3rd monitor

[ingeborgdot]

How can I or can I make this work. I have a dual screen setup on this computer and need a third for a projector. I have an XFX 7870 video card with an ASRock Z87 Extreme 4 motherboard with a Xeon E3-1245 V3 CPU. It has HDMI out and in. Is it possible to hook up the third monitor(PJ) or not? Thanks.

 

[KingFatty]

Can you describe how your current dual monitor setup is connected?

One way is to connect the 3rd display to your motherboard video output, and your dual monitors to your video card.

Another way is to connect all 3 displays to your video card, but you will need an active single-link displayport adapter (typically costs $30), assuming the supported resolution is 1920x1200 or less.

 

[ingeborgdot]

I have one in the hdmi, one in the display port and am trying to push the other one out to DVI? What would you recommend? The Projector I am using is a Sharpvision Z10000.

 

[KingFatty]

So is the HDMI and displayport both on your 7870 video card?

How specifically is the displayport connection between the monitor and the computer - meaning, do you use an adapter, and what kind? If the adapter is active or passive, that will make a difference.

Let's assume it's passive. Then you can connect the 3rd display to the video-out of your motherboard, instead of the video card. So you'll have the existing dual-display on the 7870, and add a 3rd monitor using the motherboard video out. Have you activated the motherboard's video output?

Let's assume your displayport adapter is active. Then you can connect the 3rd display anywhere it would fit, either on the 7870 or the motherboard.

 

[ingeborgdot]

Okay, a little change in plans. I will see if I can explain it decently. I have my two monitors and my pj screen. I am planning on using the 2 mini display ports just because they seem to be my best option. Then I will use my HDMI as the 3rd port used. What I will do is hook up one monitor with HDMI direct. Then I will take on mini DP and I have an HDMI adapter which will hook into the other monitor with HDMI. Easy, right? Well, here is where I need some more advice. I will then come out of the 2nd mini DP and have an HDMI on the other end of the cable and hook it up to the Pioneer receiver I have. There is only one HDMI out on the receiver but here is what I want to do UNLESS one of you real smart people (me not included) has a better idea. I want to take the HDMI out and run it into a DVI splitter and run one connection to the PJ, and one to one of my monitors. You say, why to one of your monitors? Well, in order to run these receivers and use the services they provide you need to have a screen to see otherwise they are pretty useless. Will this work? What would you do differently? I am sure some of you have a much better way of doing what I want to do. I just need to hear it. Will any of these need to be active? Thanks.

 

[KingFatty]

Your solution will add the expense of an active displayport adapter for each minidisplayport you use.

Are you opposed to using the existing extra video outputs on the motherboard?

If you use the motherboard outputs, that should give you 2 outputs, and then you'll have 2 more outputs from the discrete video card. So that's 4 outputs without needing to buy any displayport adapters. I think that would save the most money.

But if you already have active displayport adapters, then it would seem easiest to use only the video card outputs, and not worry about the motherboard's video card outputs?