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    X220T Three Monitor

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by liamdye, Jun 1, 2011.

  1. liamdye

    liamdye Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hello,

    I have an X220T and want to buy an Ultrabase 3 so I can use my two 21.5" Dell monitors as my main displays but use my notebook in tablet form as a tablet so I can have a surface to write and see. Is this possible with the X220T's integrated graphics, would I need something like Ultramon or a third party USB -> VGA cable or something to make this work?
     
    liamdye, Jun 1, 2011
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  2. zygomatic

    zygomatic Notebook Guru

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    Sandy bridge is limited to two displays. In other words, if you have two external monitors active your laptop LCD will be off. In order to have a third monitor, you'll need a third party solution.
     
    zygomatic, Jun 1, 2011
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  3. KCETech1

    KCETech1 Notebook Prophet

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    you would need an external usb-dvi/vga unit. I use a matrox triplehead to go unit on my x220
     
    KCETech1, Jun 2, 2011
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  4. liamdye

    liamdye Notebook Enthusiast

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    The Matrox triplehead looks like an excellent solution. So in theory I could connect 2 or 3 1920x1080 monitors to that while using my X220T's screen in tablet mode. How do you find the performance?
     
    liamdye, Jun 2, 2011
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  5. serialk11r

    serialk11r Notebook Consultant

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    You could also go with an external graphics card (DIY Vidock). I think someone successfully tried it on the X220, so it should be good to go.
     
    serialk11r, Jun 2, 2011
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  6. KCETech1

    KCETech1 Notebook Prophet

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    depends on what im doing,for business apps / 2D CAD work and internet its fantastic running a a pair of 1920x1200 screens plus the laptop screen.

    trying to run video to all 3 not so good as the Intel IGP just cant push that many pixels where other laptops I have can.
     
    KCETech1, Jun 2, 2011
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  7. liamdye

    liamdye Notebook Enthusiast

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    That sounds good because all I am doing is running Office and web browsing. Unfortunately the Matrox Triple Head isn't cheap and only supports 2 not 3 monitors at full HD.

    Regarding the DIY Vidock option it's obviously a better performing option but you have to have cables everywhere and also the point of the ultrabase was to eliminate me from plugging and unplugging cables into a computer everytime I use it. It requires an expresscard
     
    liamdye, Jun 2, 2011
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  8. serialk11r

    serialk11r Notebook Consultant

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    Actually Expresscard has a USB2.0 port through it so you can hook up most of your usb devices through the PE4L/H if you get a USB port replicator thing (they're trying to change the naming convention from "DIY Vidock" to "eGPU", btw). I guess you still have the problem of extra cables running around, and it'll be heavier than an Ultrabase but it's got a lot more graphics power. If you give it an enclosure it'll be like a slightly bulky Ultrabase that you plug in via expresscard.
     
    serialk11r, Jun 2, 2011
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  9. KCETech1

    KCETech1 Notebook Prophet

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    KCETech1, Jun 2, 2011
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  10. liamdye

    liamdye Notebook Enthusiast

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    @KCETech1: However, that is only at 50Hz, my monitors are 60Hz.

    I think the best option is to get an a retail ViDock (that way it makes USB simple) and then to get a Radeon 6450 (which can support 3 monitors).
     
    liamdye, Jun 2, 2011
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  11. lead_org

    lead_org Purveyor of Truth

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    if you are not doing video through the third monitor, then a usb2dvi should be okay. This is what i use on my X200 and X201t when i need multiple monitor support.

    However, if you want to have better graphics then Vidock 4 is something you should consider.
     
    lead_org, Jun 5, 2011
    #11