AMD Eyefinity is a multi-display technology that enables two or more displays to be grouped to work together as a single desktop. When displays are grouped together, the desktop resolution and workspace area increase according to the number of displays in the group, and each display shows a portion of the desktop for a more detailed and vivid visual experience.
Depending on the capabilities of your graphics card and the number of displays enabled on it, the following can be achieved:
- Multiple displays working together as a display group to show a single desktop, effectively creating a large desktop and aspect ratio. Therefore, in a display group, the Windows® desktop maximizes across all displays.
- Multiple displays running in duplicated desktop mode to each show the same desktop.
- Multiple displays running in extended desktop mode to each show a unique desktop.
- Any combination of the above.
Displays in a group can have the same resolution, alignment, rotation, and dimension. Depending on the capabilities of your graphics card(s), display groups can also be made up of mixed-alignment, mixed-rotation, and mixed-dimension displays.
Once a group is created, you can save it so that it can be disabled and re-enabled as needed. You can also edit the group by:
- Changing the preferred display.
- Arranging displays within the group.
- Resizing the desktop across displays.
- Repositioning the Windows taskbar.
- Configuring bezel compensation.
- Changing the desktop resolution for the group.
- Configuring overlap compensation.
Note: AMD FirePro™ 10-bit pixel format support and quad buffer stereo mode support cannot be enabled for displays in an AMD Eyefinity display group. As a result, you may be prevented from creating AMD Eyefinity display groups using displays enabled with these AMD FirePro features.
Creating Display Groups
An AMD Eyefinity display group is a combination of displays that work together as a single desktop. A display can be part of a group only if it is supported by the current display configuration and is not already being used by another desktop. If you choose to add a display that is already associated with another (extended) desktop to the group, it will automatically be disabled before it is added.
Depending on your system configuration, displays in a group can each have their own rotation, alignment, and/or dimension (aspect ratio). Supported display configurations are shown at the top of the Create Eyefinity Display Group page and determine which options are available to you when you create your display group:
- Standard—There are no restrictions on the number of rows or columns that can be used for your display group as long as all displays support a common resolution, have the same rotation, and are aligned with one another.
- Mixed dimension—Displays rotated to different orientations can be used in the same display group. However, you must use a 1×n or n×1 layout.
- Mixed alignment—Displays with different alignments can be used in the same display group. In this configuration, the edges of adjacent displays do not have the line up with one another. However, you must use a 1×n or n×1 layout.
- Mixed rotation—Displays of different sizes and resolutions can be used in the same display group. However, you must use a 1×n or n×1 layout.
When creating a display group, you may be prompted to do the following:
- Select a display arrangement—You can choose to convert desktops that are currently running in extended desktop mode to a display group, or create a new arrangement for your display group.
- Select a desktop for the group—If there is only one desktop available, that desktop is automatically selected.
- Select a layout for the group—Available layouts depend on the number of displays that can be supported by the current display configuration and the number of displays that are eligible to be included in the group.
- Select which displays are to be added to the group—You can choose from all connected displays or only ones that are not currently being used.
- Change the rotation, arrangement, and alignment of displays—Rotation and alignment settings are available only for display groups that support mixed-rotation and mixed-alignment display configurations.
- Select how the desktop is shown in the group—This step is available only for display groups that support mixed-alignment display configurations.
When display groups are being created, it is normal for your displays to momentarily turn blank.
Note: AMD FirePro™ 10-bit pixel format support and quad buffer stereo mode support cannot be enabled for displays in an AMD Eyefinity display group. As a result, you may be prevented from creating AMD Eyefinity display groups using displays enabled with these AMD FirePro features.
- (Recommended) Close all applications except for the Control Center application.
- Navigate to one of the following pages:
- Standard View—.
- Advanced View—.
The types of display configurations that can be used with your display group are shown at the top of the page and determines which layouts are available for selection. To view a description of each configuration, click the Show More link. To hide the descriptions, click the Show Less link.
