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3 Monitors - R9 280X not working

Tags:
  • DVI
  • HDMI
  • AMD
  • 3 Monitors
  • Graphics
  • DisplayPort
  • Monitors
Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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December 1, 2013 10:42:38 AM

So I've bought myself a new graphics card to switch over from Nvidia GTX 670. I still like nvidia I just thought why not give amd a go, I had ATI a while ago but then I switched to Nvidia. I have 3 24" monitors that have the same resolution etc, same everything. PS. nvidia surround works pretty well with them.

But now I have a problem connecting my 3rd monitor , I have the Windforce R9 280x version from Gigabyte which has 1x DVI 1x HDMI and 2x mini-display ports. Now ,I've read that you don't require a displayport to displayport monitor connection anymore to make eyefinity work. Besides my monitors don't have displayports in them, BUT I have a display port to DVI cable with a reduction to mini display port. To make it sound less confusing , the DVI goes into my monitor since it doesnt have a DP and the DP goes to DP to DP mini reduction which goes straight to my graphics card.

I've tried switching tons of variations of cables like DVI , DVI(DP to DVI) , HDMI or HDMI, HDMI(DP to HDMI), DVI and nothing seems to work.
Both windows and AMD catalyst center register ALL 3 monitors and ofcourse all of them work perfectly fine. But when I try to activate a 3rd monitor , windows says unable to save display configuration and then in catalyst center thats impossible since I dont have such option there for the 3rd monitor I can only switch it while disabling another one.

Please help me , this is giving me a headache. On Nvidia I had no such problems, I could be using HDMI , DVI and DP to DVI and it would work just fine, hell even VGA worked with 4th monitor.

More about : monitors 280x working

December 1, 2013 11:06:32 AM

Remember one thing you need to check:
You need an ACTIVE DVI->DP adapter. Passive ones won't do the trick.
I think that, basically, what you need is an active miniDP->DVI adapter.
I personally happen to have a 3x1 Eyefinity configuration (HD6950 2GB, 2x20",1x23", 1680x1050 & 1920x1080 respectively) and I use an active adapter. It works perfectly fine under Windows Se7en Ultimate x64.

Usually, when the software detects the screens it means they work - if you can't have them all display image at the same time, it's a matter of cables/adapters /bad card. In your case , you need an active adapter.
I'd buy this if I were you:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
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December 1, 2013 11:26:18 AM

3ogdy said:
Remember one thing you need to check:
You need an ACTIVE DVI->DP adapter. Passive ones won't do the trick.
I think that, basically, what you need is an active miniDP->DVI adapter.
I personally happen to have a 3x1 Eyefinity configuration (HD6950 2GB, 2x20",1x23", 1680x1050 & 1920x1080 respectively) and I use an active adapter. It works perfectly fine under Windows Se7en Ultimate x64.

Usually, when the software detects the screens it means they work - if you can't have them all display image at the same time, it's a matter of cables/adapters /bad card. In your case , you need an active adapter.
I'd buy this if I were you:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...


I understand that, but I think I already have an active cable , I just bought it today to make it work. I couldn't find it on newegg. Its from Roline and the cable is Displayport M > DVI M which goes into a small DP reduction that I got with my GPU and thats definitely passive its just a small plug that goes from mini DP to normal DP. The cable I got cost me about 30 dollars. Its almost like my other DP to DVI cable but heftier and bulkier, looks like an active one to me considering the price , but I might be wrong.
I guess the cable isnt active afterall despite the pricing, maybe its because of the small passive mini-DP to DP adapter?

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Related resources
February 7, 2014 11:22:31 AM

You DO NOT need an active DP adapter, the R9 Series can be set up with 3 monitors without it.

http://www.amd.com/uk/products/desktop/graphics/R9/Page...

i have 3 x 24" IPS monitors with 1 x 280x running eyefinity / extended desktop WITHOUT active display port adapter.

Best answer on a post card plz :) 

Proof : (2x DVI + 1 x HDMI)

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February 28, 2014 4:32:20 AM

The new R9-280X (and 270X) allow the use of Eyefinity without the need for a DisplayPort adapter... output configuration permitting. So in the case of the reference configuration of Dual DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort we can use 2xDVI and HDMI for Eyefinity. There is one caveat on the cards we have tested, the screens and system must be off when connected. Hot plugging displays will not enable Eyefinity without DisplayPort in Windows.
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April 24, 2014 3:56:22 AM

Did you solve this situation? I have a powercooler r9 280x connected with 1 hdmi and 2 mini display but can't get the third display to work, I get the same error, 1 display must be disabled.
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April 24, 2014 6:14:15 AM

Here's a screenshot of my eyefinity set up.



You need to fiddle about with the windows display settings first though to get all 3 displays working in order to get eyefinity working across the 3 screens. - it's really fiddly trying combinations but you'll get there eventually.

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April 24, 2014 8:05:17 AM

Thanks for your reply.

Yes, I have been doing that more than playing with CCC but still no luck, I really can't understand it coz I had it working before just can't remember how I got working. Once I have windows accpeting it I can deal with CCC no problem for eyefinity right now I just want the 3 working with Windows not worried with infinity just yet.
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April 25, 2014 2:52:19 AM

It's immensely frustrating getting windows to utilise the 3rd screen and although it took me hours , i finally got the right combination. Persist and you will get there. - it's a bloody nightmare & should be easier.

