Laptop advice - display options
Discussion
I've just changed jobs and need to identify a laptop - small company, no IT dept.
Based on availability i was looking at Dell Latitude 5520 The spec appears fine but im struggling to understand external monitor options.
The screen is 15.6" FHD (1920x1080) which im fine with for use travelling or when i have to go to the office. However, i want to hook it upto a monitor at home, where i will predominantly be based. The screen i had my eye on was dell s3423dwc which can go upto WQHD (3440 x 1440).
I cant see what resolution i will get from the laptop when connected to the monitor, will it be a max of 1920x1080? If so, i guess the only way to drive the monitor is to use a display dock capable of supplying that resolution?
Another option given the number or ports on the laptop, would i be able to connect more than one monitor (1920x1080) using multiple ports and run a multiscreen solution with each monitor showing different information or would i need a display dock? I guess the display dock keeps the cabling tidy and i only need one cable between dock and laptop?
Based on availability i was looking at Dell Latitude 5520 The spec appears fine but im struggling to understand external monitor options.
The screen is 15.6" FHD (1920x1080) which im fine with for use travelling or when i have to go to the office. However, i want to hook it upto a monitor at home, where i will predominantly be based. The screen i had my eye on was dell s3423dwc which can go upto WQHD (3440 x 1440).
I cant see what resolution i will get from the laptop when connected to the monitor, will it be a max of 1920x1080? If so, i guess the only way to drive the monitor is to use a display dock capable of supplying that resolution?
Another option given the number or ports on the laptop, would i be able to connect more than one monitor (1920x1080) using multiple ports and run a multiscreen solution with each monitor showing different information or would i need a display dock? I guess the display dock keeps the cabling tidy and i only need one cable between dock and laptop?
parabolica said:
hab1966 said:
I've just changed jobs and need to identify a laptop - small company, no IT dept.
Based on availability i was looking at Dell Latitude 5520 The spec appears fine but im struggling to understand external monitor options.
The screen is 15.6" FHD (1920x1080) which im fine with for use travelling or when i have to go to the office. However, i want to hook it upto a monitor at home, where i will predominantly be based. The screen i had my eye on was dell s3423dwc which can go upto WQHD (3440 x 1440).
I cant see what resolution i will get from the laptop when connected to the monitor, will it be a max of 1920x1080? If so, i guess the only way to drive the monitor is to use a display dock capable of supplying that resolution?
Another option given the number or ports on the laptop, would i be able to connect more than one monitor (1920x1080) using multiple ports and run a multiscreen solution with each monitor showing different information or would i need a display dock? I guess the display dock keeps the cabling tidy and i only need one cable between dock and laptop?
Your laptop will only ever top out at 1080 resolution; it'll display fine on your chosen monitor but only at 1080; you would need a laptop capable of 1440 to get the best out of your monitor. But I'm sure it'll do just fine with a 1080 source.Based on availability i was looking at Dell Latitude 5520 The spec appears fine but im struggling to understand external monitor options.
The screen is 15.6" FHD (1920x1080) which im fine with for use travelling or when i have to go to the office. However, i want to hook it upto a monitor at home, where i will predominantly be based. The screen i had my eye on was dell s3423dwc which can go upto WQHD (3440 x 1440).
I cant see what resolution i will get from the laptop when connected to the monitor, will it be a max of 1920x1080? If so, i guess the only way to drive the monitor is to use a display dock capable of supplying that resolution?
Another option given the number or ports on the laptop, would i be able to connect more than one monitor (1920x1080) using multiple ports and run a multiscreen solution with each monitor showing different information or would i need a display dock? I guess the display dock keeps the cabling tidy and i only need one cable between dock and laptop?
Your laptop has 4x display connections/options; HDMI, 2x USB-C ports both capable of connecting via displayport, and even the USB 3.2 connections could run a USB-monitor - so plenty of options. You could use a dock for sake of simplicity, but if you're good with just plugging cables in you've got plenty of options. Regular laptops can run 2 monitors without issue, most handle 3 fine.
EDIT: From looking at the specs you could have 3 of those 1440p ultra wide's running native resolution (1440x3440) with that laptop.
Edited by Mr_Yogi on Thursday 5th May 23:51
The laptop screen will top out, but external displays shoud go to whatever resolution they can (there is a limit, but that'll be an architectural limit, and nothing to do with the laptop's screen - you'll probably start to hit it of you have 4k monitors).
