Eyefinity

itsanss

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Howdy,

Just built a new computer. One of the new toys includes an HD 5870 GPU. I bought a 27" LG monitor to compliment my new machine. Watching videos of triple monitor game play just about has me hooked. lol I'm confused on needing a DisplayPort. Is it not HDMI? Basically, I would like to know if I can get two more of these LG 27" monitors in the future (when I get the $) to run in Eyefinity.

Also, I haven't seen any videos of movie watching on triple monitors. Is this mostly for gaming rather than movies?

Thanks!
 

AdioKIP

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For eyefinity to work currently you can not use the HDMI port. You must use the 2 DVI ports and 1 Display port. You can get an active display port to DVI adapator but it MUST be an active adaptor (usually powered over USB) not a passive adaptor. Right now the adaptors are running about $100 and not many retailers have them. ATI failed to mention this in all there marketing, its mostly in the fine print...

I've been running a 3 monitor setup for almost 2 years now and have been waiting for something like eyefinity to come along. Been doing alot of research and will be switching out my 2 4850's within a month. I'm running 3 DVI monitors so I had the same question as you so have been doing alot of research before the switch.
 

itsanss

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So, since my dispay doesn't have a Display Port and my HD 5870 doesn't either, I would have to get two adapters for each end of an HDMI cable?

My display has 1 DVI port, 1 D-Sub port, and 1 HDMI.

HD 5870 has 2 DVI and 1 HDMI.

One DVI to one monitor, other DVI to another monitor, and then a Display Port adapter for the last one?

Thanks
 

ragsters

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The HD5870 has 2 x DVI, 1 HDMI and 1 Display Port.
 

Hatchet

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I saw a video of Eyefinity on 24 screens with 4 video cards, I don't know how they did that, 4 cards would only have a total of 12 video outputs. Did they split the dual-link DVI into 2 signals?

I'm sitting here flabbergasted that they enabled this awesome technology but simultaneously created this hangup with the displayport for the third monitor. I've been looking at options and not many monitors have displayport input.

Here is the video I was refering, about halfway through they show the mess of cables on the back but I don't know what's going on there:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6Vf8R_gOec
 

paperfox

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There will be two versions of the hd 5870. One (yours) has 2 DVI, 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort. The other is the Eyefinity version which has 6 miniDisplayPort. All of the screens in your youtube video appear to be using just miniDisplayPort to DisplayPort adapters and DisplayPort cables to each of the monitors. Im also beginning to think that you will need 6 monitors that have DisplayPort inputs in order to use the Eyefinity 5870... If not then youd need 6 of those active converters at ~$100.
 

itsanss

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They do have Display Ports, duh! Of course I knew my own card had that. I was just testing ya'll. lol

Thanks for all the posts, guys! Very informative, and way cool!

I am accepting donations to buy two more monitors. I'll get ya'll details on who to make the checks to, oh, and I accept PayPal. :)