If my memory serves me correctly, its getting the right combination of combining the correct 2 monitors together and then extending the display of the final monitor, which monitor to combine first is key.

here are some screenys of the settings i have.

Monitor 1 is HDMI the Monitors 3 & 2 are DVI



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April 27, 2014 7:09:25 AM

If I could see my 3 monitors displying in windows like that I could make them work, the problem is I only see 2 monitores active and windows won't let me extend to third monitor, again this happens with CCC.

I can see 2 monitores all in blue like you and the third one comes up as a smaller box in black, I click in it chose option to extend, apply and get the usual message "unable to save display settings"

I have now made a new installation, updated to 14.4 driver and still the same problem, also tried a different card and same problem... This is the weirdest problem I have seen with no logic whatsoever in my computing time..
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April 28, 2014 9:00:03 AM

You need to set the main display as a different monitor than the one you have currently selected, and work from there extending the other monitors and combining them. i absolutely understand the problem because i had the exact same problem. the 3Rr monitor would never enable and always said "unable to save display settings" - you need to use a different monitor as the main display note that my main display is monitor 3 and monitors 1 & 2 are extended.
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May 2, 2014 3:03:47 AM

Jonathan Cave said:
You need to set the main display as a different monitor than the one you have currently selected, and work from there extending the other monitors and combining them. i absolutely understand the problem because i had the exact same problem. the 3Rr monitor would never enable and always said "unable to save display settings" - you need to use a different monitor as the main display note that my main display is monitor 3 and monitors 1 & 2 are extended.


Hey Jonathan,
Thank you very much for trying to help.
Yes that is exactly what happens to me, but already have tried change all the screens, extend, duplicate, but never get 3 at same time.. I have gave up, just have a 2 displays working and a 3rd monitor looking stupid. Pretty sad about it but nothing I can do I tried everything to best of my ability.

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May 2, 2014 6:05:29 PM

I've re-created the problem and took screenshots of how to fix it.

MAKE SURE YOU DUPLICATE THESE STEPS TO THE LETTER AND NOTICE IN THE PICTURES THE SELECTED MONITOR HAS A BLUE EDGE ALSO MY MAIN DISPLAY IS MONITOR 3.

My config [1 HDMI] [3 DVI] [2 DVI]

1. This is how your displays should look right now (1 redundant monitor)


2. Select 'Duplicate desktop on 1 & 2' for the left screen - DO NOT EXTEND YET YOU FIRST MUST COMBINE THEM TOGETHER!


3.it should now look like this.


4.Select 'extend desktop to 1 & 2'


5. You should then have this.


If this does not work, take a screenshot of how you have it set up like i have and i'll help you further today/tomorrow. DO NOT GIVE UP
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May 2, 2014 7:05:45 PM

If you still can't get it to work after trying the other suggestions....

According to this article the R9 280x does not support true 3 independent monitors:
http://benchmarkreviews.com/10185/xfx-radeon-r9-280x-bl...

The requirement is that either two or three of the monitors must use the same resolution and refresh rate (I think) if all three plugs are using DVI or HDMI.

So, in that case, run all monitors at the same resolution and refresh rate.
In fact, it might even require that all 3 monitors are exactly the same (either in model or in other specs like resolution and refresh rate), but I don't know about this. See here:
http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/asus-r9-280x-...

If so, your only option may be to run the 3rd monitor using a true active adapter like this one:
http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=104&cp_id=10428&c...

It is quite possible the adapter you bought was not active. May I ask what model it is ... or a link to the product on the webpage you bought it from?
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May 13, 2014 3:49:38 PM

any news?
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May 17, 2014 8:42:44 PM

Jonathan Cave said:
any news?


Did you find the solution

I have connected 3 displays at 60 Hertz to the card.

#1 monitor through active adapter Accell B087B-006B listed below
#2 monitor directly to DVI port
#3. Monitor directly to HDMI

While GPU usage goes up due to turning on any game or watching a video. The R9 280x changes the appearance of display endlessly until I press Alt+F4 in other words the system gets busy by shuffling the game image from one monitor to another or making display black.

Is it passable that I need a passive adapter ?

Are you using active or passive one ?

Please answer
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May 19, 2014 11:24:38 AM

Jacobbb said:
Jonathan Cave said:
any news?


Did you find the solution

I have connected 3 displays at 60 Hertz to the card.

#1 monitor through active adapter Accell B087B-006B listed below
#2 monitor directly to DVI port
#3. Monitor directly to HDMI

While GPU usage goes up due to turning on any game or watching a video. The R9 280x changes the appearance of display endlessly until I press Alt+F4 in other words the system gets busy by shuffling the game image from one monitor to another or making display black.

Is it passable that I need a passive adapter ?

Are you using active or passive one ?

Please answer
I sort of doubt the problem is the "active" adapter -- unless it is bad/broken. Using a passive one would probably not help either... in fact, it would probably not even work at all for the 3rd monitor, so don't bother getting a passive one.

However, the cause of this problem is likely very different from the problem zakwild had. It would be a good idea to go ahead and start a new thread specifically for your particular problem with the monitors.
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June 3, 2014 4:02:05 AM

Jonathan Cave said:
I've re-created the problem and took screenshots of how to fix it.

MAKE SURE YOU DUPLICATE THESE STEPS TO THE LETTER AND NOTICE IN THE PICTURES THE SELECTED MONITOR HAS A BLUE EDGE ALSO MY MAIN DISPLAY IS MONITOR 3.

