x230 displayport v1.1 and extended mode setup

[arvacon]

Happy new year to everyone.

I recently bidden an x230 from ebay, because I thought it was capable to support 3 monitor setup via the "4338 Mini Dock Plus Séries 3", as someone had mentioned at a previous topic.

As I was searching about this in the last days, I realized that there is a limitation in the chipset that doesn't allow 3 external monitors setup. Someone said that it is possible to make a triple monitor setup, by only connecting 2 external monitors at the docking station via the 2 displayports of that and the third monitor will be the laptop's internal screen.

After some more research, I saw that this laptop has displayport version 1.1, so in case you want to use a splitter from the laptop's mini dp, or the 2 dp of the docking station, this will can not make the monitors to be in extended mode, but only mirroring. Only the dp version 1.2 can support different content at 2 monitors from one line, right?

If this laptop has only one display port and a vga output, but for making triple monitor setup you must use only the display port with a splitter or that docking station, how will the display port can make these 2 monitors to be in extended mode if it is not support this function?

I feel a little confused now...

[atagunov]

After some more research, I saw that this laptop has displayport version 1.1, so in case you want to use a splitter from the laptop's mini dp, or the 2 dp of the docking station, this will can not make the monitors to be in extended mode, but only mirroring. Only the dp version 1.2 can support different content at 2 monitors from one line, right?

Hi,

I understand there are two independent display port lanes going from X220/X230/.. etc into the dock. This means you should be able to drive two independent screens connected to the mini-dock. I would indeed expect that you can use those 2 external monitors and built-in display at the same time.

It may well be that connecting more monitors will not work. I would also think that VGA probably takes one of those display port lanes, so using VGA where other connectors are available doesn't seem useful.

[arvacon]

Hi, thanks for your reply.
Is there any way to learn for sure, if this is the case? I mean, how can we know that there are two independent display ports? I searched for a video at YouTube, but can't find any..
X220 can handle only 2 monitors, but does it has 2 dp lines too? The most important reason that I chose the x230 instead of x220 was the 3 monitors setup, so I feel a little disappointed now.
Is there anyone that has find finally what exactly is going on with this issue?

[dr_st]

All **20 and **30 machines do have two independent DisplayPort outputs into the dock. It's been well-documented for years (e.g., the FHD mod for X220/230 works by 'stealing' one of these outputs).

Once you use two DisplayPorts on the dock 4338 (directly, not via the DVI dongles), I believe that the third display can be either the built-in display, or the miniDP on the chassis, or the VGA on the dock. I haven't tried it myself yet, but I don't recall any information to the contrary.

[arvacon]

Then if it has 2 independent displayports, it is worth to give a try to that docking station.
I don't have any displayport monitors, so I suppose the dvi ports are only for digital signal. That means that I will need active dvi to vga adapters, or any regular passive adapter dvi to vga will work?
If I use monitors with hdmi, I will just need a simple passive adapter from dvi to hdmi, correct?

[dr_st]

The thing is, once your monitors are not native DisplayPort - you will probably not be able to use 3 monitors. Using passive adapters (DP-HDMI or DP-DVI, which is what the DVI ports on the dock essentially are) will not work, since they essentially cause the laptop to output DVI/HDMI instead. Active DisplayPort-to-anything adapters should work.