My laptop and monitor don't have matching bits? Not enough ports?
May 16, 2022 9:22 PM Subscribe
I got a new work laptop that has only one USB A port and one USB C port. My recently purchased, extra-wide external monitor has HDMI and DisplayPort uh... ports(?), and came with an HDMI to HDMI cable. That was great for my old work laptop, but evidently won't work with the new. How do I connect my laptop to my monitor but also have room to plug in my charger and other USB devices?
I curse these modern day skinny laptops without sufficient ports. So I think I have two problems:
1. I don't have the right connection to plug in my external monitor - what should I buy for that?
2. I don't have enough ports on my laptop to plug in all the devices that I need to hook up, such as my monitor, webcam, and mouse, and also be able to charge my laptop.
I do have a USB dongle but it only has 4 USB A ports, and it's not powered so when I use all 4 ports, some devices don't work.
I know I need to buy some combination of accessories to solve the above problems, but I'm feeling lost as to which combination makes the most sense. I also don't know how much to spend. Some of the dock things or dongle things cost over a hundred dollars. Do I really need to spend that much? Or will I regret not spending enough?
I curse these modern day skinny laptops without sufficient ports. So I think I have two problems:
1. I don't have the right connection to plug in my external monitor - what should I buy for that?
2. I don't have enough ports on my laptop to plug in all the devices that I need to hook up, such as my monitor, webcam, and mouse, and also be able to charge my laptop.
I do have a USB dongle but it only has 4 USB A ports, and it's not powered so when I use all 4 ports, some devices don't work.
I know I need to buy some combination of accessories to solve the above problems, but I'm feeling lost as to which combination makes the most sense. I also don't know how much to spend. Some of the dock things or dongle things cost over a hundred dollars. Do I really need to spend that much? Or will I regret not spending enough?
I should add that a USB C to Displayport cable will work fine, as will a powered USB hub, so if you have a third power plug that you didn’t list when going through the ports on your laptop that’s a totally viable solution.
posted by doomsey at 9:54 PM on May 16, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by doomsey at 9:54 PM on May 16, 2022 [3 favorites]
Best answer: I'm assuming that your new laptop is powered by USB-C, and your monitor doesn't also act as a USB-A hub (many do!).
You need a USB-C hub that connects to your laptop but allows passthrough charging, so you plug in your existing USB-C charger to it and it will "pass through" charging to your laptop. In addition to that, it also needs an HDMI port (assuming that you have a normal and not a super high refresh / 4K monitor), and more USB-A ports.
Something like this Anker 543 or similar Anker 341 has passthrough charging, one HDMI port for your monitor, and two USB-A ports. You can try to use the other USB-A port with your existing hub; I don't see many USB-C hubs with more than two ports.
posted by meowzilla at 9:59 PM on May 16, 2022 [6 favorites]
You need a USB-C hub that connects to your laptop but allows passthrough charging, so you plug in your existing USB-C charger to it and it will "pass through" charging to your laptop. In addition to that, it also needs an HDMI port (assuming that you have a normal and not a super high refresh / 4K monitor), and more USB-A ports.
Something like this Anker 543 or similar Anker 341 has passthrough charging, one HDMI port for your monitor, and two USB-A ports. You can try to use the other USB-A port with your existing hub; I don't see many USB-C hubs with more than two ports.
posted by meowzilla at 9:59 PM on May 16, 2022 [6 favorites]
In addition to that, it also needs an HDMI port (assuming that you have a normal and not a super high refresh / 4K monitor), and more USB-A ports.
Many/most ultrawides actually count as this. 3440x1440 requires about 2/3 the bandwidth of 4K and drops to <60 Hz on the 4K/30Hz adapters. (I forgot the exact number but it’s definitely noticeable, I’ve tried it.)
posted by doomsey at 10:13 PM on May 16, 2022 [2 favorites]
Many/most ultrawides actually count as this. 3440x1440 requires about 2/3 the bandwidth of 4K and drops to <60 Hz on the 4K/30Hz adapters. (I forgot the exact number but it’s definitely noticeable, I’ve tried it.)
posted by doomsey at 10:13 PM on May 16, 2022 [2 favorites]
Best answer: You might ask your work if they can send you a “dock” for your laptop. Laptops used to actually seat into these to allow the laptop to seamlessly and quickly connect to peripherals but now they’re really just USB-C hubs.
posted by jeoc at 10:58 PM on May 16, 2022 [7 favorites]
posted by jeoc at 10:58 PM on May 16, 2022 [7 favorites]
Best answer: Thanks for the info about ultrawides - in that case you might need to upgrade to something like a Anker 555 which claims to support 4K@60Hz.
posted by meowzilla at 1:00 AM on May 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by meowzilla at 1:00 AM on May 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
Some great advice upthread, one key search term is Power Delivery (PD), this means that this USB-C port can take a power adapter and put out power to the computer attached to it. You'll see various wattages on these. getting one rater higher isn't a problem, so those Ankers with a 100W PD is going to cover pretty much all laptops made right now. My MacBook Pro won't charge on the smaller 40W ones, but it won't lose charge either. But having a 100W one is more than enough for this one.
posted by advicepig at 8:04 AM on May 17, 2022
posted by advicepig at 8:04 AM on May 17, 2022
Response by poster: I'm assuming that your new laptop is powered by USB-C, and your monitor doesn't also act as a USB-A hub (many do!).
Correct on both points!
posted by keep it under cover at 6:26 PM on May 17, 2022
Correct on both points!
posted by keep it under cover at 6:26 PM on May 17, 2022
Some of the dock things or dongle things cost over a hundred dollars. Do I really need to spend that much?
Yeah the market for those things is pretty inflated (thank Apple I guess).
Do you have a free USB C port or is that taken up by the charger? It sounds like your work is setting you up for failure here if there isn't even a way to plug in an external monitor without a dock, but they're not providing one to you.
Assuming both ports are free, I'd get a USB-C-to-DisplayPort cable to plug in the monitor and a powered USB hub (plugged into the conventional USB port) for everything else.
posted by neckro23 at 8:20 AM on May 18, 2022
Yeah the market for those things is pretty inflated (thank Apple I guess).
Do you have a free USB C port or is that taken up by the charger? It sounds like your work is setting you up for failure here if there isn't even a way to plug in an external monitor without a dock, but they're not providing one to you.
Assuming both ports are free, I'd get a USB-C-to-DisplayPort cable to plug in the monitor and a powered USB hub (plugged into the conventional USB port) for everything else.
posted by neckro23 at 8:20 AM on May 18, 2022
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Does your laptop have Thunderbolt? Thunderbolt ports have a little lightning bolt icon next to them. Assuming it does, a Thunderbolt dock is going to be your best bet. Something like this maybe.
If not, you can get a USB C that’s not Thunderbolt, like this maybe. You will want one that says 4K at 60Hz. I’d love to know if it actually works properly and at 60 Hz if you do end up getting something like that!
posted by doomsey at 9:51 PM on May 16, 2022 [3 favorites]