Note that by default, Windows will display the same output on both monitors (mirror), and this will be limited to the monitor with the lowest resolution, but set it to extend the desktop, and each screen should be at their independent normal resolution.
I have a 4K 15.6" laptop - but I probably ought to have gone for 1080 instead - it is nice and sharp, but a bit of an extravagance!
Note that by default, Windows will display the same output on both monitors (mirror), and this will be limited to the monitor with the lowest resolution, but set it to extend the desktop, and each screen should be at their independent normal resolution.
I have a 4K 15.6" laptop - but I probably ought to have gone for 1080 instead - it is nice and sharp, but a bit of an extravagance!
So it looks like i will be able to get the full monitor resolution from that laptop. Will i get that with either HDMI, DP and USB-C connection?
Mr_Yogi & tribbles : How do you know that the laptop will provide 3440x1440, as i dont see that anywhere in the spec? What magic have you used to arrive at this?
Mr_Yogi & tribbles : How do you know that the laptop will provide 3440x1440, as i dont see that anywhere in the spec? What magic have you used to arrive at this?
Down to the integrated graphics on the CPU.
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/produc...
Have a look at the graphics specs.
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/produc...
Have a look at the graphics specs.
Indeed, the native internal panel on the laptop has nothing what so ever to do with what it can drive externally.
Less than 2560x1440 I would not run on an external monitor if I could help it, QHD is the least I would go for. I have a Surface connected using a USB-C/HDMI cable to my QHD 27" screen and it's great, I avoided larger but lower resolution because it would have been *hit. The advantage of such a cable, sourced from Aliexpress for about $5, is you can connect the computer or an iPad with USB-C to a hotel TV
Less than 2560x1440 I would not run on an external monitor if I could help it, QHD is the least I would go for. I have a Surface connected using a USB-C/HDMI cable to my QHD 27" screen and it's great, I avoided larger but lower resolution because it would have been *hit. The advantage of such a cable, sourced from Aliexpress for about $5, is you can connect the computer or an iPad with USB-C to a hotel TV
Mr_Yogi said:
What do you mean by it will "will only ever top out at 1080 resolution"? Why would that be? An external monitor connected via HDMI/ Thunderbolt should be fine all the way to 4K @60Hz. Is there something special about that monitor?
EDIT: From looking at the specs you could have 3 of those 1440p ultra wide's running native resolution (1440x3440) with that laptop.
I worded my reply badly; meant to say the resolution would be limited by whatever graphics chip is in the laptop. EDIT: From looking at the specs you could have 3 of those 1440p ultra wide's running native resolution (1440x3440) with that laptop.
Edited by Mr_Yogi on Thursday 5th May 23:51
I'm on an older Lattitude with the additional screen at 1920x1200, and it has no problem with my 2k widescreen monitor at home so you'll be fine.
I would definitely recommend a USB 3 dock. The USB is the only connection to the laptop and the dock is then permanently connected to my monitor (some colleagues running a pair of 1920x1200 screen off them) , mouse, keyboard and power. If you have another computer at home you might also want to consider a KVM switch to use the same keyboard/screen/mouse with both computers without needing to mess about with cables.
I would definitely recommend a USB 3 dock. The USB is the only connection to the laptop and the dock is then permanently connected to my monitor (some colleagues running a pair of 1920x1200 screen off them) , mouse, keyboard and power. If you have another computer at home you might also want to consider a KVM switch to use the same keyboard/screen/mouse with both computers without needing to mess about with cables.
RizzoTheRat said:
I'm on an older Lattitude with the additional screen at 1920x1200, and it has no problem with my 2k widescreen monitor at home so you'll be fine.
I would definitely recommend a USB 3 dock. The USB is the only connection to the laptop and the dock is then permanently connected to my monitor (some colleagues running a pair of 1920x1200 screen off them) , mouse, keyboard and power. If you have another computer at home you might also want to consider a KVM switch to use the same keyboard/screen/mouse with both computers without needing to mess about with cables.
Definitely. I use this one for my work computer (Latitude 5420). Works great, no issues.I would definitely recommend a USB 3 dock. The USB is the only connection to the laptop and the dock is then permanently connected to my monitor (some colleagues running a pair of 1920x1200 screen off them) , mouse, keyboard and power. If you have another computer at home you might also want to consider a KVM switch to use the same keyboard/screen/mouse with both computers without needing to mess about with cables.
https://www.dell.com/en-uk/work/shop/dell-docking-...
