three monitors, early 2008 Mac Pro?

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three monitors, early 2008 Mac Pro?

I am considering adding an additional 'Mac Pro ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT RV630 256MB DDR3 PCIe Video Card' to my early 2008 Mac Pro, so that I might be able to add another monitor. (For a total of three) The new Monitor only has one VGA input. (It is a Samsung B300 Series S23B300B, and I want that one to be the center monitor. Main I guess you would call it) I have a Samsung Syncmaster 906BW 19" and a Samsung Syncmaster 940BW" in place. The 940 is currently the main monitor in the dual set up. I would like 'Call of Duty Modern Warfare' to play properly, giving me three monitor peripheral vision. 🙂 (Yes I know it's 2012, and it's an old game, on an older computer, but I love it) This Mac Pro is the early 2008, with 4 GB of Ram, using a 120 gb SSD. Plenty of power to run this older game. I am unsure as to how I might, with the current set up accomplish a 3 monitor display as described. Thanks for any input! 🙂

Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Dec 27, 2012 3:23 AM

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Answer 1

Dec 27, 2012 5:04 PM in response to Austinscott

Tou can rearrange the monitors by dragging in the Arrangement tab of Displays system preference.

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Answer 2

Dec 27, 2012 7:05 PM in response to Malcolm J. Rayfield

System preferences > Displays ... when you have multiple displays attached:

The little screens can be re-arranged (up down left right) to represent the actual placement on your bench. The tiny menuBar can be dragged to anoint the Main Display. The mouse moves freely across an Extended Desktop as wide as all the screens put together.

This feature has been available in the Mac for as long as there was the ability to have multiple display cards (circa 1986 and the Mac-II). All you need is another place to store another screen buffer.

You may want to consider getting a 5770 instead of another 2600. The 5770 can drive three display by itself -- if you are willing to use ACTIVE POWERED adapters.

.

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Answer 3

Austinscott Author

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Dec 28, 2012 4:24 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Grant, you have hit on what I am trying to do: "You may want to consider getting a 5770 instead of another 2600. The 5770 can drive three display by itself -- if you are willing to use ACTIVE POWERED adapters."

Could you explain further?

* Active powered adapters?

* The 5770 will drive 3 monitors, as if I were looking at one?

My set up would be utilizing 3 Samsung monitors, two have DVI and VGA inputs. The center monitor is VGA only. It is the largest of the the 3. Will the 5770 drive the VGA only monitor, do you know?

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Answer 4

Austinscott Author

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Dec 28, 2012 5:11 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

After doing a little more research, can you answer this, perhaps I am there, with your suggestion of the 5770.

I would need two of thesehttp://tinyurl.com/c6phdj7UltraAV Mini DisplayPort to DVI-D Single-Link Active Adapter ATI Certified cables, to accomodate the DVI side of the 2 DVI monitors, and then the middle monitor, which is VGA only, would connect to the port on the VGA port on the 5770?

* This would drive all three monitors, as one large span, do you think?

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Answer 5

Dec 28, 2012 5:49 AM in response to Austinscott

Those single-Link Accell adapters are good for up to 1920 wide, and are recommended by ATI/AMD for that application.

The DVI-I port on the 5770 contains direct pinouts for VGA in the bar at the end of the DVI-I connector, the four pins around it, and one pin at that end of the grid. No actual conversion is necessary, just an adapter that shuffles the pins.

This feature has been part of Mac OS X software for so long, it is supported by all well-behaved Mac OS X software, unless it deliberately defeats the feature (as iMovie does).

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Answer 6

Austinscott Author

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Dec 28, 2012 6:05 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Uhm, okay.. Sorry for being such a novice. So, do I need those expensive, Dual-Link DVI adapters (two of them I am guessing) to drive the three monitors? Using the 5770? (two are 19" 1440 x 900 is their top range) and the middle one is a 23" with 1920 x 1080. I want to play an older game across all three monitors. (Call of Duty, Modern Warfare) Utilizing three monitors for a vastly improved field of vision. I am with seeking out the 5770, for simplicity's sake, and connecting the monitors to it. I am under the impression that I will need the Duel-Link DVI adapters to accomplish this.

I don't know if it is possible to pull this off using two ATI Radeon 2600 XT 256 MB cards. (I have one now)

Thanks.

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Answer 7

Dec 28, 2012 6:14 AM in response to Austinscott

1440 x 900

As that is less than 1920 in width, the adapters you cited will work fine.

Apple's only ACTIVE adapter is its Dual-Link adapter, so that is what they recommend. You do not need it for your displays. Dual-Link has doubled data conductors for higher bandwidth required only when the display is wider than 1920 wide, which yours are not. The Accell adapters you cited are listed on this support page:

http://support.amd.com/us/eyefinity/Pages/eyefinity-dongles.aspx

The 2600 cards are failing at an alarming rate after being deployed for several years. It does not make sense to pay for another one, and the Apple-firmware 5770 is faster in all Mac Pros.

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Answer 8

Austinscott Author

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Dec 28, 2012 8:15 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Thanks Grant!

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Answer 9

Austinscott Author

Level 1

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Jan 5, 2013 1:42 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

I'm back Grant. Wondering if you might have an idea about my new issue with the 3 monitor display questions.

*I have the 'new' ATI 5770 graphics card installed. It is awesome.

