USB-C Display Adapter

[Ben Winchester]

Hello all,

 

I have the following laptop: https://www.msi.com/Laptop/GL62M-7RDX/Specification

 

As much as I am happy with it, I am not happy with it having Optimus, a crap harddrive. I will be changing this to an m.2 NVME, and booting windows onto that in the future.

 

However, anyone who knows MSI would know that their gaming laptops have Optimus on them, basically making it when in-game you run on the DGPU, and when on windows the IGPU. I know this can be modified slightly using their control panel. However, I would like to export my screen onto my Monitor or TV but the downside is that the IGPU is what runs my HDMI, which is horrific, is very flaky and not exactly the worlds smoothest when trying to play games. It's beautiful on the laptop screen itself, but not on external tbh.

 

I know that Linus made a video explaining the Beast, however i don't want to be making a cable hang out from the machine.

 

I am wondering that if I was to purchase something like: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Display-4096x2160-external-graphics-DisplayLink-black/dp/B076GXWJ4J/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1549290860&sr=8-7&keywords=laptop+external+graphics+card

 

and connected it via USB 3.0/3.1 or USB C 3.0 that it would work with my DGPU and not the IGPU if that makes any sense.

 

Do correct me if I am incorrect.

 

Many thanks,

Ben

[Chaftalie]

I never actually tried hooking up an monitor over USB 3.0 so I cannot really give you any advice there.

(USB 3.0 = 5Gbit/s HDMI 2.0, which is probably used here has got 14.4 Gbit/s, so there must be some serius compression to achieve two HDMI ports with 4k/60fps.

Maybe you do not see this compression, but I do not know because I never used something like that.)

 

Did you try your mini Displayport? Maybe thats directly connected to the dGPU (I do not think thats the cause I read somewhere that msi connects all Display out port through the iGPU) but it definitelly is worth an shot.

[Ben Winchester]

1 minute ago, Chaftalie said:

I never actually tried hooking up an monitor over USB 3.0 so I cannot really give you any advice there.

(USB 3.0 = 5Gbit/s HDMI 2.0, which is probably used here has got 14.4 Gbit/s, so there must be some serius compression to achieve two HDMI ports with 4k/60fps.

Maybe you do not see this compression, but I do not know because I never used something like that.)

 

Did you try your mini Displayport? Maybe thats directly connected to the dGPU (I do not think thats the cause I read somewhere that msi connects all Display out port through the iGPU) but it definitelly is worth an shot.

Thank you for your response, I don't have a Mini DP cable, but will look into purchasing one. Was hoping there would be away.

 

[Mira Yurizaki]

The USB adapter you posted uses DisplayLink to generate images. It doesn't use any of the GPUs.

 

I believe with Optimus equipped systems, none of the actual display outputs from the dGPU are connected to anything.

[Ben Winchester]

1 minute ago, Mira Yurizaki said:

The USB adapter you posted uses DisplayLink to generate images. It doesn't use any of the GPUs.

 

I believe with Optimus equipped systems, none of the actual display outputs from the dGPU are connected to anything.

Sorry, are you saying having a DisplayLink device would be better then using my HDMI Port in theory if it doesn't use any GPU, meaning not even the IGPU?

[Chaftalie]

Just now, Mira Yurizaki said:

The USB adapter you posted uses DisplayLink to generate images. It doesn't use any of the GPUs.

 

I believe with Optimus equipped systems, none of the actual display outputs from the dGPU are connected to anything.

The HDMI port of my Acer BlackEdition VN7 Laptop is directly connected to the dGPU. At least I think so, because the nvidia controll center says that and I can OC the connected monitor over nv controll panel.

 

And the acer Support said that my displayport over the type C port of my Laptop is also dorectly connected to the dGPU, but I can not verfiy that for sure.

 

A mini DP Adaptor should be about 10 bucks so nothing to loose there.

[Mira Yurizaki]

5 minutes ago, Ben Winchester said:

Sorry, are you saying having a DisplayLink device would be better then using my HDMI Port in theory if it doesn't use any GPU, meaning not even the IGPU?

The USB adapter shows up as its own GPU. It's not suitable for gaming on if it can even do it.

2 minutes ago, Chaftalie said:

The HDMI port of my Acer BlackEdition VN7 Laptop is directly connected to the dGPU. At least I think so, because the nvidia controll center says that and I can OC the connected monitor over nv controll panel.

 

And the acer Support said that my displayport over the type C port of my Laptop is also dorectly connected to the dGPU, but I can not verfiy that for sure.

 

A mini DP Adaptor should be about 10 bucks so nothing to loose there.

Even if your laptop has a DP port connected to the dGPU, that doesn't mean every laptop with Optimus is wired up this way. All of the laptops I've used with Optimus don't have their dGPU outputs hooked up to anything.

[Mira Yurizaki]

Well, apparently I stand corrected. My laptop's HDMI output appears to be wired up to the dGPU.

[Ben Winchester]

3 minutes ago, Mira Yurizaki said:

Well, apparently I stand corrected. My laptop's HDMI output appears to be wired up to the dGPU.

What laptop do you have, I want one? It's really frustrating. I pay 900 quid for a laptop and the HDMI is IGPU and not DGPU. Wish i did my research before hand. Silly MSI.

 

Thank you for your assistance, I will now throw my machine out the window.

[Mira Yurizaki]

1 hour ago, Ben Winchester said:

What laptop do you have, I want one? It's really frustrating. I pay 900 quid for a laptop and the HDMI is IGPU and not DGPU. Wish i did my research before hand. Silly MSI.

 

Thank you for your assistance, I will now throw my machine out the window.

I have a Dell Inspiron 7577. It's replaced by the G series which I'm 99% certain is the same laptop, just with a CPU upgrade and a different paint job.