My config [1 HDMI] [3 DVI] [2 DVI]

1. This is how your displays should look right now (1 redundant monitor)


2. Select 'Duplicate desktop on 1 & 2' for the left screen - DO NOT EXTEND YET YOU FIRST MUST COMBINE THEM TOGETHER!


3.it should now look like this.


4.Select 'extend desktop to 1 & 2'


5. You should then have this.


If this does not work, take a screenshot of how you have it set up like i have and i'll help you further today/tomorrow. DO NOT GIVE UP


I'm useing Asus R9 280x matrix, and i try to connect 3 monitor, one 23' wide screen(1920x1080), and two 17' Lenovo L171p and L171 (1280x1024). I try to do as you said.. but i get unable to save display settings.. What can i do?

thanks for the help
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June 5, 2014 11:43:16 AM

viizi78 said:
I'm useing Asus R9 280x matrix, and i try to connect 3 monitor, one 23' wide screen(1920x1080), and two 17' Lenovo L171p and L171 (1280x1024). I try to do as you said.. but i get unable to save display settings.. What can i do?

thanks for the help

If you are using a Displayport to DVI or HDMI conversion cable, that *may* be the cause. (See #8)
There are several things you can try....


1. Try this technique given on a blog online:
Which monitor won't work when you try to enable all 3? Let's assume it's the 23"
* First, enable just one monitor that you can normally get to work in the 3 monitor setup. Then close the settings window. Now 1 monitor is on.
* Next, enable the monitor that is on & the one that gave you trouble. Then close the settings window. Now two monitors are on.
* Lastly, enable the third monitor. Try to apply/close the settings.
2. Try this technique from the second post:
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windows/en-U...


3. Before you go any further, enable each monitor separately, so it is the only one running (do not move the cables while doing this). You want to make sure there is nothing wrong with the ports or cables (or monitors) by testing each one separately.
4. Confirm that the 23" monitor is really 1920x1080. If you have to, look it up on the manufacturer's website or newegg.com. Note that if it is a TV, it may not be true 1920x1080 resolution.
5. Try lowering the resolution on all three monitors as far as it will go. (You may need to lower the the two working monitors and apply before you lower the third.) Does it work? If so, maybe one of the monitors (like the 23") was the wrong resolution?
6. Do not use analog on any monitor (do not use VGA or DVI-I or DVI-A). This picture shows you the different DVI types, if you want to check: http://www.datapro.net/images/dvi-config.jpg
Make sure it is DVI-D (the last column).
7. Instead use this all digital setup:
7a. for your 2c Lenovo L1781p monitors, use either of these cables:
* DVI-D - http://www.monoprice.com/Category?c_id=102&cp_id=10209&...
* HDMI to DVI-D - http://www.monoprice.com/Category?c_id=102&cp_id=10231
7b. for your 23" monitor, use:
* Displayport only (no conversion cables) - http://www.monoprice.com/Category?c_id=102&cp_id=10246&...

8. If your monitor does not have a Displayport port (if it only has DVI or HDMI), then this may be the problem. In order to mix different monitors (and/or resolutions and/or refresh rates), the Asus R9 280x may require the third monitor to use 100% Displayport without conversion to HDMI or DVI. If you need to convert to HDMI or DVI, then you need a special "active" adapter. I suspect the adapter you are using is not an "active" one.
Here's what you need; buy one of these

* Displayport to HDMI "Active" Adapter
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
* If your monitor only has DVI (and not HDMI), then get the adapter and then add an HDMI to DVI cable:
http://www.monoprice.com/Category?c_id=102&cp_id=10231


If none of these solves your problem, you may want to start a new thread.
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June 5, 2014 11:43:36 AM

Jacobbb said:
While GPU usage goes up due to turning on any game or watching a video. The R9 280x changes the appearance of display endlessly until I press Alt+F4 in other words the system gets busy by shuffling the game image from one monitor to another or making display black.
If the three monitors work fine during normal use, but mess up during games or movies, I might wonder if maybe the video card is bad. You may want to start a new post where people can help you diagnose it. If possible, provide the following details:
* what model are all the monitors?
* what cables are they connected with?
*Any more details on when the 3 monitor setup works and when it doesn't, may help.
* What is the exact model and brand video card that you have ... or a link to the product page you bought it from ... or the exact model computer you have if it came with a prebuilt computer.

Also, you might try these and post the results along with the other information:
* Try uninstalling all Nvidia, AMD, and/or Intel graphics drivers and/or software. Then go direcltly to their website and download the latest drivers for your video card and install them.
* Test each monitor by itself. See if each monitor runs fine in games and movies. If none of the monitors work by itself, then you may consider that the video card is bad or there is some software/driver problem. If only one or two monitors have problems, then it may be a failing monitor or bad cable or port on the video card or monitor.
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June 5, 2014 3:02:27 PM

KevinAr18 said:
viizi78 said:
I'm useing Asus R9 280x matrix, and i try to connect 3 monitor, one 23' wide screen(1920x1080), and two 17' Lenovo L171p and L171 (1280x1024). I try to do as you said.. but i get unable to save display settings.. What can i do?

thanks for the help

If you are using a Displayport to DVI or HDMI conversion cable, that *may* be the cause. (See #8)
There are several things you can try....


