Widescreen Gaming Forum

Hey, I was looking into setting up a 5x1 display for my gaming PC so far here is the plan Purchase another Sapphire 7970 HD GPU so I would have crossfire. Now I can't seem to find a guide on how to hook up 5 monitors to 1 gpu I use to have 3 monitors hooked up to my old setup but with 5x1 I think I know but am not sure.

1. Use the Club3d Displayport 1.2 MST Hub
http://www.club-3d.com/index.php/produc ... b-1-3.html
Also where would I be able to order a US Power Cord for this Hub?

2. Use DVI connections for the other 2 screens
*This is where I am guessing*

I currently play FFXIV ARR as a current game.
-Thanks

PC Specs:
2x 7970 HD *If purchasing another card would be neeeded, Currently have 1*
Intel I7 3600K Sandy Bridge Ed
12GB Kingston HyperX RAM
Windows 7

If you have a normal 7970 you have 2x mDP, HDMI, DVI ports.
1x MST Hub, 1x DP, and the 5th monitor via DVI or HDMI.

But you might get Tearing on the DVI monitor.

If you go crossfire get a GPU with 4x DP! Solves the ' problem'

Here is a list.
http://www.wsgf.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=24334

Haldi wrote:If you have a normal 7970 you have 2x mDP, HDMI, DVI ports.
1x MST Hub, 1x DP, and the 5th monitor via DVI or HDMI.

But you might get Tearing on the DVI monitor.

If you go crossfire get a GPU with 4x DP! Solves the ' problem'

Here is a list.
http://www.wsgf.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=24334

The 2 cards will have on each:
1xHDMI
1xDisplayPort
2xDVI (1 Single Link, 1 Dual Link)

so I would be able to hook 1 hub up to card 1 and hook up a 2nd hub to card 2 and only use 2/3 slots and not have any tearing?

No, with AMD Crossfire you need to connect all monitors to one GPU.

Is the club3d the only hub on the market or is one made by a compay that has 1 display port to 5? trying to prevent the tearing issue you mentioned on the DVI monitors if possiable.

Haldi is right, outputs on ALL subsequent amd cards in crossfire are disabled (i have 3x 7970) so effectively you only have 2x mini dp. These are best as they have the highest bandwith. Also im not sure if you need active adapters (if going to dvi) or if all passive are ok (i think so but check) with the hub.

For best results you will need 2x MST hubs BUT wait a few days until there is a definitive answer to this:
http://www.wsgf.org/forums/viewtopic.ph ... 8&start=30

One of the displays randomly drops out from the hubs, sounds like it could be a firmware issue or just teething issues with a new product but just be aware.

PS: Is this the card you have? (If not could you provide a link so we know exactly what you have)
http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentatio ... id=1&leg=0

EDIT: Just having one of those mornings (Should have woken up before I got out of bed...LOL)

For 5 displays probably best bet is to get something like this to xfire: (To keep brands the same)
http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentatio ... id=1&leg=0
The flex series cards mean you can use all outputs simultaneously (But you will probably still need active mini dp adapters)

or any of these cards:(As haldi stated)
Here is a list.
http://www.wsgf.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=24334

You can xfire dissimilar 7970s, just use MSI afterburner or similar GPU app to synchronize base & memory speeds. (They can usually handle 10% OC without any problems, just set the power limit to +20%)

simroz wrote:Haldi is right, outputs on ALL subsequent amd cards in crossfire are disabled (i have 3x 7970) so effectively you only have 2x mini dp. These are best as they have the highest bandwith. Also im not sure if you need active adapters (if going to dvi) or if all passive are ok (i think so but check) with the hub.

For best results you will need 2x MST hubs BUT wait a few days until there is a definitive answer to this:
http://www.wsgf.org/forums/viewtopic.ph ... 8&start=30

One of the displays randomly drops out from the hubs, sounds like it could be a firmware issue or just teething issues with a new product but just be aware.

