# CrossfireX - Dual monitors w/ HDMI



## Styrbaek (Apr 19, 2010)

Hey.

I'm thinking about buying my 2nd XFX Radeon HD5770 and going Crossfire with 2 monitors. Would it be possible to connect to two GPU's with a crossfire brigde, connect a HDMI in one of the GPU's to a HDMI splitter with 1 input - 2 output. And then connect two monitors in the 2 output ports in the HDMI splitter?

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Intel Core i7 860 2,8GHz - XFX Radeon HD 5770 1GB - 8GB Corsair XMS3 1600MHz - 1,5TB WD Caviar HDD - Fractal Design Define R2


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## sniperchang (Apr 19, 2010)

Wouldn't that just clone the monitors? If not then it might work as long as you don't connect a third monitor to the same graphics card (based on the fact that these graphic cards have two timing circuits for DVI or HDMI).

I'm pretty sure you can connect one monitor to one card's HDMI, and the other one on the other card's HDMI.

Someone may need to back me up here...


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## Aastii (Apr 19, 2010)

sniperchang said:


> Wouldn't that just clone the monitors? If not then it might work as long as you don't connect a third monitor to the same graphics card (based on the fact that these graphic cards have two timing circuits for DVI or HDMI).
> 
> I'm pretty sure you can connect one monitor to one card's HDMI, and the other one on the other card's HDMI.
> 
> Someone may need to back me up here...



using a splitter would just clone it yes.

So far as I know when you go in SLI or crossfire it makes the cards act as one, making only the connectors on the "main" card output signal, so I don't think it would be possible to use the DVI outputs on both cards.

I don't understand why you can't use 2 of the outputs on one of the cards, just get an adapter if it is needed. If it has say 1xHDMI, 1xDVI, 1xVGA and you have 2xDVI monitors, get a HDMI-DVI adapter and it should work and stretch the image over both monitors


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## sniperchang (Apr 19, 2010)

Aastii said:


> using a splitter would just clone it yes.
> 
> So far as I know when you go in SLI or crossfire it makes the cards act as one, making only the connectors on the "main" card output signal, so I don't think it would be possible to use the DVI outputs on both cards.



I'm almost certain that you can actually connect across different GPUs in crossfire recently. Maybe that's CrossfireX or something I'm not sure.

EDIT: No I think you're right



Aastii said:


> I don't understand why you can't use 2 of the outputs on one of the cards, just get an adapter if it is needed. If it has say 1xHDMI, 1xDVI, 1xVGA and you have 2xDVI monitors, get a HDMI-DVI adapter and it should work and stretch the image over both monitors



Oh ya, that would probably work best, good call :good:


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## Aastii (Apr 19, 2010)

sniperchang said:


> I'm almost certain that you can actually connect across different GPUs in crossfire recently. Maybe that's CrossfireX or something I'm not sure.
> 
> EDIT: No I think you're right
> 
> ...



If you can use both connectors when in crossfire with the newer cards I am ready to be wrong but I thought it was still the same; the only way you are able to use both sets of connectors is to run both cards independantly in the same system


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## sniperchang (Apr 19, 2010)

Aastii said:


> If you can use both connectors when in crossfire with the newer cards I am ready to be wrong but I thought it was still the same; the only way you are able to use both sets of connectors is to run both cards independantly in the same system



Yes you can definitely do that.

I did a quick search, and it seems that most of the time people say that you can't enable crossfire without loosing output of one card. So it seems that you were right.


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## joh06937 (Apr 19, 2010)

Aastii said:


> using a splitter would just clone it yes.
> 
> So far as I know when you go in SLI or crossfire it makes the cards act as one, making only the connectors on the "main" card output signal, so I don't think it would be possible to use the DVI outputs on both cards.
> 
> I don't understand why you can't use 2 of the outputs on one of the cards, just get an adapter if it is needed. If it has say 1xHDMI, 1xDVI, 1xVGA and you have 2xDVI monitors, get a HDMI-DVI adapter and it should work and stretch the image over both monitors



that would probably be the best route. let's hope they someday manage to make a driver that enables output from both cards while in crossfire (if even possible)!!


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