External monitor support

[askabob91]

I just bought a DisplayLink hub (Dell D6000) and can report back on multiple monitor performance when my M1 MBA arrives next week.

I got my M1 MBA today and tested it with the Dell D6000 DisplayLink hub.

I have a 24" monitor connected with HDMI and a 32" monitor connected with HDMI-->DisplayPort. The hub is one USB-C connection and provides dual monitors (up to 3 in 4K), audio, power, and several USB-A connections.

To get it working I had to download the DisplayLink drivers for macOS.

The displays look fine and feel like normal. I was able to play YouTube videos and couldn't tell the difference.

It preserved my display arrangement when I unplugged and plugged back in.

Overall, it's a decent solution and I have no complaints, though I would still prefer if the M1 chip is able to natively support multiple displays.

 

[hunkster]

I got my M1 MBA today and tested it with the Dell D6000 DisplayLink hub.

I have a 24" monitor connected with HDMI and a 32" monitor connected with HDMI-->DisplayPort. The hub is one USB-C connection and provides dual monitors (up to 3 in 4K), audio, power, and several USB-A connections.

To get it working I had to download the DisplayLink drivers for macOS.

The displays look fine and feel like normal. I was able to play YouTube videos and couldn't tell the difference.

It preserved my display arrangement when I unplugged and plugged back in.

Overall, it's a decent solution and I have no complaints, though I would still prefer if the M1 chip is able to natively support multiple displays.

Thanks for getting back to us.

So the D6000 is going out to 2 monitors right?

Any issues with sleep and waking up then? Clamshell mode?

Refresh rate, resolution?

Also can the D6000 charge the MBA?

 

[DenBeke]

So the D6000 is going out to 2 monitors right?

Currently just one monitor through the D6000 and one native (with a dongle)

Any issues with sleep and waking up then? Clamshell mode?

I had one issue where after sleep only the D6000 display connected until I unplugged it and plugged it back in.
But now I put the D6000 in the same dongle that has the native external display and it now works flawlessly on wake.

Refresh rate, resolution?

1920x1200 @ 60Hz.

Also can the D6000 charge the MBA?

Not that I know.

 

[hunkster]

Currently just one monitor through the D6000 and one native (with a dongle)


I had one issue where after sleep only the D6000 display connected until I unplugged it and plugged it back in.
But now I put the D6000 in the same dongle that has the native external display and it now works flawlessly on wake.


1920x1200 @ 60Hz.



Not that I know.

thanks again.

If you don’t mind, can you try plugging both monitors into the D6000 without using the dongle? I assume the dongle is the Apple USB-C to HDMI.

Also I read that the D6000 can deliver 65W in power so I thought maybe it can power the MacBook Air.

 

[askabob91]

Thanks for getting back to us.

So the D6000 is going out to 2 monitors right?

Any issues with sleep and waking up then? Clamshell mode?

Refresh rate, resolution?

Also can the D6000 charge the MBA?

Yes, it's going out to two monitors.

No issues with sleep, though it takes a few seconds to recognize the two monitors upon waking.

Clamshell mode works, but one of the displays converts to my MBA's resolution and requires manual changing, so I imagine I won't be using that mode much.

One monitor is at 60Hz, the other is at 75Hz.

Yes, it's charging the computer.

Overall I would recommend this dock. On Amazon you can find a refurbished model for ~$110.

 

[MrMacintoshBlog]

Hey guys, I did a quick demo on how to setup a DisplayLink dock so you can run additional monitors. The best part about the dock that I'm using (targus) is that you can pick them up pretty cheap on the used market (around $40 shipped). The Apple Silicon MacBook Air and MacBook Pro can run a maximum of 5 Monitors. 1 Native & 4 DisplayLink.

 

[Idec50]

Could you explain what you mean by this? Looking at the Dell description, it sounds like the 3419 will charge the laptop.

