Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Mac Pro (late 2010) plus 3 monitors not working

bmorris

bmorris

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 8, 2007
434
0
ATL
I have the late 2010 Mac Pro with the ATI HD Radeon 5770 graphics card.
I have 2 Apple 24" HD Cinema Displays and one 720p HDTV.
The Apple monitors use DVI and the TV uses HDMI only.

I have one Apple Monitor connected via DVI to DVI,
the second is connected via Mini DP to DVI Adapter to DVI,
and the HDTV connected via Mini DP to HDMI Adapter to HDMI.

I called Apple and emailed Apple, they said all three monitors should work with no problems.

I can only get 2 of the 3 monitors to show. The Mac Pro only sees 2 of the 3.
Is there an easy fix or do I need the Dual Link Adapter, if so why?
 
You need active MDP to DVI adapters rather than the standard Apple ones if you want to run all three ports. Third party is fine, and much cheaper than Apple's dual-link. As to the explanation...basically, active adapters have extra circuitry in them which isn't present in standard ones. The 5770/5870 will only run triple screen (aka: Eyefinity) with active adapters, and Apple's basic adapter is "dumb" - but their dual-link one is active. However, the dual-link is also more expensive due to being dual-link as well, so is overkill. What you need is a single-link active adapter, which Apple don't make, but other people do.

Your setup should then be:
1) DVI to HDMI
2) MDP to DVI (Active Adapter)
3) MDP to DVI (Active Adapter)


EDIT: Hold on. The 24" ACDs should connect via directly, and hence need no adapters. Do you mean the 23" ACDs, non-glossy?
 
Last edited:
peskaa said:
EDIT: Hold on. The 24" ACDs should connect via directly, and hence need no adapters. Do you mean the 23" ACDs, non-glossy?
Click to expand...

It's the older non glossy models.
Can I keep my Mini DP to HDMI and just get an active Mini DP to DVI for the second 23" ACD, and have the other ACD connected just DVI?
 
Okay, so 23" not 24". Important to know due to the connectors ;)

No, you can't keep the MDP to HDMI as it won't be active, unless you happened to buy an active one by chance. If you did, then yes, your setup would work.

The thing to remember is that if you're going to use all the connections, anything plugged into MDP must be active (ie: native DP or an active adapter).
 
peskaa said:
Okay, so 23" not 24". Important to know due to the connectors ;)

No, you can't keep the MDP to HDMI as it won't be active, unless you happened to buy an active one by chance. If you did, then yes, your setup would work.

The thing to remember is that if you're going to use all the connections, anything plugged into MDP must be active (ie: native DP or an active adapter).
Click to expand...

not sure if it's 23" or 24"
so i need 2 active mini dp to dvi adapters, and one dvi to hdmi adapter?
 
bmorris said:
not sure if it's 23" or 24"
so i need 2 active mini dp to dvi adapters, and one dvi to hdmi adapter?
Click to expand...

It'll be 23". Apple only used to make 20, 23 and 30" displays in the matte finish, aluminium casing design. The 24 and 27" displays are the more recent, glossy, models with the glass fronts.

And correct, you need 2x active MDP to DVI (roughly $30 each) and a DVI to HDMI adapter (a few $). Or you could just get a DVI to HDMI cable and skip the adapter.
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
bmorris said:
Okay thanks. Do know all of this for sure? Have you done it before?
Just annoyed b/c we keep finding out what looks like an easy addition, costs more and more, haha.

Would this work? It's ATI certified.
http://www.amazon.com/Accell-B087B-...1ZXA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294684656&sr=8-1
Click to expand...

Done it before? Yup! I have a 5870 installed in my 2009 Mac Pro, and I have the following:
DVI to HDMI (32" 1080p TV)
MDP (27" ACD)
MDP to DVI (Active, 22" 1080p Dell)

It's only ever a limitation when filling all the display connections, and it's a really annoying one. However it is 100% ATi's fault, and there's loads of people out there complaining about it all. I did try my above setup with the MDP to DVI being Apple's cheap adapter as I have a few lying around, but it didn't work, confirming the need for an active one (and the 27" display is native MDP).

The adapter you linked will work perfectly. ATi validated for Eyefinity means you're good to go. $30 is also better than $200 for Apple's dual-link!
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
So I got the adapters and everything. It seems to work fine. BUT my mouse is weird now.
The mouse cursor is a little laggy when the HDTV is on.

I have a wireless Logitech mouse with a USB adapter, and the USB stick is attached to my keyboard.
 
bmorris said:
So I got the adapters and everything. It seems to work fine. BUT my mouse is weird now.
The mouse cursor is a little laggy when the HDTV is on.

I have a wireless Logitech mouse with a USB adapter, and the USB stick is attached to my keyboard.
Click to expand...

Tried with a wired mouse? (Or any other mouse as well?)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back