- If prompted, select a display arrangement for your display group:
- Use the current arrangement—Select this option and click Next to convert your current arrangement to a display group. This option is available only for extended desktops.
When you select this option, a display group is automatically created using your current setup—no further customization is required. Once the display group is created, you will be prompted to save it for future use. Proceed to the last step in this procedure.
Note: This option is available only when all displays that are associated with the extended desktops are connected to the same graphics card.
- Use a new arrangement—Select this option and click Next to create a display group using a display arrangement other than the current one.
When you select this option, you will be prompted to customize your display group.
Tip: If needed, click the Identify All button to see which displays are associated with which desktops.
- If prompted, select the desktop for which you want to create a display group, specify the type of displays that can be included in the display group then click Next:
- All connected displays (other desktops will be disabled)—Select this option to make all displays that are currently connected to your system available to the display group. All desktops, except the one that is currently selected, are automatically disabled so that their displays become available for selection.
- Only displays that are not currently being used—Select this option to make displays that are not currently being used by other desktops available to the display group. In other words, displays that are currently being used by another desktop will not be available for selection.
- If prompted, select a layout for the display group and click Next.Only layouts that are applicable to your current display configuration are shown. Layouts are listed according to the number of displays that are available to the group, and are shown in the format of width × height. For example, a 3 display (3 × 1) layout involves three displays arranged side-by-side.
- If prompted, select which displays you want added to the display group and click Next.During this step, only the Control Center application remains available for use and displays that can be added to your group are listed on the Creating Eyefinity Display Group page.
Displays are lit with a number for identification purposes. However, due to resource limitation and/or compatibility reasons, there may be cases when a display is unlit but still available for selection. When you select this type of display, it automatically becomes lit and assigned a number, but in exchange, displays that are not compatible with your selection become unlit and can no longer be selected. The status of each display is always updated as you make your selection(s).
The number of displays that you select must match the number of displays required for your layout. You can change your display selection as needed with the exception of the preferred display, which must always be selected.
Displays that are selected are indicated with a check mark symbol.
To remove a display from the display group, select it again.
- If your display group is capable of mixed-rotation configurations, review and change the orientation of your displays as needed and click Next.To change the rotation of a display, click the corresponding display on the desktop arrangement area of the Create Eyefinity Display Group page and select the appropriate orientation. Displays are automatically rotated to match the configuration shown on the page.
Tip: Use the triangular anchor at the corner of each display as a reference when rotating your displays.
- Review the arrangement of your displays. If the current arrangement is not correct, click Start Arrangement to change the arrangement as necessary and click Next. If no changes are needed, click Next to proceed to the next step.When you arrange the displays in a display group, one of the displays is lit in blue and the others become black. The Control Center application window remains visible and the layout for the display group appears in the desktop arrangement area.
In the layout, select the grid position that corresponds to the physical position of the display lit in blue. Once the display is assigned to the grid, it becomes black and the next display becomes lit. Repeat this step until all displays have been assigned to their appropriate grid positions and click Done. When there is only one grid position and available display left, the display is automatically assigned to the remaining grid position.
Tip: If needed, click Restart Arrangement to start the arrangement over again or Back to return to the previous display assignment.
- If your display group is capable of mixed-alignment configurations, review and change the alignment of your displays as needed and click Next.On the desktop arrangement area of the Create Eyefinity Display Group page, select the displays that you want to align and use the arrow buttons to move them in the appropriate direction. Use the single-arrow and double-arrow buttons to make small and large adjustments, respectively.
To align all displays at once, click Align All and select the appropriate alignment.
Tip: Use the grid lines that are shown on each display as a reference when making changes.
- If your display group is capable of mixed-dimension configurations, select how you want your desktop to be shown across your displays and click Next. Use the sample images as reference when selecting one of the following:
- Fill—Fill the entire area of each display with its portion of the desktop. The desktop may appear stretched on certain displays.
