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July 3rd, 2020 07:00

Dell G5 15 5590 best way to connect two external monitors

Hello, 

I would like to connect my Dell G5 15 5590 with two external monitor and I am thinking about the best way to do it.

I have found that I can buy Dell Adapter USB-C to HDMI/DP (https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/dell-adapter-usb-c-to-hdmi-dp-with-power-pass-through/apd/470-aegy/pc-accessories) that could be fine to connect one monitor. The other one I can connect through basic way throught HDMI output.

I also found the there is option to buy much more expensive dock Dell Thunderbolt Dock WD19TB (https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/dell-thunderbolt-dock-wd19tb/apd/210-arjd/pc-accessories) that can charger my laptot (I hope) and can be easily connect with USB C.

There are other docking stations like Dell Universal Dock - D6000 (https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/dell-universal-dock-d6000/apd/452-bcyj/pc-accessories) but I'm not sure about the difference between the WD19TB and if this could be good option for me.

Could you help me to define options and tell me what I should prefere (good price-performance ratio).

I want to use bought monitors with dedicated graphics card Nvidia RTX 2070 - I hope that it's possible.

This set up I want to use for video making.


I appreciate all answers, thank you!

9 Legend

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14K Posts

July 3rd, 2020 08:00

@Begy  A few things to clarify right away here:

  • If your display supports DisplayPort, I'd recommend a USB-C to DisplayPort cable/adapter instead.  USB-C uses DisplayPort for video output anyway, so USB-C to HDMI adapters/cables have to incorporate an active converter chip to switch that signal to HDMI.  That's just one more thing to pay for and potentially cause problems, so if you don't actually need it, then avoid it.
  • Your laptop likely does NOT support being charged over USB-C/TB3, so I would not expect the WD19TB to charge your system.  The WD19TB supports providing up to 130W over USB-C/TB3, but that's only possible when the system also does.  Dell systems like the XPS 15 and some Precision systems support that, but every post I've seen from people using Inspiron Gaming systems indicates that they do NOT support it, even when the system is designed for a 130W power source.  But some Inspiron Gaming systems use 180W power sources, and in that case even if 130W charging was supported, you'd see reduced performance due to using an undersized power source.  So the WD19TB can still be useful if you want to connect high end display setups like dual 4K 60 Hz through a single cable, but I would not expect it to charge your system.
  • Absolutely do not get the Dell D6000.  It uses "indirect display" technology called DisplayLink (not to be confused with DisplayPort), and that introduces some drawbacks that can be significant in many use cases, especially gaming.  I wrote about those in the post marked as the answer in this thread.
  • In terms of whether you can use the monitors with the NVIDIA RTX GPU, as long as you do NOT use something like the D6000, you will at least be able to use the NVIDIA GPU through NVIDIA Optimus.  That will allow the NVIDIA GPU to handle rendering, so you'll get high performance.  This is how most dual GPU laptops work.  The outputs are actually wired to the Intel GPU, but the NVIDIA GPU can operate as a "render-only" device when needed and pass video through the Intel GPU.  However, in that setup, certain features will NOT be available, such as G-Sync, Adaptive V-Sync, VR, and a few others.  Those require the NVIDIA GPU to have direct control of the display output, which isn't a very common design.  Since this is an Inspiron Gaming system, you might actually find that the HDMI output is wired to the NVIDIA GPU since Dell did that on some systems in order to allow using HDMI-based VR headsets.  But the USB-C/TB3 output might be wired to the Intel GPU.  If you want to check, connect a display to the output you want to test, then go to NVIDIA Control Panel > PhysX Configuration.  In there, you'll find a diagram showing which active displays are wired to which GPU.  Then repeat this test for any other display output you want to test.

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25.8K Posts

July 3rd, 2020 08:00

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3 Posts

July 3rd, 2020 09:00

@jphughan Thank you for complex answer. 

So with this information which you wrote I see that the best way is to buy the USB-C to DisplayPort Cable (like this one https://cdn.alza.cz/ImgW.ashx?fd=f4&cd=JP910b24&i=1.jpg) and with PhysX to set up the output to NVIDIA GPU. Now I am using only one external monitor and it's plugged into HDMI and it's true that the output is wired to the NVIDIA GPU.

My laptop has also the mini DisplayPort next to HDMI output. I'm wonder if is better to use the USB-C to DisplayPort or mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort? I see that in PhysX settings is visible only HDMI and USB C if I'm right but DisplayPort there is not shown here. (https://prnt.sc/tba3ie)

 

Thank you!

 

 

 

3 Posts

July 3rd, 2020 10:00

@jphughan Great, now it's clear for me!

Thank you, I really appreciate your time!

9 Legend

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14K Posts

July 3rd, 2020 10:00

@Begy Not quite. The PhysX Configuration page will just SHOW you which GPU controls a display output. You cannot SET that. If the USB-C/TB3 port is wired to the Intel GPU, then you won’t be able to change that. A very small number of systems have BIOS options that allow you to change this, but I don’t think that is possible on this system.

As for USB-C vs. Mini-DisplayPort, if those outputs are wired to different GPUs, then that might make a difference, otherwise they would behave the same way. And honestly even if an output is wired to the Intel GPU, unless you’re trying to do something like VR or G-Sync or you encounter an application that has problems with Optimus, being wired to the Intel GPU won’t be a problem. Most applications are fine with Optimus now because it has been around for years. But again, if you want to find out which GPU each output is wired to, you’ll need to connect a display to them. The only other consideration would be that using Mini-DisplayPort would keep your USB-C/TB3 port free for other types of devices, which might be nice if you also have actual USB-C or TB3 devices you would want to plug into the system.

Not seeing all outputs in PhysX can happen on Optimus systems when displays aren’t connected to those outputs.

1 Rookie

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34 Posts

July 3rd, 2020 17:00

Thank you for discussing this topic, it has been very informative for ,e, a fellow g5 5990 user.

7 Posts

September 14th, 2020 15:00

HI, i am from Brazil and I am looking for a simple answer. My doubt is if DELL G5 5590 works with WD19TB dock. I am not worried about charging my computer, only to have multiple external monitors. Somebody here has this scenario? If it is possible and works, can you guide me how to built and use it, Thanks in advance.

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