Dual monitor setup messing with primary monitor resolution

[John96]

So my primary monitor has a maximum resolution of 3840x2160 and my secondary monitor has a maximum resolution of 1920x1080.

What I usually do is set my primary monitor to 1080p to avoid scaling issues with various software I use for work (photoshop, sony vegas etc.) and have my second monitor open also at 1080p.

This setup worked perfectly before I upgraded to windows 10 (from 7) but now for some reason when I set my primary monitor to 1080p my secondary monitor not only goes "out of range" but also screws up the aspect ratio of my primary monitor. It is still in 1080p (I presume) but now it shows black bars on the top and bottom of the screen.

The only way to fix this problem is to revert back to 3840x2160 but even then the secondary monitor sometimes decides to work and most of the time just stays "out of range" and even if the second monitor does decide to work I cannot get any work done due to scaling issues with programs on my main monitor.

Also, my main monitor is connected to my GPU through display port and my second monitor is connected through VGA.

I have updated my graphics drivers to the best of my ability (GTX 980ti)

All I want is to be able to have both monitors run at 1080p without any aspect ratio issues or "out of range" issues.

 

[John96]

I have somehow managed to make it work, all I done was fiddle with the resolutions of both monitors until eventually they both decided to work.

I'm still unsure of what was causing the issue for anyone having the same problem, my main suspect would be the age of my second monitor as it is about 10 years old. I just hope it won't revert back to being broken after i restart my system or remove the VGA cable.

 

[photonboy]

Your monitor settings should be completely SEPARATE if you have everything setup properly.

Scaling is a different story, and mixing such different resolutions is very problematic especially since 4K probably needs about 50% DPI scaling in Windows. I think that means you also have 50% scaling on the 1080p screen but I haven't messed around with that much.

Anyway, as it worked well enough for you with Windows 7 it must be an issue with the NVidia drivers somehow.

It really seems a big shame to have a 4K monitor and run it at 1080p though. Maybe it's time to let the 1080p monitor go, since wouldn't you have more productive real estate without it on a single 4K monitor vs two effectively 1080p screens?

 

[John96]

Your monitor settings should be completely SEPARATE if you have everything setup properly.

Scaling is a different story, and mixing such different resolutions is very problematic especially since 4K probably needs about 50% DPI scaling in Windows. I think that means you also have 50% scaling on the 1080p screen but I haven't messed around with that much.

Anyway, as it worked well enough for you with Windows 7 it must be an issue with the NVidia drivers somehow.

It really seems a big shame to have a 4K monitor and run it at 1080p though. Maybe it's time to let the 1080p monitor go, since wouldn't you have more productive real estate without it on a single 4K monitor vs two effectively 1080p screens?

I make gaming guide videos for youtube so its important to have my main monitor in full screen mode and notes and extra's (audacity etc) on my second monitor at the same time. I switch to 4k for gaming whenever i need it but its impossible to use things like photoshop and sony vegas in 4k as the scaling is too small.