How to connect multiple monitors to a AMD FirePro

Question

I have a AMD FirePro V3900 (ATI FireGL) video card that according to AMD's site (http://www.amd.com/us/products/workstation/graphics/ati-firepro-3d/v3900/Pages/v3900.aspx#1) should let me use up to 5 monitors. The card itself has one dual-link DVI and DisplayPort™ 2.1 port on it.

Can anyone please recommend what cables/converters I need to get to get this card to my montiors? I'm trying to connect it to two Dell U2410 monitors which have both DVI-D and DisplayPort inputs and two Dell 2209WA monitors with DVI-D inputs. So far my google-fu has failed me.

Thanks

Solution

This card utilizes the DisplayPort 1.2 signal to do daisy-chaining of monitors. This is direct from the fine print on the product page (emphasis mine):

The AMD FirePro V3900 can support 5 HD (1920x1080) displays using AMD Eyefinity and DisplayPort™ 1.2 multi-streaming technologies (4 x 1920x1080p DisplayPort displays + 1 x DVI) and requires DisplayPort 1.2 multi-streaming-enabled monitors and/or hubs.

I suspect you could probably do four 1920x1200 monitors daisy-chained as well (the spec should allow it, but as it doesn't officially support that there's no guarantee). You should be able to do two 2560x1600 in that manner, but no more.

To do the multi-stream daisychaining, you'll either need DisplayPort hubs (supposedly these exist but I have yet to actually see one for sale!) or supported monitors - these will have a "DisplayPort out" for the upstream connection and are only just really hitting the market now. Those U2410s you have are very nice though, so I might be hard pressed to suggest you replace them with U2413s (recently announced, which should support this).

If you do have the proper hardware, it's as simple as daisy-chaining four monitors to the DisplayPort and the fifth to the DVI.

Comments

[Admin]

This is one of many available. 3 port DisplayPort Hub: evga.com/products/Product.aspx?pn=200-DP-1301-L1

[William Hilsum]

Randomly clicked this answer... started saying "I WANT" over and over again in my head!

[uxout]

Honestly, most folks are better off not bothering. However, if you're in the market for new monitors anyway...!

[Zain R]

That sucks. I was really hoping someone could point me to a DisplayPort hub

[uxout]

@Zain - I would love to find one that's actually shipping myself - they've been "coming in the next few months" for a year and a half now...