OK, well I figured out the problem. And to prevent anyone else from having the same problem I'm going to share. I bought this card
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...144-136&depa=0
with the intention of setting it up to handle my third monitor.
The problem is that although the mx4000 chipset is listed as supported on nvidia's site, it's really not. When I loaded the nvidia module and started X, the card would not refresh the monitor's contents (no redraws, so the nvidia logo would stay forever) making it completely useless. I could move the mouse around and open windows, but they would not be drawn. However, it does work with the nv driver.
Long story short, I'm highly skeptical that any cards with the mx4000 chipset would work with the nvidia linux driver. Therefore, do not purchase a card with the mx4000 chipset if you are planning to use the nvidia module with it.