1. Try this technique given on a blog online:
Which monitor won't work when you try to enable all 3? Let's assume it's the 23"
* First, enable just one monitor that you can normally get to work in the 3 monitor setup. Then close the settings window. Now 1 monitor is on.
* Next, enable the monitor that is on & the one that gave you trouble. Then close the settings window. Now two monitors are on.
* Lastly, enable the third monitor. Try to apply/close the settings.
2. Try this technique from the second post:
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windows/en-U...


3. Before you go any further, enable each monitor separately, so it is the only one running (do not move the cables while doing this). You want to make sure there is nothing wrong with the ports or cables (or monitors) by testing each one separately.
4. Confirm that the 23" monitor is really 1920x1080. If you have to, look it up on the manufacturer's website or newegg.com. Note that if it is a TV, it may not be true 1920x1080 resolution.
5. Try lowering the resolution on all three monitors as far as it will go. (You may need to lower the the two working monitors and apply before you lower the third.) Does it work? If so, maybe one of the monitors (like the 23") was the wrong resolution?
6. Do not use analog on any monitor (do not use VGA or DVI-I or DVI-A). This picture shows you the different DVI types, if you want to check: http://www.datapro.net/images/dvi-config.jpg
Make sure it is DVI-D (the last column).
7. Instead use this all digital setup:
7a. for your 2c Lenovo L1781p monitors, use either of these cables:
* DVI-D - http://www.monoprice.com/Category?c_id=102&cp_id=10209&...
* HDMI to DVI-D - http://www.monoprice.com/Category?c_id=102&cp_id=10231
7b. for your 23" monitor, use:
* Displayport only (no conversion cables) - http://www.monoprice.com/Category?c_id=102&cp_id=10246&...

8. If your monitor does not have a Displayport port (if it only has DVI or HDMI), then this may be the problem. In order to mix different monitors (and/or resolutions and/or refresh rates), the Asus R9 280x may require the third monitor to use 100% Displayport without conversion to HDMI or DVI. If you need to convert to HDMI or DVI, then you need a special "active" adapter. I suspect the adapter you are using is not an "active" one.
Here's what you need; buy one of these

* Displayport to HDMI "Active" Adapter
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
* If your monitor only has DVI (and not HDMI), then get the adapter and then add an HDMI to DVI cable:
http://www.monoprice.com/Category?c_id=102&cp_id=10231


If none of these solves your problem, you may want to start a new thread.


Thanke you for this, i was trying to do everrything that i can. Then i reach local folks, and they said to me that i need active DisplaPort, so again thank you for your replay and i will go and buy a active DisplayPort and hope it will work.

greetings

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August 3, 2014 7:34:00 PM

I know this is an old thread but I signed up just so I could post this in case somebody comes across this problem in the future.

Jonathan Cave is absolutely right, you DO NOT need to use a DisplayPort adapter! Thanks to his posts I am now running 2 monitors and a HDTV on a R9 270 using 2 DVI and a HDMI. I tried for hours and read many conflicting information on the subject before finding this thread. I followed his procedure and it worked for me.

THANK YOU JOHNATHAN CAVE YOU SAVED ME FROM SPENDING $30 ON A UNNECESSARY ADAPTER
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August 4, 2014 3:22:01 PM

Bill Braski said:
I know this is an old thread but I signed up just so I could post this in case somebody comes across this problem in the future.

Jonathan Cave is absolutely right, you DO NOT need to use a DisplayPort adapter! Thanks to his posts I am now running 2 monitors and a HDTV on a R9 270 using 2 DVI and a HDMI. I tried for hours and read many conflicting information on the subject before finding this thread. I followed his procedure and it worked for me.

THANK YOU JOHNATHAN CAVE YOU SAVED ME FROM SPENDING $30 ON A UNNECESSARY ADAPTER

In case you are interested, here is when you need an active Displayport to DVI cable and when you don't for the AMD R9 and R7 cards:
You do not need an active Displayport adapter, if all 3 monitors are the same (or run the same internally).
You must use an active Displayport adapter if all 3 monitors run at different resolutions, refresh rates, (or *maybe* even if they have different internal timings).
You may or may not need an active Displayport adapter if two monitors are the same and the 3rd or 4th are different (without info from other people I can't say for sure, but supposedly this may not be possible).

Note: The above 3 points only apply to AMD's R9 and R7 cards; other cards and brands are different.


Do you suppose you could post the model numbers of the 3 monitors you used?


So, why is this true?

Essentially, the R9 only has 2 internal clocks built into the chip. This is only enough to run two different monitors.
However, the R9 added a special trick that allows it to share a clock signal with more than one monitor that runs the same. This trick allows the R9 to support 3 monitors over HDMI/DVI.

For the R9 , the result is as follows...:
* You can have 3 monitors if all 3 monitors run the same resolution, refresh rate, (and *maybe* other settings like: bit depth, scan type, front porch, sync width, etc?...).
* In theory, it may be possible to run 2 of the same monitors and then a 3rd or 4th monitor that is different... but I don't know if AMD allows this ... supposedly they don't allow this. (However, I would need to hear back from someone that tried it.)
* It is not possible to run 3 monitors if they all have different resolutions, refresh rates, (or *maybe* other settings).

Note: These restrictions only apply to HDMI/DVI. Displayport allows you to bypass these limits and run many more monitors.



