Three-Monitors, Windows 7 PC, Single PCIe Slot;

[needsata]

Work Computer, looking for a reasonable video adapter upgrade (out of my own pocket) to get a three-monitor setup going.

Currently TWO identical monitors, Samsung - S24D930 with VGA x (1) and HDMI x (1) outputs (using the VGA to DVI for one
input to Adapter and VGA to Display Port to Adapter for the other);

Ideally I would like to utilize the HDMI ports on both of these monitors.

 

The THIRD monitor, Dell - E248WFP with VGA x (1) and DVI x (1) outputs, (Preference being the DVI out);

 

I am not opposed to using adapter cables if necessary, for instance a card with three HDMI inputs so converting the DVI-out
on Monitor 3 to HDMI, but if there is a card to suit my needs as-is that would be ideal, i.e. TWO HDMI and ONE DVI inputs,
single slot card compatible with my MOBO (computer setup with no need to upgrade power supply);

 

I have never done a monitor setup beyond two before and I see so many threads on the subject, but it is quite difficult for me
to discern which route to go considering the array of hardware at my disposal while considering a cost-effective video card
solution on top of it all that will work here.

 

1920 x 1080p across all as standard;

 

Power Supply: Dell: L275AM-00 (Output not to exceed 240W)

 

Any of these sort of:
 

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814195096

 

I am willing to use DP to DVI and DP to HDMI if necessary;

 

Thank you all in advance for your expertise!

 

SPECS BELOW

 

Operating System: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1 (7601.win7sp1_ldr_escrow.190108-1700)
           Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Dell Inc.
       System Model: OptiPlex 3010
               BIOS: BIOS Date: 01/31/13 15:08:37 Ver: A09.00 
          Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3470 CPU @ 3.20GHz (4 CPUs), ~3.2GHz
             Memory: 8192MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 8162MB RAM
          Page File: 7350MB used, 8972MB available

    DirectX Version: DirectX 11

---------------

Display Devices
---------------
          Card name: AMD Radeon HD 7000 series
       Manufacturer: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
          Chip type: AMD Radeon Graphics Processor (0x6778)
           DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
         Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_6778&SUBSYS_21201028&REV_00
     Display Memory: 4095 MB
   Dedicated Memory: 1008 MB
      Shared Memory: 3087 MB
       Current Mode: 1920 x 1080 (32 bit) (60Hz)
       Monitor Name: Generic PnP Monitor
      Monitor Model: S24D390
         Monitor Id: SAM0B64
        Native Mode: 1920 x 1080(p) (60.000Hz)
        Output Type: HD15

 

Card name: AMD Radeon HD 7000 series
       Manufacturer: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
          Chip type: AMD Radeon Graphics Processor (0x6778)
           DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
         Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_6778&SUBSYS_21201028&REV_00
     Display Memory: 4095 MB
   Dedicated Memory: 1008 MB
      Shared Memory: 3087 MB
       Current Mode: 1920 x 1080 (32 bit) (60Hz)
       Monitor Name: Generic PnP Monitor
      Monitor Model: S24D390
         Monitor Id: SAM0B64
        Native Mode: 1920 x 1080(p) (60.000Hz)
        Output Type: Displayport External

Edited March 4, 2019 by needsata
Additional data.

[Mindovermaster Moderator]

What is that "7000 Series"? There's a LOT of cards in that range.

 

What ports do you have? Sounds like HDMI and DVI. Is that it?

 

Most GFX cards can support 3 monitors....

 

BUT, being a Dell, there is little you can upgrade to, as your PSU probably doesn't have enough juice.

 

Edit: Also, what also are you using the computer for?

[Brandon H Supervisor]

is this a company work computer or a personal one used for work?

 

If company owned I would ask their permission first and if they don't flat out say 'NO' then they may be willing to help pay/order the upgrade.

