How do you connect 3 monitors on an Optiplex 7010

I have an answer for those needing 3 or more monitors on the Opti 7010.
Once the additional video card (we used EVGA GeForce 210 512mb DDR3 PCI-E 2.0) is installed an error message will come up at
the next boot stating there is a non-standard video set up present. Choose F2
and go to the Video settings and check the Allow Multiple Monitors box, by
default the multiple monitor option is turned off. TA DA! I don't believe you can turn on 'multiple monitors' before installing the add-in card as the option is not there.

This should allow for one monitor connected VGA, one monitor connected to the display port/DVI, and two monitors connected to the add-in card with a dual output splitter. I am currently running one via display port/DVI and two via add-in card DVI splitter.

I had some images of the Bios settings but can't seem to locate them now. Let me know if you think they would be helpful and I'll try to dig them up.

Thonk98

I had the same issue and found a solution to use the built-in chip without add-ons.

What you need is either:

1) two native Display Port monitors and one VGA monitor

or

2) two ACTIVE Display Port to DVI (or to anything else like VGA, HDMI etc) adapters and a VGA monitor connected to the VGA port.

They cost maybe 25$ each. The ones usually provided by DELL are passive (just wires), they just tell the built-in chip to provide DVI signals instead of DP, but the built-in chip has only two clocks so cannot support three monitors with passive adapters. So it may even work with one active DP-->DVI adapter and one passive plus the VGA port. Unfortunately DELL sales people don't seem to know that.

Good luck

Hi EN100,

Are you saying that it is possible to run dual monitors from the single DP? The DP dongles we got are a single DP to DVI.

4 monitors is possible with the right card.

http://www.visiontek.com/vhdci/hd-5570-4-port-dvi-d.html

Hi Thonk98,

Optiplex 7010 has two display ports and one VGA. What I did is plug two active DP-->DVI adapters, one in each DP port, and the third screen in the VGA port. This worked for me.

I also tried just by pluging one active DP-->DVI in one DP port, plus a passive DP-->DVI in the second DP port plus the third monitor in the VGA port, but didn't work. So both DP-->DVI need to be active, not passive.

I think the dongles you have are passive, not active. DELL ships the PCs with passive ones by default. You need to get two active ones.

Example of an active dongle: SAPPHIRE 100924 - bellow 25$ each, but there are plenty of other models (I used two Japanese active adapters http://kuroutoshikou.com/modules/display/?iid=1700 as I didn't have time to shop).

This worked for me, I enabled the Multiple Monitors check box, and also selected the primary display to be the ATI HD adapter, rather than Auto.  Running Ubuntu 14.04 with 3 screens now, although presumably I could have 4, or even 5 if I used Displayport monitors or "Active" adapters as suggested below.

I have an OptiPlex 7010 and this card,  EVGA GeForce 210 512mb DDR3 PCI-E 2.0, and still only getting one monitor working at time.   any help ?

I have a bunch of cables from my prior set up.

thx