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As we are all painfully aware, the only way to get multiple monitors AND compositing (Compiz) on Linux is to use a single graphics card that can drive both (or in my case all three) screens.
I bought a Radeon 5750 specifically because it claims to able to drive 3 monitors. I can plug in 3 monitors (2 DVI, 1 HDMI) and the Catalyst Control Center shows all 3, but only 2 can be enabled at a time.
The exact message is:
The current settings cannot be applied. Possible issues may include:
- Display(s) cannot be enabled.
- Setting(s) cannot be applied due to insufficient video memory.
So I'm going to assume that either the 5750 doesn't support 3 monitors, OR, more likely, ATI couldn't be bothered to add that support to their Linux drivers.
So this is a multipart question:
First, can anyone suggest a PCI Express Graphics card that can run 3 screens on linux without tremendous pain? I'm looking for something where you install the driver and all three screens "just work". Does such a card exist?
Second, if you have a 5750, have you been able to get it to do 3 monitors?
I'm running Ubuntu 10.04 at the moment.
UPDATE:
I got my active adapter in the mail today (it's DisplayPort to DVI) and so far things seem to be better. I can run my third screen, drag things seamlessly between them, and I am also running compiz. The adapter I'm using is a "B087B-005B" made by "Accell", UPC is "826388106239".
There's still a couple "annoyances" that need worked out though:
The left most screen is always the primary monitor. Which means the "gnome bar" (is that what you call the applications-places-system menu?) is always on the left most screen.
It also means that new dialogue boxes always opened centred on the left screen, which is counter intuitive. Especially if you're using a program like GIMP and the text editor or color picker pops up on the left. Does anyone know of a way to change it so that new windows always pop up on the center screen?
Nick
Posted 2011-01-04T15:42:27.613
Reputation: 849
I guess I can't edit my comments on this site? Anyway... Can I use a passive "Display Port" adapter? Or does it need to be an active one? Does anybody have one known to work well? Also, I'm not sure I understand the difference between "dual-link" and "single link". – Nick – 2011-01-05T09:32:51.430
I bought an DisplayPort to HDMI adapter, but I'm still getting the same error message as above when trying to enable the 3rd display. – Nick – 2011-01-05T18:04:05.107
Regarding Single-/Dual-link DVI - the Dual-link one contains more connectors/wires which can be used to transfer the video signal, thus allowing to transfer more data over the interface - e.g. for achieving higher resolutions or refresh rates. – MicE – 2011-01-06T14:49:12.110
Regarding the adapter - ok, so you now have 2 displays connected via DVI and one via DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapter? That should have done the trick if the source of the issue were the ports (it might have helped anyway, but it dies not seem to be the root cause). Can you specify the model of your graphics card (on top of 5750) and which driver version you are using please? Unless anyone has better advice, I'd suggest also trying to ask on the official AMD and Ubuntu forums. – MicE – 2011-01-06T15:08:17.233
@N Rahl: It must be an active adapter, see my reply. – j-g-faustus – 2011-01-06T15:38:25.530
The one I bought was "fat" so I thought it must have been active. I guess it's not. I returned it and ordered another one, the one that XFX support recommended. It should get here next week and I'll let you know how it goes. – Nick – 2011-01-08T05:35:03.153