Thanks for all the responses. The laptop and monitor have been ordered.
I do have a desktop PC that is for family use as opposed to work which i woud like to use with the monitor however the current graphics card only goes upto 2560x1600 so i'll need to get a new one. I dont play games, so i dont need a cutting edge graphics card, nor am i fussed about AMD FreeSync (i believe this is a gaming thing?) so i can go with either Nvidia or AMD cards. Any recommendations?
I do have a desktop PC that is for family use as opposed to work which i woud like to use with the monitor however the current graphics card only goes upto 2560x1600 so i'll need to get a new one. I dont play games, so i dont need a cutting edge graphics card, nor am i fussed about AMD FreeSync (i believe this is a gaming thing?) so i can go with either Nvidia or AMD cards. Any recommendations?
hab1966 said:
Thanks for all the responses. The laptop and monitor have been ordered.
I do have a desktop PC that is for family use as opposed to work which i woud like to use with the monitor however the current graphics card only goes upto 2560x1600 so i'll need to get a new one. I dont play games, so i dont need a cutting edge graphics card, nor am i fussed about AMD FreeSync (i believe this is a gaming thing?) so i can go with either Nvidia or AMD cards. Any recommendations?
How old is the desktop to have a max output resolution of 2560x1600? Even the Intel IGP's since 4th Gen Core i series ((4xxx, for example i5 4430) supported 4K@60Hz and up to 3 monitors. Intel are currently on 12th Gen!I do have a desktop PC that is for family use as opposed to work which i woud like to use with the monitor however the current graphics card only goes upto 2560x1600 so i'll need to get a new one. I dont play games, so i dont need a cutting edge graphics card, nor am i fussed about AMD FreeSync (i believe this is a gaming thing?) so i can go with either Nvidia or AMD cards. Any recommendations?
As for videocards? Any current videocard will be able to drive a 1440x3440 monitor at 60Hz for desktop and 2D work, which is all you need if you are not interested in gaming.
Although not exactly great value, something like this would be fine: https://www.scan.co.uk/products/palit-geforce-gt-1...
hab1966 said:
So it looks like i will be able to get the full monitor resolution from that laptop. Will i get that with either HDMI, DP and USB-C connection?
Mr_Yogi & tribbles : How do you know that the laptop will provide 3440x1440, as i dont see that anywhere in the spec? What magic have you used to arrive at this?
"Magic?" Mr_Yogi & tribbles : How do you know that the laptop will provide 3440x1440, as i dont see that anywhere in the spec? What magic have you used to arrive at this?
I cast a spell of "Maximus Displayus", and got the answers.3 monitors:
https://www.dell.com/support/manuals/en-uk/latitud...
UHD support on external monitors:
The fact that they list them as "please buy with me" on the product web site.
However, it doesn't state that all 3 can support UHD at the same time.
As mentioned by ayeaye (but not delved into much detail), Intel's website:
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/produc...
This states that the maximum DisplayPort resolution is 7680x4320, which 33 mega-pixels - and I'm guessing is the virtual resolution. A UHD screen is 8 mega-pixels, so it should be able to support 3 UHD displays plus the internal display.
However, it does depend on the screen frequency, which you've not specified. The Intel website says it assumes 60Hz.
Mr_Yogi said:
How old is the desktop to have a max output resolution of 2560x1600? Even the Intel IGP's since 4th Gen Core i series ((4xxx, for example i5 4430) supported 4K@60Hz and up to 3 monitors. Intel are currently on 12th Gen!
I built the PC in 2010, Asus P6X58D-E, I7, 32GB ram, graphic card is a Radeon HD5770 which i believe was max. 2560x1600 from what i can find on the net. I know its woefully out of date but it does what I need. I spend most of my time on a chromebook so never saw the need to upgrade the desktop.
Yes, you are quite right, the max resolution of the HD5770 is 2560x1600. No idea how good the scaler is in that monitor, but if it accepts 2560x2440, you might get a perfectly crisp image with black bars either side. I have a Samsung ultra wide at work which does this. Another option could be to use 2 cables from the old desktop to the new monitor, and set the monitor to picture by picture mode (if supported). Then configure the desktop to output to both screens at 1720x1440. This worked on an old laptop(which had the same display limit) I had with the same Samsung ultra wide.
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