Third monitor on nMP?

[hamburski]

Whoa - so you plug your DVI screen into the adapter, then run the TB cable into the Mac itself for connectivity and the USB cable into a powered USB hub to power the thing?

[MIDI Life Crisis]

I don't know, but after reading the reviews I won't be trying it any time soon.

[hamburski]

It does seem, if nothing else, like putting effort into a dying format. However, if the alternative is throwing down for three Thunderbolt displays...that most emphatically ain't happening any time soon.

[hamburski]

Though I see what you mean about the reviews...

[mikehalloran]

Yes, tons of bad reviews from 2008-2012.

You have to sift through the reviews but the few I saw involving the nMP were good. Apparently, it was firmware 1.03 released in 2012(?) that fixed what was ailing the Apple adapter.

One thing to remember is that you have access to AppleCare even when you buy a $99 piece of hardware.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

One thing to remember is that you have access to AppleCare even when you buy a $99 piece of hardware.

I hope that is true (that it's working with the nMP). But even Applecare will not necessarily refund your $$$ if the product just sucks. If there's a 30 day return policy that works for me. I'll snag one today!

[hamburski]

That clears things up and does make this seem like a viable option, then. Is there anything that needs doing on the software/preferences end of things, or is having three screens just like having two, and you can put whatever you want wherever you want on the various screens at your disposal?

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Arrangement within the OS should be a simple matter. I'd need my center monitor be the Finder with the others off to the side. That's a pretty normal arrangement, I suspect.

[lydian91]

I just bought a 6-core nMP and am looking for a display solution. I'm wanting to run three 2k displays but definitely want to avoid going with an Apple display for numerous reasons. This thread has alerted me to the fact that one definitely has to be careful when going the 3rd party display route on the nMP (especially with 3+ monitors). I didn't realize there were so many limitations with DVI and HDMI.

What about DisplayPort monitors like the Asus PB278Q? Has anyone tried a multi-monitor setup on a nMP with a DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort cable? From what I've read, DisplayPort can power monitors just as well as thunderbolt. It would be a very clean setup, but I haven't really found any reviews from people who have tried running more than two 3rd party monitors on this particular machine. Everything I've found (almost all prior to 2014) has mentioned performance issues (e.g. not waking up from sleep), so I'm a little hesitant to just dive in.

Maximum screen real estate has been a huge workflow boost for me, so going this route is substantially cheaper than Apple's TB display, but it's still not cheap and I'd like to avoid any surprises. Any advice or stories of experience would be much appreciated.

[mikehalloran]

You can call OWC and ask how they do it. They aren't the only ones who got 6 displays running but they can sell you what you need to make it work.

http://blog.macsales.com/22073-what-do- ... ac-pro-fun

The OS 10.10.3 update now allows the nMP to support single streaming 4K and dual-cable 5k displays.

http://www.macrumors.com/2015/04/13/os- ... 3-dell-5k/