 

If personal or work approves you adding to their tower then there are plenty of options to work with; the only issue is Single Slot Width GPUs aren't very common anymore, you're likely going to need space for a dual-slot GPU

 

here are a bunch of options on NewEgg for your port requirements

https://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&IsNodeId=1&N=100007709 600007834 600106604 601107671 601210961 601275269

 

edit: removing the port requirements and setting NewEgg filter to just Single-Slot GPUs shows a lot of low end models most of them older as well; I don't think any of them would meet your needs:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&IsNodeId=1&N=100007709 600419828

[Mindovermaster Moderator]

2 minutes ago, Brandon H said:

here are a bunch of options on NewEgg for your port requirements

https://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&IsNodeId=1&N=100007709 600007834 600106604 601107671 601210961 601275269

umm, 0 results?

[Brandon H Supervisor]

1 minute ago, Mindovermaster said:

umm, 0 results?

could be your location?; I show 3 pages of results for that link I posted

 

Screenshot for reference if needed w/ filters circled:

[needsata]

I belive this is it according to GPUZ's lookup (Dell HD 7470), small thing just to get the two monitors going. But it isn't sufficient
currently to handle to third monitor so I need an alternative.

 

Workstation-use, databases open, multiple folders, files, pdfs, et cetera. Office applications, outlook, access, word, excel et cetera. Lots of simultaneous usage and I need more screen rel-estate.

10 minutes ago, Brandon H said:

is this a company work computer or a personal one used for work?

 

If company owned I would ask their permission first and if they don't flat out say 'NO' then they may be willing to help pay/order the upgrade.

 

If personal or work approves you adding to their tower then there are plenty of options to work with; the only issue is Single Slot Width GPUs aren't very common anymore, you're likely going to need space for a dual-slot GPU

 

here are a bunch of options on NewEgg for your port requirements

https://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&IsNodeId=1&N=100007709 600007834 600106604 601107671 601210961 601275269

 

edit: removing the port requirements and setting NewEgg filter to just Single-Slot GPUs shows a lot of low end models most of them older as well; I don't think any of them would meet your needs:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&IsNodeId=1&N=100007709 600419828

Hi, it is work computer, I have permission (just no compensation for the upgrades), but I am willing to invest a tiny sum if needed.

 

Anything in the sub 100.00 dollar range...??

 

 

[Brandon H Supervisor]

9 minutes ago, needsata said:

Hi, it is work computer, I have permission (just no compensation for the upgrades), but I am willing to invest a tiny sum if needed.

 

Anything in the sub 100.00 dollar range...??

 

 

perfect; as long as you have permission you're golden

 

the Dell OptiPlex 3010 is at least a full size tower so you don't need a low-profile card; that helps things.

It won't be a newer model but let me see if I can find something in that price range that would work for what you need.

 

edit: almost everything in the sub 100 range is going to be limited to VGA, older DL-DVI, and maybe 1 HDMI port BUT I did find 1 gem in the New Egg listing that I think would hit all your needs.

You would need to split either the DisplayPort or the HDMI but that at least brings it down to 1 adapter for you potentially.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202287&ignorebbr=1

 

edit2: I would also recommend you speak to your IT again to see if they have any Monitor upgrade plans; many businesses/corporations are phasing out VGA monitors now; especially letter-box ones

[needsata]

15 minutes ago, Brandon H said:

perfect; as long as you have permission you're golden

 

the Dell OptiPlex 3010 is at least a full size tower so you don't need a low-profile card; that helps things.

It won't be a newer model but let me see if I can find something in that price range that would work for what you need.

 

edit: almost everything in the sub 100 range is going to be limited to VGA, older DL-DVI, and maybe 1 HDMI port BUT I did find 1 gem in the New Egg listing that I think would hit all your needs.

You would need to split either the DisplayPort or the HDMI but that at least brings it down to 1 adapter for you potentially.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202287&ignorebbr=1

 

edit2: I would also recommend you speak to your IT again to see if they have any Monitor upgrade plans; many businesses/corporations are phasing out VGA monitors now; especially letter-box ones

I am looking at the one you selected, looks promising. I will run it past our IT guy and see what he thinks (if anything we are phasing-IN older hardware..., this third monitor is a "salvage" from the downsizing of the accounting office..., all the while people who have no need are walking around with flashy new Microsoft Surface tablet/PCs and I'm the one doing the heavy computing and database design)   such is office bureaucracy...

