WD19TB w/ Precision 5530 - Triple Monitors do not work

Question

I am trying to run 3x 2560x1440 monitors. 2 are 60hz, 1 is 144hz. WD19TB is connected via TB3 to my Precision 5530. The two 60hz monitors are connected via DP, and the 144hz via HDMI. I have also tried a USB-C to HDMI adapter in the MFDP port. When connected either way, one of the DP connected monitors will only do 1920x1200 at most. How can I connect all 3 and get 1440p for all?

Edit: The 144hz monitor is only running at 60hz. So this is 3x 2560x1440@60hz. Should be supported according to the manual, in either configuration.

And for what it's worth, this was working fine in the exact same configuration on my TB18DC prior to switching to the WD19TB.

jphughan · Accepted Answer

@Cwfanion  Put the 144 Hz display on the downstream TB3 port at the edge of the dock, not the MFDP port near the HDMI output.  The Precision 5530 is a DisplayPort HBR2 system, and when the WD19TB is connected to that type of system, half of the total video bandwidth (a full DP 1.2 interface) is allocated to the downstream TB3 port and the other half is shared across all other ports.  So allocating half of the total bandwidth to the 144 Hz display and half to be shared across the two 60 Hz displays should work.

jphughan · Answer

@Cwfanion Happy to help. The WD19TB's bandwidth allocation is not completely flexible and is a bit complicated since it varies based on the capabilities of the attached system -- but Dell's system specs often clarify those capabilities, so even people who read the WD19TB's manual to notice that there are different cabling requirements for different types of systems won't necessarily know which options are valid for their systems. That's partly what made me write a (long) explainer post about how the WD19TB works over here.

And out of curiosity, how did you use a TB18DC with your system? The TB18DC uses a dual connector setup on the system side and cannot be separated into single connector mode like the WD19DC -- but the Precision 5530 only has a single TB3 port. Or did you have a different system with that older dock?

Cwfanion · Answer

@jphughan it was a TB16 upon further inspection - was going off of google images as I had boxed it up already. Just dug it out to double check. I think that may clear up your question?

jphughan · Answer

@Cwfanion  Yes indeed. The TB18DC is just a TB16 with a dual connector setup that was designed for Precision 7000 Series systems because the second connector allowed it to push a total of 210W of power, compared to the 130W on the TB16.

Cwfanion · Answer

Problem solved - USB-C to HDMI via the actual USB-C TB3 port worked exactly as needed. Problem solved.

Cwfanion · Answer

@jphughan now your question makes more sense! I can see the confusion hahah.

No 7000 series here, was lucky enough for the 5530. We used to get i5 systems in our department, this was a big step up hahaha. Though to be fair, I only need this for Zoom calls, parsing logs, and running a few VMs occasionally, so it's a bit overkill.

Cwfanion · Answer

@jphughan you must've been typing that as I was doing it. That was precisely it - thank you!!

susie_k · Answer

@Cwfanion would a 3 monitor display work with a lat 5530 and a wd22tb4 dock?

Precision Mobile Workstations

WD19TB w/ Precision 5530 - Triple Monitors do not work

Was this post helpful?