- Fit—Show the entire desktop across all displays without cropping or stretching the desktop. Certain areas of your displays may appear blank.
- Expand—Proportionally resize the desktop to the height of the tallest display. Portions of the desktop, including the Windows® Start menu and taskbar, may appear cropped or missing on certain displays.
- In the Save Eyefinity Display Group dialog box that opens, specify a name for your display group and click OK.By saving your display group, you can re-enable it later.
The display group is created and becomes available for use. If you intend on viewing large images across multiple displays, it is recommended that you configure bezel compensation for your display group.
The Desktop Area setting of the Desktop Properties page is also updated to show new desktop resolutions that can be applied to the group.
Setting the Preferred Display
Displays belonging to a display group or running in duplicated desktop mode may exhibit tearing effects during video playback. While it is not possible to eliminate the issue on all such displays, you can prevent tearing on a particular display by setting it as the preferred display. The preferred display should be the principal display when gaming in an AMD Eyefinity display group and must be the wireless display if there is one.
Depending on the graphics card that you are using, the preferred display may also determine where video overlays appear. Overlays are created only on the preferred display except when overlays can appear on multiple displays. In this case, the “main” overlay is created only on the preferred display.
Note: Video overlays are not supported by display groups.
Only one preferred display can be set per display group or collection of duplicated displays. When you create a display group, the first enabled display is automatically set as the preferred display. Similarly, when you duplicate a display, the original display associated with the target desktop is automatically set as the preferred display.
Note: This feature is available only for displays currently running in duplicated desktop mode or belonging to a display group. For certain graphics cards, the feature is available only to collections of duplicated displays containing two displays.
- Navigate to one of the following pages:
- Standard View— or .
- Advanced View— or .
- Depending on the page you are using, do one of the following:
- Set Preferred Display—Select the preferred display and click Apply.
- Creating and Arranging Desktops—In the display palette, click Make Preferred in the context menu of the appropriate display.
Tip: If you have more than one AMD Eyefinity display group, make sure that you select the group that you want to configure first.
The current display configuration is updated accordingly.
Positioning the Windows Taskbar
By default, the Windows® taskbar in an AMD Eyefinity display group spans the length of the entire desktop. You can resize and position the taskbar so that it appears only on a single display. To do this, use the settings on the Position Windows Taskbar page.
- Navigate to the Position Windows Taskbar page located under one of the following groups:
- Standard View—.
- Advanced View— AMD Eyefinity Multi-Display.
- Select Position the Windows taskbar on a single display to constrain the taskbar to a particular display in the display group.
Tip: To allow the taskbar to span the entire AMD Eyefinity display group, clear the option instead.
- Click Continue.
The size and position of the Windows taskbar is adjusted accordingly. You can also move the taskbar by dragging it to another location.
Arranging Displays in a Display Group
Once a display group has been created, you can re-arrange the displays in the group to match the physical placement of your displays. The arrangement process involves assigning displays, one at a time, to a particular grid position in the display group layout.
If you have more than one display group, you are required to first select the one that you want to arrange. Otherwise, the arrangement process automatically starts once you access the Arrange Eyefinity Display Group page.
- Navigate to one of the following pages:
- Standard View—.
- Advanced View—.
Each of these pages guide you through the process of arranging a display group.
- If you have more than one display group, select the one that you want to arrange and click Start. If there is only one display group available, it is automatically selected and you can proceed to the next step.One display in the group is lit in blue and the others become black. The Control Center application window remains visible and the layout of the group appears in the desktop arrangement area.
- Assign displays to the desired grid position in the layout by doing the following:
- Select the grid position that corresponds to the physical position of the display lit in blue. Once the display is assigned, the display becomes black and the next display becomes lit.
- Assign all subsequently lit displays to their appropriate grid positions in the same manner.
Once a display has been assigned to a grid position, the grid position shows a preview of the desktop.
