I recently upgraded to an AM5 system with a Ryzen 7 7800X3D, 32GB of RAM, a 2TB NVMe SSD, and an RX 9060 XT 16GB. I'll mainly use the PC for gaming, streaming, and multitasking.
My primary display is a 24-inch 1080p 144Hz monitor with HDMI 2.0. My older secondary display is a 24-inch 1080p 75Hz monitor that uses HDMI 1.2. Since the graphics card has only one HDMI port and two DisplayPort ports, I'd prefer not to buy a DisplayPort cable unless it's actually needed.
Would it be safe to connect the main monitor to the graphics card through HDMI and the second monitor to the motherboard's video output using the 7800X3D's integrated graphics? Could this cause performance or compatibility problems while gaming and streaming? The second monitor would only be used for things like chat, music, and other multitasking—not for gaming.
2 Answers
Your monitor setup is reasonable for your use case: the 144Hz display can handle gaming, while the 75Hz screen is fine as a secondary monitor. The 7800X3D and RX 9060 XT combination may be more CPU-heavy than necessary for some games, but it makes sense if you prioritize high frame rates in CPU-limited titles. Just remember that a stronger monitor upgrade would make better use of the system if you eventually want to play competitively at very high refresh rates.
It should work in theory, provided the integrated graphics are enabled in the BIOS and the correct driver is installed. Since the second screen is only being used for chat, music, streaming tools, and similar tasks, it shouldn’t affect gaming much. Still, test your games and streaming setup with both monitors connected, because mixed GPU setups can occasionally cause driver or application quirks. If you notice instability, connect both displays directly to the graphics card with a DisplayPort cable.
That makes sense. I’ll test it first, and if I run into problems I’ll pick up a DisplayPort cable so both monitors are connected to the graphics card.
The 144Hz display is my main monitor, and the 75Hz one is just an older screen I’m reusing. I also play plenty of AAA games, so I’m happy with 144Hz rather than specifically targeting 240Hz or 360Hz.