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July 17th, 2021 12:00
Triple Monitor Set up Help
I have a ASUS VivoBook S and Acer Swift 3 as my laptops. I have been using Dell Ultrasharp U2719DX 27-Inch WQHD 2560x1440 Resolution IPS Monitor with Infinity Edge Bezels as my second monitor. Recently I got Dell P2319H, but I am not sure how to set up all three monitors. I can only get one to show up. I have DP ports and could not daisy chain. Also, usb-c to HDMI for the U2719DX won't let the monitor show up. I need to directly plug the hdmi to the laptop. There are no usb-c plugs for the monitors. How can I set them up with either of my laptops so that all screens show up?
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jphughan
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July 18th, 2021 07:00
@alixia5130 Ok, that helps quite a bit!
For the ASUS laptop, strangely when I go to its Tech Specs page here, it's just blank where I would have expected a table of specs to appear, at least as of this writing. So I checked its manual here and I see the USB-C port, although there's no specific mention that it supports video output, which there usually is given that it's an optional feature. But the fact that you've gotten a USB-C to HDMI cable to work with the P2319H suggests that it does support video output, even though that optional capability isn't specifically confirmed. In terms of why the U2719DX isn't working as expected, as a basic troubleshooting step that I've seen forgotten many times, did you make sure the U2719DX was set to the correct input? I'm guessing yes based on your successful test with the HDMI output on the ASUS. In that case, I've also seen many other cases where USB-C to HDMI cables/adapters don't work as expected with all combinations of devices where they should. I suspect the reason is that USB-C ports use DisplayPort natively for video output, and therefore USB-C to HDMI cables/adapters need to incorporate active signal converter chips to switch that over to HDMI. Those seem to create interoperability issues with certain equipment. I've helped multiple people here who had a cable/adapter that only worked with one laptop but not another, for example, and in every single case, the fix was to just try another brand of adapter, which ended up working with both. Obviously that shouldn't have been necessary, but not everything in tech that SHOULD work actually does. But if USB-C to DisplayPort is an option based on the display inputs the person has available, I always recommend that instead since that's a simpler cable/adapter, because it just has to pass through the signal that the PC is already using.
As for the Acer, its Tech Specs here indicate that its USB-C port supports Thunderbolt 3, which means it definitely supports video output even over regular USB-C because while that capability is optional for regular USB-C ports, it is mandatory for USB-C ports that support Thunderbolt. So you're good on that front.
In terms of your daisy chain setups, there are two big problems with the setups you attempted. The first is that you cannot run a daisy chain with HDMI. There is a way to cheat for the LAST display in the chain with the right sort of adapter, but you definitely cannot START a daisy chain by feeding the FIRST display an HDMI signal. You need to use DisplayPort signaling, because only DisplayPort supports running multiple independent displays from a single original output. (DisplayPort and HDMI are not just different connector shapes. They are a completely different data protocol.) The SECOND problem with your daisy chain setups is that you were mixing up your inputs and outputs. You need to connect the output of the first display to the input of the second display. The video signal starts with your system and travels "downstream", so you need to connect outputs of "upstream" displays closer to your system to inputs of "downstream" displays farther away from your system.
Once you get your USB-C to DP cable, do this:
USB-C port on ASUS/Acer laptop <> USB-C to DP cable <> DP input of U2719DX (make sure it's set to its DP input) <> DP output of U2719DX <> DP to DP cable <> DP input of P2319H
That should work for both of your systems. Good luck!
alixia5130
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July 17th, 2021 21:00
So sorry! This is my first time with everything and I thought I was being specific enough.
The laptops are:
I have tried this:
Asus USB-C Port <> USB-C to HDMI Cable <> U2719DX HDMI Input does not work
Asus USB-C Port <> USB-C to HDMI Cable <> P2319H HDMI Input does work
Asus HDMI Port <> U2719DX HDMI Input does work
I tried daisy chaining like such and they did not work:
Asus USB-C Port <> USB-C to HDMI Cable <> P2319H HDMI Input <> DP input of P2319H <> DP output of U2719DX
Asus HDMI Port <> U2719DX HDMI input <> DP input of U2719DX <> DP output of P2319H
I recently ordered a USB-C to DP cable, and I will try the set up that you mentioned. Do you have any tips for the Acer laptop? That is the main laptop I want to use, but it does not have a USB-C port.
jphughan
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July 17th, 2021 21:00
@alixia5130 Can you link to product/specs pages of the exact laptops you have? It looks like there's more than one version/generation of the VivoBook S, and potentially the Acer Swift 3. And in terms of describing the setups you've attempted, just saying "I have DP ports and could not daisy chain" doesn't explain where the DP ports are in your setup and exactly how you connected the devices with what sorts of cables. A daisy chain requires native DisplayPort signaling along the entire chain, in case you didn't know that.
