Can you run 3 monitors on a reference Radeon 6450 card?

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blastingcap

blastingcap

Diamond Member
Sep 16, 2010
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Not on that card, no. You want a card that says Eyefinity on the box or in the specs. But even then, you would probably need an active displayport adapter ($25+ for the single-link version that goes up to 1920x1200; a cheapo "passive" one won't do the job) unless one of your monitors comes with a displayport connector natively.

I didn't even need to go that far, though--the moment I saw the photo of the card, I knew it wasn't capable. It lacks a displayport.
 
blastingcap

blastingcap

Diamond Member
Sep 16, 2010
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Ah you are right, I foolishly thought Amazon's spec text was useful. Shame on me. It said Eyefinity but I don't see a DP port on it, either.

Here are is one, with some bad reviews though:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125358

You may be better off just going to the Used/For Sale sections of forums, or ebay, or craigslist, and looking for a used 5450, 5570, 6450, or 6570 with displayport.

EDIT: The one I linked to up there may be nerfed, where you can't use all three ports at the same time (2xHDMI + DP).
 
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borisvodofsky

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Feb 12, 2010
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blastingcap said:
Ah you are right, I foolishly thought Amazon's spec text was useful. Shame on me. It said Eyefinity but I don't see a DP port on it, either.

Here are is one, with some bad reviews though:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125358

You may be better off just going to the Used/For Sale sections of forums, or ebay, or craigslist, and looking for a used 5450, 5570, 6450, or 6570 with displayport.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure NONE of those cards will support 3 monitors. :(
 
blastingcap

blastingcap

Diamond Member
Sep 16, 2010
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OP does your mobo support a video out? If it does, then you could probably get a cheap regular video card like a GeForce 210 or Radeon 5450, and use that video card to run 2 monitors and the mobo can take the third.

The potential problem with this is that it is not true Eyefinity/Surround. You would have an Extended Desktop (giant fused 2D resolution), which is great for productivity, but you will not be able to "fuse" them all into one giant resolution for 3D gaming.

But it sounds like you don't do 3D gaming, so it may not be a problem for you.
 
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lopri

lopri

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Jul 27, 2002
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Even if he doesn't play games, those $50 cards are awfully inadequate for multi-display purposes. I couldn't even put up with one of those on a single display due to bad image quality and frequent lags just handling Windows Aero.

And according to AnandTech's HD 5450 review:

We should note that only cards with a DisplayPort will support Eyefinity, which means that if a vendor decides to equip the card with an HDMI port instead, they have to give up Eyefinity to do so. We expect to see some cards with HDMI for the HTPC crowd, but at this point we don’t have any idea as to how many there will be. DVI-to-HDMI adaptors still work here, so we may see vendors spend a bit more money and go that route instead.
Click to expand...

http://www.anandtech.com/show/2931/2

And HD 6450..:

Our sample card is equipped with four 4Gbps Samsung GDDR5 modules running in 16-bit mode, adding up to the 64-bit bus we see on the 6450. Display connectivity is the same as in past AMD low-profile reference cards, featuring a DL-DVI port and a full size DisplayPort on the card, while a VGA port is at the top of the bracket attached to the card via a ribbon cable. The 6450 can drive up to three displays, including three displays through DP1.2 and an MST hub. For HTPC purposes we’d expect to see some cards replace the DisplayPort with an HDMI port.
Click to expand...

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4263/amds-radeon-hd-6450-uvd3-meets-htpc/2

So it's unlikely that card supports 3 displays.
 
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borisvodofsky

Diamond Member
Feb 12, 2010
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lopri said:
Even if he doesn't play games, those $50 cards are awfully inadequate for multi-display purposes. I couldn't even put up with one of those on a single display due to bad image quality and frequent lags just handling Windows Aero.

And according to AnandTech's HD 5450 review:



http://www.anandtech.com/show/2931/2

And HD 6450..:



http://www.anandtech.com/show/4263/amds-radeon-hd-6450-uvd3-meets-htpc/2

So it's unlikely that card supports 3 displays.
Click to expand...

Lag when handling windows Aeros??? Dude, come on, we're well beyond aeros here. :whiste:
 
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holden j caufield

Diamond Member
Dec 30, 1999
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I'm embarrassed to say I'm running running a 6 year old FireGL V5000 ito power dual 1920. These should run ok I think. Might free up a PCI slot for a third.
 
lopri

lopri

Elite Member
Jul 27, 2002
13,310
687
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Well, no reason for embarrassment. You have a FireGL which is a workstation card, which means it's built as one even though it's old. Compared to that, those entry-level cards are meant for entry-level systems, and thus the manufacturers don't want to spend more than the majority of market demand. Each additional output device costs them more (better PCBs, more electrical traces, more components, whatever) for them while vast majority of demands come from single-display consumers. So naturally the competition pushes them toward cost-cutting and less functionality, but at the same time prices get lower as well.
 
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shortylickens

shortylickens

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Jul 15, 2003
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blastingcap said:
Here's one for $34.99 after rebate:

http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Radeo...dp/B004XLPJNK/

Obviously suitable for only 2D use when connected to 3 screens. Though you may be able to play old games (like, from 2004) on a single monitor with it.
Click to expand...

Yeah theres quite a few reviews on the 6450. It will definitely play Unreal Engine 2 games quite well, and according to benchmarks it can also get 30 fps in newer stuff like Just Cause at high detail.
 
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