external 4k capability for 2012 laptop?

Hi!
I'm working with big mind maps a lot and I currently have a notebook ( toshiba satellite p750-10R).
I'm a student and use the mind maps for learning. The problem is that I don't see the whole picture until I tile print the mind map.

I would like to here your views on upgrading it or adding to it (usb to display port thing)to able to connect two external screens to it.
one 3-4k screen and one with lower resolution.

The laptop has a usb3 port and a free full size mini PCIe internaly.
I would not mind modding it. I already drilled in its chassi and soldered on the motherboard for a better on off button. and took out the cdrom.
Is it possible to modd this laptop to be able to run the two screens externally?
Thinking perhaps on a mini pcie to minidisplay port or something that can run the 4k screen

Also I'm thinking of running linux so it would be nice if the hardware could be supported under linux but this is not crucial.

 

Observations;
If the software you're using doesn't allow you to zoom in/out as needed... time to change your software, me thinks?

The usb to display port thing you link is not anything I would be buying. But, it seems you need two of them to connect two external monitors to it at the resolutions you want, correct?

With a single USB3.0 port thought, it seems like you can only get a single external monitor going but possibly still use your built in screen too.

So, you'll need to continue down the the mini PCIe road.

See:
http://www.villageinstruments.com/tiki-index.php?page=ViDock


The cost of these additional display ports plus the cost of the monitors is not where I would spend this kind of money to increase my screen real estate.

A modern platform with built in 4K support and across three monitors too would be more wise.


Good luck.

 

that is just the box, not the graphics card. The monitor is insignificant in the cost as it would have to be spent anyway. I'll agree better to spend on a laptop capable of 4k from the get go.

 

TANWare, good point (it isn't obvious by itself).

The GPU still needs to be purchased for the ViDock (I don't know about the other 'box') making this very costly vs. simply buying an appropriate new system.

 

Thanks for all the input.

I have made a thread on suggestions of notebooks that would do all this but no suggestions so far. the thread is here

I have seen some diy projects of external video cards ( here is one) but so far none using mpcie. Does anyone know which type of mpcie I have or what the feasibility of connecting a external gpu to it is?

 

Here is something that would not kill my wallet.
but I wonder if mini PCI-express has enough trough output to run a 4k screen. If it does could I use the on board graphics for the less high resolution screen?
This must be a better way then to use a mpcie to expresscard and then expresscard to pci-e.?
I dont know how to check if my mpcie is the mpcie a ver 2 or a ver 3... but I think it is at least a ver2 since the laptop is from 2012
but what about drivers and bios? do you think it would work?
the feedback says some get it to work...

 

I got a message from one on the forum pointing me towards an other forum. I just want to make you interested folks aware of a whole lot of info about external gpu arrangements on http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/