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I'm having the problem that only 2 monitors seem to work simultaneously. Right now I have these monitors:

  • Samsung SyncMaster S24B350 (VGA to DVI adapter)
  • Samsung SyncMaster P2450H (DVI to DVI)
  • Iiyama E2483HS (HDMI to DP cable)

and this setup:

  • Sapphire R9 270X
  • Windows 8.1
  • Latest drivers (according to AMD driver autodetect)

The Iiyama one is the one I'm trying to add to the setup. However it only works when I remove another screen.

When I look at my config this is the view I get (the not detected display is the onboard VGA adapter):

enter image description here

When I try to change it to 'extend desktop to this display', I get the "The display settings could not be saved. Please try a different combination of display settings." message.

In my search for an answer I have come across the statement that I need an active HDMI to DP adapter.

This is the cable I have:

enter image description here

Am I correct in assuming this is a passive one and that this is where the issue is located?

If not: what suggestions do you have to fix this?

Community
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Jeroen Vannevel
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3 Answers3

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To use more than 2 screens on an AMD card, at least one screen must use a (true) DisplayPort connection. Your cable is indeed a passive adapter (utilizing the HDMI fallback mode on DP+). As such, this is not a true DisplayPort connection.

Active adapters (or "converters") are usually advertised as such. Unfortunately, there are quite some low-quality products on the market that may not work. I suggest to go by Amazon ratings to improve your chances of finding a good one. This one looks decent enough.

Also, take note of the different plug sizes. Due to Apple's use of Mini-DisplayPort, these are the most common adapters.

Daniel B
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  • I have ordered an active adapter and will receive it monday, I'll get back to you to let you know how the situation is then. – Jeroen Vannevel Feb 22 '14 at 19:48
  • After I plugged in the HDMI cable together with the active HDMI-to-DP adapter I didn't get any vision and both my pre-existing screens restarted every 10 seconds. What could cause this? – Jeroen Vannevel Feb 24 '14 at 11:47
  • Which adapter did you buy? Feel free to link to your local store. – Daniel B Feb 24 '14 at 11:51
  • http://www.computerstore.be/product/330946/club-3d-displayport-naar-hdmi.html – Jeroen Vannevel Feb 24 '14 at 11:53
  • Unfortunately this adapter, expensive as it may be, appears to be passive. The DP++ logo also hints at this. The store does not have any active adapters on sale. – Daniel B Feb 24 '14 at 12:05
  • Geez. Alright, I guess I'll be sending that one back. Considering Amazon's one-month delivery times I'll accept (and award bounty) to your answer in a few days; I'll get back to this once I've received it. – Jeroen Vannevel Feb 24 '14 at 12:12
  • Received my active adapter a few minutes ago: plugged it in, detected all displays in the screen resolution config window, activated the new desktop and rearranged it a little. Works perfectly now. Thanks a lot for the constant followup help! – Jeroen Vannevel Mar 07 '14 at 13:37
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Not sure if you have already seen this before, but an answer from justanswer might be useful for you:

When using mini DisplayPort-to-singlelink DVI adapters, quad output is divided into two pairs (displays 1 and 2, and displays 3 and 4). The displays used in each pair must be identical (with the same manufacturer and model number) and must be identically configured (with the same resolution)...

Source - Post by Shauqat about half way down the page.

Matthew Williams
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  • I'm using a (normal) DP to HDMI adapter so it's not entirely the same. I don't know for what types of adapters this applies though but I'll keep it in mind. – Jeroen Vannevel Feb 20 '14 at 15:26
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Have you tried connecting one screen to the on-board graphics? Not the best option for gaming, but if performance isn't paramount, and your main goal is just having three monitors, it might be worth a try. There may be a setting change to be made in the BIOS to (re)enable the on-board graphics.

I've done such a thing on windows 7 and had 4 monitors running, 2 from an AMD HD6850, and 2 from the Intel integrated graphics.

As far as the active vs passive adapters, there's this page: http://support.amd.com/en-us/recommended/eyefinity-adapters

Smithy
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