SAPPHIRE Radeon RX 550 DirectX 12 100414P4GL 4GB 128-Bit GDDR5 Video Card

 

Edited March 4, 2019 by needsata
cleared large bold font formatting

[DevTech]

2 hours ago, needsata said:

Workstation-use, databases open, multiple folders, files, pdfs, et cetera. Office applications, outlook, access, word, excel et cetera. Lots of simultaneous usage and I need more screen rel-estate.

 

 

2 hours ago, needsata said:

all the while people who have no need are walking around with flashy new Microsoft Surface tablet/PCs and I'm the one doing the heavy computing and database design)   such is office bureaucracy...

 

 

You should consider the "whole picture" perhaps. You might have more possible options than the narrow corner you have backed yourself into.

 

 

A) From experience, the "third monitor" provides little improvement to most workflows in comparison to the huge jump of a dual monitor setup

 

B) Higher res monitors that are less than 4K, the "2K range" have dropped a lot in price now that 4K has taken hold. That would provide a lot of extra pixel real estate, whole remaining with the simplicity of 2 monitors.

 

C) The i5 third generation is still very decent, but you are seriously far more RAM STARVED than PIXEL DEPRIVED for a multitasking workflow! That computer will take 32 gig of RAM in 4 sticks of 8 gig DDR3 and will be a large improvement to multitasking productivity. (ignore typical docs from Dell and others that show a 16 gig limit-8 gig sticks were rare back then)

 

D) You can also plug a NVMe PCIe x 4 super fast SSD into the PCIe bus for state of the art disk speed. Depending on the BIOS it may or may not be "bootable" but clever placement of resources will still provide a huge boost.

 

E) Upgrading to Windows 10 will also provide a productivity boost with numerous improvements to multitasking built-in to the standard UI. Also many virtual desktops to group productivity workflows. Also Windows 10 Pro Hyper-V with that 32 gigs of RAM to run multiple O/S and Docker Container based workflows.

 

F) Since you don't do gaming and can use a third monitor for simple desktop programs, a USB monitor adapter could also work.

 

 

--------------------

 

Also keep in mind that as screen real estate goes up, a high resolution laser mouse becomes very useful.

 

[Mindovermaster Moderator]

12 minutes ago, DevTech said:

D) You can also plug a NVMe PCIe x 4 super fast SSD into the PCIe bus for state of the art disk speed. Depending on the BIOS it may or may not be "bootable" but clever placement of resources will still provide a huge boost. 

Actually, if he has only 1 PCIe lane, that NVME will hurt his gfx card... And I believe that board does not have a M.2 slot, so he will need a PCIe adapter. I would just stick to a SATA SSD.

 

12 minutes ago, DevTech said:

E) Upgrading to Windows 10 will also provide a productivity boost with numerous improvements to multitasking built-in to the standard UI. Also many virtual desktops to group productivity workflows. Also Windows 10 Pro Hyper-V with that 32 gigs of RAM to run multiple O/S and Docker Container based workflows.

Actually, his software he uses may not support Windows 10. And notice this is an office computer. You can't just change the OS on the fly. His IT professionals need to take care of that.

[DevTech]

6 hours ago, Mindovermaster said:

Actually, his software he uses may not support Windows 10. And notice this is an office computer. You can't just change the OS on the fly. His IT professionals need to take care of that.

Maybe. Maybe he didn't think to ask for the upgrade...

 

6 hours ago, Mindovermaster said:

Actually, if he has only 1 PCIe lane, that NVME will hurt his gfx card... And I believe that board does not have a M.2 slot, so he will need a PCIe adapter. I would just stick to a SATA SSD.

That's the craziest gobble gobble you ever dreamed up dude!

 

Adapter cards are cheap and NVMe is so much faster for a similar price that SATA SSD should be avoided whenever possible.

 

-----------------

 

The word "productivity" actually has a real world meaning and if someone is doing work that is worth more than 1/4 minimum wage and if "time is money" is applied to waiting for stuff to process, then all of this dirt-common hardware we are discussing just PAYS FOR ITSELF and the longer you wait before putting it into place, is just costing money. Tick, tock, tick.....

 

 

 

 

[Mindovermaster Moderator]

8 hours ago, DevTech said:

Maybe. Maybe he didn't think to ask for the upgrade...

He said he got permission to do this.

