Topic 'Re: video cards with 4 outputs' in forum 'PC Hardware Discussion/Reviews' - dslreports.com

Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 01:39:29 EDT

Juke Box posted : I like the Gigabyte 7870. It has 1 DVI, 1 HDMI and 2 mini Displayports.
»www.gigabyte.us/products/product···&dl=1#ov

I had thought about going Eyeinfinity but when it came down to shopping for additional monitor, I opted for a Viewsonic Graphic Series VG2732m-LED Black 27"
»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···24116508
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Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 13:40:17 EDT

aurgathor posted : Moving into a bigger room that has more space and a big bench....

Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 11:16:51 EDT

Octavean posted : How are you making more space?

Multi-monitor stand mount,...?

Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 14:11:45 EDT

aurgathor posted : I kinda doubt it would be any different with Eyefinity -- seems to me the main restriction is that "there are only 2 TMDS controllers" as mentioned on the other page. I should receive my DP to VGA and DP to DVI adapters early next week, and that should make it good for 3 monitors (2x 1200x1024 portrait & 1x 1920x1200 landscape), and if I really want that 4th monitor, I can just use a PCI card. (Currently I only have space for at most 2 monitors, but in couple of months I should have much more space)
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Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 05:30:51 EDT

norwegian posted : I remember reading here an active adapter might help that cause, not a standard adapter, but I was under the impression 4 ports would not work - slightly misleading to the consumer.
I'm also assuming you have not tried Eyefinity and it's particulars either in your first tests?

I think it works on these as importance and in this order:
1. Displayport
2. HDMI
3. DVI

The software allows the extra port but not true 4 ports / screens. Hence the need for the twin processor cards we were posting.
It is a little misleading thinking 4 ports will give you 4 screens all of their own resolution on these 6xxx and 7xxx series cards.

Look forward to your analysis to prove or disprove this as I've only done research and haven't the spare funds to buy and test myself.
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The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing - Edmund Burke

Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 03:42:36 EDT

aurgathor posted : I finally did some tests to determine what works and what doesn't.

Seems to me of the two DVI & one HDMI only two can be used concurrently, even if one of the DVI is used with a DVI to VGA adapter. :(
Furthermore, HDMI has priority over DVI -- if I connect a monitor via HDMI when both of the DVI are in use, one of the DVI connection will be disconnected.

I haven't tried Displayport (need to find my cable :p) but according to AMDs FAQ, that should work regardless of the rest.
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Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 17:46:31 EDT

norwegian posted :
Look forward to more. It also may help others answer a similar question down the road.

Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:20:49 EDT

aurgathor posted : I've received the card yesterday. It is big. I won't be able to do much testing before Sunday (and need to pick up 2 monitors from my storage first), but here's a couple of tidbits:
a) the cards power usage in idle is roughly the same as an old Nvidia 6600GT's (as measured with Kill-A-Watt)
b) the install program for XP sucks -- at some point it garbled my display midway the install and never restored it -- I waited about 30 mins so install could complete, then had to powercycle my PC .... (install was OK under win7/64) [will post a picture of it later]
c) the AMD SW in general isn't very polished -- when I click on check for SW update, it just takes me to AMD's website -- guys, this isn't the 20th century any more. :p
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Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 03:21:21 EDT

n_w95482 posted : Ah, there you go. Let us know how it works :).
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KI6RIT

Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Sat, 10 Nov 2012 18:36:43 EDT

aurgathor posted :

said by n_w95482:

That card only has one DVI connection.

Ooops, wrong link. :( :p

I actually bought an XFX card, as per attached segment from the invoice.
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Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Sat, 10 Nov 2012 16:03:28 EDT

n_w95482 posted : That card only has one DVI connection. If you want to try what you're suggesting, you'll need a passive DisplayPort to DVI adapter. At that point, you might as well get an active one to guarantee it'll work.
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KI6RIT

Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Sat, 10 Nov 2012 00:02:11 EDT

norwegian posted : I've not played with Eyefinity, and not sure if it will allow screens to be individual as such, it seems more a tool for gamers to use multi-screens from my interpretation.

