P150SM Can't do triple external monitor

Hi have been trying to get my P150SM to connect to three external monitors at once, but it keeps selecting the built-in display as one of the 3 monitors. When i try to select all 3 as external displays, it switches one back to the built in display. i was able to select 3 external before, and am really at a loss of how to resolve this. Any assistance or advice. would be GREATLY apprecciated!

 

The intel chip (which handles the display outputs) can only do 2 monitors unless:

2 of the displays are connected through display port (this model only has 1 display port output)

or

1 of the displays uses intel's wireless display technology.

Otherwise you are restricted to 2 outputs.

 

I thought this model had two display ports, one full size and one mini?

1x USB 2.0 port
2x USB 3.0 ports (1 x powered USB port, AC/DC)
1x eSATA / USB 3.0 combo port
1x Mini IEEE 1394a port
1x Display port 1.2
1 x Mini Display port 1.2
1x HDMI™ output port (with HDCP)
1x Headphone jack
1 x Microphone jack
1 x S/PDIF output jack
1 x Line-in jack
1 x RJ-45 LAN port
1 x DC-in jack


Do you have the Intel display driver loaded, or did MS overwrite it with its own driver?

 

So you said "i was able to select 3 external before", so before you had 3 external monitors active and the built-in disabled?
What changed?

Make sure you are on latest Intel drivers for display and also latest dedicated graphics driver.

Also make sure your bios ends in 09, if it doesn't contact your reseller for an update as that bios contains Intel graphics firmware update also and may help.

You can also try to close the laptop monitor (if you have external mouse/keyboard) and see if that helps as that generally disables the display too.

I wish these laptops had a power button external so I could keep mine closed always and keep it cleaner :/

 

Oh wait, I do forget the SM added that port! Try disabling your inbuilt display Make sure it is not the primary too.

 

Bryanu, have you tried wake on wifi? If it works you could use a smart phone app to turn it on. (I plan to use mine as a server sometimes, so I have thought about the same thing.)

 

Does that mean that if you have the laptop plugged into a TV using HDMI, games will use the Intel chip rather than the Nvidia/ATI chip or will they render on the Nvidia/ATI chip and pipe through the Intel chip to the TV?

 

No, it means that optimus is used on all outputs just like the internal display. It's just the intel chip that puts out the final image.