Daisy Chain Dell S2740L & U2713HM - Surface Pro 3 Docking Station

[JGear]

Hi All,

Just wondering if anyone knows if this is possible?

I have tried to research this, but all information I have found is unclear on the actual logistics for cabling between the docking station and monitors, and what monitors need to have to allow for this.

Will my Dell U2713HM and Dell S2740L be able to be daisy chained from my Surface Pro 3 / Surface Docking Station?

If yes, then how would I achieve that?

If no, then QQ

JG

 

[GreyFox7]

The Dell U2713HM lists Displayport 1.2 Connectivity so it should have Two Display ports on it. 1 input and 1 output.

The Dell S2740L only lists HDMI and VGA connectivity. so as best you would need an adapter to switch from DP to HDMI/VGA and make this the last devices in the chain. but I've seen some of these setups be finicky... well seems all DP setups are finicky.

I'd give you 50/50 odds or maybe only 40/60 work/no work.

 

[malberttoo]

Hi All,

Just wondering if anyone knows if this is possible?

I have tried to research this, but all information I have found is unclear on the actual logistics for cabling between the docking station and monitors, and what monitors need to have to allow for this.

Will my Dell U2713HM and Dell S2740L be able to be daisy chained from my Surface Pro 3 / Surface Docking Station?

If yes, then how would I achieve that?

If no, then QQ

JG

Hi JGear, welcome to the forum!

The monitor has to support daisy-chaining, and not just support DisplayPort.

If a monitor supports daisy-chaining, it will have 2 DP ports- an in and an out. So your monitor may very well be a DP monitor and accept a DP input, but that's it. Unless you actually have 2 DP ports on it, then it's not made for daisy-chaining. If it DOES of course, then you just go Dock > Mon 1 "in", Mon 1 "out" > Mon 2 "in".

Otherwise, you'll have to go from the DP on the dock, to one monitor, and the DP on the SP3, to the other monitor.

 

[dstrauss]

... but I've seen some of these setups be finicky... well seems all DP setups are finicky.

I'd give you 50/50 odds or maybe only 40/60 work/no work.

I disagree (about finicky). I'm using an Asus (with DP 1.2 for pass through) to an off-brand Auria (no pass through) and both screens and the Surface pro 3 display beautifully. There are times where the Auria doesn't come on (it goes into some funky deep sleep) and you have to push the power button to get it to come up. When you first setup, it is likely that it will not recognize the last monitor in the daisy chain, and you will need to adjust screen resolution to enable the third screen (it appears as "Disconnected" and all you have to do is connect it). After that all is automatic.

 

[GreyFox7]

I disagree (about finicky). I'm using an Asus (with DP 1.2 for pass through) to an off-brand Auria (no pass through) and both screens and the Surface pro 3 display beautifully. There are times where the Auria doesn't come on (it goes into some funky deep sleep) and you have to push the power button to get it to come up. When you first setup, it is likely that it will not recognize the last monitor in the daisy chain, and you will need to adjust screen resolution to enable the third screen (it appears as "Disconnected" and all you have to do is connect it). After that all is automatic.

I wasn' referring to finicky with respect to the SP3 I meant Dispalyport in general, maybe when they get to DP 2.1 or so they will get the kinks ironed out. Working setups notwithstanding.

 

[malberttoo]

I wasn' referring to finicky with respect to the SP3 I meant Dispalyport in general, maybe when they get to DP 2.1 or so they will get the kinks ironed out. Working setups notwithstanding.

I think DisplayPort is fine... I just think Microsoft's implementation of it in this case, whether it be with dock, SP3, I dunno, is whacked somehow.

 

[JGear]

Thanks for the replies all.

Can both the Docking Station and Surface 3 DisplayPorts be used at the same time if my monitors can't be chained?

 

[malberttoo]

Thanks for the replies all.

Can both the Docking Station and Surface 3 DisplayPorts be used at the same time if my monitors can't be chained?

Yes absolutely, that's the beauty of the SP3 and I mentioned it above. Both the dock, and the SP3 DisplayPort ports can be used simultaneously to drive 2 separate monitors.

 

[JGear]

Yes absolutely, that's the beauty of the SP3 and I mentioned it above. Both the dock, and the SP3 DisplayPort ports can be used simultaneously to drive 2 separate monitors.

Fantastic! Just wanted to be sure before buying DisplayPort adapters - they can be expensive.

I guess this will be a less convinient solution, but it is only plugging in one extra cable each time.

Thanks again all!

 

[dstrauss]

I think DisplayPort is fine... I just think Microsoft's implementation of it in this case, whether it be with dock, SP3, I dunno, is whacked somehow.

I don't know about that - I had an Acer laptop with Displayport 1.2 support and it and my SPro 3 work equally well at daisy-chaining two 27" WQHD monitors. By the way, keep your eyes peeled for the Acer 27" over at TigerDirect - a couple of weeks ago they had a one day $299 sale on these bad boys, and apparently have done that before. It supports display port pass through and is equal to the Asus I bought in December for a whopping $680.

 

[JGear]

I don't know about that - I had an Acer laptop with Displayport 1.2 support and it and my SPro 3 work equally well at daisy-chaining two 27" WQHD monitors. By the way, keep your eyes peeled for the Acer 27" over at TigerDirect - a couple of weeks ago they had a one day $299 sale on these bad boys, and apparently have done that before. It supports display port pass through and is equal to the Asus I bought in December for a whopping $680.

I have actually hooked my monitors up just with the display port on the Surface and its accompanying docking station - when I posted this I did not have the device yet so wasn't sure. The new Surface and docking station are great and the monitor setup has been flawless this way.

I have always had good experiences with Dell panels - not sure if I would feel confident spending just $299 on a 27" 2k panel... sounds too cheap to be any good, but I have been wrong before.

 

[malberttoo]

I don't know about that - I had an Acer laptop with Displayport 1.2 support and it and my SPro 3 work equally well at daisy-chaining two 27" WQHD monitors.

There's just so many reports here on the forum about problems with the dock, it can't be ignored that there is something going on, even if just with the current batch of hardware.

By the way, keep your eyes peeled for the Acer 27" over at TigerDirect - a couple of weeks ago they had a one day $299 sale on these bad boys, and apparently have done that before. It supports display port pass through and is equal to the Asus I bought in December for a whopping $680.

Are they decent monitors? I only used an Acer monitor once. Was not impressed at all with the quality of the visuals. If it was a good one though, yeah I'd be all over that! I'm currently in the market for a couple 27" monitors...