[SOLVED] BIOS on wrong monitor, windows recognizes main monitor as Number 2

orkweh

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Sep 26, 2013
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I've got two monitors, my main 144Hz for gaming and one 60Hz in portrait mode as my secondary monitor.
At first I noticed that my BIOS was showing up on the wrong monitor, the one that is sitting in portrait mode, which meant that I had to tilt my head 90 degrees to read. So I switched the cables. Now it showed up on my main monitor, great.

But when I got into Windows it showed my main monitor as monitor number 2, and my secondary as number 1. No problems I thought and set my main (2) as my "main display" in Windows 10.

After this I started noticing that all my games running in windowed or borderless mode were all locked to 60fps and I could not figure out why. VSYNC was not enabled in the games and Nvidia control panel was set to use the application setting. In fullscreen they worked fine.

Since I have a GSYNC compatible monitor and a new graphics card I had GSYNC enabled. So I tried disabling it. Now all my games were running in as high fps as the graphics card could push, even in windowed or borderless mode.

So the problem turns out to be that GSYNC uses the refresh rate of the monitor that is selected as number one in windows, meaning my old secondary 60Hz monitor. Even though I have set my the other monitor as my main display.
The fix was then to switch the display port cables once again, so that windows recognizes my 144hz monitor as display number 1, then that's what GSYNC will use as well.

The only problem now is that BIOS is again showing up on the incorrect monitor.

The reason why I am asking you if you know of a way to fix this is because it's a strange problem and kind of tedious to switch around cables depending on what I want to do.

Thank you in advance!
 
Solution
Wait, I am missing something here. Regardless of cabling, you can still designate any monitor as your main for gaming. In order for it to work, you would need to select it as "main" in windows and in the Nvidia panel. I thought you had to re-arrange them. I have two monitors with different refresh rates too and I reconfigured it successfully.
P.S. Besides, you can safely switch the PB278Q to HDMI cable which will probably move it too.
If you just want to rearrange monitor positions in windows, you can just drag them through the windows panel right or left. The SYNC option will for sure try to use the main monitors' refresh rate for windows display manager (for anything that is windowed).
 
If you just want to rearrange monitor positions in windows, you can just drag them through the windows panel right or left. The SYNC option will for sure try to use the main monitors' refresh rate for windows display manager (for anything that is windowed).
Unfortunately it will not use the main monitor's refresh rate, but the way my monitors are connected to the graphics card at the moment allows me to see BIOS on the correct monitor (the one to the right).
But windows want to set my left portrait monitor as number 1, and the right one as number 2. I have set number 2 as my main display in windows.
But Nvidia Gsync locks all games to 60fps, and not 144fps.
If i switch the cables around all games will lock to 144fps, but BIOS no longer shows up on the monitor to the right.
dR8Rt42.jpg
 
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I am getting confused. Pls list the monitor models and the way they are connected :)

Hehe, will do! :)
My primary monitor is an Asus MG278Q (144hz).
Secondary you see on the left in portrait mode is an Asus PB278Q (60hz).
They are both connected via Displayport cables.
If I plug the 60hz monitor into port 1 on my graphics card, and the 144hz monitor into port 2, BIOS will show up on the 144hz monitor.
Windows will then call the 144hz monitor "Monitor 2", and the 60hz monitor will be called "Monitor 1". And for some reason G-sync will lock all games running in windowed mode to 60fps.
In both scenarios I have the display to the right set to "main display" in windows. And it doesn't seem to matter for G-Sync.

If I then switch the cables around, Windows will now call the 144hz monitor "Monitor 1" instead, and all is fine. G-Sync will now allow games to run over 60fps.
The only problem is that BIOS now shows up on the wrong monitor.
Haha sorry, it's a bit confusing. I'm thinking I'll just have to deal with switching the cables around when I need to go to bios.

dR8Rt42.jpg
 
Wait, I am missing something here. Regardless of cabling, you can still designate any monitor as your main for gaming. In order for it to work, you would need to select it as "main" in windows and in the Nvidia panel. I thought you had to re-arrange them. I have two monitors with different refresh rates too and I reconfigured it successfully.
P.S. Besides, you can safely switch the PB278Q to HDMI cable which will probably move it too.
 
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Solution
I got a similar situation where the GPU (MSI GTX 1060) prioritizes the parts in order DisplayPort -> HDMI -> DVI. So no matter what I set as "primary" in Windows, it will order them in that order. So yes, my "monitor 2" is also my "primary"
On a different machine of mine (ASUS GTX 660 Ti), the BIOS/UEFI screen wil also always show up on "monitor 1" no matter how they are configured in Windows. The BIOS/UEFI will show up on the 1st monitor, which is always the one in the port of the highest priority.
Check what the order is on your card (Might require you to try them on different combinations)

About your 144 fps/60 fps issue, that is probably related to some Windows quirks. Not sure, but maybe Windows syncs games in window mode to the refresh rate of "monitor 1" when any form of vsync/gsync is active.