When there is only one grid position and one available display left, the display is automatically assigned to the grid position.
Tip: If needed, click Undo to discard the last display assignment.
- If you are using the Arrange Eyefinity Display Group page, it is recommended that you enable bezel compensation when viewing large images across multiple displays.If you are using the Creating and Arranging Desktops page, you are prompting you to configure bezel compensation settings. Click Yes to proceed with bezel compensation or No to discard the message.
The displays are arranged within the group accordingly.
Resizing the Desktop in a Display Group
When displays in an AMD Eyefinity display group are configured to use different resolutions, rotations, or alignments, the desktop image may appear stretched or cropped. You can change how the desktop image is shown across your displays by resizing it.
Note: This feature is available only for systems installed with Windows® 7 or later.
- Navigate to the Resize Desktop page located under one of the following groups:
- Standard View—.
- Advanced View—AMD Eyefinity Multi-Display.
- Using the sample images as reference, select how you want your desktop to be shown across your display group:
- Fill—Fill the entire area of each display with its portion of the desktop. The desktop may appear stretched on certain displays.
- Fit—Show the entire desktop across all displays without cropping or stretching the desktop. Certain areas of your displays may appear blank.
- Expand—Proportionally resize the desktop to the height of the tallest display. Portions of the desktop, including the Windows Start menu and taskbar, may appear cropped or missing on certain displays.
- Click Apply.
The desktop is resized across all displays in the display group accordingly.
Disabling Display Groups
When a display group is disabled, its associated displays are removed from the group; however, the configuration information of the group is saved so it can be re-enabled at a later date.
- Navigate to one of the following pages:
- Standard View—.
- Advanced View—
- If there is only one available display group, it is automatically disabled and no further action is required. Otherwise, select the desktop that you want to disable and click Apply.
The display group is no longer available and its desktop resolution no longer appears in the Desktop Properties page.
Tip: You can simultaneously make all the displays in the group run in duplicated desktop mode by setting the group’s desktop resolution to that of a single display. Doing so does not disable the group since no desktop resolutions are removed.For example, if a display group that is comprised of three displays arranged side-by-side provides a desktop area of 3840×1024, setting the resolution to 1280×1024 or lower causes all displays in the group to run in duplicated desktop mode. Setting the resolution back to a higher value returns the displays to the display group.
Re-enabling Display Groups
You can restore a disabled display group by re-enabling it. To do so, at least one of the displays belonging to the display group must be enabled.
- Navigate to one of the following pages:
- Standard View—.
- Advanced View—.
- If there is only one available display group, it is automatically re-enabled and no further action is required. Otherwise, select the desktop that you want to re-enable as an AMD Eyefinity display group and click Apply.
The display group for the selected desktop is re-enabled and becomes available for use again.
About Bezel Compensation
In an AMD Eyefinity display group, multiple monitors work together as a single desktop, allowing for a large workspace area and increased desktop resolution. However, when a desktop is divided between multiple displays, images may appear to be disjointed due to the physical edges (bezels) of your displays. Use the bezel compensation feature to adjust the desktop to compensate for the gaps between displays.
Bezel compensation can provide more realistic views during video playback and game play. It involves adjusting the number of pixels that separate images between adjacent displays. When a desktop has been compensated for bezels, the parts of images that fall within bezel areas will appear to be hidden (similar to how objects may be hidden by frames within a window) rather than distorted.
To correctly configure bezel compensation, all displays must first be physically aligned with one another based on the chosen layout of your display group. During the bezel compensation process, the desktop for the current display group becomes black and a series of test patterns become available. You are then prompted to align the test patterns with one another using a set of control buttons. The order in which displays are configured is determined automatically.
Note: Bezel compensation works best with displays that are matching in screen size, pixel size, and aspect ratio. Identical displays are recommended.
