Triple Monitor Support on Optiplex 960

I am not able to provide you answer but could you elaborate on the "OPTIONAL DVI ADAPTER" part.

-Narahari

I posted this in reply to savithari and maybe you can take a look at this adapter too. As I mentioned in a previous posting, I have my Optiplex 960 as a company-issued computer and I cannot install anything without going through the IT Department . I am sending a link to an adaptor that costs a little over $10.00. I also looked at the Optiplex 960 tech specs and saw that the three possible video cards that this computer use, are all capable of multi-monitor function. Good Luck  and let us know.

Ojemreb

http://www.cablewholesale.com/specs/displayport-adapter/30h1-62000.htm

The 960 I have has the standard integrated Intel GMA 4500, which gives you a VGA socket and a DisplayPort socket on the back panel, and I added the optional DVI full-size adapter card that Dell sells for $10 (Product Code ADAPTF, SKU [320-5111]).

So I currently have a monitor plugged into the VGA socket and another plugged into the DVI socket. That still leaves me with the DisplayPort socket unused. This is why I'm wondering if my 960, as it is configured, can support 3 monitors.

Or is it that the DVI adapter uses a video channel normally used by the DisplayPort? I wonder this because the Intel driver window shows a Monitor and a Digital Display.

I tried the same thing.  I was already using the DisplayPort dongle with the VGA port.  I borrowed the dell part you referred to above an installed it.  All it did, though, was offer a third alternative to assign to one of the two "Display Selections" where that had previously only been two.  When I choose the "new" one in place of the old, it does indeed begin to drive the other display, but disables the previous one.  It does not seem to let you drive a third display simultaneously.  If someone from Dell knows how to accomplish something different, I'd welcome the input.  It seems peculiar that it would even recognize a third display device but not be able to drive them simultaneously.  The Intel display adapter has plenty of memory dedicated to it.

Folks,

Lots of graphics cards are equipped with 3, 4 or even more monitor connectors. But all consumer graphics chips from either Intel or NVidea can only support 2 at a time since they only have 2 clock generators. ATI HD5xxx graphics that ship with at least 1 DisplayPort connector can support 3 monitor IF that monitor is connected via a native Displayport cable OR you have a ATI Certified ACTIVE DisplayPort-to-DVI adapter dongle. The $10 part mentioned is a passive adapter and will not work.

The only exceptions are:

Matrox makes specialty multimonitor cards that support up to 8 monitors.

NVidea makes at least Workstation-class card that supports 4 monitors

A few manufacturers make a HIGH END, ATI-based card that supports 6 DisplayPort monitors.

Masi_GC

Understood.

I had an inkling that would be the case when I said "Or is it that the DVI adapter uses a video channel normally used by the DisplayPort? I wonder this because the Intel driver window shows a Monitor and a Digital Display."

I can certainly get support for a 3rd monitor (and probably a 4th) by adding a second graphics card, although I cannot be sure if Windows 7 will stretch my desktop across all of them without special driver support.

As it is, I'll be changing machines and getting one that has an AMD (formally ATI) eyefinity graphics card.

Tokyobrit,

Hmmm.. Since you are purchasing another machine anyways, there is one other choice. If you purchase a new machine that uses a AMD chipset (not just an AMD CPU, but one where all the major components are AMD) such as the Dell Studio XPS 7100 there is feature called ATI Surroundview. It allows you to use both the onboard and PCI-E graphics (has to be a suitable AMD based card) at the same time.

This would provide up to 4 monitors without having to purchase a DisplayPort monitor or dongle.

Masi_GC