I want to connect two additional monitors to my Alienware 17x R3 with AMD Radeon 6870M

We have not tested this. The gamers on the NRF (Notebook Review Forum) are very knowledgeable. You might ask them out there if they have tried to use this setup.

Display port monitors can daisy chain.  Easist way is to buy 3 panels with native Displayport connectors and daisy chain them.

from AMD

1.AMD Eyefinity technology works with games that support non-standard aspect ratios, which is required for panning across multiple displays. To enable more than two displays, additional panels with native DisplayPort™ connectors, and/or DisplayPort™ compliant active adapters to convert your monitor’s native input to your cards DisplayPort™ or Mini-DisplayPort™ connector(s), are required. SLS (“Single Large Surface”) functionality requires an identical display resolution on all configured displays.

More research show you can only go to a max of 3 external monitors on that laptop/card.

Yes that is exactly what I want - so I have dell U2312HMT so one cable goes from minidisplay port to which plug on 1st monitor then from what plug on first to what plug on second????

ok. it looks like those monitors are displayport 1.1.   let me think.

Ok you should be able to do a HDMI-DVI and a minidisplayport-Displayport.

AH I was re reading your original message.
Case1 (3 monitor total, laptop display and 2 more monitors)
In this case you cannot do a DP>DVI cable for the 3rd monitor.  The reason is that the card only has 2 timing chips, to use a 3rd monitor you need to go DP-DP cable.

Case 2 (3 monitor total, 3 outside monitor with laptop monitor not being used)
VGA, HDMI-anything, DP-DP(only)

ok Easy answer.  Use a mini-Displayport to Displayport cable instead of the DP-DVI cable.

Example www.amazon.com/.../ref=sr_1_1

I have been told by Dell that I can NOT use the HDMI and the Display Port simultaneously.  I am hoping that you are correct and that I can not use the hdmi-dvi and the dp-dvi connections simultaneously (I have tried that and it does not work) I will have the cables tomorrow to go direct hdmi hdmi and dp dp so we will see.

I can not find monitors at Dell or anyplace else that have both input and output DP ports - any suggestions?

I know that chipset and even there is 3 outputs, most people put adaptors on the DP port.  The bigest problem with setting up eyefinity is that the chipset only has 2 timers.  DP natively do not need timers but a DP>DVI cable does need a timer so it sounds like you are running into the 2 timer chip problem.  The nice part is that your monitors have a DP input, so it is only a 10$ cable to fix that.

Else you have to use an active DP>DVI adaptor and that is 100$+

Here is some reference material

www.amd.com/.../faqs.aspx

I really appreciate your time

OK so if I understand you correctly I will not be able to run the laptop monitor (which would use timer 1 - what interface would that be anyway?) plus an hdmi driven monitor (timer 2) and a DP driven monitor (non-existant timer 3).

So to use the laptop plus two monitors I will need either (???):

  1 Direct HDMI - HDMI cable & monitor + 1 Direct DP to DP cable & monitor - even though Dell says it will not work (I think I trust you more) - we will see when the dp-dp cable arrives.

  2 at least 1 monitor with both a DP input and output and a second with a DP input (minimally)

or

 3 An active adapter

Do you know of any monitors with both an input and output DP??

OKay I just saw your latest response.  So option 2 my 6870 card will not handle a DP 1.2 anyway right?  Or if I can use 1.2 monitors then I will return these two new ones and get 1.2 monitors (If when anybody makes them???)

If Option 1 does not work I am left with Option 3 - I presume I can run 2 1920x1080 monitors of these adapters instead of 3 monitors at 1280x1024

So my only

ok I'm sure that the
Vga>anything on Monitor
HDMI> anything on Monitor
Display Port > Display Port on monitor
Will work.

That video card is based off a 5870 video card so the DP is going to be version 1.1
DP 1.1 is limited in bandwidth so it is harder to run multiple monitors and DP1.1 cannot daisychain.

IF the DP >DP doesn't not allow the 3rd monitor then the only way I can see for 3 monitor is
HDMI > Anything on monitor
Display Port > hub > 2 monitors

Links for various hubs (100-200$)
accessories.us.dell.com/.../productdetail.aspx
www.amazon.com/.../ref=s9_simh_gw_p147_d0_g147_i3
www.amazon.com/.../ref=s9_simh_gw_p147_d0_g147_i1

I checked with a developer at AMD.  the DP1.2 MST hubs and the DP1.2 monitors, are not yet on the market.  AMD partners say summer 2012 for the first DP1.2 items to show up.

Ok for Laptop Screen + 2 monitor setup

Laptop, HDMI-anything on monitor, Dp - DP on monitor. = Requires 2 cables.

DP native (ie not DP>DVI cable) does not need the standard timer chip.

I spend a month learning all these to setup a 3 monitor eyefinity setup with a Area-51 ALX

Option 2 you cannot do. the Mobile 6870 is based off of HD5xxx tech so it is DP1.1  it Cannot do the daisy chain of DP1.2 (and there is no DP1.2 monitors or hubs out there yet either)

if Option 1 does not work then you can do

Laptop, DP > DP hub > 2 monitors (think max is 3840x1080 for both, for 2 1920x1080 monitors)

Technicial the GPU can handle 6 monitors but that is dependant on ports.  Gor that model I think a max of 3 display. either 1 internal and 2 external or 3 external is doable.

Hey - EliWolfe - I want to thank you for all of your help and encouragement.  I am now happily working away with one monitor connected to the minidp-DP port and one monitor connected to HDMI (via a HDMI-DVI connector - I had not even noticed the lack of a HDMI input on the monitor earlier). 

So now I have my three monitors (including the laptop itself.  Thank you.

Best of all I am able to use either one or both of my 23" monitors in either portrait or landscape mode which would not have been possible with the Accel device - and even better I did not have to spend the money.

BTW I did not need it but based on our exchanges I tried to add an VGA monitor and it said I would have to disconnect one other monitor first.  But I do not need any more.

If you added a 3rd monitor to the VGA most likely you would need to disable the laptop display.  And I do not know if that is possible.  That display is using one of the 2 frequency timers.

Glad to see you are happy, I was wondering if you got it all to work.