Eyefinity connection issues

[Fingersniffer]

I have searched for an answer but I cannot seem to locate one pertaining to my particular questions.

I am getting ready to purchase 2x 7970's on 3 monitors and I have some questions as the information I read seems to conflict with one another and there seems to be a fair amount of debate on the matter and I need some clear answers to better make a choice. My video card and monitors are listed at the bottom of the post.

Questions:
1. Does Eyefinity require that I run all 3 monitors from a single card in a dual card setup? I would prefer to run all DVI connections to my three monitors 2x DVI form card 1 and 1x DVI from card 2. If the answer to this question is YES then I would like to know the preferred method of connection.

2. I have read that using at least one Displayport is required but I'm unsure if this also applies to dual card setups, with this comes the question of needing an active adapter to hook up to it. My question is if the card and monitor both have display ports will I still require an active adapter?

I will be making these purchases within the next 48 hours so please give me clear answers to my questions.

XFX Double D FX797GTDFC Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

Ports
1 x HDMI
2 x Mini DisplayPort
2 x DVI

ASUS VE258Q Black 25" 2ms HDMI LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor w/Display Port & Speakers 250 cd/m2 50,000,000:1 ASCR

Ports
1x D-Sub
1x DVI
1x Displayport
1x HDMI

 

[H-street]

just a quick google search and all of the answers say you have to have all 3 monitors hooked upto 1 card.. so that most likely means you'll have to use a Dp->dvi adapter.

The monitors you hvae listed are 1920x1080 and you can most likely use a passive adapter (active adapters are needed for > 1920x1200)

make sure you look on this list http://support.amd.com/us/eyefinity/Pages/eyefinity-dongles.aspx i've bought 3 or 4 and all off that list and never had any problems..

it really isn't that bad. Or just use the display port on the monitor, you won't even need an adapter but if you want to use one then just get the passive

 

[pandora's box]

First Question: Yes all displays must be connected to the first card in a crossfire setup. If you can try and connect them all to the same type of connector (all display port is your best bet for this). The reason being is if you mix connection types, you will get tearing on the one monitor that isnt connected via the same cable as the other 2. (If you have 2 of the monitors connected via display port, and one via dvi, the dvi monitor will be prone to tearing) This is due to the different clock rates between dvi and displayport connections.

Second Question: If the card and the monitor both have display port, you just need a regular display port cable, no active adapter. And yes one display must be connected via display port.

MSI is the only manufacturer to release a card with 4x mini display ports on the back.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ANKM60E/?tag=extension-kb-20

In regards to the tearing on the one monitor: Its more obvious on the windows desktop when moving a window around on the monitor that tears. Gaming I do not notice it at all as its not the center monitor. You can prevent tearing on the desktop by disabling Windows Aero.

 

[257Tony]

1. All monitors must connected to the main GPU, even in multi card setups.

2. At LEAST 1 of the monitors must a Display Port connection from the GPU.


Look at the Sapphire cards, they generally come with everything you need to get going with Eyefinity, active DP to DVI adapters, and xfire bridges.

 

[rtangwai]

just a quick google search and all of the answers say you have to have all 3 monitors hooked upto 1 card.. so that most likely means you'll have to use a Dp->dvi adapter.

The monitors you hvae listed are 1920x1080 and you can most likely use a passive adapter (active adapters are needed for > 1920x1200)

make sure you look on this list http://support.amd.com/us/eyefinity/Pages/eyefinity-dongles.aspx i've bought 3 or 4 and all off that list and never had any problems..

it really isn't that bad. Or just use the display port on the monitor, you won't even need an adapter but if you want to use one then just get the passive

Passive adapters have nothing to do with the resolution. You can use passive adapters *IF* you are using less than 2 DACs for other connections (VGA, DVI, HDMI). If you are hooking up more than 2 monitors and none of them have Displayport then you need an active adapter. There are 2 kinds of active adapters, single-link and dual-link. The single-link is used for resolutions up to 1920x1200 in DVI and cost about $30CDN. The dual-link are used for higher resolutions like 2560x1600 and cost typically $75-$100CDN.

The Sapphire FLEX series are the exception to the rule, they have the additional circuitry on the card itself to connect three non-Displayport monitors directly without the need for adapters (active or passive).

Since the OP is buying Displayport monitors he will not need *ANY* adapters, just cables.