Multiple Monitors with one DisplayPort

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I've read that DisplayPort supports multiple monitors. My question is how can I connect 3 monitors with one display port, is there such a splitter? I have 2 DVI monitors and one VGA (which I could use DVI to VGA convereter)

If I could do it, will I be limitted by the GPU? Is it possible that my GPU only allow for 2 monitors?

Jonas Stawski

Posted 2011-05-11T19:05:11.370

Reputation: 910

Answers

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The DisplayPort Spec supports the daisy chaining of multiple monitors, but not the splitting of the signal. Unfortunate, to support this you need to have at least 2 DisplayPort equipped monitors that support daisy chaining (of which there are none to my knowledge).

Given your situation, your best bet would be something like the Matrox TripleHead ToGo, which allows you to connect multiple monitors to a single port (and tricks your computer into only seeing one while spreading the image across several).

Using a solution like that, your main limitation is the power of your graphics card and how many pixels it can render well.

Alex Miller

Posted 2011-05-11T19:05:11.370

Reputation: 846

@MattVobori what happens if you use a legacy non-DP (VGA/DVI) monitor as the 2nd monitor by connecting the 1st monitor to it via DP monitor 1<---> DP-in to VGA/DVI adapter<--> non-DP monitor 2? I'm guessing it won't work but thought I would ask anyway.. – prusswan – 2014-07-03T11:39:50.603

From my usage, it didn't work. – Matej Voboril – 2014-07-03T17:30:19.433

He is correct. Both ends of the connection also have to support DisplayPort 1.2. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DisplayPort)

– peelman – 2011-05-11T19:32:50.057

Actually, according to their FAQ: A PC with one DP connector is driving two monitors via daisy chaining. The 1st monitor is a DP v1.2 monitor with input and output connectors. The 2nd monitor is a DP v1.1a monitor. DP v1.2 PC—> DP v1.2 monitor with in & out connectors—->DP v.1.1a monitor.

– Matej Voboril – 2014-02-07T19:54:56.563

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DisplayPort 1.2 supports daisy-chaining like this in the spec, but I am not aware of any products on the market that currently support it, either on the video card side or the monitor side. I expect you'll see them in the next year or so, though, now that the specifications are official (and I believe there are already controllers entering production).

Shinrai

Posted 2011-05-11T19:05:11.370

Reputation: 18 051

2Also note that DisplayPort -> VGA isn't possible without an expensive active converter. While DVI can carry digital and analog signals, and so can convert either way passively, DisplayPort is digital-only. – Shinrai – 2011-05-11T19:33:22.783

Pretty sure its 1.2 that supports daisy-chaining. They didn't bump the bandwidth in 1.1. http://www.reghardware.com/2009/01/13/displayport_1dot2_basics/ and $16 isn't what I would consider an "expensive" converter: http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10246&cs_id=1024609&p_id=6019&seq=1&format=2

– peelman – 2011-05-11T19:34:45.943

@peelman - It is 1.2. I edited that before you posted, it was a typo. SE really should flash a notice when something you're responding to changes. :/ – Shinrai – 2011-05-11T19:54:14.613

@peelman - Also, Monoprice is fairly unique in their low prices for this sort of thing (even they list it at a $50 "normal price") and so for persons who either don't want to or can't do business with them (mostly persons outside the US, I would suspect) I would indeed call something from anybody else expensive. – Shinrai – 2011-05-11T19:57:27.667

Yeah, i see that now :-\ apologies for the too-fast correction. – peelman – 2011-05-11T20:15:25.510