PS: Is this the card you have? (If not could you provide a link so we know exactly what you have)
http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentatio ... id=1&leg=0

EDIT: Just having one of those mornings (Should have woken up before I got out of bed...LOL)

For 5 displays probably best bet is to get something like this to xfire: (To keep brands the same)
http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentatio ... id=1&leg=0
The flex series cards mean you can use all outputs simultaneously (But you will probably still need active mini dp adapters)

or any of these cards:(As haldi stated)
Here is a list.
http://www.wsgf.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=24334

You can xfire dissimilar 7970s, just use MSI afterburner or similar GPU app to synchronize base & memory speeds. (They can usually handle 10% OC without any problems, just set the power limit to +20%)

Card Link:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814202008

I do see only 1 display port on the card so would i have to connect 1 hub to the other in order to have this work than 5 display?

That 7970 is not a flex card or anything special so I wouldn't waste your time getting another one of those. Personally (And this is only my opinion) the best solution is to get the Asus DCII 7970
http://www.asus.com/Graphics_Cards/HD7970DC2T3GD5/
(That Sapphire 7970 flex i linked you will do 5 screens, but if you get tearing you will need 2x MST hubs)
or something like that , you can try 5 monitors out of the box, and if you get tearing you only need 1 MST hub for the Asus. The only issue is how much space do you have between the cards (Ideally 3 slots between PCI-e slots for the asus, leaving a single slot space between the fan and bottom card...)

Hope I have not confused you, Im not good at explaining things...

Make sure the power supply is enough for 2x7970 plus CPU, etc... (800W minimum)

xxvend3ttaxx wrote:Is the club3d the only hub on the market or is one made by a compay that has 1 display port to 5? trying to prevent the tearing issue you mentioned on the DVI monitors if possiable.

No, Displayport 1.2 has a Bandwith Limit, the maximum is 4x 1920x1080@60hz

You can play around with the display resolution and Bandwith here: http://www.wsgf.org/fovcalc.php
(press the "[+] Show Common Resolutions and Cable Types [+]" at the bottom of the page)

simroz wrote:That 7970 is not a flex card or anything special so I wouldn't waste your time getting another one of those. Personally (And this is only my opinion) the best solution is to get the Asus DCII 7970
http://www.asus.com/Graphics_Cards/HD7970DC2T3GD5/
(That Sapphire 7970 flex i linked you will do 5 screens, but if you get tearing you will need 2x MST hubs)
or something like that , you can try 5 monitors out of the box, and if you get tearing you only need 1 MST hub for the Asus. The only issue is how much space do you have between the cards (Ideally 3 slots between PCI-e slots for the asus, leaving a single slot space between the fan and bottom card...)

Hope I have not confused you, Im not good at explaining things...

Make sure the power supply is enough for 2x7970 plus CPU, etc... (800W minimum)

I don't think this would work but am I able to corssfire the Asus 7970 with the Sapphire 7970?

Yes, you can Crossfire any Brand 7970 with another, even ghz Editions or 7950 cards should work!

Haldi wrote:Yes, you can Crossfire any Brand 7970 with another, even ghz Editions or 7950 cards should work!

So order 1 asus gpu 5 Monitors 4-5* display port cables 1 Displayport Hub and im good to go!
Probably should upgrade my PSU also currently 750W

So we are on the same page:
Current Card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814202008

Card to be Ordered:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814121560

now if i use 4 display ports and a DVI-Dual Link would i still get the line problem on that screen?

xxvend3ttaxx wrote:now if i use 4 display ports and a DVI-Dual Link would i still get the line problem on that screen?

You COULD get that line problem (aka tearing) it's still not proven when it's showing up and when not.
You could go with that Asus DC2 card, connect 4 monitors via DP and the 5th via DVI.

If you get horrible tearing you can always buy the MST adapter afterwards.
AFAIK the adapter is DP and not mDP ports, so you won't lose anything.

Now the question is this 60Hz Monitors any recommendations?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6824001778

Would do 120Hz but Seems pricey to get a screen with a Display Port