Eyefinity problem...

[funkatation]

So I am trying to get Eyefinity working on my 6950. I've tried several different combinations and this is the only one that worked:

1-DVI
1- DVI to mini displayport (using an apple adapter)
1 - VGA to mini displayport (also an apple adapter)

If I use two mini displayport to DVI adapters only 2 monitors show up... must be something different with the VGA adapter than DVI?

My guess is I will have to buy the active dvi to mini displayport adapter... just so strange it would work with a VGA one. Any one else run into this?

I have 3 ASUS ML228 monitors.

 

[Sephire]

VGA?

 

[Zargon]

you can get it 'working' with a passive yeah, but it wont really work. SO i read.

AMD swears you have to have an active adapter. I guess the VGA worked as a passive adapter, it would eyefinity, but it will break alot...so I read

 

[Annisman*]

This is just one reason why I think I'm gonna do Nvidia Surround, one less thing to worry about.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

This is just one reason why I think I'm gonna do Nvidia Surround, one less thing to worry about.

Eyefinity works perfectly great if you use active adapers.

 

[Red Storm]

Eyefinity works perfectly great if you use active adapers.

Yep, and the active adapters aren't expensive at all. If Eyefinity was like Surround and required 2 video cards, I would have never consider it.

 

[brandonb]

Not to mention more and more monitors are being released with native display port. I'm starting to see it appear with sub $300 TN panels now a days.

 

[Skurge]

Looking at your monitor; it only has VGA and HDMI. Have you tried one of the DVI ports and the HDMI port with one of the DP ports?

 

[Zargon]

Not to mention more and more monitors are being released with native display port. I'm starting to see it appear with sub $300 TN panels now a days.

DP is wonky from what I hear though, with most radeon cards

 

[betasub]

DP is wonky from what I hear though, with most radeon cards

So that's what you heard? :\

 

[NoQuarter]

So I am trying to get Eyefinity working on my 6950. I've tried several different combinations and this is the only one that worked:

1-DVI
1- DVI to mini displayport (using an apple adapter)
1 - VGA to mini displayport (also an apple adapter)

If I use two mini displayport to DVI adapters only 2 monitors show up... must be something different with the VGA adapter than DVI?

My guess is I will have to buy the active dvi to mini displayport adapter... just so strange it would work with a VGA one. Any one else run into this?

I have 3 ASUS ML228 monitors.

When using 3 non-DP monitors you must have at least one of them be on an active adapter. There are only 2 clock gens available for HDMI/DVI signals. Using a passive adapter actually does nothing but ask the GPU to send a DVI signal over the DisplayPort interface which does nothing to get you past the 2 DVI limit.

The thing is all DisplayPort -> VGA adapters are by nature active adapters. DisplayPort has no pins allocated to carrying an analog signal so the VGA adapter has to have a chip to actively convert the DP signal into a VGA signal as it can't just ask the GPU to send a VGA signal over the DisplayPort interface, so no passive DP->VGA adapters exist.


mini-DisplayPort -> DVI adapters that are active are pretty uncommon, I haven't actually seen one before but they probably exist, so more than likely your mini-DP -> DVI adapters are passive. Which means when you use:

DVI
Passive miniDP -> DVI
Passive miniDP -> DVI

You're actually asking for 3 DVI signals which the GPU can't do. Solution is to buy 1 active adapter (which may necessitate buying 1 mini-DP -> full size DP dongle and then an active DP->DVI adapter.)

 

[Qbah]

Why can't you use on your card the below setup?

1. Native HDMI for first monitor
2. DVI->HDMI converter for second monitor
3. DP->DVI + DVI->HDMI converter for third monitor?

HDMI and DVI are pretty much the same things, just rearranging the pins. So adding a DVI->HDMI converter to the third setup shouldn't introduce any problems (as it's just rewiring).

I'd stay clear from VGA.

EDIT: Didn't know about what NoQuarter wrote, you may want to follow up on his advice, OP

 

[Zargon]

So that's what you heard? :\

yeah, I am just finishing my eyefintiy setup now.

a friend has had one for about a year and, being a programmer who works from home, reads ALOT.

he suggested that even if I get a monitor with DP to get an active adapter as its just easier that messing with DP

When using 3 non-DP monitors you must have at least one of them be on an active adapter. There are only 2 clock gens available for HDMI/DVI signals. Using a passive adapter actually does nothing but ask the GPU to send a DVI signal over the DisplayPort interface which does nothing to get you past the 2 DVI limit.

The thing is all DisplayPort -> VGA adapters are by nature active adapters. DisplayPort has no pins allocated to carrying an analog signal so the VGA adapter has to have a chip to actively convert the DP signal into a VGA signal as it can't just ask the GPU to send a VGA signal over the DisplayPort interface, so no passive DP->VGA adapters exist.

yup all this....

mini-DisplayPort -> DVI adapters that are active are pretty uncommon, I haven't actually seen one before but they probably exist, so more than likely your mini-DP -> DVI adapters are passive. Which means when you use:

DVI
Passive miniDP -> DVI
Passive miniDP -> DVI

You're actually asking for 3 DVI signals which the GPU can't do. Solution is to buy 1 active adapter (which may necessitate buying 1 mini-DP -> full size DP dongle and then an active DP->DVI adapter.)

I only know this exists because I was saerching for a active dp>dvi adapter on newegg Thursday........bought the sapphire but I guess powercolor makes em now too, and has an active miniDP as well
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-008-_-Product

:ninja:

 

[NoQuarter]

yeah, I am just finishing my eyefintiy setup now.

a friend has had one for about a year and, being a programmer who works from home, reads ALOT.

he suggested that even if I get a monitor with DP to get an active adapter as its just easier that messing with DP

I never had a real problem with my native DP connection. Once in a while when changing resolution or going from Eyefinity mode to Extended desktop mode I'll get a "DisplayPort link failure" warning which isn't really a problem because the monitor is still active and working so I just click Ok to clear the warning.

But I've actively read and posted on Eyefinity threads since it came out and always see people having issues with flaky adapters and not many problems from people with native DP so I dunno.. I have the opposite impression of your friend.

 

[Zargon]

my friends will drop and require the monitor to be powercycles, or else he has to reboot to pick it back up when swapping.....

could be the monitor as well maybe. I will ask if he still has the issues with his dell u30's as opposed to his hanns g hh28's

as usual with newer tech, YMMV, as there are 10+ driver versions anyone could be using on top on what card said user has

 

[Juji]

Im currently using eyefinity with 2 dvi to hdmi cables and minidp to dvi adapter.
Works flawless, but i had some issues when i ran native hdmi, the monitor which were running native hdmi only gave me 1918*1080 for some reason, but when i changed it to a dvi/hdmi cable it gave me all of my pixels back.

Edit:
The only negative thing i can think of is that when you have your monitors setup at the exact same way you still see color differences between monitors, there should be a tool that allowed you to change all monitor to the same referance.