This article explains it a little more:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/7400/the-radeon-r9-280x-r...
Quote:
To utilize clock sharing and to drive 3 such monitors off of a single card, all 3 monitors must be timing-identical, which functionally speaking almost always requires the monitors to be completely identical. Furthermore the sharing of the clock generator can only be engaged/disabled upon boot, so the 3rd display cannot be hot-plugged and must be present at boot time.
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August 5, 2014 4:37:48 AM

I'm actually using 2 1080 monitors and a 720 plasma TV. 2 SyncMaster P2770s and a PN51D450A2 TV.
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August 6, 2014 12:22:09 PM

Bill Braski said:
I'm actually using 2 1080 monitors and a 720 plasma TV. 2 SyncMaster P2770s and a PN51D450A2 TV.


Thanks. Yeah; those are definitely different. :)  So I guess that means you can use two monitors that are the same along with a third that is different (on all HDMI/DVI). :)  Although it likely won't work if all 3 monitors are different, this is still a useful, since it would probably work for a lot of computer setups.

However, to be sure, can you confirm your cable setup?

1. Did you buy this video card or another model?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

2a. Are you only using HDMI or DVI cables for all 3 displays (no converters)? That video card only has 2 HDMI/DVI ports, so, unless you bought a different card, what did you do for the 3rd monitor?

2b. If you used a Displayport to HDMI/DVI cable... would you mind giving a link to the product page where you bought it or mention the model and store you got it from?
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August 8, 2014 7:07:48 AM

1. No, the op had a 280, I have a MSI R9 270 Gaming Edition

2. My card has 2 DVI ports and a HDMI port so I'm running straight cable. I can confirm that using a DVI-HDMI adapter will not work if you want to run 3 monitors without the displayport.
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August 8, 2014 6:09:20 PM

Bill Braski said:
1. No, the op had a 280, I have a MSI R9 270 Gaming Edition

2. My card has 2 DVI ports and a HDMI port so I'm running straight cable. I can confirm that using a DVI-HDMI adapter will not work if you want to run 3 monitors without the displayport.

Sorry about that.

Thanks for the info. So, it seems two monitors that are the same and a 3rd monitor that is different is also allowed on the R7 and R9. Thanks for confirming that.
(So, if some sites were wrong about this, could they also be wrong about support for other monitor setups? :)  although 3 different ones is probably still not possible on HDMI/DVI.)
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August 9, 2014 4:54:11 AM

i cant get the 3 monitors to work either but only on the latest version of the drivers 14.7
i found that if i downgrade the drivers to 13.12 it works perfectly
and i can use the cross fire as well.
has anyone found how to get the latest version of the drivers to work yet?

currently using 3 x 1200*1920 res monitors
2 x dp
1 x d-dvi

running 2 x r9 280x graphics cards
crosshair v formula z amd board
amd 8350 processor
windows 7 64bit
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August 9, 2014 6:05:19 PM

Found something interesting on the Sapphire page. Apparently, they actually say if 2 of the monitors are the same you can have 3 monitors on only DVI/HDMI.
Quote:
To support 3rd monitor without DisplayPort cable connected, 2 of the 3 monitors should be the same model with DVI ports connected. The driver version should be v13.12 or above.

http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentation/product/produc...

Interestingly, the drivers matter too.


purple penguin said:
i cant get the 3 monitors to work either but only on the latest version of the drivers 14.7
i found that if i downgrade the drivers to 13.12 it works perfectly
and i can use the cross fire as well.
has anyone found how to get the latest version of the drivers to work yet?

currently using 3 x 1200*1920 res monitors
2 x dp
1 x d-dvi

running 2 x r9 280x graphics cards
crosshair v formula z amd board
amd 8350 processor
windows 7 64bit


I really don't know the answer. The Crossfire setup makes things a little different, but it should still work. However, I think other people have had problems when getting new drivers too.

Apart from sticking with the older drivers, some things you could try:
* Try Jonathan Cave's suggestion here. Maybe after messing with those settings several times (and rebooting a few times) you can get it to work again.
* Use this program to remove all AMD and Nvidia graphics drivers: http://www.guru3d.com/files-details/display-driver-unin... or manually try removing all the files. Then re-install the very latest driver version. There's a good chance some old files from the previous version is causing the problems.
* Make sure all 3 monitors are connected to the "primary graphics card" from here: http://support.amd.com/en-us/search/faq/20 There was also a thread that mentioned something similar here: here.
* Go into each monitor's menu and force it to use DVI or Displayport (depending on which it is connected to) instead of auto-detecting.
* Make sure all 3 monitors are enabled to run when the computer and Windows starts up.
* Test each monitor individually and make sure each is still working by itself with that particular plug and cable.
* Try using 2 monitors on DVI and HDMI, and the 3rd on Displayport instead. http://support.amd.com/en-us/search/faq/21

* Maybe ask on the AMD forums, file a support request with AMD, and file a support request with your video card manufacturer to see why it doesn't work with the new drivers or if they have any suggestions to get it to work. (Although, there is a good chance you won't get any good information out of this though. :( )
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August 10, 2014 1:08:23 AM

KevinAr18 said:
Found something interesting on the Sapphire page. Apparently, they actually say if 2 of the monitors are the same you can have 3 monitors on only DVI/HDMI.
Quote:
To support 3rd monitor without DisplayPort cable connected, 2 of the 3 monitors should be the same model with DVI ports connected. The driver version should be v13.12 or above.

http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentation/product/produc...

