Best way to connect a monitor to a laptop?
May 25, 2019 8:32 AM Subscribe
Hello! I have a Latitude 7390 13'' business laptop (without a Thunderbolt port) and a Dell U2718Q 27" Class 4K Monitor. The laptop doesn't have a USB 3.0 port, and the monitor comes with a USB 3.0 cable and a DP-mDP cable. I'm looking for the best way to join these two together - do I need adapters? A dock? A hub? All three? I'm very confused by what I'm reading online about Hz and dual monitors. Please help!
I just purchased a monitor so I can use my work laptop at home. But I'm now very deep down a rabbit hole of how to connect the monitor to the laptop. (I thought they would connect out of the box, but they don't.)
I may also want to get a second monitor in the future, so am looking for the best way to join laptop --> monitor + possible second monitor (which currently doesn't exist.)
I would also prefer if this were on the cheaper side. Docks go up to $200, but if there's an adapter that would work, I'd rather go with that.
I just purchased a monitor so I can use my work laptop at home. But I'm now very deep down a rabbit hole of how to connect the monitor to the laptop. (I thought they would connect out of the box, but they don't.)
I may also want to get a second monitor in the future, so am looking for the best way to join laptop --> monitor + possible second monitor (which currently doesn't exist.)
I would also prefer if this were on the cheaper side. Docks go up to $200, but if there's an adapter that would work, I'd rather go with that.
Best answer: The laptop doesn't have a USB 3.0 port
From the specs at that link, the laptop has 2 USB 3.0 ports, but more importantly it has
You will not want to use the HDMI port, because (again, per the specs) the laptop's HDMI port is only version 1.4. HDMI 1.4 can only drive a 4K monitor like yours at a 30hz refresh rate. What this means in practice is that things like video will look stutter-y, laggy, and just "off". (4K at the much more reasonable and standard - i.e. "normal" - 60hz for HDMI connections requires HDMI 2.0)
posted by namewithoutwords at 8:54 AM on May 25, 2019
From the specs at that link, the laptop has 2 USB 3.0 ports, but more importantly it has
1 DisplayPort over USB Type C™ with optional Thunderbolt™ 3which is the answer to your question. Plugging the USB-C cable from the dell monitor into the usb-c port on the laptop should be all that is needed - it should "just work".
You will not want to use the HDMI port, because (again, per the specs) the laptop's HDMI port is only version 1.4. HDMI 1.4 can only drive a 4K monitor like yours at a 30hz refresh rate. What this means in practice is that things like video will look stutter-y, laggy, and just "off". (4K at the much more reasonable and standard - i.e. "normal" - 60hz for HDMI connections requires HDMI 2.0)
posted by namewithoutwords at 8:54 AM on May 25, 2019
Best answer: According to the technical guidebook (page 43) for your laptop, it can drive a single external 4k display, or 2 external displays that max out at 1920x1200, though I have a similar laptop with the same GPU (but also Thunderbolt) that can drive two external 4k displays, so maybe that's possible. You should use a USB-C adapter cable to (like this) to hook up the display; the HDMI port won't drive a 4k display at 60Hz.
posted by strangecargo at 9:01 AM on May 25, 2019
posted by strangecargo at 9:01 AM on May 25, 2019
Best answer: (I should have looked more closely at the included monitor cabling). Since the monitor does not include one, you will need a displayport-to-usb-c cable for my previous answer to work.
The answer to your hypothetical future monitor sans dock/cheaper dock question largely depends on the specs of the future hypothetical monitor (whether it is also 4K, whether it perhaps has a thunderbolt output for display daisy-chaining, etc)
posted by namewithoutwords at 9:01 AM on May 25, 2019
The answer to your hypothetical future monitor sans dock/cheaper dock question largely depends on the specs of the future hypothetical monitor (whether it is also 4K, whether it perhaps has a thunderbolt output for display daisy-chaining, etc)
posted by namewithoutwords at 9:01 AM on May 25, 2019
Response by poster: whoops! I meant that it had no Thunderbolt, not USB 3.0. Thanks for the catch, namewithoutwords.
posted by melodykramer at 9:07 AM on May 25, 2019
posted by melodykramer at 9:07 AM on May 25, 2019
Best answer: I forgot to add: I wouldn't get a dock unless you also want the additional ports or the convenience of only needing to hook up one cable to the laptop when using it at your desk (USB-C can power your laptop and provide connectivity via a single cable). In that case, I really like CalDigit's docks, though I have no experience with their non-Thunderbolt stuff.
posted by strangecargo at 9:08 AM on May 25, 2019
posted by strangecargo at 9:08 AM on May 25, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by melodykramer at 8:39 AM on May 25, 2019