Hey all, and merry Christmas 
So I need some advice on what my next move should be on boxing day for a triple monitor setup on a 1GB 7850. Before I get into the meat and potatoes of the post I'll mention that I understand I'll have to tone down game settings to medium or lower with a single 7850 at 5760x1080 in order to attain an acceptable fps. I don't mind a lower texture quality, no antialiasing etc. as IMO gaming at 5760x1080 with less than or equal to medium settings will be more enjoyable than 1920x1080 at extreme settings. So with that said...
I currently have a samsung 24" s24b350 (1920x1080), and for christmas I got a 22" t22b350 (1920x1080). So essentially right now I have a 24" monitor and a 22" monitor. The difference in size will bother me a bit, but I feel it would be rude to exchange my gift so my options are to either buy another 24" of the same model (to have 2 side 24"'s and have the 22" in the middle of the triple display), or, buy another 22" of the same model (to have 2 side 22"'s and have the 24" in the middle of the triple display).
I've done a lot of googling about triple monitor setup and the general rule I've gleaned is that one display must be via mini display port. (and a quick wiki google said MDP supports 2560x1600)
quick fyi about the 7850 outputs:
-1 HDMI
-1 DVI DL digital (i.e. there can be no DVI->VGA adaptor here, as DVI is digital and VGA is analog)
-1 DVI DL analog (i.e. this CAN hava a DVI->VGA adaptor, which is what is running currently)
-2 mini display port
-the box states that the card supports up to 4 monitors in eyefinity
What I need to know is:
1. For a newer generation card such as my 7850, does the "one-must-be-a-MDP-rule" still apply or can I just use the 1 HDMI and 2 DVI outputs to get triple eyefinity working?
2. If a MDP adaptor is needed with my newer gen GPU, must the adaptor still be active?
3. If the adaptor must be active, will the generic Apple adaptors work? (They are the only adapters I can be sure that my local best buy has in stock, so if they work I will most likely just get one of those)
4. Are there any MPD->HDMI adaptors that work with eyefinity...if so, do they also need to be "active adaptors"?
5. If the adaptors must be active, and I can't find a MDP -> HDMI, would I be able to do MDP>DVIDL adapter and use a DVIDL->HDMI cord? (The reason I seem to be so stuck on wanting to exclude VGA from the equation is because I find that I get a lot of tearing over VGA. Since my monitor purchase options don't have DVI inputs, that leaves HDMI, so I would prefer to ultimately convert MDP to HDMI rather than MDP to VGA. Basically, can I do a DVIDL to HDMI adaptor, and a DVIDL to HDMI cord to the HDMI input of the monitor?
6. Lastly, if the Apple adapters are not active or just generally aren't reliable for triple eyefinity, (and if I indeed need an active adapter), what adapter would you then suggest I purchase?
Thanks for your help . I know the post wasn't necessarily simple and easy to answer...blame AMD for not developing a more simple solution for triple display
So I need some advice on what my next move should be on boxing day for a triple monitor setup on a 1GB 7850. Before I get into the meat and potatoes of the post I'll mention that I understand I'll have to tone down game settings to medium or lower with a single 7850 at 5760x1080 in order to attain an acceptable fps. I don't mind a lower texture quality, no antialiasing etc. as IMO gaming at 5760x1080 with less than or equal to medium settings will be more enjoyable than 1920x1080 at extreme settings. So with that said...
I currently have a samsung 24" s24b350 (1920x1080), and for christmas I got a 22" t22b350 (1920x1080). So essentially right now I have a 24" monitor and a 22" monitor. The difference in size will bother me a bit, but I feel it would be rude to exchange my gift so my options are to either buy another 24" of the same model (to have 2 side 24"'s and have the 22" in the middle of the triple display), or, buy another 22" of the same model (to have 2 side 22"'s and have the 24" in the middle of the triple display).
I've done a lot of googling about triple monitor setup and the general rule I've gleaned is that one display must be via mini display port. (and a quick wiki google said MDP supports 2560x1600)
quick fyi about the 7850 outputs:
-1 HDMI
-1 DVI DL digital (i.e. there can be no DVI->VGA adaptor here, as DVI is digital and VGA is analog)
-1 DVI DL analog (i.e. this CAN hava a DVI->VGA adaptor, which is what is running currently)
-2 mini display port
-the box states that the card supports up to 4 monitors in eyefinity
What I need to know is:
1. For a newer generation card such as my 7850, does the "one-must-be-a-MDP-rule" still apply or can I just use the 1 HDMI and 2 DVI outputs to get triple eyefinity working?
2. If a MDP adaptor is needed with my newer gen GPU, must the adaptor still be active?
3. If the adaptor must be active, will the generic Apple adaptors work? (They are the only adapters I can be sure that my local best buy has in stock, so if they work I will most likely just get one of those)
4. Are there any MPD->HDMI adaptors that work with eyefinity...if so, do they also need to be "active adaptors"?
5. If the adaptors must be active, and I can't find a MDP -> HDMI, would I be able to do MDP>DVIDL adapter and use a DVIDL->HDMI cord? (The reason I seem to be so stuck on wanting to exclude VGA from the equation is because I find that I get a lot of tearing over VGA. Since my monitor purchase options don't have DVI inputs, that leaves HDMI, so I would prefer to ultimately convert MDP to HDMI rather than MDP to VGA. Basically, can I do a DVIDL to HDMI adaptor, and a DVIDL to HDMI cord to the HDMI input of the monitor?
6. Lastly, if the Apple adapters are not active or just generally aren't reliable for triple eyefinity, (and if I indeed need an active adapter), what adapter would you then suggest I purchase?
Thanks for your help . I know the post wasn't necessarily simple and easy to answer...blame AMD for not developing a more simple solution for triple display
