bit SP1, and the latest Virtu drivers (and every other driver, and motherboard BIOS) from Asus' website. As I've only just built this system, it has the most up to date drivers I could get. The 7850 also has the latest Catalyst drivers.

They're know good components, the 7850 and the CPU are from a different system, the P8H77 is brand new but has given no problems.

I' m trying to run in i-GPU mode, and while that works fine at the desktop and for most things, I can't run anything that would use the 7850 card or any DX11 feratures. I've tried the AMD Ladybug demo, Budddhbrot, Rigid Gems and DX11 ComputerMark. The errors vary in wording, but, for example, Buddhabrot can't open a D3D context, while Ladybug says there's a problem with either drivers or Windows updates, and opens a crash log relating to the Intel HD on board. It seems that software can't find the d-GPU card, only the IntelHD onboard. I tried installing the June '10 DX runtimes, that didn't help.

I see that Lucid have their own (generic?) drivers at their website. They go on quite a bit about licencing, and I don't believe I should have to abandon Asus' drivers. I'm drawn to the Power, or lack of it; if i can have the 7850 sitting on its Zero Core power, until it's needed, then that's great, and is what I want to do, it's a big drawcard.

Any suggestions?
 
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