*I have 3 displays all up and working.

* I used the DVI port for the new 23" Samsung monitor

*I used mini-display port to VGA Adapters to connect the older 19" widescreen monitors.

*The center monitor is set to 1080P

*The other two are set to 1440 x 900 (their highest rez)

I have read/found that I need a Mini DisplayPort to DVI Dual-Link Active Adapter (Or perhaps two of these) to get all three monitors to act as one during a game (Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 4)

*Q: Do I need two Mini DisplayPort to DVI Dual-Link Active Adapters? (about $100 each)

*Q Do I need all monitors to be the same? eg: All three 23" Samsung Monitors? Or can a mix match rez like I have? (I imagine I would have to bring the rez down from the newer monitor, to the highest the older monitors can handle)

Thanks for any input! 😕

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Answer 10

Jan 5, 2013 2:22 PM in response to Austinscott

I have read/found that I need a Mini DisplayPort to DVI Dual-Link Active Adapter (Or perhaps two of these) to get all three monitors to act as one during a game (Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 4)

You are mis-interpreting what you have read. Displays are used by default to build an Extended Desktop, that looks like this:

The item in short supply for three displays is POWER to run the converters from Mini DisplayPort to DVI.

There is a POWER lead in the interface that can supply that power, and most users can get by with third-party converter/adapters from Accell and other manufacturers on the AMD/ATI eyefinity Gold dongles page.

I have read/found that I need a Mini DisplayPort to DVI Dual-Link Active Adapter

Apple's only ACTIVE adapter is its Dual-Link adapter, so that is the only adapter Apple has tested extensively and will recommend for three displays. You should not need it unless you find two ACCELL adapter inadequate for some reason. (possible, but not likley).

*Q: Do I need two Mini DisplayPort to DVI Dual-Link Active Adapters? (about $100 each)

NO, you can use ACCELL or similar ACTIVE Adapters

*Q Do I need all monitors to be the same?

No, you can mix and match to your heart's content.

If you put the wider than 1920 display directly on DVI, and the 1920 wide and narrower displays on Mini DisplayPort with third-party converter/adapters, you save money. (1080p is 1920Wide by 1080Tall, so it works on Single-Link).

.

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Answer 11

Austinscott Author

Level 1

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Jan 6, 2013 3:57 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Your patience and helpfulness, is greatly appreciated.

This is what I have now. This works for desktop, and I can move about on all three. However, when I launch the game, that I am trying to use, with all three monitors, it only uses the center monitor. Even if I tell the game to use full screen. I managed to get this far using only 2 mini-displayport to VGA adapters. The center monitor is driven directly from the DVI port to DVI on the monitor.

I think I need to replace both of the mini-displayport to VGA adapters to a pair of Mini DisplayPort to DVI Dual-Link Active Adapters (Accell or otherwise) don't I? This would make them all DVI, and active? For some reason I cannot get the game to spread across all 3 monitors, which is the goal. Again, thanks for your contined feedback.

Message was edited by: Austinscott I am re-reading your previous post, and I think you are telling me that this product would do the trick: http://tinyurl.com/b5jtpwq It is an Accell UltraAV Mini DisplayPort to DVI-D Single-Link Active. I don't see how it get's it's power. The Dual Links get it through USB, I saw that. This one is like $35, where as the dual link's are all around $100. Sorry to be such a pain in the ***. This is all pretty new to an old guy like me.

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Answer 12

Jan 6, 2013 4:40 AM in response to Austinscott

The Accell adapters will work. They get power from the Mini DisplayPort. Dual-link adapters need more power that available from the Mini DisplayPort, so use USB for power.

Check your Samsung B300 Series S23B300B, Some versions have a DVI port, so you can connect it directly to the card's DVI port.

Changing from VGA to DVI will give you a better picture but will not change the behavior of the game. When applications go to full screen they use only one display.

You may be able to spread the game over three screens by not using full screen mode. Put the game's window at the top-left corner of the left display and drag the bottom-right corner to the bottom-right of the right display.

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Answer 13

Austinscott Author

Level 1

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Jan 6, 2013 7:19 AM in response to Malcolm J. Rayfield

"When applications go to full screen they use only one display."

The App does not see the 3 monitors as one display? I thought that was why I installed the ATI 5770 in the first place, so that I could take advantage of three displays, for the purpose of that one game in paticular. I don;t think you can 'Drag' the window as you described. Not in COD MW 4.

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Answer 14

Jan 6, 2013 9:40 AM in response to Austinscott

The adapters are not the problem.

When you use what Mac OS X calls "Full Screen", that is a feature ported from IOS, the land of pygmy screens.

"Full Screen" on the Mac is an unbearable HACK. It just hides the menuBar, and has horrible unwanted Side Effects. It does not support ultra-large and multiple screens or Extended Desktop, and should be avoided. Instead, it puts a large picture on the main screen, and darkens the secondary screens. The forum's obscenity-filter precludes my saying exactly what I think of this so-called "feature".

Gamers tell us that you ignore anything called "Full Screen", and simply tell the game what size your combined "extended desktop" is, in pixels. In many (but not all) games, that gives you three-screen play.

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Answer 15

Austinscott Author

Level 1

5 points

Jan 6, 2013 10:39 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

lol ! okay Grant. Much appreciated. Thanks again for your enlightening view on this topic. 😎

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