If your happy to have 3 and add another older card to get 4 then you will be set to go, as I'm sure 3 monitors is not a problem with newer cards as you suggest. These are the things sitting on the other side of the world can't pick up with diagnosis.

Can you reply though when you get time and let us know if you can set up 4 screens without Eyefinity, or if you need it and you still are allowed 4 separate functioning screens etc without them all "molded as game mode" or not?
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The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing - Edmund Burke

Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 23:47:23 EDT

aurgathor posted : As per AMD's FAQ (quoted above) this card should allow me to have 3 monitors -- 2x DVI and 1x DP, no buts, ifs or maybes. 4 is rather doubtful, but I can't lose anything by trying.

I have probably over a dozen PCI video cards, so I can use one of those for that 4th video. As a matter of fact, I have 3 or 4 dual video PCI cards (they may not work with XP or later, however, in dual video mode since they're from the Win9x / NT 4.0 era :p )

In any case, this is what AMD GPUs can support, but with a few exceptions I don't think many actual cards support the maximum possible number of displays:

quote:

Up to 6 displays
============
AMD Radeon™ HD 7900 Series
AMD Radeon™ HD 7800 Series
AMD Radeon™ HD 7700 Series
AMD Radeon™ HD 6900 Series
AMD Radeon™ HD 6900M Series
AMD Radeon™ HD 6800 Series
AMD Radeon™ HD 6800M Series
AMD Radeon™ HD 6700M Series
AMD Radeon™ HD 6600M Series
AMD Radeon™ HD 6500M Series
ATI Radeon™ HD 5800 Series

Up to 5 displays
============
AMD Radeon™ HD 6700 Series
ATI Radeon™ HD 5700 Series

Up to 4 displays
============
AMD Radeon™ HD 6600 Series
AMD Radeon™ HD 6500 Series
AMD Radeon™ HD 6400M Series
AMD Radeon™ HD 6300M Series

Up to 3 displays
============
AMD Radeon™ HD 6400 Series
ATI Radeon™ HD 5600 Series
ATI Radeon™ HD 5500 Series
ATI Radeon™ H

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Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 23:08:42 EDT

norwegian posted :

said by aurgathor:

Since I'll be using one of the DVI connector with a DVI to VGA adapter, I should be able to test if I can use 2x DVI and 1x HDMI concurrently.

I think you will find 1 of those ports will need an Active DisplayPort Adapter to have them all working. There was a discussion here a while back with a 3 screen setup - not sure though.

Here's a couple of links in case you need to trouble shoot.
»Building 4-monitor system; Need motherboard/video pointers
»How Run Three Monitors? Win 7
»Building 4-monitor system; Need motherboard/video pointers

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The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing - Edmund Burke

Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 21:07:51 EDT

aurgathor posted : Thanks for all for the suggestions -- at the end I decided to modify my requirement slightly: 2xDVI, 1x HDMI and 1x DP -- and there were many hits for this one. I decided to go with the XFX CORE Edition FX-777A-ZNF4 Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition mostly because it was the cheapest of many similar cards ($100 after MIR) The other finalist was the 5 DP XFX , but the GPU was a generation older, plus I would've needed 3 adapters, so the total cost would've been almost twice as much. (but I would've gotten this if it had a 7770).

Since I'll be using one of the DVI connector with a DVI to VGA adapter, I should be able to test if I can use 2x DVI and 1x HDMI concurrently.

I presume that we'll see a lot more 'lower end' cards with all (or mostly) DP connectors within a couple of years, so there should be a next time with a newer GPU.

