New MacBook Pro with Touchbar - Displayport / External Monitors Issue

[skel_73]

I just got my new MacBook Pro with Touchbar. Maxed out, souped-up. It is replacing my 2012 Retina MacBook Pro.

My old set up was to connect 2 Dell monitors (a Dell U2715H and a slightly older one) to the MacBook using 1 connection through an OWC Thunderbolt hub (display port connection) and the other straight into the MacBook Thunderbolt port with a Displayport cable. No issues, worked flawlessly.

With this new machine, I bought 2 Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 adapters, so that I could connect the monitors.

Nothing is working well.

With the Dell U2715H, the computer will expand the desktop as if the monitor is there, but the monitor will not sense a signal and will remain black. If I turn everything on and off 5 or 6 times, eventually it will show the image.

With the other monitor, it will work only if I connect it through the OWC hub. So the adapters were expensive and were bough solely to support my ability to use the 2 monitors, and they are not working.

Apple's Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 adapter will NOT support a Displayport connection to a monitor, unless (weirdly) it is run through a hub like the OWN Thunderbolt 2 hub. And even then, you may have to turn everything on and off multiple time to get the screen to show.

This laptop cost a lot of money and I need it for productivity. External monitor support via Displayport should be something that works rock solid out of the box.

Anyone else out there figured out a fix for this?

 

[xraydoc]

You made the mistake of trying to use Apple's TB3 to TB2 adapter for monitors. It specifies it doesn't support DisplayPort video. There are USB-C to DisplayPort video cables, however.

 

[pshifrin]

All you need to connect the second screen is a usb-c to display port cable or adaptor. I got one off Amazon for $20 and it works perfectly. As you saw, you can't use a thunderbolt cable for display port video in this context.

Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-Se...79693668&sr=1-6&keywords=usb-c+to+displayport

 

[Pencilnink]

I just got my new MacBook Pro with Touchbar. Maxed out, souped-up. It is replacing my 2012 Retina MacBook Pro.

My old set up was to connect 2 Dell monitors (a Dell U2715H and a slightly older one) to the MacBook using 1 connection through an OWC Thunderbolt hub (display port connection) and the other straight into the MacBook Thunderbolt port with a Displayport cable. No issues, worked flawlessly.

With this new machine, I bought 2 Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 adapters, so that I could connect the monitors.

Nothing is working well.

With the Dell U2715H, the computer will expand the desktop as if the monitor is there, but the monitor will not sense a signal and will remain black. If I turn everything on and off 5 or 6 times, eventually it will show the image.

With the other monitor, it will work only if I connect it through the OWC hub. So the adapters were expensive and were bough solely to support my ability to use the 2 monitors, and they are not working.

Apple's Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 adapter will NOT support a Displayport connection to a monitor, unless (weirdly) it is run through a hub like the OWN Thunderbolt 2 hub. And even then, you may have to turn everything on and off multiple time to get the screen to show.

This laptop cost a lot of money and I need it for productivity. External monitor support via Displayport should be something that works rock solid out of the box.

Anyone else out there figured out a fix for this?

I made the same mistake and bought the Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter assuming it would work with DisplayPort.

Unfortunately that doesn't work so I bought a USB-c to display port adapter on Amazon from Cable Matters and it works perfect.

Your DELL U2715H has DisplayPort Out, why not daisy chain both externals and save your thunderbolt 3 ports for other accessories?

 

[sinoka56]

buy a new dongle (tb3 to dp) duh

 

[skel_73]

I made the same mistake and bought the Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter assuming it would work with DisplayPort.

Unfortunately that doesn't work so I bought a USB-c to display port adapter on Amazon from Cable Matters and it works perfect.

Your DELL U2715H has DisplayPort Out, why not daisy chain both externals and save your thunderbolt 3 ports for other accessories?

I tried daisy-chaining and for some reason could not get it to work. That would have been the perfect solution. The other monitor is the Dell U2711.
[doublepost=1479735031][/doublepost]Thanks for all the replies, much appreciated.

 

[Pencilnink]

I tried daisy-chaining and for some reason could not get it to work. That would have been the perfect solution. The other monitor is the Dell U2711.
[doublepost=1479735031][/doublepost]Thanks for all the replies, much appreciated.

Ah i think it didn't work because the Dell U2711 doesn't support DisplayPort 1.2.

 

[up324]

Nope, the MBP with MacOS specifically doesn't support Displayport MST Daisy-chaining. All the hardware does (Windows bootcamp on the MBP can do it), but Mac OS doesn't.