Adjusting Bezel Compensation
The following procedure describes how to add and edit bezel compensation settings to and for displays belonging to an AMD Eyefinity display group. Bezel compensation involves aligning test patterns on displays so they appear to span continuously from one display to the next. Test patterns can be shifted vertically or horizontally, effectively increasing or decreasing the number of pixels hidden behind the bezels of your displays.
When performing bezel compensation, you can configure each display individually, or apply bezel settings to all displays in the group. The order in which displays are configured is automatically determined by the Control Center application. The display in the top left corner of the display group is always used as the reference point for bezel compensation and does not need to be configured.
Note: Bezel compensation is only effective when all displays in the display group are physically aligned with one another.
- Navigate to one of the following pages:
- Standard View—.
- Advanced View— or .
Each of these pages guide you through the process of adjusting bezel compensation.
- If needed, select the AMD Eyefinity display group that you want to configure.The desktop becomes black and a set of controls for performing bezel compensation appears on the first display to be configured. A series of test patterns also appear on the current display and its adjacent displays.
- Use the arrow buttons to adjust test patterns so that the vertical and diagonal lines on the current display form straight lines with the corresponding lines on all adjacent displays. You can also make adjustments using various keyboard shortcuts.When test patterns are properly aligned, the intersecting points of all lines appear hidden by the physical bezels of your displays. Use the Up and Down buttons to adjust the vertical alignment of test patterns. Use the Left and Right buttons to adjust the horizontal alignment of test patterns.
Note: The availability of arrow buttons depend on the position of the current display within the display group. In addition, an arrow becomes disabled if adjustments in its direction are no longer possible. In other words, if the number of pixels between the edge of the current display and that of its adjacent display reaches zero, then test patterns can no longer be brought closer together.
- Once test patterns have been aligned, click the Next button to proceed to the next display.When enough displays have been configured to determine the size of the bezels around your displays, bezel settings are automatically applied to all remaining displays, and a message dialog box appears prompting you to confirm whether all test patterns are correctly aligned.
- If prompted, do one of the following:
- To confirm that the test patterns are properly aligned, click Yes. Doing so saves the current bezel settings and ends the bezel compensation process.
- To discard the bezel settings and continue configuring each display individually, click No.
- If necessary, continue to align test patterns on all remaining displays by using the arrow and Next buttons.
You can also use the following buttons as necessary:
- Previous button—Allows you to make changes to the previous display.
- “X” button—Exits bezel compensation. You will be prompted to save your changes. When prompted, click Yesto apply the current bezel settings, No to discard them, or Cancel to close the message dialog.
- “?” button—Provides additional information on performing bezel compensation.
When all displays have been aligned, the Next button is replaced with the Done button.
- Click the Done button to complete bezel compensation and restore your desktop.
Bezel compensation is applied to all displays in the display group.
The functional resolution (full desktop size excluding bezel areas) of the display group is updated on the Desktop Properties page as well as in the tooltip that appears when you hover your mouse over the Control Center icon in the Windows® system tray (notification area).
Customizing AMD Eyefinity Desktop Resolutions
The desktop size of an AMD Eyefinity display group can be set to any of the resolutions that appear under the Grouped category in theDesktop Area list in the Desktop Properties page. The category contains a minimum, maximum, and custom resolution. The minimum and maximum resolutions are automatically determined based on your displays and cannot be changed. The custom resolution is customizable and can be changed by selecting from a list of supported resolutions on the Customizing Eyefinity Desktop Resolution page.
- Navigate to the Customize Eyefinity Desktop Resolution page located under the following groups:
- Standard View—.
- Advanced View— AMD Eyefinity Multi-Display.
- If needed, select the AMD Eyefinity display group that you want to configure and click Continue.
Tip: To identify all enabled displays with their corresponding desktop number, click Identify All.
- Set Custom Resolution to the desktop size that you want to be made available for your AMD Eyefinity display group.
- Click Apply.
