Has anybody tried this? I've currently got 1 DVI (30" connected to the DVI port) and a 2nd HDMI monitor (via miniport to HDMI adapter). Can I add another HDMI monitor similarly? There is no documentation on this configuration that I've been able to find.
Thanks
Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.8), 24 gigs of ram
Possibly? But you really should have posted which video card you are using. Lacking that I'll assume you have a 5x70 card. With these card, to support three monitors there are some rules you need to follow. Read the following:
Mac Pro (Early 2009), Mac Pro (Mid 2010): Supported display configurations
The general gist of these articles is that you need two active adapters to run thee monitors on 5x70 cards.
Here's a good explanation of what's going in here and why you need two active adapters on these cards:
Active vs. Passive Displayport adapters *the truth*
Your problem is there are no active adapters that I know of for HDMI connections. And this problem is compounded by the fact that you need dual link DVI to drive the 30" monitor.
I can see one possibility (not exactly that cheap). You could put the 30" on a mini-displayport to dual link DVI adapter. That would satisfy one of the active adapter requirements. Then you could use the following,
DVI & S/PDIF Digital Coax/Optical Toslink Audio to HDMI® Converter
That would satify the second active adapter requirement. I know it does because I use one of these for my TV (I also attach the S/PDIF into it to pump video/audio to the TV).
Thanks for the quick reply. In response to which card I have, My "about" page says: Radeon HD 5870, ith 1024 MB Vram in a 16x pci slot. I totally understand that you need an active adapter to run a 2nd DVI (or 3rd) DVI connection, however in all of the documentation there is no mention about 2 HDMI monitors in conjuction with the built in dual link DVI connector. As I mentioned I have a 2nd monitor connected via HDMI and I'd like to connect a 3rd the same way. I don't need to port any audio. I guess the only way to find out is to try, unless there is more complete documentation regarding this configuration. My experience, limited as it is, to HDMI is that it doesn't seem to draw as much current as other video connections.
Everyone has their own needs which is why there are so many adapters to choose from.
As I said in my post that DVI & S/PDIF converter box for my TV does let you pass audio vie the TOSLINK connection. TOSLINK+DVI to the box input and HDMI out to the TV. Works perfectly and is considered an active adapter. My other "active" adapter is a mini-displayport to VGA (considered active) to a 17" VGA and my third is a mini-displayport to apple 27" display.
As you said, one of the ways to find out is to try. Actually that's the fun part. I played around with various combinations too. If you experiment and discover one of your monitors going out when you plug the other in you just have only two light up then you will know. Given the prices of some of these converters/adapters it's probably best to work your way "up" to minimize the cost.
By the way I originally thought the "two adapter" requirement was a power requirement too. But that article I referenced says its a timing (clock) problem, not power.
1 DVI + 2 mini port to HDMI adapters?
