A related question: Is there a cheap way of splitting USB-C/Thunderbolt port on most Dell laptops to 2 HDMI outputs without buying an expensive hub?
A quick search on Google for "USB-C to Dual HDMI" seems to show lots of options.
USB-C hubs and my slow descent into madness (2021)
391–400 of 530 posts
Re: USB-C hubs and my slow descent into madness (2021)
#392I have long searched for a configuration (Linux laptop + docking station) that can drive a triple monitor setup. Ideally all three at 4K@60 Hz but I might settle for one of them being QHD (2560 x 1440). Why isn't there any confirmed options? Or is that the limitations of Thunderbolt?
Re: USB-C hubs and my slow descent into madness (2021)
#393I have long searched for a configuration (Linux laptop + docking station) that can drive a triple monitor setup. Ideally all three at 4K@60 Hz but I might settle for one of them being QHD (2560 x 1440). Why isn't there any confirmed options? Or is that the limitations of Thunderbolt?
I think that might be passed the capabilities of what DisplayPort can push, so it would be passed what USB-3 alt-mode can do, because that uses DisplayPort. I am not sure if thunderbolt adds extra capabilities here.
Re: USB-C hubs and my slow descent into madness (2021)
#394My main pain point with USB-C is all the confusion and missing specs. Often, advertising uses Thunderbolt and USB-C interchangeably. It is not. Don’t label my USB-C + DisplayPort hub “Thunderbolt” when it isn’t.
And then there’s the specs. Which DisplayPort version does my laptop support? The answer may surprise you. I have experience with Dell laptops. Rather recent devices still only support DP 1.2 over USB-C. How can this be? GPU and everything supports DP 1.4, and have been for years.
Because most DisplayPort over USB-C equipment only carries two DP lanes, using DP 1.2 massively limits the possible display configurations. Adapters that forego USB SuperSpeed+ for more DP lanes are extremely rare. Finding them is next to impossible too, because who puts that in the specs?
With DP 1.4 you can easily power two 1440p DP 1.4 displays using one USB-C connection and still have USB SuperSpeed+. How nice that would be. I don’t need expensive Thunderbolt devices!
USB-C can do everything and it works well. However, for consumers, it’s just a big bag of incompatibility and opacity.
Re: USB-C hubs and my slow descent into madness (2021)
#395Earlier quoted context omitted.
>>Because of unfortunate timing of when my contract expired I already pay around 800 euros per month for energy Wait, what? Are you like cryptomining or something? That's actually insane. I charge two electric cars at home, work from home using a powerful workstation, and my electricity is about £100/month. How do you manage to spend 800 euro a month????
No I am not crypto mining. Please mind I said 'energy', it includes gas. Electric is about 175 euros
Curious where you are? I run a threadripper workstation with a 3070Ti and 2x 1440p monitors for ~10 hours per day, and my household's electricity bill is ~£40/month.
Re: USB-C hubs and my slow descent into madness (2021)
#396> It honestly feels like no matter what you buy, you get more or less the same hardware, and you’re most likely getting a heavily overpriced product just because some company printed their logo on it. Isn't this like a known thing? Almost all peripherals on Amazon will have dozens of the exact same form-factor with different logos on it. You just buy the one that is the perfect intersection of costs, positive reviews…
I have mostly stopped buying small electronics on Amazon, going to AliExpress instead. You get the same thing for much cheaper. The value Amazon has is in shipping time, but you pay a hefty premium for that.
It is important to note that the cheapest, unbranded (or counterfeit) products may actually miss components. Looking at the PCB, you may see an empty slot where a MOV or a filtering cap should be, underspecced components or blatant counterfeits (no, that cap is not a Nichicon!). They may be from the same factories, but brand names usually don't get that low, and they have people on site making sure the factories don't pull these stunts on their batch.
Re: USB-C hubs and my slow descent into madness (2021)
#397Hm, might this be a problem with the limited bandwidth? I missed the whole USB-C hub hassle (though normal, cheap USB 2.0 hubs are already a PITA, and that's old tech) because my monitor has a built-in USB-C "dock" at USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gb/s. But when I put the display into 100Hz mode, IIRC the USB connection degrades to slower speeds (even USB 2.0?). This especially seems to affect the integrated Gigabit Ethernet port. I didn't test it in detail since I only have a few 2.0 devices connected to it and don't use that Ethernet port at all (works poorly with KVM), so I don't really care and that's only what I recall from when I bought it.
Re: USB-C hubs and my slow descent into madness (2021)
#398> Ah, so it’s a Realtek RTL8153! I always found Intel NICs to be way more reliable and stable, but okay, that’s a reasonably popular chip. Intel doesn't make USB ethernet controllers, they only do PCIe. Realtek has a near monopoly on USB Ethernet, the only other supplier I can think of is SMSC/Microchip LAN7500, and I'm not sure it's any better. > There’s also a second USB hub, but only a 2.0 one, same vendor, but 0x…
the only other supplier I can think of is SMSC/Microchip LAN7500
And ASIX.
Re: USB-C hubs and my slow descent into madness (2021)
#399Earlier quoted context omitted.
> why even bother with buying a laptop in the first place. If the goal is to hook up two 4K monitors That might not be a full-time goal. Some want a machine that works on the move but can be expanded to bigger screens and such when at certain locations (office and/or home). A laptop and dock allow this compromise. It is a compromise, not one suitable for all. But it is the list inconvenient option for many.
> Some want a machine that works on the move but can be expanded to bigger screens and such when at certain locations I wouldn't say "some". Probably 90% of developers I know require exactly this, in fact off the top of my head I can't think of any who don't. Even the permanent, full-remote, no-really-there-is-literally-no-office types want to sit in a different room sometimes or work from a coffee shop. It's pretty…
I guess I'm one of those devs that you can't think of then. Main rig for remote work at home, laptop for the occasional trip to the lab. Honestly I can't imagine using a laptop for anything too demanding, the shitty thermals make me cringe.
Re: USB-C hubs and my slow descent into madness (2021)
#400Earlier quoted context omitted.
Looks like there's enough room for USB A ports to me. They're not massively thicker. HDMI would require curving the bottom differently but would easily fit in a laptop of that thickness.
Reporting from my MacBook Air M1, there's actually not enough thickness. The (male) plug itself is as thick as the side of the laptop. Considering the (female) socket's size & surrounding machinery, the Air needs to be at least 20% thicker to accommodate a USB-A port.
The back edge is more than twice as thick as a USB C opening, which is 2.65mm. Unless this picture is wrong, that should be visibly thicker than an A plug...
But whatever, whether it fits or not with the current molding, the laptop does not need to be thicker to fit those ports. It just needs to change the curve near the back. Look how thick the middle is between the ports it has. That's way more than enough. Thickness including screen peaks at 16mm.