XPS 13 7930 external monitor not connecting

@Tesla1856  The specs of that display indicate that it provides up to 60W of power, and the XPS 13 is designed to require only 45W for optimum functionality. It’s actually pretty common for USB-C displays to provide at least some amount of power, typically at least 60W and sometimes as much as 95W, and many laptops will run optimally or at least acceptably within those power levels, so I’m not sure why you’d say that there are very few exceptions to the rule that you need the system AC adapter directly connected.

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@jphughan wrote:

@Tesla1856  The specs of that display indicate that it provides up to 60W of power, and the XPS 13 is designed to require only 45W for optimum functionality. It’s actually pretty common for USB-C displays to provide at least some amount of power, typically at least 60W and sometimes as much as 95W, and many laptops will run optimally or at least acceptably within those power levels, so I’m not sure why you’d say that there are very few exceptions to the rule that you need the system AC adapter directly connected.

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See, that is why you are the expert.

It's just that they were having issues, so I thought it might be better if they supplied the laptop with plenty of power, and deal with monitor issues on only a signal/communication level. You can always change it later (after issue is resolved).

Not sure about you, but I consider using an external monitor with a laptop rare.

Docking-Stations and Hubs also fairly rare. However, I've seen recent monitors advertised as having "Built-in Internal Hub" so maybe that is where things are going now. People just can't seem to resist the urge to build multiple machines together into one. Yes, I can see the use-case as many using a docking-station/hub also use a real (larger) monitor. Personally, I would rather have the flexibility to more-easily re-configure systems or even move monitors around (to different desks) as the years go by.

@Tesla1856  Maybe using a laptop with an external display is somewhat rare. That might explain how Apple has now gone two generations of its CPUs where the base model only supports two total displays, which means only one external display on laptops, even if the internal display isn’t being used — despite the fact that the Intel CPUs they replaced two years ago could handle three total displays.

But we’re obviously dealing with someone who does use an external display here, and among that market, the availability of displays that essentially have built-in docking stations has been increasing. That’s probably in response to the fact that laptops are increasingly replacing desktops, and those are increasingly moving to fewer total ports and having USB-C/TB as the sole TYPE of port. That means being able to connect peripherals to the display rather than directly to the system is handy, and it also just means it’s POSSIBLE to have a universal docking station in a display. For businesses, that means one less component to buy as long as the capabilities of the built-in dock are sufficient. Thunderbolt docks still offer more capability, primarily around display setups that can be driven.

But yes, flexibility and possibly the  ability to upgrade one component without the other have their place too. That’s undoubtedly part of why many of Dell’s displays for the last few years have had two model variants, one with one without the built-in dock. Businesses that are using displays with Thunderbolt docks or simply with desktop systems therefore have a way to avoid spending money on functionality they don’t need or want to have in their displays. But those who would otherwise have purchased USB-C docks have an option for a simpler and less expensive setup. The last couple generations of Dell USB-C displays have even incorporated Ethernet, not to put the display on the network but to provide a wired Ethernet connection to the docked system.

It’s good to have choices!