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WD19TB - XPS 15 9550 - 2 External Monitors - No High Resolution
I have a XPS 15 9550 laptop from 2016 with the following specs:
BIOS: 1.14.0
CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-6700HQ CPU @ 2.60GHz
Memory: 16GB
GPU: Intel(R) HD Graphics 530 & NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
Integrated Monitor: 4K (3840x2160) with touch support.
Recently I’ve bought two new monitors. Gigabyte G27Q. Both support QHD (2560x1440).
To use these monitors on the XPS laptop I’ve also bought a WD19TB docking station which should support 4K for two monitors. In the documentation (https://www.dell.com/support/manuals/nl-nl/dell-wd19tb-dock/wd19_tb_userguide/tabel-met-beeldschermresoluties?guid=guid-5558fc88-5c31-4e2c-90be-42359855a1ae&lang=en-us) it states that it should support QHD for two monitors.
Unfortunately when a second monitor is attached with either DisplayPort or HDMI i cannot get the resolution of the second monitor beyond 1280x768.
I've tried to disable the integrated monitor (by starting the laptop closed) but this doesn't help.
Why can't I get a higher resolution on my second external screen?
jphughan
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February 4th, 2021 08:00
@AvdMeulen Your BIOS options appear to be correct. But you don't need to set the security level to "No Security". I would recommend keeping the default "User Authorization" setting. The WD19TB supports that. And you obviously have the Thunderbolt software installed in Windows. So if you have already updated the BIOS and TB3 controller firmware, I'm not sure what's going on. You might have a hardware issue with your system's Thunderbolt controller or the dock itself. But just to make sure, are you sure you actually have a WD19TB rather than a regular WD19? The reason I ask is that I was just helping someone else yesterday with a problem like this, and he realized that even though the bought a WD19TB, he actually received a regular WD19. The easy way to tell the difference is to look at the back of the dock. The WD19TB has a USB-C/TB3 port at the edge of the dock near where the system cable attaches. The regular WD19 does not have this port, and instead only has a USB-C port near the HDMI output. But if you have an actual WD19TB and still can't get it to appear in Thunderbolt Control Center even after checking those BIOS settings and installing all firmware and driver updates, I'm not sure what to suggest next other than a possible hardware issue with the system or dock -- but I'm guessing this system is past its warranty period. If you have access to another system that supports TB3, it would be useful to test the dock with that just to try to narrow down whether the problem is the system or dock. If you don't, then you could try exchanging the WD19TB in case the problem is the dock itself. But if a replacement doesn't work either, it might be your system.
AvdMeulen
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February 5th, 2021 00:00
@jphughan. I hate to admit it, but I honestly think you are correct.
When entering de service tag in DELL support it states that it is a "Dell Dock WD19". And after searching on the internet for this model i've discovered that my version does not have Daisy-Chain Thundebolt connection next to the host-connector.
To clarify, I have this version:
I will send my version back to the retailer.
Thank you for your support.
jphughan
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February 2nd, 2021 11:00
@AvdMeulen Sounds like the WD19TB is operating in USB-C backward compatibility mode at reduced functionality rather than actual Thunderbolt 3 mode. In that mode with that system, the WD19TB would be limited to dual 1080p or single QHD. To use Thunderbolt mode, make sure your system BIOS and system TB3 controller firmware are up to date, and also make sure the Thunderbolt drivers/software are installed. After doing that, check Thunderbolt Control Center and verify that the dock shows up and is "approved", otherwise it will be connecting as USB-C rather than TB3. If that still doesn't fix it, make sure your Intel Graphics drivers are up to date.
There's also a firmware update for the WD19TB itself.
All of these drivers and firmware updates are available on support.dell.com. Or you can install Dell Update 4.0, which should offer to install them.
AvdMeulen
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February 4th, 2021 00:00
Thank you for your swift reply. I've looked into the subjects you've mentioned. Unfortunatly the problem hasn't been solved. The problem might indeed be with the thunderbold connection.
I've updated all drivers (bios, graphics, thunderbold, WD19TB) to their latest drivers.
Here are some screenshots of the bios. It states that Dell Docks are supported, and that Tunderbolt is enabled. I've lowered security to see if that made a difference.
The dock is recognized by the update utility. As you can see it is using the latest drivers.
Here are some screenshots of the thunderbolt application. I cannot see any connected devices or any ports.
Please help me understand what the problem is so I can solve it.
AvdMeulen
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February 4th, 2021 05:00
Here is the update utility image from the previous post.
DELL-Cares
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February 4th, 2021 06:00
Due to tool limitation we are unable to view the image please share it using drop box/ google drive.
jphughan
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February 5th, 2021 05:00
@AvdMeulen Well I'm glad I thought to ask then! I don't think I would have if I hadn't heard from that other person who had the same issue. And on the bright side, at least this is a much easier situation to deal with than a motherboard replacement due to a dead Thunderbolt controller! Anyhow, glad the problem has been identified, and hopefully the replacement works as expected.