Dual Monitor Help needed!

I have had 2 monitors hooked up for years but all of a sudden one of my monitors went black. I tried reconnecting the cables, swapping them etc. I finally figured it must be the monitor so I swapped it out with another one I knew worked and it was fine. So i switched them back to the original configuration and the second one went out again. The little light on the power button blinks on every so often, but nothing else.
I am wondering now if this is a video card problem instead of the monitors.
Anyone have experience with this?

I can also mention that I am running Windows 7 home on a Dell desktop, the video card has a DVI and HDMI port.

If i need to get a new video card... suggestions would be appreciated. I hate spending a lot since my computer is getting older. I do play a few facebook games... using flash, usually have about 20 tabs open at a time, watch a few videos etc, but I am not into the heavy gaming.

I don't know what other specifics are needed to select a video card.
Your help, as always, is much appreciated!

 

The exact make and model of your desktop computer would help. But, since you were able to swap out monitors and the other monitor worked, I suspect it's the monitor and NOT the graphics card.

 

I guess I failed to mention that the second monitor *actually the third* did not work either. Sorry about that.
So, my computer is Dell Inspiron 546
Thanks,

 

Then there's something wrong with the graphics card. Playing flash games and watching videos don't require a graphics card. Get a similar or slightly better card to what you currently have for your 2 monitors. I would also suggest purchasing the same type ie NVIDIA or ATI (AMD) to avoid potential driver problems.

 

gofergal...

Have you double checked to make sure the monitor that won't work as the 2nd will work as the first one? Crazy things can happen with PCs, so this is something I would check just to make sure.

True on new machines, but not so much on older ones I would say on this. This depends on the age of the PC. I mean who doesn't want to be able to watch videos in 1080 with decent (15-20 at least) frames? Also, some flash games are actually fairly involved graphically by core 2 duo and core 2 quad era standards for onboard graphics.

I think mdonah asked what exactly kind of PC you have (make/model). That really would help. Also, it would be especially helpful to know what kind of graphics card you have now. Anyway, you should be able to get a good graphics card (new one) with low power requirements for somewhere in the $40 range.

Eldon makes a good point about buying the same brand of graphics card you have now. That's probably a good idea and safeguard against driver problems. The main thing is to match the card you select with your expectations.

 

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I actually took the PC in today and they tested my video card and said it worked. So, I guess it IS the monitor.... or shall I say monitorS. LOL Hard to believe but I guess it just happened to be a coincidence that both of them went out about the same time.