Can You Use Motherboard HDMI With Graphics Card? Tips & Guide 2022

There are times when you would think to yourself, well it would have been great if I had one extra HDMI the HDMI port on my graphics card or pc.

You know, you could end up running out of ports on your dedicated graphics card, or simply if the HDMI port on the graphics card is out of order, you may want to consider enabling the motherboard’s built-in HDMI.

Can You Use Motherboard HDMI?

Before we look into whether or not we can use the onboard HDMI, you need to make sure that your CPU has integrated graphics. If yes, then you can use your motherboard’s BIOS and enable integrated graphics.

This option can be accessed from the Advanced settings with the name IGPU Multi-Monitor. Save your settings and reboot your PC followed by connecting the monitors and installing the latest integrated graphics driver.

One other thing to keep in mind is that many old motherboard variants did not support the usage of onboard video ports whilst you have a dedicated graphics card installed.

In simple words, several motherboards still have the onboard HDMI option permanently disabled if you have a PCIe graphics card installed.

Hence, you have to do some inspection in the BIOS or in the manual of your motherboard to confirm whether it supports onboard graphics along side dedicated graphics.

Why the Need to Enable Motherboard HDMI?

In today’s world, it could be anything, but in many cases it could be the need to connect extra monitors to your system. However, that is not possible, mostly due to the limited number of HDMI ports offered by your card. 

Most motherboards come with one HDMI port. On the other hand, if you do have a GPU installed, then depending upon its age and model, you can have just a single or multiple HDMI ports on it.

If you have an older GPU, or if the HDMI port on your GPU is damaged, then the onboard Motherboard HDMI can be a lifesaver when you want multiple displays.

How to Enable Motherboard HDMI? – 4 Simple Steps

1) Check if your CPU has Integrated Graphics

This is the most important step. If you don’t pass this step, then sadly, but there’s no other option for you. You have to make sure that your CPU has integrated graphics since the HDMI port on your board runs from the integrated graphics instead of your GPU.

For this, go to device manager, and click the “display adapters” drop down. See if your computer has any integrated graphics (the one other than the PCIe graphics adapter you’re using).

You could also google your processor model number in Google and check whether it has integrated graphics in the tech sheet.

While many Intel processors these days come coupled with integrated graphics, the same cannot be said for its AMD counterparts. 

Only a select few AMD processors that have a “G” designation come equipped with one. Hence in order to use the motherboard HDMI port on an AMD system, you will need to have a “G” designated CPU such as the AMD Ryzen 3 3200G.

2) Enable Integrated Graphics in BIOS

Once you have confirmation of the fact that CPU supports integrated graphics, follow the steps given below: 

Save all your work and then reboot your PC. 

Then press whatever key combination is required to bring up the BIOS menu. This differs from system to system. Common keys for this task include the Escape, Delete, F1, F2, F8, or F12.

You can search for or consult your motherboard’s manual to find out the specific key if you are unsure about it.

You must be very cautious while playing around with the BIOS because you do not want to accidentally change some critical settings. Different motherboards have different BIOS interfaces. 

Head over to the Advanced settings section. Look for any settings related to IGPU, multiple displays.

If this setting is disabled, change it to enabled. Enabling this setting would turn on the motherboard HDMI.

Save your changes and press Enter to confirm. Then reboot. 

3) Connect your Display Device / Monitor

Hook in your primary monitor to the HDMI port on the back of the video card. 

Now plugin your secondary monitor to the HDMI port on the motherboard.

Plug the other end of the HDMI cables into the respective monitors.

When you start Windows, your monitors should be detected. Go ahead and play around with their respective display settings. To do this, right-click on your Desktop and choose Display Settings.

In the menu, you can tinker with various settings related to the monitors such as rearranging them.

4) Install the Latest Integrated Graphics Driver

Secondary monitor not detected? You might want to update the integrated graphics driver.

1.  Load up Device Manager in Windows. Under the section Other devices, look for an unidentified device.
   
2. Install the latest driver from the download website of your CPU manufacturer or let Windows automatically search for the appropriate driver.
3. Reboot your computer and then wait for the secondary monitor to be detected.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it safe to use motherboard HDMI? 

It is totally safe to use an onboard HDMI slot, provided that your system allows integrated graphics. 

Can I use 3 displays using this method?

If the GPU connected to the PCIe slot has 2 HDMI ports, you can utilize the onboard HDMI to connect upto 3 displays. However, keep in mind that all the conditions discussed above should be met.

Conclusion

Most of the times when people turn to the option of using the motherboard HDMI slot, it is because they want to run multiple displays but have run out of ports on their GPU.

Many high-end GPUs these days come with 2 HDMI ports. If your GPUs have multiple ports, then you don’t need to consider the option of the onboard HDMI slot.

Anthony