I love your software solution for managing an UltraWide display by the way!

Thanks. So, I recommend using a dock such as the Caldigit TS3 Plus, which makes that redundant. You'll get fast ethernet, faster hard drive read speeds than using the Dell USB ports (I have read this on reviews, but I suggest you verify), more ports, sd card reader, you name it. If you truly don't need any of that and/or find the 3419 for around the same price as a model without USB-C charging, go for it.

 

[moe_90]

Hey guys, how can I show my Citrix view on my second display?

Edit: I use the anker adapter (50 €) and connected my second display with hdmi of course.

 

[OCDMacGeek]

I got my M1 MBA today and tested it with the Dell D6000 DisplayLink hub.

I have a 24" monitor connected with HDMI and a 32" monitor connected with HDMI-->DisplayPort. The hub is one USB-C connection and provides dual monitors (up to 3 in 4K), audio, power, and several USB-A connections.

To get it working I had to download the DisplayLink drivers for macOS.

The displays look fine and feel like normal. I was able to play YouTube videos and couldn't tell the difference.

It preserved my display arrangement when I unplugged and plugged back in.

Overall, it's a decent solution and I have no complaints, though I would still prefer if the M1 chip is able to natively support multiple displays.

I’m trying to connect several things using only the two M1 MBP ports. Do you know if the D6000 would work if not connected directly to the laptop, but connected through a Thunderbolt dock? I think that’s the only way I can still get my other TB devices all connected.

 

[joevt]

I’m trying to connect several things using only the two M1 MBP ports. Do you know if the D6000 would work if not connected directly to the laptop, but connected through a Thunderbolt dock? I think that’s the only way I can still get my other TB devices all connected.

It should work even if you connect it to the end of 5 or 6 Thunderbolt devices...

 

[OCDMacGeek]

I have a few things to report for people wanting to try DisplayLink with their M1 device. I have a MacBook Pro M1 with 16 GB RAM.

I have a Pro Display XDR that looks great when driven by the MacBook (True Tone works). I have an Asus PQ321Q 4k display I would like to set up as a second display.

First, I tried this DisplayLink dock. It didn't work at all for me and my Asus PQ321Q 4k display, using DisplayPort or HDMI.

So, I then tried the Dell D6000. That one does work with my my Asus PQ321Q 4k display, when using the "default for display" resolution. Of course, that makes the text really small. Also, the mouse cursor lags a bit. When I try to scale it, my only scaled options drop the resolution substantially (unusable). I don't think I can use this setup unless I can scale it, and get rid of the lag. I need to do some research in the forums as it seems this is an issue with DisplayLink that may not be resolved.

I wonder if another 4k display would work better with DisplayLink and why that would be.

Another problem is that when a DisplayLink monitor is connected, the Pro Display XDR looks much worse. Its far less bright. This seems to be because once a DisplayLink monitor is connected, the settings change. Now the "Pro Display XDR (P3-1600 nits)" preset is gone and True Tone is also gone. I don't know if that explains why it drops some brightness and color.

So, the DisplayLink solution isn't working that great for me so far.

 

[petterihiisila]

I managed to get through the first workday with this dock: ThinkPad Hybrid USB-C with USB-A Dock (40AF0135EU).

Observations and info in a random order:

• Macbook Air M1, 8-core GPU, 16 GB, 1 TB
• Port 1: 2nd gen LG 5k TB3
  • A whole lot of USB-C accessories, including two Samsung T5 drives
  • Default HiDPI resolution, all resolutions work
  • Can go up to native (and impossibly small) 5k with RDM.app
• Port 2: Lenovo 40AF0135EU
  • Connected downstream to a USB3 hub with many low-bandwidth USB3/2 accessories (they all work)
  • Two ThinkVision WQHD monitors, P24Q-10 and P24H-10 via HDMI
  • Running at a scaled resolution of 2048x1152, accessible via "opt-Scaled"
  • Font smoothing works well with this resolution, it looks higher DPI than it is
  • Native 2560x1440 works too, but it's too small to my liking
• Installed the latest DisplayLink Manager from the DisplayLink website
  • Did not install anything from Lenovo, didn't update any firmware
• All displays work just like they did with a 16" and an eGPU for the WQHDs, no perceivable performance impact for Regular Office and Graphics Work ™
• Clamshell mode works and that's how I use it all
  • This was a surprise, my pre-purchase research made me think it won't work
• Activity Monitor shows no runaway processes and no double-digit consumption of anything, it looks the same as without the dock and the two extra monitors
• Issue: Using the 1 Gbit Ethernet port of the dock and filling it completely with Time Machine AFP traffic will cause infrequent but annoying display stutter
  • com.apple.DriverKit.AppleUserECM goes to low...high double digit % CPU
  • During this, the M1 Air gets slightly warm (otherwise it stays at room temperature)
  • Ethernet disconnected there has been no lag or stutter, the same process stays between 0.5 ... 2 %
  • Workaround: I'll live without Ethernet for now or may get an USB-C Ethernet dongle someday to connect to the TB3 LG instead if I need constant Ethernet speeds ... usually a Wifi mesh is enough
  • I've got a CalDigit Mini Dock with Ethernet but there are no TB3 ports left over for it
  • I could potentially daisy chain the Lenovo dock behind the LG, but haven't gone that far, it would ruin the Feng Shui of my existing cable management; would have to cut a whole lot of zip ties... and it'd be a rather long chain to connect behind one port
  • ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
• Running 4k 60 FPS YouTube or Apple Maps 3D Flyover performs the same (butter smooth) on all 3 monitors, scrolling looks and feels the same on all of them
  • Refresh Rate is locked at 60 Hz for all three by default
• Issue: Cannot use Apple Watch to log in while the screen is being shared
  • That's part of the DisplayLink magic I suppose, I had to allow it to do screen recording for it to work
  • Workaround: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
• Have not tried any games and if I tried, I'd probably run them in the 5k LG → no impact
• Issue: I've had to disconnect the dock once, after the WQHD monitors stopped responding after switching back and forth between users; the other users don't have DisplayLink Manager running
  • This could be related to my choice of installing the Login Screen Extension
  • Possible workaround: Don't install this optional extension ... who needs three monitors to log in?
  • This workaround is speculation. I can't know for sure to blame the extension, but the problem did start at the login screen, after switching between users
• Issue: Night Shift doesn't work on the DisplayLinked monitors
  • Workaround: Set Night Shift off, or to a lesser effect, to mask the difference between the screens
  • This only helps with 3-screen setups, where the one in the middle is the primary focal point; I can see how uneven color temp would be very distracting in a dual monitor setup
  • I tried f.lux but it doesn't change the color temp of the Lenovo screens either
  • ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Bottom line: For my line of design-related, Teams and Microsoft Office -infused work this setup works mostly the same as the 16" + eGPU did, except that it's 100% silent, never hot and quite a bit snappier for things like opening apps and multitasking... aaaand it has some issues too, the impact of which one has to personally decide. The portability and ergonomics of the M1 Air are far superior. The display is obviously smaller, but quality-wise the same, as far as I can tell.

The hiccups that I've had I consider relatively minor/manageable and I'll accept the trade-offs, while hoping that DisplayLink Manager updates may sort them out one by one in a couple of months. It's currently version 1.1 and initially released in 2020. If things change, I may update this post.

If there would be a fanless thin-bezel 14" 4-port Mac available in a year or two, that'd be the next strong candidate for switching again. But I'm afraid that'd be a "Pro" laptop with a fan.

Hope this helps someone out there.

