Precision 3530, WD19TB, two U2713HM, cabling solution?

Question

I just purchased a Precision 3530 laptop with a WD19TB docking station.  I have two U2713HM monitors previously purchased.  I am able to connect one U2713HM using a HDMI cable and connections on the monitor and docking station.  However, there is only 1 HDMI connection on the docking station. What is the cabling solution needed to connect the second monitor to the docking station and/or the Precision 3530?

jphughan · Accepted Answer

@Gulo  Happy to help.  All of the options I described that do not use the display's VGA input will give you identical image quality because they are all digital signals, and within each option, as long as the cable gives you a stable image, it will be giving you the best possible image quality.  All of the outputs on the WD19TB are designed to support displays up to 4K 60 Hz displays, so a 1920x1080 display just doesn't pose any special considerations here -- and any cable you buy will support at least 1920x1080, and likely much higher resolutions than that.  But the simplest solution as I also said above would be a basic DisplayPort cable.  And since DisplayPort has supported 4K 60 Hz for about a decade now, before 4K 60 Hz displays even existed in the consumer market, you do not have to worry about buying a special type of DisplayPort cable for your use case.  (EDIT: The U2713HM's HDMI input only supports 1920x1080, so not all options would yield identical results in this case.  To get 2560x1440, use the DisplayPort input.  The DVI input also supports it, but that requires dual-link DVI, and dual-link DVI adapters are expensive and unnecessary given that DisplayPort is available.)

Gulo · Accepted Answer

Opted for the Displayport solution.  Thanks!

jphughan · Answer

@Gulo You have tons of options here. The U2713HM has DisplayPort, HDMI, and DVI inputs (and VGA, but it delivers worse image quality.) The WD19TB has DisplayPort, HDMI, and USB-C outputs. The dock's DisplayPort and USB-C outputs can each be used to connect to any of those four inputs on the display. The dock's HDMI output can be used for the HDMI or DVI inputs on the display. The only restriction is that you can't use the dock's HDMI and USB-C outputs simultaneously. So take your pick as to what cable/adapter you want, though I'd recommend avoiding VGA-based solutions. A simple DisplayPort cable is probably easiest.

(EDIT: The U2713HM's HDMI input only supports up to 1920x1080, so in order to run it at 2560x1440 from the dock, you'll want to use regular DisplayPort cables.)

jphughan · Answer

@Gulo My apologies, I just remembered that despite Dell typically using "H" in their display model naming as an indicator of 1920x1080 resolution, the U2713HM uses 2560x1440 resolution. Typically Dell uses "D" in display models for that, such as the U2717D.

But in that case you should buy two DisplayPort cables, one to replace your existing HDMI cable. Why? Because although the WD19TB's HDMI output will support that resolution, the U2713HM's HDMI input will not. It was designed before an HDMI standard that supported 2560x1440 existed, so that display is limited to 1920x1080 when connected via HDMI. But if you buy a pair of regular DisplayPort cables and connect each DisplayPort output on the dock to each DisplayPort input on the displays, you'll be running both of them at 2560x1440.

Gulo · Answer

Thank you for the very informative response.  Of all the options available to me for the second monitor what would you recommend as the best and what would be the cable to use?

jphughan · Answer

@Gulo  You're welcome, but please see my follow-up post.  I also went back and edited my previous posts to make corrections.  You'll want to use two DisplayPort cables so that you can stop using HDMI on the display yo already using, since that is preventing you from using that display at its full resolution.

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Precision 3530, WD19TB, two U2713HM, cabling solution?