Using 3 External Monitors

Hi,I see you’re looking for technical assistance. If you require our help, you could initiate a private/direct message with us, and we’d be glad to assist you.

@droidus91  The only video outputs on the XPS 15 9560 are USB-C/TB3 and HDMI. So if you want to run 3 external displays with USB-C/TB3 also used for Ethernet, you’ll need a docking station that can run at least 2 of them, and then run the third display either from the dock or from the system’s built-in HDMI output. What are the resolutions and refresh rates of these displays?

The D6000 is a very poor dock choice FYI, especially for an XPS 15. Its reliance on “indirect display” technology called DisplayLink — not to be confused with DisplayPort — creates a bunch of drawbacks I wrote about in the post marked as the answer in this thread, and on top of that it only provides 65W of power, which is only half of what the XPS 15 is designed for. So you either need to keep the system’s own power adapter connected as well, or you need to put up with slow battery charging and performance throttling that will occur when the XPS 15 is running from a severely undersized power source.

The dock you probably want is the WD19TB. When paired with the XPS 15 9550, it can run dual 4K 60 Hz or triple QHD displays just through the dock, and it uses native GPU outputs rather than DisplayLink, AND it supplies up to 130W to attached systems.

But if you haven’t already, update the D6000 firmware and get the latest DisplayLink software from DisplayLink.com.

@droidus91  Quick follow-up to my above reply. Why do you specifically want USB-C for Ethernet? What’s wrong with using one of the USB-A “regular USB” ports for that purpose? Do you have an Ethernet network and adapter that can take advantage of USB 3.x Gen 2 on your USB-C port and would be bottlenecked by USB 3.x Gen 1 on your USB-A ports? Otherwise, if you don’t want to pay for a full dock, you could get a USB-C MST hub or TB3 to Dual DisplayPort/HDMI adapter for two displays, then run the third display via the built-in HDMI port, and get an Ethernet to USB-A adapter, which is cheap. Or you could even get a USB 3.0 hub if you needed more ports. It’s more cables to deal with, but it would all probably still cost less than a WD19TB.

I asked the difference between WD19TB and WD19TBS, and the Dell Sales associate told me this: "WD19TB is the older version and the WD19TBS is the latest one; both have similar features, WD19TBS is the simplified version".  Not sure what "simplified" means, but is it that much of an upgrade/recommended, or can I just safely stick to the WD19TB? 

EDIT: Would this work/be compatible: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0841T9KC9?

@droidus91  It amazes me how unhelpful some Dell sales and support reps can be. But I guess giving no useful information is better than giving incorrect information. The dock models that have an S dropped the 3.5mm audio/headset jack. Apparently there’s some shortage in the industry right now that prevents making those jacks or the audio chipsets that run them, which was preventing Dell from making docks and therefore causing a large order backlog. So Dell created a new variant of its dock models that no longer has that feature. I guess it makes sense since many business customers probably rely on USB-based audio solutions, or HDMI/DP audio, or just keep using the laptop’s built-in speakers.

That travel hub you linked isn't really a replacement for a full dock. It definitely won’t pass through 130W of power even if you got a 130W power source to plug into it, so you’d have to keep the system’s own power adapter separately connected. And it’s just a regular USB-C device, not a Thunderbolt device, so it will only tap into 1/4 of the video bandwidth that the WD19TB would. That will not be enough to run 3 displays at any meaningful resolution, not even 1080p.

@droidus91  They’re the same dock, but one or both of them may be listed by third-party sellers. Amazon doesn’t always group multiple sellers offering the same product into a single listing. If you decide to go with a third-party seller because you want that 3.5mm jack, then check the product that you actually receive. Confirm it is a TB and not a regular WD19 and that it came with a 180W power supply. I say this because very recently I helped 4 separate people troubleshoot an issue where they couldn’t get their display setup running with all displays at their native resolutions through their WD19TB. In every case, it turned out that even though they had bought and been charged for a WD19TB, they had actually received a regular WD19. All of those happened within a span of about 10 days.

Is there any way to buy it from an authorized reseller, or directly from dell?  

I see this one is sold by dell: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07V867LW4?psc=1.  I will go with it because it is cheaper. 

How do I Confirm it is a TB and not a regular WD19?

@droidus91  When you receive the dock, check the ports on the back.  The WD19TB has a "downstream Thunderbolt" peripheral port at the edge of the dock all on its own near the side where the system cable attaches, which is marked with the Thunderbolt logo.  The regular WD19 does not have that port.  (Compare product photos on Dell's website if you're not sure what I'm talking about.) And the power adapter wattage will be printed on the underside of the adapter somewhere.  You're looking for 180W.