[SOLVED]3rd screen is black using nVidia Surround[SOLVED]

boateye · Dec 29, 2011

Just as the title says. this is my first time using nvidia surround. The problem i'm having seems to be common, but Google provides no solution.

I know that my set up for the cards is correct. I followed this diagram straight from Nvidia:

I tried using 3 DVI connections and 2DVI+1HDMI connections

When i use the "activate all displays option", all 3 of my monitors work fine.However, when i try to use nvidia surround it will disable one of my screens.

The monitor that is blacking out is the one that is by itself. Doesn't matter which card i use. It's always the one that is by itself on one of the cards.

When i am in surround mode with only two screens active and i click the "set up multiple displays" link on the left navigation pane, i notice that only two of my displays are checked as active. If i try to check the inactive one, then one monitor gets unchecked and i get a call out box saying that a GPU in SLI mode can only support 2 monitors

I have a 2-way sli bridge between my cards using the leftmost bridge slot.

EDIT: If it makes any difference, one card is a 3GB while the other is a 1.5GB. the 3GB is in the first PCIE x16 slot while the last the 1.5GB is in my last x16 slot, as per the instructions that came with the 580.

the slots on my mobo are labeled x16/x8; x/16/x8; x8. I'm going to try putting the cards in the first two slots unless told to do otherwise

NEW DEVELOPMENT: the 285.62 WHQL and the 290.53 beta drivers crash constantly. i had the 285.62 driver crash 3 times in one minute! This has only recently started happening. I did clean instals of both drivers. I even booted into safe mode, uninstalled and deleted the drivers using device manager, and re installed the 285.62 driver and it's still crashing. the worst part is that it crashes constantly when i have more than one monitor connected.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

SOLUTION: Make sure your cards work, first (LOL). Then use only DVI connections. using a VGA-DVI adapter will not work, but using a DVI-HDMI cable is ok.

d-block · Dec 29, 2011

I have to unplug my third monitor when it does that. Does it work at all, or is this intermittent?

boateye · Dec 29, 2011

by unplug your monitor do you mean you have to unplug and replug it in? Nvidia surround NEVER worked for me. This is my first time ever trying to use it.

boateye · Dec 29, 2011

NEW DEVELOPMENT:

the 285.62 WHQL and the 290.53 beta drivers crash constantly. i had the 285.62 driver crash 3 times in one minute! This has only recently started happening. I did clean instals of both drivers. I even booted into safe mode, uninstalled and deleted the drivers using device manager, and re installed the 285.62 driver and it's still crashing. the worst part is that it crashes constantly when i have more than one monitor connected.

boateye · Dec 29, 2011

Updated OP with new info

Paradigm Shifter · Dec 29, 2011

OK...

You're running GTX580s, so I can't suggest you go back and try 258.96, as that driver didn't support them IIRC. Would you try 270.71 or 285.79, as they're both drivers that I've run Surround on successfully. But first step is find a driver that doesn't crash constantly. As Surround is a pure-software solution to multi-screen gaming, if the driver isn't 100% happy, it's instantly broken.

I've not tried mixing a 3GB card with a 1.5GB card for Surround, so there is the potential that that is the issue. Further, you do realise that VRAM in SLI/CrossFireX scenarios is treated like RAID1 in HDDs, don't you? Data is mirrored across each cards VRAM, so you only actually have 1.5GB of 'usable' VRAM. That extra VRAM in the 3GB card is sitting there doing nothing.

Try plugging the third monitor into the other DVI port on the second GPU. Since you're using three identical monitors it won't be a sync polarity issue that is causing it. I doubt it's a power issue, even though Surround is a lot more power hungry than ordinary SLI - the GPUs get a lot more of a workout. Also, try the cards the other way around, 1.5GB card first, 3GB card second.

If you're suddenly getting serious driver stability issues, I'd suggest something has screwed up there that urgently needs to be fixed. I'm a bit allergic to the blunt-hammer approach of 'reinstall Windows' every time something like that happens, but it might do the trick if more gentle approaches don't work (safe mode uninstall, reboot, etc...)

Once you've got a driver that is stable, and it doesn't 'just work' from that point onwards... then starts the painful process of adding one thing at a time until something stops working right...

