Dual screen.

[Ashmada]

Recently, my good ol' CRT TV died (recquiescat in pace), so I mumbled a quick eulogy (the words "piece of shit" featured prominently, I'm told), buried it in the yard and bought a new one.

Now, obviously, said new TV comes with a bunch of ports, some of them quite pointless, among them HDMI ports; therefore I'd like to use it as a 2nd screen for my PC.
Problem is: GFX card only has 1 HDMI port and 1 DVI port (no VGA ports at all).

I managed to whip up a setup with old cables and adapters I had lying around, so currently I'm running a dual screen with:
- HDMI cable (PC<->TV)
- VGA cable with DVI adapter (PC<->monitor)
Sound all goes to the TV, the HDMI takes precedence.

I'd like to replace the latter cable with a 2nd HDMI, but I'm wondering what my options are.
As far as I'm aware, said options are:
1. HDMI splitter.
2. Getting another GFX card, running it in CrossFire. Probably going to end up doing it down the line anyway, but it's not really necessary atm.

Obviously, option 1 would be cheapest, option 2 most expensive... but which would be best?
Any feedback on those splitters?

[Niya]

Um... did you mix up something? First you say that your GPU only has HDMI and DVI, then you say that your monitor is connected with VGA-DVI. Is the VGA end on the monitor or on the GPU side?

If you really have HDMI and DVI on the GPU side, why not use a simple DVI-to-HDMI cable? DVI and HDMI can be "converted" to one another with passive cables and/or adapters, AFAIK the only thing that might get lost due to DVI limitations is the option to transfer sound.

[Ashmada]

Um... did you mix up something? First you say that your GPU only has HDMI and DVI, then you say that your monitor is connected with VGA-DVI. Is the VGA end on the monitor or on the GPU side?

VGA monitor side, DVI GPU side. No mix-up, I just thought it was clear, guess it wasn't.

If you really have HDMI and DVI on the GPU side, why not use a simple DVI-to-HDMI cable? DVI and HDMI can be "converted" to one another with passive cables and/or adapters, AFAIK the only thing that might get lost due to DVI limitations is the option to transfer sound.

Because I hadn't thought about it (guess my brain was trying to trick me into getting a 2nd GPU)... anyway, after posting, I found out that those 2 ports I couldn't identify on the graphics card are Mini DP, so I'll just buy a Mini DisplayPort<->HDMI adapter; should just be 20-25€.

[hey]

erm, dvi<-> hdmi should be 1/10 the price.

[Dmitry]

Going to agree with HDMI to DVI adapter. Got one for 3 bucks and it works fine.

[Buffy]

I highly recommend http://www.monoprice.com/ for all your cabling converter needs!

[Ashmada]

Mailed my usual provider, he quotes me a MiniDP<->HDMI at 43€, so fuck that shit. Strange, usually his prices are pretty good.
I'll check at Mediamarkt next time I'm nearby, they probably have both in stock and I'll decide on price there.

I highly recommend http://www.monoprice.com/ for all your cabling converter needs!

Unlikely to deliver here. Anyway, I wouldn't order online for an adapter. Delivery cost would be nearly as high as (miniDP<->HDMI)/much higher than (DVI<->HDMI) the adapter itself.