Interestingly, the drivers matter too.


purple penguin said:
i cant get the 3 monitors to work either but only on the latest version of the drivers 14.7
i found that if i downgrade the drivers to 13.12 it works perfectly
and i can use the cross fire as well.
has anyone found how to get the latest version of the drivers to work yet?

currently using 3 x 1200*1920 res monitors
2 x dp
1 x d-dvi

running 2 x r9 280x graphics cards
crosshair v formula z amd board
amd 8350 processor
windows 7 64bit


I really don't know the answer. The Crossfire setup makes things a little different, but it should still work. However, I think other people have had problems when getting new drivers too.

Apart from sticking with the older drivers, some things you could try:
* Try Jonathan Cave's suggestion here. Maybe after messing with those settings several times (and rebooting a few times) you can get it to work again.
* Use this program to remove all AMD and Nvidia graphics drivers: http://www.guru3d.com/files-details/display-driver-unin... or manually try removing all the files. Then re-install the very latest driver version. There's a good chance some old files from the previous version is causing the problems.
* Make sure all 3 monitors are connected to the "primary graphics card" from here: http://support.amd.com/en-us/search/faq/20 There was also a thread that mentioned something similar here: here.
* Go into each monitor's menu and force it to use DVI or Displayport (depending on which it is connected to) instead of auto-detecting.
* Make sure all 3 monitors are enabled to run when the computer and Windows starts up.
* Test each monitor individually and make sure each is still working by itself with that particular plug and cable.
* Try using 2 monitors on DVI and HDMI, and the 3rd on Displayport instead. http://support.amd.com/en-us/search/faq/21

* Maybe ask on the AMD forums, file a support request with AMD, and file a support request with your video card manufacturer to see why it doesn't work with the new drivers or if they have any suggestions to get it to work. (Although, there is a good chance you won't get any good information out of this though. :( )







Thanks for taking the time to ans. I wil try some of these later next week once the computer has been rebuilt and let u know how it went.
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August 11, 2014 8:17:41 AM

Sorry to hijack the thread, but this seems to be the only active one at the moment in regards to this. I have been looking for a specific answer to this, but no-one has actually asked this question.

Most r9 cards follow the reference and thus come with two dvi outputs. One of the timing generators serves one of the dvi ports and the second one is then shared between the second dvi and the hdmi port.I can confirm that this works as I just had an XFX card in my system with dual dvi and did not need an active adapter. ( 2 monitors dvi to dvi and 1 monitor hdmi to dvi). This worked perfectly (however the card is faulty and must be replaced.)

I am now looking for a second r9 280x to replace the faulty one and have come across some (gigabyte/msi) which do not have two dvi outputs. My question is as follows, if a card only has one dvi and one hdmi output, is it possible to share one of the timing generators with a dvi output by using a passive mini display to dvi converter and therefore still drive 3 dvi monitors?

I want to do this as I do not want to use an active adapter ( I already have one that I use with two 7970s I currently have in the system), that tear due to the sync issues one of the monitors really bugs me.

I would like to assume that a passive adapter would work because all cards should have the same timing generators and the card would just see the connection as another dvi, but what holds me back from purchasing one of those cards is that none of the manufacturers that don't include two dvi ports mention anything about running the three displays, having same monitors...etc.

I obviously have 3 identical monitors, so that would not be an issue, but I am still worried if I buy a card without dual dvi outputs, I might be stuck using the active adaptor and the the eyefinity tear.

Just on the side, I currently have two 7970ghz in my system and they crossfire perfectly with the r9 280x, so it is a great idea if you already have a 7970 to crossfire it with a 280x in order to gain the ability to drive 3 monitors without that annoying tear.
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August 11, 2014 10:05:53 AM

sgt_jimbo said:
Sorry to hijack the thread, but this seems to be the only active one at the moment in regards to this. I have been looking for a specific answer to this, but no-one has actually asked this question.

Most r9 cards follow the reference and thus come with two dvi outputs. One of the timing generators serves one of the dvi ports and the second one is then shared between the second dvi and the hdmi port.I can confirm that this works as I just had an XFX card in my system with dual dvi and did not need an active adapter. ( 2 monitors dvi to dvi and 1 monitor hdmi to dvi). This worked perfectly (however the card is faulty and must be replaced.)

I am now looking for a second r9 280x to replace the faulty one and have come across some (gigabyte/msi) which do not have two dvi outputs. My question is as follows, if a card only has one dvi and one hdmi output, is it possible to share one of the timing generators with a dvi output by using a passive mini display to dvi converter and therefore still drive 3 dvi monitors?

I want to do this as I do not want to use an active adapter ( I already have one that I use with two 7970s I currently have in the system), that tear due to the sync issues one of the monitors really bugs me.

I would like to assume that a passive adapter would work because all cards should have the same timing generators and the card would just see the connection as another dvi, but what holds me back from purchasing one of those cards is that none of the manufacturers that don't include two dvi ports mention anything about running the three displays, having same monitors...etc.

I obviously have 3 identical monitors, so that would not be an issue, but I am still worried if I buy a card without dual dvi outputs, I might be stuck using the active adaptor and the the eyefinity tear.

Just on the side, I currently have two 7970ghz in my system and they crossfire perfectly with the r9 280x, so it is a great idea if you already have a 7970 to crossfire it with a 280x in order to gain the ability to drive 3 monitors without that annoying tear.




Hey. Well I use 2 r9 280x twin frozr msi which have the single dvi, 2 dp and 1 hdmi and I am able to use any combination to gwt 3 displays working. But only as long as I use the 13.12 drivers
And stability wise I have no issues.
My current combination is 2 dp to dvi and a straight dvi connector.
And as far as the cards go upgraded from a 7950 and the performance was a good jump. Only probs with the cards are I have the version which is not compatible with water Cooling. So if water Cooling is an issue for you. Watch what series you buy as you might have compatibility problems.

