ATI Radeon HD 5870 Eyefinity 6 Edition Gaming

ATI Eyefinity technology, in essence, allows for multiple monitors to be used as a single large display. As it stands today, for the most part, when multiple monitors are connected to a single PC, those monitors are recognized as independent displays and can be configured for desktop spanning or mirroring modes, etc. With ATI Eyefinity, however, the displays can be arranged in a single group (or in multiple groups) and they are treated as a single display by the OS. The technology was made possible in part by DisplayPort which does not require individual clock signals for each connected display and by a new Output Crossbar implemented within the GPU that allows for data to be sent from the display pipeline out to the necessary display, regardless of where it is connected on the card.

   
AMD Eyefinity Multi-Display Technology In Action

Eyefinity is enabled through a combination of hardware and software that was developed by AMD. On the hardware front, AMD's Radeon HD 5000 series cards sport between 3 and 6 display outputs of various types, DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI, etc. And those outputs can be managed by software currently dubbed SLS, or Single Large Surface. Using the SLS tool built into AMD's Catalyst drives, users are able to configure a group of monitors to work with Eyefinity and essentially act as a single, large display.

The technology allows for some exciting possibilities. For example, six, 30" Dell 3008WFP panels can be grouped as a single display, in a 3 x 2 arrangement, with a resolution of 7680 x 3200--that's about 24.6 megapixels if you do the math.  And a single Radeon HD 5870 Eyefinity 6 Edition card is all that is necessary to power the displays. In such a configuration, the Windows desktop can function as one monolithic surface, with all of that expansive resolution available to the user.

Upcoming Samsung Thin-Bezel Displays

To help increase adoption of Eyefinity, AMD is working closely with some display makers, like Samsung for example, to introduce new displays with ultra-thin bezels, designed with Eyefinity in mind. Samsung's thin-bezel displays are pictured above.