Some configs to try:

GPU1 alone, first slot, one monitor.
GPU2 alone, first slot, one monitor.
GPU1, first slot + GPU2, second slot SLI, one monitor.
GPU1, first slot + GPU2, third slot SLI, one monitor.
GPU2, first slot + GPU1, second slot SLI, one monitor.
GPU2, first slot + GPU1, third slot SLI, one monitor.
GPU1, first slot + GPU2, second slot SLI, two monitors on first card.
GPU1, first slot + GPU2, third slot SLI, two monitors on first card.
GPU2, first slot + GPU1, second slot SLI, two monitors on first card.
GPU2, first slot + GPU1, third slot SLI, two monitors on first card.
GPU1, first slot + GPU2, second slot SLI, two monitors, one on each card.
GPU1, first slot + GPU2, third slot SLI, two monitors, one on each card.
GPU2, first slot + GPU1, second slot SLI, two monitors, one on each card.
GPU2, first slot + GPU1, third slot SLI, two monitors, one on each card.
GPU1, first slot + GPU2, second slot SLI, three monitors.
GPU1, first slot + GPU2, third slot SLI, three monitors.
GPU2, first slot + GPU1, second slot SLI, three monitors.
GPU2, first slot + GPU1, third slot SLI, three monitors.

boateye · Dec 29, 2011

Yes, i was aware before buying the 3GB card that only 1.5 is usable. i'm going to sell the 1.5GB card for another 3GB at a later date.

I'll try those configs when i get off work today. thanks for the advice and checklist! +rep\

Quick note: one of my DVI connections on the GPUS is using a DVI-VGA adapter. the DVI part is plugged into the 580 (obviously) and the monitor is recieving a VGA signal. Could that be the problem? Otherwise, i have an HDMI cable i can use with the HDMI-mini HDMI adapter

Paradigm Shifter · Dec 29, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by boateye

Yes, i was aware before buying the 3GB card that only 1.5 is usable. i'm going to sell the 1.5GB card for another 3GB at a later date.
I'll try those configs when i get off work today. thanks for the advice and checklist! +rep\
Quick note: one of my DVI connections on the GPUS is using a DVI-VGA adapter. the DVI part is plugged into the 580 (obviously) and the monitor is recieving a VGA signal. Could that be the problem? Otherwise, i have an HDMI cable i can use with the HDMI-mini HDMI adapter

I've not tried using a DVI->VGA adaptor, so I can't comment there. It's got to be worth trying the HDMI option and removing that from the equation, though!

windfire · Dec 30, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by boateye

Yes, i was aware before buying the 3GB card that only 1.5 is usable. i'm going to sell the 1.5GB card for another 3GB at a later date.
I'll try those configs when i get off work today. thanks for the advice and checklist! +rep\
Quick note: one of my DVI connections on the GPUS is using a DVI-VGA adapter. the DVI part is plugged into the 580 (obviously) and the monitor is recieving a VGA signal. Could that be the problem? Otherwise, i have an HDMI cable i can use with the HDMI-mini HDMI adapter

Using a DVI-VGA adapter is unlikely the cause unless you are trying to setup the Surround in 3D with 3D capable monitors. But I see your three Dell SP2039W are 2D monitors, so you should be able to use a mix of digital (DVI) and analog (VGA) connectors of the graphics cards. See the quote below from Nvidia:

Tests 3 through 6 (above in Paradigm Shifter's post) are important to rule out the possibility of conflict between a 1.5GB and 3GB GTX580. I think this was not possible in the older days and you would have to use Coolbits to tweak. However, it seems that Nvidia has relaxed this in more modern drivers. Perhaps the quote below has not been updated by them:-

Quote:

Can I mix and match graphics cards with different sizes of memory?
No. For example, an XXXGT 512MB cannot be paired with a XXXGT 1GB in an SLI configuration.

(http://www.slizone.com/page/slizone_faq.html#c19)

Something about the Surround is not working. The reason the 3rd monitor that is by itself is black is because the Surround never gets launched properly. So, the setup is still a basic SLI setup which only recognizes the 2 monitors connected to the master card, resulting the 3rd monitor connected to the slave card being blank.

Paradigm Shifter is an experienced user and you are in his good hands to sort this out.

boateye · Dec 30, 2011

That give me great confidence. I suppose Paradigm, does know that the 270.71 driver is a quadro driver? is that OK to install for my GeForce cards?

boateye · Dec 30, 2011

Update: so i did a "reinstall" of windows to isolate if it's a hardware issue/misconfiguration. by "reinstalled" i jsut did a fresh install on my tertiary HDD. nothing changed.

However, i tried moving the 1.5 card up to teh adjacent x16 slot and now i can get nvidia surround but the monitor connected to the second card (the 1.5gb gpu) is black but initialized. i can mouse over to it and put programs over there but no picture. in fact, my windows are stretched to that monitor but it's not receiving a picture. it says no signal.

boateye · Dec 30, 2011

Discovered something else new:

The second GPU (in my current config, the 1.5 GB card) runs the hottest. it's idling @ 70C but it's the one giving no picture!

boateye · Dec 30, 2011

new discovery #2. it is confirmed that only the display that is alone on a card is the one not showing a picture. I tried two displays on the second card with one on teh first connected by HDMI and again wiht DVI. both times the monitor that was alone on the first card was black while the two sharing a card displayed a picture just fine.....