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August 11, 2014 2:16:17 PM

sgt_jimbo said:
My question is as follows, if a card only has one dvi and one hdmi output, is it possible to share one of the timing generators with a dvi output by using a passive mini display to dvi converter and therefore still drive 3 dvi monitors?

Well, you pretty much understand most of it. Suffice to say, I am not 100% for sure, but I suspect that it should work (but I don't know enough to say for sure). Definitely try different plug combinations if you can't get it to work right away, in case the sharing (hardware and/or drivers) is picky.
Anyways, you might as well give it a shot; since, even if it doesn't work, an "active" mini Displayport to DVI adapter is only around $20: http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=104&cp_id=10428&c...

purple penguin said:

My current combination is 2 dp to dvi and a straight dvi connector.
Do you suppose you could mention the model Displayport to DVI adapter you used or give a link to the product page?


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August 12, 2014 1:23:28 AM

Quote:
Anyways, you might as well give it a shot; since, even if it doesn't work, an "active" mini Displayport to DVI adapter is only around $20: http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=104&cp_id=10428&c...


I could always use an active dp adapter (and I do have one already), but then it would generate it's own timing (at least that's how I understand it) and it would be out of sync with the other 2 monitors.

The cable on amazon does not mention that it is active and given the price I would say it isn't. In addition i think if he was using active adapters then he would be getting a tear in at least one of his monitors.

Quote:
Hey. Well I use 2 r9 280x twin frozr msi which have the single dvi, 2 dp and 1 hdmi and I am able to use any combination to gwt 3 displays working. But only as long as I use the 13.12 drivers
And stability wise I have no issues.


Do you have any eyefinity tears with your current setup?
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August 12, 2014 1:25:37 AM

Not sure how to quote multiple messages at once like you guys did so that last message was a bit messed up. Sorry
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August 12, 2014 1:51:00 AM

i'm running eyefinity on sli at a res of 3600*1200 with the cables i've stated. all connected to the same card.
i have not noticed any tears but it does tear if you put all the settings to max on games like assassins creed 4. but you would expect that since they aren't top of the range cards. i can play the game with mid to high settings with no lag or tear.
my monitors are 3* samsung syncmasters 24" max res 1920*1200
for watching films or 3d modelingi have not noticed any tears or the monitors going out of sync.
this set up seems to be stable for me. i have used this set up for the last 3 months with no complaints.

the only time this set up has given me bother is when you try to use the latest drivers. and if i use the latest drivers for 2 monitors then i get the odd tear or lag/monitors going out of sync for a few milliseconds.
i have tried loads of different combinations for multi monitoring but this one for me seems to give the best results. just a pity the drivers are not very good.
from my experience you can get rid of most of the little faults by using older versions of the drivers. v13.12 works for me but you might have slight issues with them depending on hardware.
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August 12, 2014 4:46:08 PM

purple penguin said:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00GX5Y87W/ref=oh_au...

this is the DP to DVI adapters that i use and had no problems with

Thanks. Sadly, I can't tell if it is passive or active. It does seem like it might be a "passive" one considering the price and that the active ones are often (if not always?) pretty short. "Active" adapters are generally more like $20 from other companies (vs $10 for that one).

The reason I asked is because this has an effect on certain monitor setups. If the adapters are active, then you are using 1 DVI and 2 Displayport outputs. If the cables are passive, you are using 3 DVI outputs.

sgt_jimbo said:

I could always use an active dp adapter (and I do have one already), but then it would generate it's own timing (at least that's how I understand it) and it would be out of sync with the other 2 monitors.

The cable on amazon does not mention that it is active and given the price I would say it isn't. In addition i think if he was using active adapters then he would be getting a tear in at least one of his monitors.

Sorry, didn't know you had one already.
I doubt the adapter will have an effect on screen tearing, since that is usually an issue related to the video card (or other component) being too slow to output a constant 60 FPS... (which purple penguin seems to have mentioned in his reply). No matter which cable you chose, you will probably still get screen tearing in some games due to the video card not being able to keep up (but this will affect all the monitors).
Of course purple penguin did mention a few issues he's had with drivers and whatnot... and I guess fewer conversions is ideal.


However, you did mention your concern about the conversion process an "active" adapter uses. While I don't really know the answer, I can give you some info to consider. Some of this you already know, but maybe it will help others too.

* As you know, DVI and HDMI use a TMDS to make the cable work. You can only have as many monitors as you have TMDS on the video card. Current generation Nvidia cards have 3 TMDS, I think. AMD 7xxx has 2 TMDS. AMD R7 & R9 also have 2 TMDS, but can share them with similar monitors (so they support more than 2 monitors).
* TMDS only limits the DVI and HDMI ports, not Displayport. You can add many more monitors using the Displayport plugs. Displayport supposedly uses some type of packet system (like networking, but without the error correction maybe?? could be wrong on this)

* What if you use a Displayport to DVI/HDMI cable? If HDMI/DVI are so different from Displayport, how does this cable even work?
Well, oddly enough, the cable does not "convert" the signal from Displayport to HDMI/DVI.
Instead, the Displayport specification includes a special "compatibility mode" for HDMI and DVI: the cable simply switches to DVI or HDMI. So, if you connect a Displayaport to HDMI/DVI cable, the system will send a HDMI or DVI signal instead of a Displayport signal. As you might guess, this means you run right back into the TMDS limit, which limits the number of monitors you can have. (Side note: This type of setup is limited to single link DVI, due to something about not enough pins for dual link DVI. So, you are limited to monitors somewhere around 1920x1200@60Hz.)

