CrossfireX and Multi-Monitor Setups

[TheFamilyMan]

Hello's around to everyone. Here's my setup and question:

Just installed 2 5870's in Xfire and it's up and running smoothly with most recent ATI drivers (at work right now and cannot remember the version off the top of my head).

I've got the following monitors hooked up: 1 Dell 30", 1 Dell 24", 1 46" wall-mounted LCD. I've got the desktop extended from the 30" to the 24" for normal browsing/productivity. I clone the output when needed to the 46" when needed as well.

My question is that when I'm gaming in a title that takes advantage of the Xfire setup, I lose the ability to watch videos on the 24"/46". If I click over to the extended part of the desktop, the game minizes and the video begins. When I move back over to game, the video freezes but sound keeps going.

My thinking is that I'm going to need to get another vid card to drive the secondary display...am I correct? I can put a old 5770 that I have lying around or toss in a 7950GX.

Suggestions or will my setup allow me to do what I want and I just haven't hit upon the right settings yet?

Many thanks in advance to those that read/respond/input.

 

[Reincus]

That's normal operation. What I do is put the game in windowed mode, maximize the window, then play a movie in the other screen.

 

[superccs]

I have a Dell 24" LCD and a Hitachi 1080P HDTV running off a single 8800Gt and I can view my extended desktop while gaming, even watch movies on the 2nd monitor while gaming. Have you tried swapping witch card drives your 2ndary monitors? or just rearranged the connectors used on each card?

 

[NoQuarter]

Ok I'm assuming what you have is the 30" and 24" hooked up to 1 card and the 46" hooked up to the 2nd card?

Thing is, when running in CrossfireX mode you lose the ability to output on the 2nd card so if this is how you have it hooked up make sure the one you want output movie to is on the main card.

Next if you want to full screen the video you need to use Media Player Classic and go into Options -> Playback -> Output, find the Full Screen Monitor drop down box and select the display you want it to output to (not 'current', but 'Hitachi'). It's the only way to get 2 apps in full screen at the same time because normal Windows will think only one of them should be full screen.