I recently got a new desktop PC with several HDMI and DisplayPort connectors. One HDMI port appears to work with my monitor, but another one doesn't display anything, so I'm wondering whether it is an HDMI input or serves a different purpose. The ports are on separate components: the lower group is connected to the dedicated graphics card, while the upper group is located with the motherboard connections.
3 Answers
A real HDMI input is uncommon on a standard desktop PC. It would be used to bring video from another device into the computer for capture or streaming. Based on the layout you described, the port you’re calling an input is probably just a motherboard output that isn’t active because the dedicated GPU is handling display output.
The motherboard connectors can also work if integrated graphics is enabled in the BIOS and your processor supports it. They still only send video out; they don’t receive a signal from another device.
The upper ports are most likely motherboard video outputs, not HDMI inputs. They use the processor’s integrated graphics and may be disabled when a dedicated graphics card is installed. Connect your monitor to the HDMI or DisplayPort connectors on the graphics card, usually the lower group of ports.
That makes sense—the lower ports are on the graphics card, so I’ll use those and treat the upper ones as motherboard graphics outputs.