The same clarity issue applies to just saying USB-C to HDMI for the U2719DX. I figure that probably means you connected the USB-C port of one system to the HDMI input of the U2719DX, but you didn't even specify which system. Not all USB-C ports support video output, fyi. A proper cabling description might look something like this:
ASUS USB-C port <> USB-C to HDMI cable <> S2719DX HDMI input
A daisy chain setup could be described like this, and this would be a valid setup if the laptop's USB-C port actually does support video output:
ASUS USB-C port <> USB-C to DisplayPort cable <> DP input of U2719DX <> DP output of U2719DX <> DP to DP cable <> DP input of P2319H
The more specific you can be about the equipment you're using and exactly how you're setting it all up, the more likely others will be able to help you.
alixia5130
5 Posts
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July 20th, 2021 11:00
Hi,
So I bought the cable for usb c to DP, and when I tried
USB-C port on ASUS <> USB-C to DP cable <> DP input of U2719DX (make sure it's set to its DP input),
it would not recognize and would not show the screen..
There is no usb-c port on the Acer laptop so I don't know what to do now..
Here is the link to the cable that I bought
jphughan
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July 20th, 2021 11:00
@alixia5130 Well at this point I'm not sure what to do either because I'm confused. In your first post you said you had an Acer Swift 3 laptop. Then in your follow-up to provide more details you said you had an Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-50W3. In my reply, I posted a link to its Specs page -- here it is again -- and as you can see, that page shows the exact same "SP314-54N-50W3" model name. And as you can see on that page, the specs clearly mention a USB-C port that supports Thunderbolt 3. The product photos on that page aren't ideal for seeing ports, but it appears to be on the left edge next to the HDMI output. So if you don't have a USB-C port, then either Acer's specs are wrong or you have a different model system.
For the USB-C to DP cable, did you make sure to plug it into the DP input on the U2719DX instead of the DP output? The ports are physically identical, but are not interchangeable. If you've done that and you still can't get that display working, I just want to make absolutely sure I understand this:
If the above test cases and outcomes are accurate, I'm not sure how to account for those results. The test with the ASUS HDMI output confirms that the HDMI input on the U2719DX works. And the test with the P2319H confirms that the ASUS USB-C port supports video output. The problem case seems to be the ASUS USB-C port when using the U2719DX, regardless of whether you're using the HDMI or DP input on the display. I've never seen that type of problem scenario.
alixia5130
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July 20th, 2021 22:00
Hi,
I apologize.. I checked my Amazon orders to find the laptop model for Acer, but turns out they no longer sell the model that I have, so when I clicked on the order, it did not send me to the one I ordered in the past. The one I have is Acer Spin 3 SP314 Series, as SP314-53N-77AJ MFG Date: 2019/07/03 and this for sure does not have a usb-c port.. Confirmed from this review of the laptop.
For the Asus laptop, it was not able to detect either of the monitors using the usb-c to dp cable.
And yes, the above cases are accurate, as I just checked again.
alixia5130
5 Posts
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July 20th, 2021 22:00
Hi,
I apologize.. I checked my Amazon orders to find the laptop model for Acer, but turns out there were two very similar ones. The one I have is Acer Spin 3 SP314 Series, as SP314-53N-77AJ MFG Date: 2019/07/03 and this for sure does not have a usb-c port..
jphughan
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July 21st, 2021 06:00
@alixia5130 Ok, well the only video output port on THAT system appears to be HDMI. In that case, you don't have a "conventional" way to run multiple external displays from that system, because HDMI ports cannot run multiple independent displays from a single source port. So your only option would be a USB dongle that relied on "indirect display" technology like DisplayLink -- not to be confused with DisplayPort. However, DisplayLink has some drawbacks that I've written up in the post marked as the answer in this thread. So be aware of what you're getting into there, but it's also true that solutions like that are the only way you'll be able to run your display setup from that system.