extended desktop on 3 monitors?

[Loque]

Pretty simple concept, im sure a lot of you have similar setups.

I want my desktop extended over 3 displays (not cloned)
To achive this, I bought a 6950, as I am aware that its only possible on AMD's cards right now.

So fast forward to now, I have one display connected via HDMI, one connected via DVI (using a DVI to VGA adapter) and one connected via a mini-DP to HDMI adapter.

All 3 displays are detected, I am only alowed to display my desktop on 2 of them.
Even if I join 2 displays in eyefinity, I still cannot extend to a 3rd display.

I am under the impression that in order to enable 3 displays for extended desktop, I have to buy one of those overpriced ACTIVE displayport adapters.

I am right in my assumption?

Cheers.

 

[Joshct]

I assume you just want 3 desktop /general useage monitors? But also want to game on one of them?

If you weren't gaming just get 2 cheap cards

 

[Surveyor]

I am under the impression that in order to enable 3 displays for extended desktop, I have to buy one of those overpriced ACTIVE displayport adapters.

Yes.

One of the displays must run directly from DP or from an active DP adapter.

If the DP to HDMI adapter is a cheap non-active one then it isn't going to do the job.

I'm not sure there are any active DP to HDMI adapters so you'll have to use an active DP to DVI or VGA one.

The active adapters are around £25.

You could just buy a cheap second card to run the third display but it'll cost near enough the same as an active adapter.

FYI I assume you've connected the DVI to VGA adapter to the correct DVI connector on the graphics card.

If you have two DVI's then only one will work with a VGA adapter.

 

[masscrazy]

Adapters actually cost around £18, I was looking to do the exact same thing with my 7970.

But since i have a z68 a motherboard I connected my tv and 1 1200p monitor to that and 1440p monitor to the dvi on the gfx card and 1 1200p monitor using a passive minidisplay port to dvi for my second 1200p monitor.

If all three monitors are 3d or 120hz monitor you'll have to buy a duallink active adapter, if you have a 1200p/1080p 60hz monitor you'll only need a single link active adapter which both xfx sell (£17) and sapphire sell (£18).

 

[Loque]

Yes.

One of the displays must run directly from DP or from an active DP adapter.

If the DP to HDMI adapter is a cheap non-active one then it isn't going to do the job.

I'm not sure there are any active DP to HDMI adapters so you'll have to use an active DP to DVI or VGA one.

The active adapters are around £25.

I thought as much. I wish I had known this before I bought a standard adapter. All I knew was that the DP had to be used for at least 1 display.

You could just buy a cheap second card to run the third display but it'll cost near enough the same as an active adapter.

If I am honest, I really don't want to have to do that. I would much prefer to run all my displays from the one card. Just seems more convenient that way...

FYI I assume you've connected the DVI to VGA adapter to the correct DVI connector on the graphics card.

If you have two DVI's then only one will work with a VGA adapter.

Yes I figured this one out myself. I couldn't get my computer to detect the display running through the DVI port, so common sense dictated that I had it plugged into the wrong DVI port.

Looks like I am going to have to buy an active display port adapter. I don't mind only being able to run DP to DVI as the display I have connected to it supports both DVI and HDMI, so thats not really a problem. My TV will run through the HDMI port, and my 3rd display will run through the DVI to VGA adapter as normal.

 

[Loque]

Is it true that ALL Displayport to VGA adapters, are active?

I read somewhere that going from Displayport to VGA, there MUST be a conversion from Digital to Analog, therefor ALL DP to VGA adapters are active?

DP to VGA adapters are less than a tenner, which would be much better for me, since one of my displays has VGA.

 

[spixelspixel]

The sapphire flex edition cards support 3 monitors without any adapters, however all other cards require at least one active adapter. The most popular ones are the sapphire/startech/xfx mini dp to dvi.

I use a Dell MMH11 which gives 3 dvi monitors on 1 displayport with my 6870 flex for a total of 6 monitors. Still a spare displayport too