 

9 hours ago, DevTech said:

Adapter cards are cheap and NVMe is so much faster for a similar price that SATA SSD should be avoided whenever possible. 

I just do not think his computer can do that...

 

And to both of these, he doesn't have a choice. His IT Department has to agree with this before he can do this. This is a business computer, not his own.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

his IT really should upgrade him to Windows 10 at the VERY least, since support for 7 is ending next year and I doubt they would want to pay for the continued updates

[Mindovermaster Moderator]

21 minutes ago, Brandon H said:

his IT really should upgrade him to Windows 10 at the VERY least, since support for 7 is ending next year and I doubt they would want to pay for the continued updates

Should upgrade his computer, too...

[DevTech]

26 minutes ago, Mindovermaster said:

He said he got permission to do this.

 

I just do not think his computer can do that...

 

And to both of these, he doesn't have a choice. His IT Department has to agree with this before he can do this. This is a business computer, not his own.

You personally have NO IDEA if he asked his I.T. Dept. any of these questions.

 

In any case they were ideas to consider and not suggestions for an action plan.

 

It would be a very rare situation anyways if he had a knowledgeable I.T. Dept that stays current with tech. Most of these outfits are like little Mafia Kingdoms that hand out Apple iPhones to the top execs so they can spend the rest of their time not learning anything new at all and letting the rest of the company rot in the land of "we're working on it"

 

[DevTech]

It seems like there might be both a mini-Tower and a full-Tower version?

 

 

Mini-Tower mobo:

 

 

Not sure if this is a full Tower mobo for a 3010:

 

 

So if mini-Tower there are ONLY 2 RAM sockets limiting RAM to 16 gigs.

 

The 3 PCIe x 1 sockets in the mini-Tower mobo also will not do any good for a NVMe x 4 SSD.

 

If the Full Tower mobo is the right picture, then that takes both 32 gig RAM and a full NVMe x 4 M.2 adapter card for some very modern kick-ass computational power from a 3rd Gen i-series...

 

[Martog]

14 minutes ago, DevTech said:

It seems like there might be both a mini-Tower and a full-Tower version?

 

 

Mini-Tower mobo:

 

 

Not sure if this is a full Tower mobo for a 3010:

 

 

So if mini-Tower there are ONLY 2 RAM sockets limiting RAM to 16 gigs.

 

The 3 PCIe x 1 sockets in the mini-Tower mobo also will not do any good for a NVMe x 4 SSD.

 

If the Full Tower mobo is the right picture, then that takes both 32 gig RAM and a full NVMe x 4 M.2 adapter card for some very modern kick-ass computational power from a 3rd Gen i-series...

 

The 3010's came in three form factors, Mini-Tower, Desktop and Small Form Factor.  The tower can take a full height card, the other two only accept half height card.  Also all 3010's have dual ram slots (i've seen plenty of them in all three form factors).

 

There was never a full tower version of the 3010, that might a 7010 or 9010 motherboard for the mini-tower, they had dual PCIe X16 slots, four ram slots, the serial port (which is on that board) and I can't remember when the parallel port was dropped from the 7 and 9 series.  They generally always had the legacy connections.

[Mindovermaster Moderator]

20 minutes ago, DevTech said:

It seems like there might be both a min

The 3 PCIe x 1 sockets in the mini-Tower mobo also will not do any good for a NVMe x 4 SSD. 

 

THAT is what I was pointing at. IF his computer is the mini or SFF, he is damned for NVME.

[DevTech]

1 hour ago, Mindovermaster said:

THAT is what I was pointing at. IF his computer is the mini or SFF, he is damned for NVME.

That would be TWICE-DAMNED then, since as you have pointed out he already has the Hell On Earth of an I.T. Dept.

 

[DevTech]

1 hour ago, Martog said:

The 3010's came in three form factors, Mini-Tower, Desktop and Small Form Factor.  The tower can take a full height card, the other two only accept half height card.  Also all 3010's have dual ram slots (i've seen plenty of them in all three form factors).

 

There was never a full tower version of the 3010, that might a 7010 or 9010 motherboard for the mini-tower, they had dual PCIe X16 slots, four ram slots, the serial port (which is on that board) and I can't remember when the parallel port was dropped from the 7 and 9 series.  They generally always had the legacy connections.