Using the 285.79 driver BTW. Going to try the Quadro one, now

EDIT: Figures, won't install because i don't have the appropriate hardware...

Gonna try swapping the cards. my following posts will be with the configuration:

PCIEx16 #1

1.5GB GPU

PCIEX16 #2

3GB GPU

boateye · Dec 30, 2011

OK so i'm pretty much convinced that it's a driver problem. I can get nvidia surround to make all of the displays active, but the display that is alone on a card says it's not receiving a signal, thus remaining black.

Any ideas what other drivers i can try, or a place to find a list of drivers others have successfully used in SLI configs? maybe some review websites have had some success...

boateye · Dec 30, 2011

tried a couple different drivers and they are all acting the same. So i'm running the cards one by one to see if i have a dead card or two. Right now i'm running the 3BG 580 with two screens attached by DVI and the 285.79 driver keeps crashing when i load op a GPU intensive game. Metro2033 is my game of choice. Gonna try running unigine to see if that causes a driver crash then im going to try running unigine on my "fresh" windows installation.

boateye · Dec 30, 2011

I ran Unigine heaven on my 3GB card and i was getting MAJOR artifacting. So i swapped out the 3gb card for my 1.5GB and there's no artifacting nor driver crashing.

Verdict: before i can go any further, i'll need a working 3GB 580

Time to RMA this *****

Paradigm Shifter · Dec 30, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by boateye

That give me great confidence. I suppose Paradigm, does know that the 270.71 driver is a quadro driver? is that OK to install for my GeForce cards?

Sorry, I misremembered - it's 270.61. But that driver has some fairly epic issues (massive texture flickering) with Skyrim, so if you play that, don't use it...
Quote:

Originally Posted by boateye

Update: so i did a "reinstall" of windows to isolate if it's a hardware issue/misconfiguration. by "reinstalled" i jsut did a fresh install on my tertiary HDD. nothing changed.
However, i tried moving the 1.5 card up to teh adjacent x16 slot and now i can get nvidia surround but the monitor connected to the second card (the 1.5gb gpu) is black but initialized. i can mouse over to it and put programs over there but no picture. in fact, my windows are stretched to that monitor but it's not receiving a picture. it says no signal.

A possible fix for this is power-cycling the monitor. That's if what you're seeing is what I see sometimes coming out of games in Surround, where the third monitor goes to sleep upon exiting the game instead of giving me the desktop like it should.

On the other hand, if it just reports 'no signal' or whatever the Dell message is (the colour test floating box?) then I've not seen that one before... swap a couple of the DVI cables over to see whether it's a cable issue?

Anyway, if you do see the going-to-sleep behaviour in the future, you now know the fix/workaround.

Quote:

Originally Posted by boateye

Discovered something else new:
The second GPU (in my current config, the 1.5 GB card) runs the hottest. it's idling @ 70C but it's the one giving no picture!

If Surround doesn't activate correctly, the card with two monitors on it will idle much higher than the other - that's because it doesn't go to fully idle 2D clocks, but remains in the 'fast 2D/low 3D' intermediate clocks to avoid display flickering. This is a known issue with all GTX400 and GTX500 series cards, in fact I remember one of the reviews of the GTX480 saying their dual-monitor rig was idling at 96*C, or something similarly insane, but when they disabled the second monitor, it correctly went to idle 2D clocks and temps dropped a lot.

When Surround is working correctly, cards go to idle 2D clocks correctly. Or at least my GTX460s do. In 'extended mode', non-Surround, the card with two monitors on it idles 20-25*C hotter than it's partner.

Quote:

Originally Posted by boateye

new discovery #2. it is confirmed that only the display that is alone on a card is the one not showing a picture. I tried two displays on the second card with one on teh first connected by HDMI and again wiht DVI. both times the monitor that was alone on the first card was black while the two sharing a card displayed a picture just fine.....
Using the 285.79 driver BTW. Going to try the Quadro one, now
EDIT: Figures, won't install because i don't have the appropriate hardware...
Gonna try swapping the cards. my following posts will be with the configuration:
PCIEx16 #1

1.5GB GPU
PCIEX16 #2

3GB GPU

I'd try to get another SLI bridge connector, just in case that is causing problems. I use a long, flexible cable I picked up cheap from SpecialTech, IIRC. They're easier to find solo in the US than the UK.
Quote:

Originally Posted by boateye

OK so i'm pretty much convinced that it's a driver problem. I can get nvidia surround to make all of the displays active, but the display that is alone on a card says it's not receiving a signal, thus remaining black.
Any ideas what other drivers i can try, or a place to find a list of drivers others have successfully used in SLI configs? maybe some review websites have had some success...

