Docking Port + Laptop = 2560x1600 Display Support?

I've been trying to find a decent laptop with support for 2560x1440 or 2560x1600 external displays with really very little luck. Every laptop I've found with such support is either exorbitantly expensive or not something I want. The Asus G53 is an awesome, inexpensive machine with a great set of features however I really need 27-30 inch external display support powering resolutions of 2560x1440 or higher. I've heard of solutions possibly with Vidock or port replicators but haven't had much luck looking for such a device. Is there any docking stations out there that support above HD resolutions and support any given laptop I would hook into it? (particularly the one I'm most interested right now is the G53).

 

Maybe a MSI GT6xx/GX6xx + DIY ViDock. The MSI has an expresscard slot so can do it. The Asus G53 has no expresscard slot. You'll then only be limited by the desktop video card's monitor driving capability.

Though if wanting high performance as well then I'd recommend waiting for Sandy Bridge notebooks since their expresscard slots will be x2-4x faster.

 

I'm pretty sure all you need is a laptop that has a displayport video out. Thinkpads, Dell XPS, and Alienware have this, off the top of my head.

 

Why would DVI or HDMI not suffice? You aren't playing games, right?

 

Most laptops HDMI resolution is capped at 1920 x 1200. I'm not sure about new laptops with HDMI 1.4 though.

 

The Dell Latitude E6400/E6500/E6410/E6510 support 2560x1600 output through VGA or Displayport. And dual 2560x1600 output through the docking station and dual displayport or dual DVI.

 

No monitors are built to accept 2560 through HDMI. It doesn't matter if your PC outputs it through 1.4. So get the thought of 2560 over HDMI out of your head. Not one monitor today can accept that high a res through the HDMI port.

 

Its unfortunate but FXI is correct. I really had my eye on some of these powerful high end laptops in the 1300-2000 range but without some way to hook them into my 27 inch screen its not really useful. The plan is to use the laptop as both my mobile and my work machine at home. Gonna look into the DIY ViDock a little more..Keep the answers coming though guys and if anyone else knows of decent laptops with Dvi dual ports or Display/Mini DisplayPorts be sure to post about them.

Edit: So apparently systems with expresscard slots and particularly ones on Sandy Bridge should be able to power a ViDock->27 inch 2560x1440 solution?

 

Dell xps series have display port

 

Yes I've looked at the XPS series but because I want this laptop to be both my mobile and my desktop it simply wouldn't cut it becauses its just not powerful enough in comparison to my current desktop.

 

How expensive and/or powerful are you looking for? You might want to try looking in the HP or Dell business sections; business notebooks are more likely to come with Displayport.

 

More powerful then an October 2009 iMac, so fairly powerful.

 

Hm. So you're looking at an i5 at least, maybe something better, given that the 2009 iMac seems to have come with 2.0+ GHz dual-cores. Er, why, then, wouldn't the XPS be powerful enough for you? The 15" one at least can come with i5 dual-cores or the i7 quad-cores. Also, while on the expensive side, it's possible (at least right now) to get a Dell M4500 for less than $2000. On the HP side, the 8540w can be found for about the same. Don't forget that you can often call in and get additional discounts on these HP and Dell business machines.

 

Well the iMac is an i7, rated with a WEI of a 5.9 with the HDD being the lowest (the others are all 7.1 or higher) the XPS is definitely not as powerful without question. I know a lot about specs and its no contest with the iMac unfortunately. Would a laptop with dual link DVI-I work? What about one of these sagers: Sager NP8690 - XOTIC PC - (Built on Clevo W860CU) np8690 Gaming Laptop

They're rated as having dual link dvi-i while dells 27 inch screen is dual link dvi-d, is there an adapter that could make these two meet up for some sweet 2560x1440 action ?

 

Oh, yours must have been a late 2009 model, as most of the 2009 models were all still C2Ds (which I admit was what I assumed, given that those are by far the higher percentage of 2009 models). And if your iMac has a desktop i7, then there's pretty much nothing in the mobile realm that can compare, unless you go to one of the Clevos that takes desktop CPUs (and even then, it will probably come out behind).

There's been at least one report that the NP8690 has only a single-link DVI as opposed to a dual-link. DVI-I vs DVI-D isn't usually a problem, as you can connect a male DVI-D connector to a DVI-I female port (DVI-I just has extra pins so it can transmit analog signals as well as digital).

 

The situation seems pretty bleak . My choices are powerful+portable, portable+compatible with high res screens, or powerful+compatible. I can't have all 3 =\.

 

Well, in a few months, Sandy Bridge will be out, and then mobile chips might be able to compare to (current) i7 Bloomfield chips. The thing is, Displayport is mostly common only on business-class notebooks, and the extra engineering those tend to go through means that they probably won't be available until the middle of next year, or later. Clevo is likely to come out with something relatively quickly, though, and they'll probably have DVI... although maybe not dual-link.

It's also maybe worth asking if you really need the full power of a desktop i7. You haven't mentioned your uses for your machines, so it may actually be that you're overestimating the power that you need. It may turn out that a current mobile chip is actually powerful enough for you. The mobile i7 Clarksfields are actually very capable chips, given the power and heat constraints that they operate under. A Dell M4500 with an i7-940XM is an extremely powerful machine... albeit expensive.

 

How about the HP envy 17? It has mini display port:
http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c02160120.pdf