PC with six HDMI outputs

[Mars]

I have six screens. I need six screens. At the moment I'm using three different machines to drive them but it's a PITA so I want to build a PC with six HDMI outputs. I assume there is no such graphics card but is there one with three HDMI outputs? If so, I'd just buy two and run them that way.

I assume three cards, each with two HDMI outputs will be hard to fit into a PC.

I only need 1080 resolution, nothing greater.

My Google-fu has failed to find any (that still exist).

[Mr E]

Multiple graphics cards.
Assuming fairly static screens, usb to hdmi might be an option.

Or, a couple of massive screens (ultrawides) and many windows.

[Monty Python]

Do they all have to be HDMI? I know some GPUs have 4 display ports and two HDMI.

[bunchofkeys]

I recall that Matrox made a 6 output graphic card; normally used on the trade floors (c680).

What are you wanting to display over the 6 screens?

Edited by bunchofkeys on Thursday 17th December 13:18

[Gary C]

http://phillihp.com/how-to/setup-6-monitors-to-you...

Is HDMI essential ?

[paulrockliffe]

I have an EyeFinity card with 6 Mini Display Port outputs. I use it with a mix of HDMI, DVI and DP monitors, you need an active adaptor for each output, but it'll run 6 x HDMI no bother.

The card was £100 or so maybe 5 years ago second hand and does 6 x 1080, but not 4k.

I wouldn't go for two graphics cards as in my experience they cause havoc with moving applications around screens on wake-up as one card tells Windows it's there slightly before the other. Nothing more annoying that having 50 applications spread over 6 screens and 5 virtual desktops all dumped onto a single screen and a single desktop!

[Mars]

Anything wrong with this?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/VisionTek-7750-DDR5-Expre...

I can buy cables to suit the monitors I have for a fiver each. This seems too good to be true.

[essayer]

Few different options here -

https://multimonitorcomputer.com/top-4-best-videoc...

Depends on whether your existing monitors have HDMI/DisplayPort, whether you do gaming etc

[Mars]

I thought I needed HDMI but I don't. DP is fine. I can get cables that'll convert very cheaply.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll look through them now.

[Mars]

Mars said:

Anything wrong with this?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/VisionTek-7750-DDR5-Expre...

I can buy cables to suit the monitors I have for a fiver each. This seems too good to be true.

Yes there is something wrong with it - it's fussy with cables. You need active adapters for this - whatever they are. More Googling...

[Mars]

paulrockliffe said:

I have an EyeFinity card with 6 Mini Display Port outputs. I use it with a mix of HDMI, DVI and DP monitors, you need an active adaptor for each output, but it'll run 6 x HDMI no bother.

The card was £100 or so maybe 5 years ago second hand and does 6 x 1080, but not 4k.

I wouldn't go for two graphics cards as in my experience they cause havoc with moving applications around screens on wake-up as one card tells Windows it's there slightly before the other. Nothing more annoying that having 50 applications spread over 6 screens and 5 virtual desktops all dumped onto a single screen and a single desktop!

Could you run it with 6 active mini DP to DVI cables?

[paulrockliffe]

Yes, I think so. I did it with adaptors because it was less clear whether the cables were active or not and it's a bit more flexible in future if you get screens with different inputs as you can get a HDMI to DP etc cable and swap it in.

[cobra kid]

May I ask why 6 screens out of interest?

[Jakg]

Mars said:

Anything wrong with this?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/VisionTek-7750-DDR5-Expre...

I can buy cables to suit the monitors I have for a fiver each. This seems too good to be true.

Seems like an expensive way to do it?

I used to use two graphics cards (or at least, onboard + a graphics card) for three monitors years ago and had no issues.

My GTX980 supports three monitors without issue and you could use two - obviously the GTX980 is an expensive graphics card, but I'm sure other models support it too and are less than £300 for a pair.

[franki68]

bunchofkeys said:

I recall that Matrox made a 6 output graphic card; normally used on the trade floors (c680).

What are you wanting to display over the 6 screens?

Edited by bunchofkeys on Thursday 17th December 13:18

Life size porn obviously .

[Mars]

Two screens for Excel, one for BlueJeans VC (our corporate standard), one for a different (customer/supplier) VC (often on at the same time - Google Meet, Zoom, WebEx - that can be a challenge to manage), one for a Citrix client, and one for a piece of UPS monitoring software or server VMs.

I could do all of this on ultra-wide screens but I have the screens already, and I don't need the additional resolution. I thought a 6-way graphics card would be cheaper than changing the screens. Also, the screens are slightly messily arranged, around the available space I have.

At the moment, I'm running three separate machines to power all six screens, with three keyboards and three (blind) mice.

[sparkyhx]

you can daisy chain Display port connections depending on graphics card and screens having in & Out ports.

If you dont have enough graphics card support for 6 you could look at VGA and HDMI'ing the rest

[paulrockliffe]

LOL, sounds like a proper mess. If you need to carry on using multiple computers, have a look at KVM switches, so you can at least get down to a single mouse and keyboard.

Someone always asks why someone needs so many screens, I can't understand how people work off one or two. I have one for Teams, one for Outlook, one for looking at the data I'm working on, one for working on, then I have one for Pistonheads and one for Youtube/Music/Tweetdeck.

Then I use Virtual Desktops with things like Teams and Outlook set to show on all desktops, so I can cycle between different projects.

[paulrockliffe]

sparkyhx said:

you can daisy chain Display port connections depending on graphics card and screens having in & Out ports.

If you dont have enough graphics card support for 6 you could look at VGA and HDMI'ing the rest

The price of 6 chainable monitors is going to be a lot more than the price of a 6 screen graphics card. And you'd still need to buy a card that supports 6 screens.

[Mars]

paulrockliffe said:

LOL, sounds like a proper mess.

It totally is but it's grown organically as I've needed it, and I quite like it now - apart from the multiple input devices anyway.

paulrockliffe said:

If you need to carry on using multiple computers, have a look at KVM switches, so you can at least get down to a single mouse and keyboard.

Someone always asks why someone needs so many screens, I can't understand how people work off one or two. I have one for Teams, one for Outlook, one for looking at the data I'm working on, one for working on, then I have one for Pistonheads and one for Youtube/Music/Tweetdeck.

Then I use Virtual Desktops with things like Teams and Outlook set to show on all desktops, so I can cycle between different projects.

I didn't even mention PH, YouTube, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. I actually have a 7th screen in the garage I have been wondering where to mount and how to use but I want to solve this problem first.