Thanks for the clarifications.

 

I like those old Optiplex mobos with 4 DIMM sockets - with a 2XXX, 3XXX or 4XXX i7 and a $30 old Optiplex mobo and 32 gigs RAM, you can make quite a cheap "Pocket-Rocket"

 

[Mindovermaster Moderator]

8 hours ago, DevTech said:

That would be TWICE-DAMNED then, since as you have pointed out he already has the Hell On Earth of an I.T. Dept.

 

I never said that. Great or stupid, it belongs to the IT Dept.

[C:Amie]

needsata,

 

You can upgrade yourself to death here, and seeing suggestions like "get an NVMe hard drive" isn't worth it for mid-2012 small office PC.

 

What workloads are you looking to perform here? You say 'heavy' but what does that mean? Assuming you are not gaming or doing 3D/CAD and are just doing web browsing and office work, then you may be more interested in keeping it low power, economical and perhaps, quiet?

 

If you have access to a double height slot on the back of that Dell (i.e. you don't need that PCIe 1x slot) then you could get something passively cooled e.g. https://www.asus.com/us/Graphics-Cards/GTX750DCSL2GD5/ which is quiet, powered only via the PCI bus and supports 3 non-4K monitors (3x 1920x1200 will be fine). You might need a little adapter cabling to get one on DVI, one on HDMI and one on DisplayPort all working.

 

You can get single slot cards too, just don't go overboard. A 240w PSU is going to put you on the edge (especially if you are pressuring the CPU/HDD with rendering type tasks) and you don't need to put a killer card in the machine if you'll never use the horse power.

[DevTech]

23 hours ago, Mindovermaster said:

I never said that. Great or stupid, it belongs to the IT Dept.

I'm trying to be light and humerous, but you seem to be aiming for French existential absurdity...

 

It maybe beats medieval debates about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, but who cares what some hypothetical invisible to us department in some nameless company might think about anything at all?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_many_angels_can_dance_on_the_head_of_a_pin%3F

 

 

[Mindovermaster Moderator]

9 minutes ago, DevTech said:

I'm trying to be light and humerous, but you seem to be aiming for French existential absurdity...

I wouldn't put it like that, but...

[DevTech]

8 hours ago, C:Amie said:

needsata,

 

You can upgrade yourself to death here, and seeing suggestions like "get an NVMe hard drive" isn't worth it for mid-2012 small office PC.

 

What workloads are you looking to perform here? You say 'heavy' but what does that mean? Assuming you are not gaming or doing 3D/CAD and are just doing web browsing and office work, then you may be more interested in keeping it low power, economical and perhaps, quiet?

 

If you have access to a double height slot on the back of that Dell (i.e. you don't need that PCIe 1x slot) then you could get something passively cooled e.g. https://www.asus.com/us/Graphics-Cards/GTX750DCSL2GD5/ which is quiet, powered only via the PCI bus and supports 3 non-4K monitors (3x 1920x1200 will be fine). You might need a little adapter cabling to get one on DVI, one on HDMI and one on DisplayPort all working.

 

You can get single slot cards too, just don't go overboard. A 240w PSU is going to put you on the edge (especially if you are pressuring the CPU/HDD with rendering type tasks) and you don't need to put a killer card in the machine if you'll never use the horse power.

Due to lack of evidence and information, I personally introduced some speculation and ideas for broadening the scope of consideration but that is NOT a suggestion for action due to that lack of objectives and requirements.

 

I simply noted that a third monitor is OFTEN far less productive than people IMAGINE it will be and that the computer he was using might be upgradeable in ways that could be useful to a Multitasking Workload which he seemed to be aiming at.

 

If an old computer has spare PCIe lanes, a PCIe x 4 slot and an O/S that supports it, then FOR SURE, a NVMe DRIVE will be a significant BOOST to performance. Depending on actual workflow that might be a HUGELY BETTER OPTION for productivity than a new video card to support a third 1920 x 1080 display.

 

In any case, his mobo does NOT have the required PCIe x 4 slot, and we still have NO IDEA what his detailed workflow actually is so it is ALL FUN SPECULATION.