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3 x HD Displays on a XFX HD 6850 1024MB

SupraWez

SupraWez

SupraWez

Soldato
Joined
17 Nov 2007
Posts
3,424
Hey All,

I was under the impression that the XFX ATI Radeon HD 6850 1024MB GDDR5 could drive 3 screens but had issues when trying to get it working.

First I tried 2 DVI and 1 HDMI but then read that you can only use HDMI or DVI, not both together, so then I ordered a DisplayPort to HDMI adapter to allow two DVI and one on the DP but it still would not work :(

At the moment I have installed a second card (Radeon HD 4550) to drive the third screen but performance takes a real hit when doing anything on this screen, page scrolling lags etc.

What would be my best option for getting better performance, should I replace the 4550 with another 6850 or replace both cards with a newer card that can drive all three screens.

I very rarely play games so not looking for ultimate 3D performance.

The screens are :-

2 x 24" Iiyama HD Res
1 x 27" Iiyama HD Res

Thanks
 
It sounds like you have a passive adapter, they only alter the type of connection detected by the card so it outputs the appropriate signal.
You'l need an active display port to xxxx adapter which has an integrated chip that converts the signal. They are typically £15-25.

AMD cards can run either 2 dvi or 1 dvi & 1 hdmi simultaneously. In the latter the 2nd unused dvi ports signal is routed through to the hdmi socket. (The exception are saphire FLEX cards, possibly some other brands models, but by default they are as stated unless the board partner goes out of their way).

So any 2 of the 3 dvi/hdmi + as many dp as there are connectors (typically 2).
 
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Am I correct in assuming that I will get 3 separate desktops / screens like I have now with the single card or would they appear as one or two desktops spread over three screens?

ie, would two desktops / screens be combined to create one?
 
Extended display, so each screen is its own, ie maximising a window will fit the screen. It is what I currently have set up : 1 hdmi, 1 dvi (to vga screen), 1 active dp to dvi.
I did have trouble with the vga output which confused me, turns out only one of the dvi connectors outputs analogue, whether by design idk, once it was up and running I stopped looking into it.
 
SupraWez said:
Am I correct in assuming that I will get 3 separate desktops / screens like I have now with the single card or would they appear as one or two desktops spread over three screens?

ie, would two desktops / screens be combined to create one?
Click to expand...

You can pick and choose which works best for your current workload. When I am playing a game I have Eyefinity active (so Windows sees a single screen of resolution 5760x1080) and when I'm doing anything else I turn Eyefinity off (so Windows then sees 3 separate screens - 1920x1080, 1920x1200 and 1920x1080 in my case).

Using Windows' built in Windows key+P shortcut, it's very easy to set up Eyefinity enabled on one option (Duplicated in my case) and disabled on another (Extended on my setup) so you can switch between them in about 2 seconds with a simple keyboard shortcut.
 
Confused Stu said:
You can pick and choose which works best for your current workload. When I am playing a game I have Eyefinity active (so Windows sees a single screen of resolution 5760x1080) and when I'm doing anything else I turn Eyefinity off (so Windows then sees 3 separate screens - 1920x1080, 1920x1200 and 1920x1080 in my case).
Click to expand...

Sounds perfect, thanks for the info.
 
Interesting, ive just checked how they are currently connected and I have two monitors on the 6850, one via DVI and the other via the DP with a DP>HDMI adapter. The other monitor is running from the 4550.

The DP adapter is a startech unit.

Surely since its working the DP adapter should be fine or is three displays only supported with a more expensive adapter?
 
It still uses up one of the 2 outputs I mentioned earlier as it's passive. An active adapter with the inbuilt chip will convert the dp signal to the relevant one you require.
 
Yep, don't forget to get the right size connector. Dunno about your card but my 6870 uses minidp.
 
For info, I also have 3 screens, running eyefinity off a 6950. Since 12.9 beta drivers Ive been able to centre my taskbar on the middle screen which is really convenient.

cj
 
cjph said:
For info, I also have 3 screens, running eyefinity off a 6950. Since 12.9 beta drivers Ive been able to centre my taskbar on the middle screen which is really convenient.

cj
Click to expand...

So previous drivers had eyefinity using the left screen for the task bar/start button?
 
Here is some info that confirms the above:

These cards can support up to six monitors (depending on the model), subject to the following restrictions:
• A maximum of 2 legacy monitors (VGA, DVI or HDMI) can be enabled simultaneously, provided that each monitor is connected either directly or via a “passive” DisplayPort™ adapter/dongle. “Passive” adapters/dongles will NOT support more than 2 legacy monitors.
• To enable support for more than 2 monitors, “active” DisplayPort™ adapters/dongles are required (or monitors with direct DisplayPort™ connectivity must be used).
• Approved “active” adapters have no general connectivity restrictions with AMD Eyefinity technology.
Click to expand...

http://support.amd.com/us/eyefinity/Pages/eyefinity-dongles.aspx

This tool is quite nice too:
http://www.amd.com/us/products/technologies/amd-eyefinity-technology/how-to/Pages/set-up.aspx
 
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gregster said:
So previous drivers had eyefinity using the left screen for the task bar/start button?
Click to expand...

Yes, have always been situated right at the left end. I have not noticed the option to centralise it before 12.9 beta, and it was always a pain having the start button etc right over on the left (my case is on the desk and was just in the way of the start button/menu). So having it in the centre is a def advantage for me; I thought it was only with Eyefinity 2 on 7xxx GPUs, but certainly this is working for me on a model 6xxx. I was getting a wierd error with Eyefinity where the three screens would get mis-aligned due to the desktop resolution changing for some reason, usually in the middle of a game (BF3 or Arma2), and when I went to correct it I found the option to set the centre monitor as the main screen.

cj
 
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