The selected resolution appears as the custom resolution under the Grouped category in the Desktop Area list of the Desktop Propertiespage. You can use this page to change the resolution of your display group.
Configuring Overlap Compensation
When using video projectors in an AMD Eyefinity display group, you can overlap projector images to create a single desktop for increased workspace and desktop resolution. However, these overlaps can also cause the desktop to appear disjointed especially when moving or positioning objects across overlapping areas.
Using the overlap compensation feature, you can account for these overlaps to create a smooth, continuous desktop. Before beginning, all images must be aligned so that the outside edges of the desktop are straight and that its shape matches the layout of your display group. During overlap compensation, a series of test patterns and control buttons become available. Using these buttons, you can adjust test patterns for each projector image until they are aligned with one another. Test patterns can be shifted vertically or horizontally, effectively increasing or decreasing the number of overlapping pixels between projector images. Once compensation is correctly configured, objects can be moved from one projector image to another without disruption, even across overlapping areas.
If you are configuring overlap compensation for the first time or if all your projector images are equally spaced, you can adjust projector images using a single horizontal and/or vertical offset value.
Note: This feature is available only for systems installed with AMD FirePro™ graphics cards and works best with projectors that support the same screen size, pixel size, and aspect ratio. It is not compatible with AMD Eyefinity display groups that are configured with mixed-rotation, mixed-alignment, or mixed-dimensions displays that are set to use the Fit or Expand options on the page.
- Navigate to the Adjust Overlap Compensation page located under one of the following groups:
- Standard View—.
- Advanced View—AMD Eyefinity Multi-Display.
- If needed, select the AMD Eyefinity display group that you want to configure and click Start.
Tip: To see which display groups correspond to which desktops, click Identify All.
- Using the AMD Eyefinity Desktop Size setting, select a desktop resolution for your display group.
- If your projector images are equally spaced, use the following settings to specify the number of overlapping pixels between images:
- Horizontal Overlap—The number of horizontal pixels between images.
- Vertical Overlap—The number of vertical pixels between images.
Overlap compensation begins by accounting for the specified overlapping pixels.
Note: These settings cannot be changed if your display group has already been configured to use multiple overlap settings. In this case, overlap compensation begins with current overlap settings.
- Click Continue. The screen becomes black and a set of controls for performing overlap compensation appears on the first display to be configured. A series of test patterns also appear on screen.
- Use the arrow buttons to align test patterns as needed.Use the Up and Down buttons to adjust the vertical alignment of test patterns. Use the Left and Right buttons to adjust the horizontal alignment of test patterns. The availability of arrow buttons depend on the image that is being configured. An arrow button becomes unavailable if adjustments in its direction are no longer possible.
You can also the Ctrl++ and Ctrl+- key combinations to increase or decrease the number of lines in the test patterns. More lines can make finer adjustments easier whereas fewer lines are easier to see.
- Once test patterns have been aligned, click the Next button to proceed to configure the next image. Continue aligning test patterns until all of them have been aligned.Once all test patterns are aligned, a message appears prompting you to confirm whether the overall pattern is correct.
- If prompted, do one of the following:
- To confirm that the test patterns are properly aligned, click Yes. Doing so saves the current overlap settings and ends the overlap compensation process.
- To discard the overlap settings and continue aligning test patterns, click No.
- If necessary, continue aligning test patterns for all remaining images using the arrow and Next buttons.
You can also use the following buttons as necessary:
- Previous button—Allows you to make changes to the previous display.
- “X” button—Exits overlap compensation. You will be prompted to save your changes. When prompted, click Yesto apply the current overlap settings, No to discard them, or Cancel to close the message dialog.
- “?” button—Provides additional information on performing overlap compensation.
When all patterns are aligned, the Next button is replaced with the Done button.
- Click the Done button to complete overlap compensation and restore your desktop.
Your desktop should no longer appear disjointed and objects can be moved across overlapping edges without disruption.
