Widescreen Gaming Forum

Hi, I'm looking to setup a 6 screen system using a HD5870 Eyefinity-6 edition. All the screens have HDMI input *only*, no DP / DVI etc.

I read this thread:
http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=16942
which answered many questions regarding the need for passive/active adapters and DP vs DP+ ports etc. However the thread was aimed specifically at DP->DVI conversion.

I understand that HDMI and DVI are electrically compatible, but this would require extra adapters, which I am trying to avoid, based on reports (some in the above thread) that mention adding more converters/adapters could cause issues with the video signal.

Having consulted the official AMD Validated Eyefinity dongle list here:
http://support.amd.com/us/eyefinity/Pages/eyefinity-dongles.aspx
there are indeed many adapters listed, however, they seem to fall into 3 separate categories, that is:
- Active
- Passive
- No mention of either

This would not be a problem if there was a MiniDP->HDMI dongle listed that was stated to be ACTIVE, however none exist. The only ACTIVE dongles listed are MiniDP / DP -> Dual Link DVI, sending me back to my original problem of having to introduce extra adapters to compensate. Does the lack of an ACTIVE adapter for anything other than a Dual Link DVI connection imply that they are not needed for other connections (HDMI/VGA/Single Link DVI)?

If anyone has any suggestions they would be most welcome. To re-iterate, I'm looking for an ACTIVE MiniDP->HDMI adapter (if it exists at all..) to use in conjunction with 6 screens and a HD5870 Eyefinity 6 edition.

Thanks.

EDIT:
After managing to speak with AMD tech support (UK), they informed me that there was no need for an ACTIVE adapter when using HDMI as the signals are compatible. Needless to say I find the answer rather dubious given the similarity between DVI and HDMI signals, so will probably ask for an email confirmation. In the meantime, is anyone else able to shed some light on this issue?

The real answer is that you can use the one mini-dp to hdmi adapter that comes with the E6 card. Then you can use a mini-dp to dvi adapter and then use a dvi to hdmi adapter. Nextly use the 4 Active SL Mini-DP to DVI adapters and use DVI to HDMI adapters on those.

_________________
System Core: | Intel Core i5-2500K + ASUS P8Z68-V + 16GB Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1333 MHz | Win7 x64 | MSI R7970 Lightning 3GB [1105/1400] |
Display: | 3 x Dell Ultrasharp 3007WFP-HC @ 7680x1600 | Dell u3011 |

The real answer is that you can use the one mini-dp to hdmi adapter that comes with the E6 card. Then you can use a mini-dp to dvi adapter and then use a dvi to hdmi adapter. Nextly use the 4 Active SL Mini-DP to DVI adapters and use DVI to HDMI adapters on those.

Thanks. This makes _much_ more sense than what I heard from AMD. Infact, after calling back (the US office this time) they informed me that what I was told before was nonsense and that I do indeed need an ACTIVE adapter for HDMI, but that, to their knowledge, none exists! Fantastic.

They suggested the exact same configuration as you did (i.e. MiniDP->DVI then DVI->HDMI), however, reiterated that this was not a setup guaranteed to work due to the extra adapter that is involved. Seeing as this seems to be the only path open to me, I don't have much choice. However it does leave me with four more questions:

1) Have you / anyone else used a setup that works with a daisy chain of adapters such as the one described above?

2) You mentioned using an "Active SL Mini-DP to DVI" adapter. Any idea where I can pick one of them up? Looking around, I can only seem to find Active SL adapters that are DP->DVI (not Mini-DP). such as this one:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-250-SP

3)There is of course the Active MiniDP dual link version such as:
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/dell-bizlink-active-displayport-to-dvi-%28dual-link%29-adapter-1080p-ready
Would this work the same as an Active SL adapter such as in point[2]? (Wikipedia seems to suggest yes).

4) If I went with the DP->DVI (as in point[2] above), I would be forced to buy a MiniDP->DP converter, making a total of 3 adapters per MiniDP (12 in total!). To the best of your knowledge, would this work?

i.e. MiniDP--->DP | DP--->DVI | DVI--->HDMI

Thanks again for the advice. I'll report back with any further info once everything arrives and I start putting things together.

1) Have you / anyone else used a setup that works with a daisy chain of adapters such as the one described above?

Yes, I've used daisy chained adapters, as long as it's digital signals all the way through, it should be fine.
(DP, DVI, HDMI all digital Signals)

2) You mentioned using an "Active SL Mini-DP to DVI" adapter. Any idea where I can pick one of them up? Looking around, I can only seem to find Active SL adapters that are DP->DVI (not Mini-DP). such as this one:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-250-SP

Lemme Drop this article: SL Adapter WIKI
I haven't really searched for them in the wild, but they exist. you may also try MonoPrice.

3)There is of course the Active MiniDP dual link version such as:
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/dell-bizlink-active-displayport-to-dvi-%28dual-link%29-adapter-1080p-ready
Would this work the same as an Active SL adapter such as in point[2]? (Wikipedia seems to suggest yes).

Those adapters have a ton of issues, but yeah it would work. I'd do some research in the eyefinity forum before hand.

4) If I went with the DP->DVI (as in point[2] above), I would be forced to buy a MiniDP->DP converter, making a total of 3 adapters per MiniDP (12 in total!). To the best of your knowledge, would this work?

i.e. MiniDP--->DP | DP--->DVI | DVI--->HDMI

Yes it would work.

_________________
System Core: | Intel Core i5-2500K + ASUS P8Z68-V + 16GB Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1333 MHz | Win7 x64 | MSI R7970 Lightning 3GB [1105/1400] |
Display: | 3 x Dell Ultrasharp 3007WFP-HC @ 7680x1600 | Dell u3011 |

Thanks very much for the the reassuring answers! I've gone with the (seemingly) only available option and ordered 4 of the active DP->SL DVI [overclockersUK] adapters as suggested, to be used as per point [4] in my previous post.

Lemme Drop this article: SL Adapter WIKI
I haven't really searched for them in the wild, but they exist. you may also try MonoPrice.

I've looked around a bit more and did indeed find one on the Accel website, but unfortunately I can't find it anywhere to purchase online. On the AMD site (where there exists the list of validated adapters), this one is listed with a status of "coming soon"[amd.com]. But, seeing as the card itself came with 4xMiniDP->DP adapters, I imagine there wouldn't be much need/demand for it.

Also, thanks for linking the article in the wiki - it was incredibly useful and wish I'd come across it earlier (not sure how I missed it). I think it would be a good idea if the link were added to the Eyefinity FAQ (the one from the left-hand menu) to make it easier to find.

When (if?) everything works, I'll post the exact setup for anyone who is experiencing similar problems.

Thanks again.

No problem, glad I could be a help.

_________________
System Core: | Intel Core i5-2500K + ASUS P8Z68-V + 16GB Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1333 MHz | Win7 x64 | MSI R7970 Lightning 3GB [1105/1400] |
Display: | 3 x Dell Ultrasharp 3007WFP-HC @ 7680x1600 | Dell u3011 |