Edits/updates:

• I plugged the DisplayLink dock USB-C cable behind the LG 5k. Now it's just one TB3 cable to connect to all 3 ext monitors + power + some accessories.
  • Turns out the performance remains flawless (so far so good), works in clamshell mode.
  • This freed up the second TB3 port, which I can use for Caldigit Mini dock for Ethernet and high-bandwidth USB purposes.
  • I uninstalled the Login Screen Extension. User switching works now.
  • I wasn't instantly able to congest the LG 5k device stack, or make any of the 3 screens to behave strangely. Surprisingly enough, it seems stable despite being daisy chained behind one cable.
• Night Shift support and Apple Watch login support still unresolved.
  • No biggie.

 

[Fomalhaut]

Thanks for getting back to us.

So the D6000 is going out to 2 monitors right?

Any issues with sleep and waking up then? Clamshell mode?

Refresh rate, resolution?

Also can the D6000 charge the MBA?

I have a D6000 and it charges my MBP16 OK, but not at "full power". If the laptop is running an intensive task, I have seen the battery go down to 98-99%, but then go back to 100% after a while. I would expect it would have no problem charging the M1 Macs

 

[joevt]

I have a few things to report for people wanting to try DisplayLink with their M1 device. I have a MacBook Pro M1 with 16 GB RAM.

I have a Pro Display XDR that looks great when driven by the MacBook (True Tone works). I have an Asus PQ321Q 4k display I would like to set up as a second display.

First, I tried this DisplayLink dock. It didn't work at all for me and my Asus PQ321Q 4k display, using DisplayPort or HDMI.

So, I then tried the Dell D6000. That one does work with my my Asus PQ321Q 4k display, when using the "default for display" resolution. Of course, that makes the text really small. Also, the mouse cursor lags a bit. When I try to scale it, my only scaled options drop the resolution substantially (unusable). I don't think I can use this setup unless I can scale it, and get rid of the lag. I need to do some research in the forums as it seems this is an issue with DisplayLink that may not be resolved.

I wonder if another 4k display would work better with DisplayLink and why that would be.

Another problem is that when a DisplayLink monitor is connected, the Pro Display XDR looks much worse. Its far less bright. This seems to be because once a DisplayLink monitor is connected, the settings change. Now the "Pro Display XDR (P3-1600 nits)" preset is gone and True Tone is also gone. I don't know if that explains why it drops some brightness and color.

So, the DisplayLink solution isn't working that great for me so far.

The Asus PQ321Q 4k is one of the original (old) 4K displays which uses MST to provide a 4K 60Hz image (it has two tiles of 1920x2160; MST means there are two streams on the same DisplayPort connection). Does DisplayLink support MST for such a tiled display?

Maybe not. Does the M1 Mac support MST to the 4K tiled display? Try with a USB-C to DisplayPort adapter or cable.

iMac Pro Works With Apple's New Pro Display XDR, But Limited to 5K Resolution

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forums.macrumors.com

UP3218K only runs at 4k

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www.tonymacx86.com

I wasn't instantly able to congest the LG 5k device stack, or make any of the 3 screens to behave strangely. Surprisingly enough, it seems stable despite being daisy chained behind one cable.

The LG 5K is connected with Thunderbolt which has 40 Gbps bandwidth. 27 Gbps is used for 5K display. That leaves plenty for multiple USB DisplayLink displays which only use up to 5Gbps each. The LG UltraFine 5K uses a Fresco Logic FL1100 four port USB controller which can only do 1 full USB 3.0 connection (it only has one PCIe 2.0 lane). Bandwidth gets reduced if you try to connect and use more than one USB 3.0 device at a time.

LG UltraFine 5K - Owners Thread

Thanks. I suggest renaming macOS screenshots so they have meaningful names. MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 ports): Only thing missing is a screenshot of the parent USB 3.0 Bus of the LG UltraFine Display Camera. When you do a screen shot of the parent, it includes all the...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[OCDMacGeek]

The Asus PQ321Q 4k is one of the original (old) 4K displays which uses MST to provide a 4K 60Hz image (it has two tiles of 1920x2160; MST means there are two streams on the same DisplayPort connection). Does DisplayLink support MST for such a tiled display?

