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2 x HD 6870 question/eyefinity

R

reality99

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 22, 2008
Messages
171
I'm upgrading my rig and plan on getting two 6870s to run 5-6 monitors. My question is about the configuration options I would have. I have done a lot of looking around and can't find a lot on eyefinity/multiple monitor support with these card so any help is appreciated.

-Can I run either 2-3 cards on eyefinity on one card and the other monitors individually on the other card?
-I am not planning on SLI (mainly because none of my monitors are DP and I don't want to spend a fortune on active adapters)
-Is a DP always necessary to use for eyefinity or if I only use 2 monitors can I connect both to card 1 via DVI in eyefinity?
-If I want to use the monitors individually (as separate displays) on card 2, do any have to use the DP or can I use 2xDVI+HDMI? [from my understanding a passive DP adapter is fine as long as its not for eyefinity?]

I know this is a lot of questions but any help answering any of them is really appreciated!
 
ANY monitors beyond 2 WILL need to either natively support DisplayPort or you need an active DisplayPort to DVI/HDMI adapter. For up to 1920x1200 these go for about $30, for 2560x1600 they go for $100 or more.

You can spread the monitors evenly across cards, to a maximum of two if you don't want to use DisplayPort adapters. Remember, EACH card can support up to two non-DP monitors, but if you have two cards, you can connect four in total, and so on.

You will have to spend at least $60 for two adapters, if you use two cards and want to connect 6 monitors. It does not matter if they are running on CrossFire or not, if Eyefinity is activated or not (all it does is merge all monitors into a single big virtual one, like ol' monitor hubs we've had for a long time).

Alternatively you can get two Saphire Flex 6950, which supports two monitors on DVI and another on HDMI, because it uses an onboard chip to convert a DP link to HDMI (basically it has the DP -> HDMI/DVI active adapter onboard).
 
Thank you very much for your answers! It is very helpful!
New question then, do you think one 6970 would be a better idea than 2 6870s?
I know I would only be able to use 5 monitors since none can daisy chain but thats fine. Or if I wanted to use more can I use a nVidia card I already have at the same time or will the drivers not play nicely?
Can I have 3 monitors on eyefinity and 2 as individual monitors on the same AMD card?
 
reality99 said:
Thank you very much for your answers! It is very helpful!
New question then, do you think one 6970 would be a better idea than 2 6870s?
I know I would only be able to use 5 monitors since none can daisy chain but thats fine. Or if I wanted to use more can I use a nVidia card I already have at the same time or will the drivers not play nicely?
Can I have 3 monitors on eyefinity and 2 as individual monitors on the same AMD card?
Click to expand...

There are 6950 and 6970`s with 4 DisplayPort outputs and two DVI, like ASUS DirectCU II. 2x6870 are likely faster than a single 6970, I'm not exactly sure, wait for someone more knowledgeable about CrossFire to answer.
 
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