Edit: fixed link -- it's an XFX, not a Saphire
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Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 04:44:01 EDT

norwegian posted : There are 4 there with DDR5 ram if required, 2 on 560 and 2 on 680 gpus. Quite interesting. The 1 I posted seems a mix of all worlds; I've not seen them previously either and considering the lack of decent supply at present I'd be happy with an overseas purchase of a card like these for multi screen; Nvidia too which is a bonus, as I'd prefer to stay away from ATI/AMD personally - no real reason, I seem to have more fun with Nvidia over AMD/ATI drivers.

As for aurgathor 's needs I'm not sure. You can only but try.

Side note:
I wonder if card like this or the more serious workstation cards form Nvidia and physX off a second card would perform if the software was CAD or something similar scientific wise. There is certainly some power out there if you have the cash and needs.
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The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing - Edmund Burke

Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 21:43:22 EDT

n_w95482 posted : Neat card :). I think that brand isn't sold in the US though, so it would have to be purchased from an overseas reseller.
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KI6RIT

Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 18:15:05 EDT

norwegian posted :

said by aurgathor:

.......and the most preferred configuration would be: 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x DP.

For all of the cards with this configuration they were either too expensive, had 2 power plug needs or were out of stock.

Sorry I could not find 1 card in stock of this configuration that suited your needs. This close to Xmas, I'm surprised at the "All out of stock" for the type of cards you are after.
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The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing - Edmund Burke

Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 08:58:04 EDT

norwegian posted :
This one looks interesting:

KFA2 MDTX4 - GeForce GT 610 1GB DDR3
»www.kfa2.com/MDTX4610.shtml
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The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing - Edmund Burke

Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 06:01:32 EDT

norwegian posted : Seems a lot of them are out of stock.

These did pop up, however I'm not sure on the Galaxy item, it doesn't sound 4 monitor, but 2 extended monitor design. The bottom is a vga card. Didn't think all the cards I'd seen of late would be out of stock....timing I guess.

»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···14129172
»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···14162083
»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···14139055

»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···4139037R

On another note, wouldn't just supplementation with an Active DisplayPort Adapter get you on all 4 ports of 50% cards without looking over my unusual list?
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The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing - Edmund Burke

Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 22:21:03 EDT

n_w95482 posted : Just as an FYI, newer cards sip power when idle, even the high-end ones. I had around a 70-80w decrease in idle power usage when upgrading from my Radeon HD4870 to my 6970, and the 7750 and up use even less when on extended idle. I know it doesn't help with your situation much, but I just wanted to throw that out there for others :).
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Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 22:07:20 EDT

aurgathor posted : As I've already mentioned, high end cards are out of question:
a) I don't do any gaming -- so the extra horse power would get wasted
b) I don't want to pay the extra for a high-end video cards
c) I don't want to pay for the extra electricity either
d) the PC has only one 6 pin connector (though I could probably use a Y-adapter)
e) the PS could be borderline for high-end cards
For the above reasons, 7770 or a comparable card is the absolute max, and the most preferred configuration would be: 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x DP.
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Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 21:45:38 EDT

aurgathor posted : Hmmm, a somewhat pricey, but rather interesting card. Tried to look on XFX's site if they have a newer version -- however, it's the *worst* product page I've ever seen -- I have no idea what their web designers are doing, but I'd fire them on the spot. :p
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Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 04:20:02 EDT

n_w95482 posted : If you get active DisplayPort adapters, it gets around the problem. They've come down a lot in price from a year or so ago. Here's one.

A few months ago, I found a really neat single-slot 6770 on Newegg that had 5 mini DisplayPort outputs. It's discontinued on there, but can be found elsewhere online.
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Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 21:02:15 EDT

Octavean posted : Yeah, I was going to say that I have an HD 6870 with four outputs. DVI (DL), DVI ( SL), HDMI, mini DisplayPort and mini DisplayPort. I'm running a triple 27" setup off it ( DVI, HDMI, Mini DisplayPort) but I believe it'll do four.

Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 17:16:32 EDT

norwegian posted : This suggests a card can run 4 screens - 6870, 6970:
»www.amd.com/us/products/technolo···-up.aspx

»www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/···w.aspx#2
»www.amd.com/US/PRODUCTS/DESKTOP/···iew.aspx

Both list specs but the 6970 has this specifically:

AMD Eyefinity multi-display technology
Native support for up to 4 simultaneous displays
Up to 6 displays supported with DisplayPort 1.2 Multi-Stream Transport
Independent resolutions, refresh rates, color controls, and video overlays
Display grouping
Combine multiple displays to behave like a single large display

Setup guide (pdf)

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The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing - Edmund Burke

Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 12:13:55 EDT

FizzyMyNizzy posted : Nvidia does 3+1
But for single gpu. you will need GTX670 and up.
»www.geforce.com/hardware/technol···irements

I pick 2D Surround.

quote:
GeForce GTX 670 Single GPU With 2D Surround(Landscape)
> Orientation: Landscape
> Accessory Display: Yes, no additional GPU
> Maximum Resolution: 7600x1600
> Maximum Resolution (Bezel Correction): 8192x1600
> Maximum number of displays: 3 in Surround
1 Accessory Display

special Instructions:
> Any connectors can be used to enable Surround.
> Once Surround is enabled, users can use
any connector for the Accessory Display.

Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 12:00:57 EDT

aurgathor posted : Yes, I do know that both DVI & HDMI use TMDS, but didn't know the cards come with only two. :(

From »www.amd.com/us/products/technolo···aqs.aspx I got the following:

quote:
What are the basic requirements for connecting multiple displays?

Connecting multiple monitors for AMD Eyefinity technology couldn’t be simpler. There are four easy rules to remember:
1.The first two monitors can connect to the graphics card with any display output on your product: HDMI, VGA, DVI or DisplayPort.
2.The third (or greater) display must be connected to the graphics card via DisplayPort.
3.If your monitor does not have a DisplayPort connection, you will need an inexpensive active DisplayPort adapter for it. DVI to DP adapters can be had for less than $30 USD.
4.Every family of GPUs supports a different maximum number of displays.

The above quote seem to imply that unless I get that MST hub (currently made of unobtainium) I'm limited to 3 monitors total, even though one monitor would have to be VGA (I have 3 PCs hooked up to a VGA KVM and they all share a 1920x1200 monitor). I have several 19" monitors with VGA/DVI, but only one with DP. (and due to the KVM, I use that monitor via VGA :p )

I wonder if using one DVI with a VGA adapter (as commented above) would allow me to use the other DVI and the HDMI port -- that contradicts with AMD's FAQ, but they may just left some of the finer details out.

I searched for cards that has 2xDVI, 1xHDMI, 2xDP, but only some 6850 or better and some 7850 or better cards have that configuration -- but due to power consumption, I don't want to get anything 'better' than 6770 or 7770.
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Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 04:42:19 EDT

n_w95482 posted :

said by Da Man:

One of the displays would have to use a VGA connection since there are only 2 TMDS controllers.

This. Just to expand on it a bit, TMDS is used for HDMI and DVI, so you could have two DVI, one HDMI/one DVI, etc. If DisplayPort 1.2 MST hubs were around, you could have gone down that route with a 7770 and some DP monitors.
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Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 23:20:48 EDT

Da Man posted : One of the displays would have to use a VGA connection since there are only 2 TMDS controllers.

Re: video cards with 4 outputs

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 22:06:20 EDT

FizzyMyNizzy posted : I hope this helps:

Eyefinity:
»www.amd.com/us/products/technolo···ity.aspx

How to setup Eyefinity:
»www.amd.com/us/products/technolo···-up.aspx

video cards with 4 outputs

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 20:47:42 EDT

aurgathor posted : I see that some 6770 & 7770 based video cards have 4 outputs, usually 2x DVI, 1x HDMI and 1x Displayport.

Are they all independent of each other? Meaning that in theory I could connect up to 4 monitors with a combined resolution of up to 7680 x 1200, for example.

TIA
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