Nvidia SLI Stupidity for Extended Desktop

[UaVaj]

with 680 sli. in short of physically moving the monitor around. how do one go about forcing the center monitor to be the primary monitor.

if there is one thing stupid about nvidia - extended desktop support is one of them.

 

[zaydq]

Can't you change it up in windows? Usually the monitors are labeled 1, 2, and 3. What happens if you change up how the monitors are plugged in in the back?

 

[bystander36]

If you right click the desktop and select "screen resolution", you can assign the primary display with the pictures of the monitors at the top. I don't currently have multiple monitors hooked up to test the exact clicks needed, but you should be able to figure it out.

 

[SolMiester]

with 680 sli. in short of physically moving the monitor around. how do one go about forcing the center monitor to be the primary monitor.

if there is one thing stupid about nvidia - extended desktop support is one of them.

LOL.....error = ID10T

 

[UaVaj]

nvm. will not let the troll get to me. especially when such troll does not even have sli.

 

[p_monks33]

I can't figure it out either. It opens everything in the left window, at least stuff works though, instead of a bunch of crap profiles that CCC can't remember after reboots.

 

[Rifter]

I don't know about you but right clicking it(whichever one you want to make primary) and selecting make primary works for me. In the Nvidia control panel under "set up multiple displays" tab.

 

[Larnz]

Extended desktop is just that extended, it inst changed in anyway so you will always have your taskbar at either the left or the right of the desktop, when you have 3 monitors this means its either going to be on the left or right monitor.

You need to use nvidia surround instead and tick confine taskbar to center screen if you want it to be like that.

Also this has nothing to do with Nvidia this is how windows extended desktop works, same issue if your on ATI.

 

[blackened23]

Extended desktop is just that extended, it inst changed in anyway so you will always have your taskbar at either the left or the right of the desktop, when you have 3 monitors this means its either going to be on the left or right monitor.

You need to use nvidia surround instead and tick confine taskbar to center screen if you want it to be like that.

Also this has nothing to do with Nvidia this is how windows extended desktop works, same issue if your on ATI.

I don't think you understand his question. The primary monitor, when using multi monitor, is the only one that is used for D3D and OGL output. Therefore, your advice is rather worthless. It doesn't matter where the taskbar is. If you're using dual monitor or triple monitor not in surround mode, the primary is the only one you can ever game on unless the game has a specific setting to choose a monitor. As you know, MOST do not. In fact, the only one I can think of is Tomb Raider. Everything else, your gaming monitor in multi monitor non surround mode *must* be primary. Honestly some of these responses in this thread are ridiculous. "I don't know because I don't use multi monitor, BUT I THINK..." or "ERROR IDIOT" Jesus christ guys.

The answer is supposed to lie in the "set up multiple displays" tab of nvidia control panel. I use dual/triple monitors frequently and the way it is supposed to work, is that you're supposed to drag the green icons around to change the "focus" display which is considered primary by nvidia. However, the software is bugged and has been for a while. You can't manipulate the icons as you should. You can move the monitors around (within the tab) but the icons appended to them can't be moved for some reason - and moving just the monitors around in that tab doesn't change primary/secondary/tertiary. Therefore, the best advice I have is to change the outputs on your card, it is the only way *I* could make my intended monitor the primary one. I generally use 2 DVI-D outputs and manipulate them until the primary one is correct. I want to say that the top port on whatever card you're using is always considered the primary monitor, I'll have to double check. Oddly enough, the displayport output seems to always be secondary. Not sure why. It's annoying but you can make it work that way...just fiddle with the various DVI-D ports...

 

[bystander36]

You do not have to use Nvidia for this selection. If Nvidia's control panel is not doing it, use Windows. Windows lets you control all those settings for multiple displays.

Just right click the desktop, select "screen resolution" and select the monitor you want as the primary one. That is all.

 

[Final8ty]

Extended desktop is just that extended, it inst changed in anyway so you will always have your taskbar at either the left or the right of the desktop, when you have 3 monitors this means its either going to be on the left or right monitor.

You need to use nvidia surround instead and tick confine taskbar to center screen if you want it to be like that.

Also this has nothing to do with Nvidia this is how windows extended desktop works, same issue if your on ATI.

No i can have my task bar in Extended on any of the 3 screens i want, the left,middle or right.

 

[UaVaj]

in my haste. left out some key of info.

os is win7 x64 ultimate sp1

in nvidia control panel - under 3d settings - under configure sli, surround, physx
(1) activate all displays (aka extended desktop) works great like it should. however with this option, sli is automatically disabled. so not a valid option.
(2) span display with surround (aka surround desktop) needs work. nvidia offers a "hybrid" of both extended desktop and surround desktop.

with this nvidia hybrid mode. task bar can be in any of the 3 monitor. if a surround game (bf3) was loaded. it would automatically surround across all 3 monitor. if a non-surround game (sc2) was loaded. it would automatically display on the center monitor and the two side monitor would enter sleep mode. during desktop usage. maximizing programs would maximize only in the specific monitor the program was in - just like in activate all displays. only quirk was the right click function on the bottom task bar would only be displayed on the top left corner of the left monitor instead of normal spot above the taskbar tab. it was a very nice when working.

everything is still working the same. just that the primary monitor is now the left monitor instead of the center monitor. whatever causes it to move is unknown.

hence the comment about physically swapping the left and center monitor. once physically moved, the desktop then can be reassign by windows by dragging 1,2,3.

problem is there no way (or I have not found the way) to revert the primary monitor back to the center monitor via windows7 or via nvidia control panel.

 

[UaVaj]

zaydq - simply repluging the dvi port will not work. window recognizes each monitor specific id and will automatically adjust.

p_monks33 - you n i have the exact same issue.

final8ty - before 680sli, it was 7970cf. amd got extended desktop and eye infinity straight. they be ahead if they can just get stutter fixed without neutering.

 

[BrightCandle]

Err all you do is set the primary monitor in the windows screen resolution as others have stated. Then when you use the nvidia control panel and turn on ski it shows it going to the primary monitor. You need to make sure that the monitors are plugged into the cards in the way nvidia recommends but that is all there is to it.

 

[Will Robinson]

nvm. will not let the troll get to me. especially when such troll does not even have sli.

No, but he does have a graphics powerhouse 9600GT....that's so awesome he doesn't need SLI .
Solitaire and Minesweeper beg for mercy with that kind of raw power...:whiste:

 

[UaVaj]

as some of you pointed out. in nvidia control panel. in display. in setup multiple display. was able to select the primary monitor (aka focus display) around onto the center monitor. even so. when the game load. no joy.

tried every concieveable combination in both win7 and nvidia cp - no joy.

gonna reinstall nvidia driver - hopefully that work.

if all else fails. willl have to resort to physically swapping monitor or reinstalling win7 (could use a refresh otherwise swapping be easier).

pathetic that it refuse to move. it worked fine before. just not sure why it suddenly went broke.

 

[Jaydip]

We use Nview at workplace for our quadro cards.You can try this(remember nview is part of quadro so you are forewarned)
http://httputility.com/article/how-to-run-nview-on-windows-7
http://nvidia-nview-desktop-manager.updatestar.com/en