Inspiron 5570, USB Type-C instead of HDMI?

* For my Dell internal notes, click my name and private message me the Inspiron 5570 service tag number

* What specific monitor model?
* Why would you need to use USB Type-C if you are already connecting in this way?
Inspiron 5570 HDMI out port --> HDMI to HDMI cable --> Unknown monitor HDMI in port

The Inspiron 5570's Setup and Specifications document available on support.dell.com (direct link here) says this about the USB-C port: "USB 3.1 Gen 1 (Type-C) port with Power Delivery/DisplayPort (optional)".  Unfortunately it's not clear from that whether a) the USB-C port itself is optional and you get DisplayPort as long as you have that port, or b) the USB-C port is standard and the DisplayPort capability is optional, i.e. some systems have USB-C ports that only handle data and maybe Power Delivery.  My guess is that it's the latter, i.e. all systems come with USB-C ports but only some of them have DisplayPort output.  Unfortunately it's also not clear from that document or the product page what determines whether you get the "optional" port/capability.  But I do know that on other systems, DisplayPort support depends on whether your system was ordered with a discrete GPU, and I do see that the 5570 is available with an AMD Radeon 530 discrete GPU, so that might be it.

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@The Adder wrote:

Yes you can!

I'm using an dual monitor configuration since I brought my 5770 in december 2017 by using this adapter:

"USB C to HDMI Adapter, Type C to HDMI 4K Hub with Gigabit Ethernet, Power Delivery Port, USB 3.0 Port for 2016/2017/2018 MacBook/MacBook Pro, 2018 MacBook Air, Samsung Galaxy S9/S8/S8+/Note 8"

An extra advantage: Gigabit Ethernet!

Costs: €33 or $36

Next upgrade: 16Gb extra RAM to make RAM dual (channel) too ;-)

 

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The disadvantage to these multi-purpose adapters is that they cut your available display bandwidth in half.  A simple USB-C to DisplayPort or HDMI 2.0 cable would be able to carry enough bandwidth for a 4K 60 Hz display, or dual 2560x1600 (if you use DisplayPort daisy-chaining or an MST hub), whereas if you use an adapter that carries both video and USB data for things like Ethernet over USB-C, you only get enough bandwidth for a single 1440p display or a 4K display but only at 30 Hz.  I wrote a detailed post about the various operating modes of USB-C and their impact on available display setups here if you're curious.

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@jphughan wrote:

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The disadvantage to these multi-purpose adapters is that they cut your available display bandwidth in half.  A simple USB-C to DisplayPort or HDMI 2.0 cable would be able to carry enough bandwidth for a 4K 60 Hz display, or dual 2560x1600 (if you use DisplayPort daisy-chaining or an MST hub), whereas if you use an adapter that carries both video and USB data for things like Ethernet over USB-C, you only get enough bandwidth for a single 1440p display or a 4K display but only at 30 Hz.  I wrote a detailed post about the various operating modes of USB-C and their impact on available display setups here if you're curious.

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Thanks for the info!

I have 2 monitors connected (1920x1200 @60hz and 1600x1200 @60hz => 3520 x 1200) which is optimal for coding applications like Unity and Visual Studio, therefor I never notice the bandwidth problem of the adapter. 

It depends on what you want to do with your laptop, but your info makes it easier to make the right choice!