* Now, the "active" Displayport to HDMI/DVI adapter you were referring to includes a chip inside it like this one:
http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/slas583a/slas583a.pdf
The chip does an actual conversion of the Displayport signal into HDMI or DVI signal. To do this, the converter actually includes an extra TMDS or whatever. The result, is that the video card outputs a real Displayport signal, then the converter converts it to DVI or HDMI (and includes an extra TMDS) for the monitor. So, with this type of converter, you can add more HDMI or DVI monitors beyond the TMDS limit your video card has. (Side note: Some single link DVI active adapters can be quite cheap (less than $20), but the dual link DVI active adapters, are still quite expensive I think).


Anyways, a lot of that you may have known ... and it doesn't really address your question ... but looking from that, I don't think anything there should cause screen tearing (unless there is some weird thing about the monitor having to communicate with the video card, which is then used to sync the frames differently??)
However, now that you brought it up, I do wonder if converting the signal might delay the screen slightly. It's possible this conversion process could affect input lag on that particular monitor. (It may affect the time it takes for the changes to show up on that monitor). However, it may be so minor that you can't even notice a difference between monitors ... or maybe it could be noticeable between the different monitors... I just don't know.
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August 14, 2014 4:25:03 AM

KevinAr18 said:

However, now that you brought it up, I do wonder if converting the signal might delay the screen slightly. It's possible this conversion process could affect input lag on that particular monitor. (It may affect the time it takes for the changes to show up on that monitor). However, it may be so minor that you can't even notice a difference between monitors ... or maybe it could be noticeable between the different monitors... I just don't know.


This indeed does happen and it is actually the tear that I am referring to, sorry if perhaps I didn't explain myself properly as to what tear I was referring to. I believe this is termed an "Eyefinity tear" It still happens between monitors that are exactly the same, and is actually visible at any given time (you can just drag any open window across the desktop to appreciate this).

I have purchased a new 280x with 2 dvi outputs and so I have not yet tested it out for myself, but I assume Purplepenguin would have noticed and mentioned this on-screen tear if it had been present on one of his monitors.

Ultimately I guess that sharing (not exclusive use) of a clock generator is not hardwired or limited to just dvi and hdmi ports and that the card would autosense a dvi output on the display port and assign the generator to it.

Of course, as always, the sharing can only happen upon cold boot.

It would be really cool though if somebody actually confirmed this as a fact, at least for all those prospective eyefinity buyers, as I know I was unable to find explicit information about this anywhere on manufacturers' websites and forums.
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October 3, 2014 2:32:23 PM

Hope somebody is still able to help in this thread.

I am having the same problem as the original OP. I have a R9 280x with the same 3 monitors and cant get the 3rd monitor to work.

Tried to follow the steps decribed by Jonathan, but when I try to duplicate the monitors Windows doesnt let me save the config.

I was able to make the third monitor work with a DP to VGA adapter though. The problem I had with this option was that after trying to configure eyefinity, Windows reports problems in the VGA monitor, saying it is incapable of high resolutions (even though it was in full HD before the eyefinity).

At the moment AMD catalyst is at version 13.12, as someone mentioned it could be an issue with the new driver.

Help?
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October 14, 2014 2:20:47 AM

I have a r9 280x eyefinity setup without any active dp adapters (all screens are dvi), the only thing you need to do is not use the default windows monitor management, but the amd catalyst.
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October 14, 2014 6:21:54 AM

nooneisback said:
I have a r9 280x eyefinity setup without any active dp adapters (all screens are dvi), the only thing you need to do is not use the default windows monitor management, but the amd catalyst.


Do you mean you havent used the Windows management at least to make the third monitor active? I understood that you have to make the 3 active via Windows and then use Catalyst only to create the eyefinity group.

Am I wrong? Should I try to activate the third monitor via Catalyst first?

Thx
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12 minutes ago

Holy crap this thread exploded.

So, after looking at everyone's advice. I've come to one realization. There are two problems with my situation, that should solve the issue.

MOST LIKELY -> Due to the fact that my LG monitor is 2560x1080 while the other two are 1920 x 1080, the LG must be using either HDMI by itself, or Displayport, while the other 2 monitors, are both running off DVI. This is all based on the theory that it should work with 2 dvi + 1 HDMI. the science behind it is the amount of languages that the GPU can produce & convert at the same time. It can't produce HDMI or DVI data stream through the displayport on it's own, which is why it needs the active adapter.

Possible solutions that I am going to try, starting from the first thing I'm trying, to the last.

Step 1 -> getting a Displayport cable from C2G that is VESA certified. I will try that with that hooked up to my LG monitor and the other two monitors will be on HDMI/DVI. this SHOULD solve the problem per AMD's specs and all the info I can find about how eyefinity works.

IF this doesn't work, I'm going to try the double-DVI/HDMI method, put the 2 side monitors both on DVI->HDMI, and the LG on HDMI alone.

If these two things don't work, I'm going to be very upset, because from what I'm reading, i've tried literally everything else and these are the only 2 options that work for people.

From what I've read, it all has to do with the type of data that the GPU has to produce to send video to your displays. It can do 3 , but it can't convert the displayport data on it's own.
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