On Wednesday, March 08, 2000 12:48 PM, Olushola Sowande
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>Will someone please explain what is a primary and secondary video
>adapter as it relates to graphic cards. I want to use 2 graphic
>cards; one as a TV card for capturing uncompressed video and the
>other for 3D applications. How do I select either one as the primary
>when required?
>
There are important things to consider when you select the
type (AGP or PCI) for your additional video card. The choice you
make depends on the type of video card currently in your system.
Whether you end up configuring it as the primary or the secondary
card will depend on how your system's BIOS handles video
configuration. Let's take a closer look at this aspect.
Most new systems on the market today come with a single
AGP slot and several PCI slots. If your system has an AGP video
card, you'll need to purchase a PCI video card. How you configure that card
will depend on how your system's BIOS controls the video. This control
factor is important in getting everything to work correctly, because when
you install two video cards in a system and then turn it on, most systems
will find and configure a PCI video card before configuring an AGP video
card. In most cases, it's preferable to have your AGP video card serve as
the primary video card because of its superior performance enhancements.
However, in order to make this happen, your system's BIOS must allow you to
specify which slot, either AGP or PCI, you want to configure as your
primary video card. For more information on which video settings your
system's BIOS allows, check with your system documentation or contact your
system's manufacturer.
If your system has an AGP video card and your system's BIOS allows you to
specify which slot is your primary video, the AGP slot will already be
configured as the primary video. All you have to do is add the PCI card to
your system, connect it to your other monitor, and restart your system. When
you do, the PCI card will automatically be configured as the secondary
video card. However, you should make sure that you add the video card to the
PCI slot designated as number one on your motherboard. Check your system
documentation or contact your system's manufacturer to find out
which PCI slot is designated as number one. OTOH, if your system has an AGP
video card but your system's BIOS doesn't allow you to specify a slot as
your primary video, you'll need to take out your AGP video card, install
the PCI video card, and set it up as your primary video card. To do so, open
Device Manager and locate your video card. Once you do, click the Remove
button, close Device Manager, and shut down your system. You can then open
the case, remove the AGP card, and insert the PCI card. Make sure that you
add the video card to the first PCI slot on your motherboard. Check your
system documentation or contact your system's manufacturer to find out which
PCI slot is designated as number one. When you finish, restart your system
and Windows 98 will automatically configure the new PCI card as the primary
video card. You can then shut down the system, add the AGP video card, and
connect it to your other monitor. When you finish, restart your system and
Windows 98 will automatically configure the new AGP card as the secondary
video card.
If your system doesn't have an AGP adapter, you'll of course can use two PCI
cards. Your decision on which video card will be the primary and which will
be the secondary depends on the particular PCI slots the video cards are in.
The video card that's in the first PCI slot will be the primary video and
the secondary video will be the one that's in the second PCI slot. HTH. :-)
Walter R. Worth
[log in to unmask]
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