For DUAL-external monitors, should i def look for notebook w 2 'true' display ports (HDMI+Thndrblt)?

Last time I was in the market for a notebook, there weren't many good solutions for running external monitors on anything OTHER than true ports intended for displays: i.e. DVI, VGA, HDMI, DisplayPort. You could run an external monitor off a lowly USB port, but the graphics were terrible, def couldn't watch movies on it, etc. So I always looked to buy a notebook that had TWO external ports I could run monitors off.

But seems like graphics have come a long way, and that for around $80 you can even buy these external graphics adapters that run off a single USB 3.0 port -- and you can apparently even daisy-chain these things, running like 4+ monitors off that 1 port.

My question is simply this: should I still look for a notebook with TWO 'true' display ports (the Asus 501 model I'm looking at has HDMI x 1 and Thunderbolt x 1), or are USB ports nowadays (perhaps with an $80 external adapter) perfectly capable of running graphics just as well? I ask b/c that Asus 501 is $1,499, but their mid-range model is only $900, on which the specs are totally fine EXCEPT for the fact that it only has 1 x HDMI. If I can run a second monitor via USB 3.0, then I'd rather not spend an extra $600 just for 1 more port.

 

No, you don't need a laptop with two display outputs. You can get away with this:

• Laptop with DisplayPort 1.2 w/MST (Multi-Stream Transport).
• One monitor that supports DisplayPort 1.2 w/MST on at least two of its ports.
• One monitor that supports at least DisplayPort 1.1

You can then daisy-chain your laptops to the two monitors. Make sure DisplayPort-MST is enabled on the "middle" monitor. The "end" terminal monitor needs to be the one with DisplayPort 1.1, or DisplayPort 1.2 with MST turned off. That's how your computer knows that's the end of the chain.

So, I guess it's time to start doing research on the DisplayPort specs of the laptop & monitor(s) you're considering!

 

Thanks for reply -- well FWIW I'm deciding between 2 Asus laptops:
1. UX501VW-US71T, $1,499, with HDMI x 1 + Thunderbolt x 1
2. K501UW-AB78 for $869, only HDMI x 1

When you say I need a laptop with "DisplayPort 1.2"...where in the specs will that be described? And is DisplayPort the NAME of the output port that the laptop will have? (like...my HP laptop has a "mini-DisplayPort" output and I've seen others with DisplayPort outputs...but it seems that's not a common port-type, and nearly every laptop with only ONE graphics output uses HDMI ...is HDMI 'compatible' with the DP 1.2 w/ MST you describe or are they completely separate things?

(In short, if I go with a laptop with only ONE display output, it's nearly certainly going to be HDMI...but might that nonetheless be compatible with the required specs you're describing above?)

 

You can get the same effect mentioned by @kent1146 above with the UX501VW using this Thunderbolt 3 to dual Displayport adapter. With HDMI only, you can only run a single display unless you use a USB display output, which will feel a little slower and may be buggy depending on the driver.

 

@markitzer0 on the other hand, $10-something USB3.0 to HDMI adapter.

 

Just get one of the business laptops with a proper proprietary dock.

 

Sorry if this question is dumb, but how much of a toll does it take on the gpu when you use one or two external displays?

 

Not much at all if you're using those screens for desktop productivity use.

The only time that an additional monitor taxes a GPU is when you're gaming, and want the game to use those additional monitors.