Triple Head on 4850 X2 with XInerama

[Mattventura]

I am having problems with Xinerama and CCC LE. If I use aticonfig to manually configure 3 monitors, they work, but when I turn Xinerama on, only the right 2 work. If I use CCC to configure the right two (attached to the first GPU) as a big desktop and the left one as a separate desktop, everything works except dragging windows onto the left one. If I enable Xinerama, again, only the right 2 work.

The error X gives is "fglrx(1): Multiview is not supported on the first adapter; this screen will now shutdown". Which is odd, because the monitor that is not working is plugged into the second "card", not the first one.

My xorg.conf looks like this (amdccce-*[0]-0 is the big desktop):

Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "amdcccle Layout"
Screen 0 "amdcccle-Screen[0]-0" 0 0
Screen "amdcccle-Screen[1]-0" LeftOf "amdcccle-Screen[0]-0"
EndSection

Section "Files"
EndSection

Section "Module"
EndSection

Section "ServerFlags"
Option "Xinerama" "on"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "amdcccle-Monitor[0]-0"
Option "VendorName" "ATI Proprietary Driver"
Option "ModelName" "Generic Autodetecting Monitor"
Option "DPMS" "true"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "amdcccle-Monitor[0]-1"
Option "VendorName" "ATI Proprietary Driver"
Option "ModelName" "Generic Autodetecting Monitor"
Option "DPMS" "true"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "amdcccle-Monitor[1]-0"
Option "VendorName" "ATI Proprietary Driver"
Option "ModelName" "Generic Autodetecting Monitor"
Option "DPMS" "true"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "amdcccle-Monitor[1]-1"
Option "VendorName" "ATI Proprietary Driver"
Option "ModelName" "Generic Autodetecting Monitor"
Option "DPMS" "true"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "amdcccle-Device[0]-0"
Driver "fglrx"
BusID "PCI:7:0:0"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "amdcccle-Device[0]-1"
Driver "fglrx"
BusID "PCI:7:0:0"
Screen 1
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "amdcccle-Device[1]-0"
Driver "fglrx"
BusID "PCI:8:0:0"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "amdcccle-Device[1]-1"
Driver "fglrx"
BusID "PCI:8:0:0"
Screen 1
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "amdcccle-Screen[0]-0"
Device "amdcccle-Device[0]-0"
Monitor "amdcccle-Monitor[0]-0"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "amdcccle-Screen[0]-1"
Device "amdcccle-Device[0]-1"
Monitor "amdcccle-Monitor[0]-1"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "amdcccle-Screen[1]-0"
Device "amdcccle-Device[1]-0"
Monitor "amdcccle-Monitor[1]-0"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "amdcccle-Screen[1]-1"
Device "amdcccle-Device[1]-1"
Monitor "amdcccle-Monitor[1]-1"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection

[Kano]

Do you use that card with 4 connectors?

[Mattventura]

The card has 4 DVI ports. I have tried using all 4 ports instead of only 3, but the result is the same. Only the monitors on the side with the primary screen work when xinerama is on.

[bridgman]

:eek: Someone is shipping a 4850X2 with four DVI connectors ? I don't remember seeing one of those around here...

EDIT - OK, looks like the Sapphire x2 has four DVI ports. Interesting...

[yanadu]

Hi, having exactly the same hardware, exactly the same problem, did you yet find a solution?
Please let me know... working on this for days.
Yours
yanadu

[Mattventura]

Still having this problem, but now I have another problem. I am now running 5 monitors on this system. Everything works fine in windows. I am powering 4 monitors on the 4850 X2 and 1 on the onboard. The problem is that the onboard is an Nvidia card, and the last time I tried to have the ati and nvidia drivers coexist my X wouldn't start and I had to manually delete a lot of files. Secondly, the monitor on the onboard and the second monitor on the second GPU of the 4850 X2 are 1280x1024, while the original 3 are 1680x1050, so I cannot do a big desktop on the secondary GPU on the X2. SO my current status is that the middle and middle-right work, but the leftmost two are completely separate displays, and to far right one doesn't work at all.

I am considering buying a 4830 or 4850 to power the far-right monitor, as 3d acceleration on windows spanned onto that monitor doesn't work anyway (in windows). On an unrelated note, can a 4850 X2 do 3-way crossfire with a single GPU card or do you have to do a 4-way with another X2 card?

[bridgman]

Not sure if we are supporting Crossfire with >2 GPUs on Linux yet, will ask.

[gsmd]

Sorry for off, what makes you run such a config under Linux (why not revert back to Win + Ultramon)?

[Mattventura]

Im just more used to unix-like command lines. Also, Linux worked perfectly with 2 monitors. Also, I don't like the way windows has been going for the last few years.

Ironically, Linux work OOB with everything on my mobo, while XP didn't work OOB with the sound or either Ethernet controller.

As for the crossfire, I only need crossfire in windows. What I was asking is if crossfire with an X2 and a single card works, since people always talk about 4 way crossfire, never 3 way with an X2.

[IcoNyx]

ok, here is your answer...

it is NOT POSSIBLE to have more than 2 displays configured WITH 3D support spanning in one x session.

Like every rule there are exceptions. and this one has two!

First exception: The Nvidia NVS 440 video card can do it out-of-box... but I have absolutely NO respect for NVS controllers... first they are pretty weak for my liking (though sufficiently powerful for simple desktop effects and office applications... I wouldn't try gaming or CAD with one), additionally I have had WAY to many fry, and more than a few take their monitors with them (EDID flash failure due to the card inexplicably WRITING to the flash!) so I really DON'T recommend this as an option. Trust me, it's not worth it.

Second exception: You can configure any SINGLE GPU video card to use up to 3 displays PER HEAD. (IE: six displays maximum) using a pair of Matrox Tripple head 2 go. there is a discussion thread at the nvidia forums (http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=126134) that provide an xorg config file to get you started. Reconfiguring that file for an ATI card should be simple enough. and of course configuring a quad head config is cake! just use one TH2G and then just plug your fourth display into the open head on the video card, one 3 way split and one single connection! you can decide which one gets the primary and which one gets split... though I'D configure the primary as single and the secondary split because then your login screen doesn't get all stretched out like a multi-decade old tattoo on a fat mans butt... but, that's me.

Please note that for the second exception you will need a rather Beefy GPU for it to work properly as you are basically configuring the GPU to handle an oversized display... also if configured incorrectly you can (though it is rare on newer model LCDs and controllers) brick your monitor and your video card.

Hope this helps.

[Mattventura]

it wasn't 3D support I was going for, just having multiple displays on one X session. I would prefer to not have to use big desktops, since one of the four monitors is a different resolution, but if I have to settle for 3 monitors, I'd be fine.

[IcoNyx]

Hmmm... in looking over your xorg the only thing I see out of the ordinary is you havenet configured the ID's for the screens on dev 0... and you appear to have redundant listings for devs 0 and 1... (PCI:7:0:0 and PCI:8:0:0) not sure what buss ID screens 1 for those should have but currently they are pointing at the same output... so by this YES you SHOULD only have two working displays... but they should be on opposing sides of the card and not on the same side...

I'll need some time to look this one over.

BRB