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Dual Monitors for Optiplex 3020 Small Form
Just received my OptiPlex 3020 Small Form today. Noticed right away only one output for a monitor. After traveling to Best Buy and learning that a regular video card won't fit my tower, does anyone know how to attach two monitors to a small form tower? Thanks!
Gretzinator
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August 10th, 2015 20:00
There's a couple of ways to accomplish this.
The simplest is to use both the display port and the VGA port. Plug them both in, boot windows. The windows display control panel (right click the middle of the screen in Windows 7) will let you set the resolution and if they are showing the same thing, or if it will extend the desktop to both monitors, so you can have different things on both screens.
You can get adapters from Displayport to VGA, DVI and HDMI. At the moment, I'm using the onboard VGA and a Displayport to DVI.
Another way is to add in a low profile (or half height) video card. There's a couple of options from Dell, as well as several versions from nVidia and ATI. (Frys, NewEgg, etc). These can have pretty much any display interface type you want (DVI, HDMI or DisplayPort).
Displayport (rev 1.2 and 1.3) supports using a multi stream transport hub. The Optiplex 3020 supports rev 1.2. Displayport MST hubs can support 2, 3 or 4 monitors. They start around $75, and you can find them on Amazon and other places, but I did not see one at Frys.
Displayport also allows chaining of monitors. Dell sells at least one monitor that supports this (U2415), but you will need to set the chaining ON for the first monitor, and OFF for the last monitor on the chain. Other monitors may be 'smarter' about figuring it out. A Displayport 1.1 monitor can chain if it's the LAST monitor in the chain.
Displayport.org discusses some of the features and benefits of the Displayport standards. Displayport 1.3 supports really high resolution monitors. Apple's Thunderbolt bus is compatible with Displayport, and is sort of a super-set of the features. The Displayport format and data stream is also functional over USB3-C in some cases.
Alfadat
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January 27th, 2016 14:00
Ron, this model of computer is coming with the VGA port AND a Display Port, so should be possible to run two monitors...
I do not know why you insist in the alternative of installing another PCI-E card since is far better to install the Display Port adapter for VGA/HDMI/DVI ?