Dual external monitors on laptops

Forums › Laptops and mobile computers › Dual external monitors on laptops - advice please!

1 | 2

jonathan18

7413 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#2840754 31-Dec-2021 10:42

ANglEAUT:
insane: Maybe confirm the HDMI 1080p dual monitor refresh rates ...

Man, how are you supposed to understand HDMI up to 4KX2K@30Hz, VGA up to 1080P@60Hz? Even the manufacturer site lists the same. 😕

Yeah, I've had no luck finding any more info on the manufacturer's site, Amazon etc. No manual to be found either.

Is it risky to assume it can do 2x1080 @ 60Hz if it can do 2x4k @ 30Hz, even given the former is quite a lot lower in terms of data?

insane

3240 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#2840761 31-Dec-2021 10:54

PB tech are good with returns, so perhaps give it a go?

It will all depend how they have chosen to split up the USB channels etc and how much has been allocated to monitors via HDMI vs the USB 3 ports etc. On some fancy docks you can give priority to video.

I think you'll be safe at 1080, but probably won't have much luck beyond that.

Report back on how well it worked. Otherwise jump on TradeMe and try fund a second hand dock from Lenovo, Dell or HP, but make sure it comes with the power supply!

My wife has an HP usb-c dock I found on TM. Was about $150 second hand and has dual display port and HDMI, great for her two 1080p monitors.

jonathan18

7413 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#2840827 31-Dec-2021 15:45

Sorry, this may be a dumb question, but @insane's good idea re a s/h dock made me think - does a dock like the Feeltech come with a power supply, or is that something I'd need to buy separately?

No mention is made of it, so I'm assuming the latter. Noting the 100w supply, would it need to be something like this?

If that's the case, then going for a better quality s/h one with a power supply may well be the better if not cheaper option. There's not much on TM at the moment (well, with HDMI; some options if I had only DP, or I was ok with one of each), but I can be patient...

Thanks again.

insane

3240 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#2841049 31-Dec-2021 22:12

jonathan18:
Sorry, this may be a dumb question, but @insane's good idea re a s/h dock made me think - does a dock like the Feeltech come with a power supply, or is that something I'd need to buy separately?

No mention is made of it, so I'm assuming the latter. Noting the 100w supply, would it need to be something like this?

If that's the case, then going for a better quality s/h one with a power supply may well be the better if not cheaper option. There's not much on TM at the moment (well, with HDMI; some options if I had only DP, or I was ok with one of each), but I can be patient...

Thanks again.

If they are quoting 100w then you'd expect it comes with it, but then PBtech suggest a bundle of products bought together, one being a USB power supply that's 65w (usually enough but some docks come with 95w packs).

I'd just get a known brand, but that's just me. Dell, Lenovo and HP are generally compatible with each others systems.

nztim

3819 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

TEAMnetwork

Subscriber

#2841055 31-Dec-2021 22:46

The dock you want is Dell WD19TBS this will run the two
monitors perfectly

Any views expressed on these forums are my own and don't necessarily reflect those of my employer.

insane

3240 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#2841057 31-Dec-2021 22:54

nztim: The dock you want is Dell WD19TBS this will run the two
monitors perfectly

As would the WD15 which is half the price. Will just need a mini display port to HDMI adapter.

Had the WD15 at work for several years, was fine for two 1080p monitors.

nztim

3819 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

TEAMnetwork

Subscriber

#2841063 31-Dec-2021 23:10

insane:
nztim: The dock you want is Dell WD19TBS this will run the two
monitors perfectly

As would the WD15 which is half the price. Will just need a mini display port to HDMI adapter.

Had the WD15 at work for several years, was fine for two 1080p monitors.

WD15 is fine for 1080p but not 4k

Any views expressed on these forums are my own and don't necessarily reflect those of my employer.

Quic Broadband

Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE. Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.

jonathan18

7413 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#2841068 31-Dec-2021 23:25

Thanks, guys - yeah, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m better off just to buy a quality s/h dock than buy the cheap dock then spend another $60 on the power supply!

