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Using Surface Pro 3 as Extended Display for PC

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Peregrin

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I wanted to be able to hook my Surface Pro 3 to my current PC's graphics card and extend the PC's display.

I see the Surface Pro 3's resolution is 2160 x 1440. When I look at mini displayport adapters, nearly all of them have a max resolution of around 1920 x 1200.

Could anyone tell me what kind I would need to utilize Surface Pro 3's full resolution as an extended display to my current PC?

Thanks for any help.
 
Hi
I travel constantly with my work laptop and personal Surface Pro 3. Has anyone had any luck using their SP3 as an external monitor? I've looked at, and tried breifly, Splashtop, but not 100% happy (lags, need internet, resolution poor).

Does anyone know if the SP3 minidisplay port takes input as well as giving output, so I can connect using a cable?
Has anyone found software that works to share screens via wireless?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
 
Nope the Display Port is one-way only....video out. You would need something akin to the Dell XPS 18 which has an HDMI In...., using a small utility from Microsoft Garage called Mouse without Boarders can give you a similar experience though....
 
Has anyone had any luck with Splashtop or other Software? I found Splashtop lagged, couldn't give an acceptable resolution and I think needs an internet connection to work (I could be wrong) and when traveling I can't always access the internet.
 
CraigZ said:
Has anyone had any luck with Splashtop or other Software? I found Splashtop lagged, couldn't give an acceptable resolution and I think needs an internet connection to work (I could be wrong) and when traveling I can't always access the internet.
Click to expand...

You could have a look at MaxiVista software. I've had good luck with it in the past on other laptops and extended desktops but I've not tried it with the Surface.

http://www.maxivista.com/
 
Thanks all for the suggestions - I've followed them up and they also helped refine my search to unearth other packages. Here is a summary of what I found that might help others with the same question:

Cable solution not possible (as Jeff pointed out no video inputs on Surface Pro 3)

Software solutions:
MaxiVista - states not Windows 8 compatible
Screen Slider - states not Windows 8 compatible
Splashtop - possible, but this is really a remote admin tool and lag means the experience is frustrating for constant use
AirDisplay - is a screen extension/mirror package, supports Windows 8, but lag was so bad couldn't use at all
ZoneScreen - couldn't find a Windows 8 compatible version.

Shifted my thinking and used Jeff's suggestion of Mouse without Boarders from Microsoft Garage. Works extremely well and while you might have to shift some files between computers it does give the experience of seamlessly working across two screens with the advantage of each computer running it's own software (double the processors!).

So my conclusion - I don't need to extend my monitors after all. I can use Mouse without Boarders to effectively drive both machines (keyboard and mouse), with no lag. My Surface Pro sits beside my laptop (with the keyboard removed) and I can do everything I want using one mouse and keyboard. Just have to remember where I'm saving the files. Can't drag windows from one screen to another, but can do everything else.

Thanks for all the suggestions and help and especially to Jeff for suggesting the Mouse without Boarders solution.

Cheers
Craig
 
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