Only drivers I've had work 100% without issues in Surround (on GTX460s, mind) are 258.96 (the first non-beta Surround capable driver), 270.61 (sorry about the .71 mixup) and I'm currently running 285.79, but can't comment too much on that driver because my Surround system's motherboard is dying rapidly and I can't afford the money/time to replace it right now. I'm quite conservative when it comes to driver updates on my Surround system - if it works, I don't mess around with it too much as Surround can be a pig if it decides for whatever reason to fail.
Quote:

Originally Posted by boateye

tried a couple different drivers and they are all acting the same. So i'm running the cards one by one to see if i have a dead card or two. Right now i'm running the 3BG 580 with two screens attached by DVI and the 285.79 driver keeps crashing when i load op a GPU intensive game. Metro2033 is my game of choice. Gonna try running unigine to see if that causes a driver crash then im going to try running unigine on my "fresh" windows installation.

Sounds like the 3GB GTX580 is knackered.

Quote:

Originally Posted by boateye

I ran Unigine heaven on my 3GB card and i was getting MAJOR artifacting. So i swapped out the 3gb card for my 1.5GB and there's no artifacting nor driver crashing.
Verdict: before i can go any further, i'll need a working 3GB 580
Time to RMA this *****

Well, you've isolated an issue with a card - hopefully, once that's fixed, the problems will have gone away for Surround too.

I'm sorry I didn't respond more often to this; I don't have the chance to spend as much time as I'd like here now.

boateye · Dec 30, 2011

Hey Paradigm, don't fret. You did eventually come back and you took the time to reply to my posts even though i found out that my card was dead. I understand that life can get in the way, and i appreciate that yout toook the time to help me out in as much detail as you did.

Thanks for correcting the mixup. I'll try that driver if the new card i get does the same thing. ill probably jsut return this card to Amazon and pick up a 1.5 GB to be safe. ill sell both cards when i move up to a 30" to help pay for the 3GB cards that ill use then.

Paradigm Shifter · Dec 30, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by boateye

Hey Paradigm, don't fret. You did eventually come back and you took the time to reply to my posts even though i found out that my card was dead. I understand that life can get in the way, and i appreciate that yout toook the time to help me out in as much detail as you did.
Thanks for correcting the mixup. I'll try that driver if the new card i get does the same thing. ill probably jsut return this card to Amazon and pick up a 1.5 GB to be safe. ill sell both cards when i move up to a 30" to help pay for the 3GB cards that ill use then.

That might well be the best way to do it.

WIth 1.5GB of VRAM, you're OK, but you'll need to be cautious about what settings you enable (depending on the game). Basically, you can expect probably 1/2 to 1/4 of the FPS you were getting on a single monitor (in a 'perfect' scenario it'd likely be 1/3rd all the time, but game engines handle Surround differently - some, like Source, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Devil May Cry 4 barely blink. Others take a framerate hit far in excess of that which you'd expect. Watch VRAM usage with Afterburner, and when it starts pushing into the 1400MB region, don't turn it up any further. The last few tens of MB are needed for framebuffer.

The next few months are going to get interesting in the multi-screen gaming Surround/EyeFinity stakes. I'm hopeful (although may well end up disappointed) that nVidia will release their new cards with a new focus and enthusiasm for Surround - rather than the "AMD have it so we must have it too!" attitude they currently exhibit. Another thread I've just spotted in the news section indicates that Sapphire will be releasing a 7970 with 6GB of VRAM, which should remove any issues on that front for all but those people doing five or six-screen 2560x1600 solutions.

My current plans are to shift to EyeFinity when the 7970s are released and a reasonable price, although I might well delay that if the 6GB card is reasonably priced (doubt it...

) but not out on release day. Still, that's some time away.

Feel free to join the nVidia Surround Gaming club/thread, say hi to the rest of the Surround gamers on OCN and if you're interested in VRAM impact, check out the review I did. The links are in my sig.

boateye · Jan 1, 2012

so i got my card today. It seems to be that surround only works if all 3 displays are connected via DVI. using a vga-DVI converter makes surround think the display isn't identical. I'm using a DVI to HDMI cable for my third screen and everything looks A OK!

[SOLVED]3rd screen is black using nVidia Surround[SOLVED]

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