Maybe not. Does the M1 Mac support MST to the 4K tiled display? Try with a USB-C to DisplayPort adapter or cable.

If connected to the M1 Macbook Pro through a Caldigit TS3, using a DisplayPort cable, the Asus PQ321Q does scale properly. When using a Dell D6000 and DisplayLink, it only works if you go to SST mode.

 

[UncleMac]

Got a Dell U3419W with my M1 MBP and it works without any issues. Connected via USB-C so used as a dock.

 

[joevt]

If connected to the M1 Macbook Pro through a Caldigit TS3, using a DisplayPort cable, the Asus PQ321Q does scale properly. When using a Dell D6000 and DisplayLink, it only works if you go to SST mode.

I guess this means
1) the M1 Mac does support MST for old 4K60Hz displays,
2) DisplayLink does not support MST for old 4K60Hz displays, so you are limited to SST mode (4K30Hz).

 

[joevt]

If connected to the M1 Macbook Pro through a Caldigit TS3, using a DisplayPort cable, the Asus PQ321Q does scale properly. When using a Dell D6000 and DisplayLink, it only works if you go to SST mode.

There's a script at https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...o-2-displayport-adapter.2270679/post-29328315

Connect the Asus PQ321Q to M1 Macbook (via CalDigit) Run it with this command:
ioreg -filrw0 -k "display-timing-info" | perl -0777 ~/Downloads/ioreg.pl

I am curious if it will show the 4K timing as split (tiled) or not.

 

[KyleSchultz]

Just hooked up LG 27UL850 to my 8/512 M1 Mini using the supplied USB-C cable. Fretted for weeks about the choice because of the back and forth about scaling and resolution. My needs are modest. For $456US delivered from Amazon, I'm very very pleased.

 

[Chuck Finley]

Anyone have any issues running a Dell U4320Q with a new M1 MBP?

 

[alels]

I got my M1 MBA today and tested it with the Dell D6000 DisplayLink hub.

I have a 24" monitor connected with HDMI and a 32" monitor connected with HDMI-->DisplayPort. The hub is one USB-C connection and provides dual monitors (up to 3 in 4K), audio, power, and several USB-A connections.

To get it working I had to download the DisplayLink drivers for macOS.

The displays look fine and feel like normal. I was able to play YouTube videos and couldn't tell the difference.

It preserved my display arrangement when I unplugged and plugged back in.

Overall, it's a decent solution and I have no complaints, though I would still prefer if the M1 chip is able to natively support multiple displays.

I’m still waiting for my m1. How’s performance with the d6000 hooked up? I have one and with both of my pc laptops it takes up a lot of cpu power, given it’s a software based solution

 

[DeMagguz]

Anyone have any issues running a Dell U4320Q with a new M1 MBP?

I have two similar U3219Q (one in my office and one at home) and via USB-C it is working great connected to a Macbook Pro 13 M1 - no issues at all.

 

[OCDMacGeek]

I’m still waiting for my m1. How’s performance with the d6000 hooked up? I have one and with both of my pc laptops it takes up a lot of cpu power, given it’s a software based solution

It’s going well from a CPU perspective. No excessive fan use or notíciele slowdown. My main problem was that my 4K display would not scale. I am going to try a more modern one, and I think that will solve the problem, making this a very workable solution.

 

[dpgx81]

Just upgraded my panel to a Samsung Odyssey G9, resolution is 3840x1080, no major issues so far. I'm running at 60hz over HDMI at the moment.

 

[OCDMacGeek]

Actually, there might be a real dealbreaker. I knew HDCP movies would not play, but I did not know this applied to music! I can't get any of my Apple Music to play! It says "The selected movie cannot play on one of your displays." It says this for all the music files (not video).