So there are those two Dell docks that you two have mentioned:

WD15

WD19

I also found the TB16, which is described as a “Thunderbolt dock” - is this also suitable, or is it going to have the problem of this current USB C dock that doesn’t actually charge the laptop? [Edit: it seems some versions of this need two USB C plugs, whereas some only need one; clearly I need the latter]

Clearly, whichever I select, I know I’ll have to make sure the second monitor I buy supports DP (as all only have a single HDMI); so, accepting this, would any of these three be suitable for my needs? (A bit of overhead for later upgrading to higher res monitors could be nice, but in the end I think the key thing is to support the basics of 2 @ 1080p 60Hz. [Edit - going by the above, the WD15 is fine for current needs; the WD19 provides future-proofing - which just leaves the question as to whether the TB16 is at all suitable for either.]

nztim

3819 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

TEAMnetwork

Subscriber

#2841069 31-Dec-2021 23:30

The TB16 is fine, you can run 1 4k off the mini displayport and one off the displayport so you are future proofed and also has HDMI for your current monitor

the WD19 has better power delivery

wouldn’t touch the WD15 as you can only run a single 4k off the
mini displayport hdmi port will only support 1080p

Any views expressed on these forums are my own and don't necessarily reflect those of my employer.

insane

3240 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#2841072 31-Dec-2021 23:39

The WD15 certainly supports power delivery, I used it with a Dell 73xx and 74xx laptops.

A cheap $15 mini DP to HDMI adapter will get your two HDMI monitors going perfectly.

The IT guy later started buying the wd19tbs which costs a lot more and importantly for us worked with Apple MacBooks too with dual monitor support.

Did have to update the firmware on the WD15 for some reason one day though after a windows update.

mailmarshall

349 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2841240 1-Jan-2022 10:28

Does anyone know the difference between the WD19 and the WD19S or WD19TBS?

Seems to be the 3.5mm jack only? Remaining main features seem to be same ie 4k dual monitor

nztim

3819 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

TEAMnetwork

Subscriber

#2841488 1-Jan-2022 17:12

mailmarshall: Does anyone know the difference between the WD19 and the WD19S or WD19TBS?

Seems to be the 3.5mm jack only? Remaining main features seem to be same ie 4k dual monitor

Looks like the WD19S supports 8k

Any views expressed on these forums are my own and don't necessarily reflect those of my employer.

jonathan18

7413 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#2846945 12-Jan-2022 08:46

Frustratingly, my order with Dell for a Vostro laptop fell over (despite receiving an initial order email and the funds held on my credit card, it never converted to a confirmed order; and my attempts over many days to contact Dell to sort it out turned into a nightmare that large US firms seem to specialise in). As a result, I'm back to potentially purchasing an AMD-based laptop, probably sticking with HP (certainly not a Dell!) and a model like the Probook 455 G8.

So, in relation to docks: will an AMD-based laptop be able to support two 4K 60Hz monitors via DP using a dock such as the Dell TB16 or WD19, or will I be limited to a lower res (eg 2x 1080)? I find the whole USB-C vs Thunderbolt area confusing, and knowing the likely limitations will help clarify which dock (if any) is suitable, or even if it's worth sticking to Intel for future-proofed external video.

Thanks so much!

tanivula

991 posts

Ultimate Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2847936 12-Jan-2022 09:20

I'm on the Lenovo ThinkPad train. eg this E15 model (ships in 2 days) or this L13 model. Has thunderbolt 4 etc.

I've got a Ryzen 5 ThinkPad T14 which I use with 2x 1080 monitors via one of the Lenovo USB C docks. Running in triple monitor mode is fab (2 externals + built in screen).

jonathan18

7413 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#2848024 12-Jan-2022 11:22

tanivula:

I'm on the Lenovo ThinkPad train. eg this E15 model (ships in 2 days) or this L13 model. Has thunderbolt 4 etc.

I've got a Ryzen 5 ThinkPad T14 which I use with 2x 1080 monitors via one of the Lenovo USB C docks. Running in triple monitor mode is fab (2 externals + built in screen).

Cheers. Could you do 2 x 4K @60Hz on your Ryzen laptop via the same dock (or another USB-C dock), or is it that it's just not possible to do this without a Thunderbolt port (ie, not feasible on an AMD-powered laptop)?

I do get that Thinkpads are considered good computers, but I just can't bring myself to buy one as I rate them amongst the uglier laptops on the market; while many may find this superficial, aesthetics are important to me...

1 | 2