Can the i5 SP3 drive dual 1920 x 1080 screens?

[accesser]

I've had my SP3 for almost two weeks now and i'm keen to make it my daily computer to do this gracefully I’m going to either upgrade my existing monitors to display port models or purchase a MST hub & DVI converters

i’m curious to hear if anybody is running dual 24 ish sized screens ok from your i5 my usage is very non-gaming I'm more of a productivity guy with some occasional Lightroom & Photoshop work.

 

[nipponham]

From this blog article:

For those concerned about multiple monitor support, Microsoft engineers tell me they’ve tested these scenarios thoroughly. The i3-based model can comfortably drive two Full HD (1920×1200 at 60 Hz) displays, while the i5 and i7 models can power two external displays at a maximum resolution of 2880×1800 each at 60 Hz.

 

[GreyFox7]

I have used a 24 & 20 off a DisplayLink docking station without issue. It would certainly work with two 24 inch monitors... I only have one.

There are other threads here about DP monitors and setups and id say the biggest challenge you'll have is getting compatible components and cables. keep cables short where possible. There seems to be some hit or miss to this which to me indicates issues with the DisplayPort specification and variance in implementation by vendors. To be certain people have gotten it to work so posted problems may be the exception.

 

[accesser]

Thanks for the reply I've found quite a few posts as you said its a very mixed bag

I've been trying to decide how I’m going to do this for quite some time I was almost ready to purchase a MST hub when I got an e-mail from one of the vendors saying they are having compatibility issues with the MST hub and DP to DVI converters

Since then I've toyed with the idea of getting a couple of nice new monitors with MST daisy chaining

Realistically I think I might settle for a temporary solution of using a pair of MiniDP to DVI converters one from my doc one from my SP3 and wait for a sale on some nice new screens

 

[mohcho]

I'm running dual 22" at 1680 x 1050 without issues using Pluggable UD-3900 dock using a DVI cable and a HDMI>DVI adaptor cable as my monitors do not have HDMI or DP support. There hasn't been ANY issue at all and the SP3 is more than capable in running this setup. I normally keep the SP3 screen off, but I can run that as well as a third monitor without any issue. I may try to use a mini-DP > HDMI cable to test a third monitor as well.

 

[mtalinm]

my SP2 did this, so I assume the SP3 w/ same chip will.

just be sure to do it with a daisy-chain setup or the dock (so you can drive each screen from a displayport). otherwise you will have to plug in a screen using USB, which is more taxing on the processor. it will work, it'll just be noisy

 

[mohcho]

my SP2 did this, so I assume the SP3 w/ same chip will.

just be sure to do it with a daisy-chain setup or the dock (so you can drive each screen from a displayport). otherwise you will have to plug in a screen using USB, which is more taxing on the processor. it will work, it'll just be noisy

Not true. I have used the USB dock since day one when I got my SP3 and its always run silent, not taxing the CPU at all. With all the new firmware and driver updates, the fan on the SP3 rarely turns on, unless I am specifically taxing the system by running a graphic intensive game or a utility.

 

[accesser]

Thanks for the info guys really helps

I think I'll order some DPmini to DVI cables or an adapter for now and if I ever see some good monitor sales I'll upgrade if I'm running only one screen from each port (The Dock and the SP3) do I need an active cable or can I just get a passive

 

[wditters]

I am using 2x daisy-chained Lenovo LT2934 in 2560x1080 ... works very smoothly. Your best bet however is to indeed settle for official DP 1.2 compatible monitors. Connecting via a Displaylink USB hub is cheaper and works fine but graphics performance is lower than via daisy-chained DP 1.2. I used both options but settled for daisy-chaining on my SP2 i5 and now on my SP3 i7 as the more practical and better performing option. Works marvellous.

 

[HarnessTech]

I am running two 24" 1920x1080 monitors plus the SP3's own screen and they are all working without a hitch. Both are connected using mini DisplayPort to HDMI cables, one from the docking station and the other from the SP3's built-in mini DisplayPort.