Active adapters - no external power needed?

[lightbx]

I am having trouble with an AMD Firepro W71000 right now, that being that the Output Monitor doesn't show up. It is a "clear" window, that shows whatever I had open on my Desktop prior to Resolume.

I have read that with AMD cards running 4 outputs (which I am) you need at least 2 active adapters. I am finding many available adapters (even from Accell) that are listed as "active" but also "no external power required," which makes me wonder what makes them active.

I purchased "Active" IOGEAR DP -> HDMI adapters, but they look like regular dongles. No USB or 5V power needed. Are all of these adapters actually active? Any help is appreciated.

[Oaktown]

Active adapter means that they have a chipset that actively converts your signal from DisplayPort to VGA/DVI/HDMI. No need for external or USB power except if you need to convert DisplayPort to dual-link DVI

Here is an interesting article: http://www.startech.com/faq/DisplayPort ... Multi_Mode