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Multi monitor setup with Lenovo T490, a pain.

steinarey
By steinarey
in Troubleshooting
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Go to solution Solved by Crunchy Dragon,

Is your USB-C port also Thunderbolt 3, or is it just USB-C?

 

I've heard that standard USB-C can be a lot more finicky than TB3 with regards to running multiple displays.

Posted

Setup: I have two monitors connected to a Lenovo T490 computer (Windows 11), which has 1 HDMI port and 1 USB-C port. One monitor connected to the HDMI port and the other through a USB-C hub which has an HDMI plug on it. This setup only works after a lot of fiddling.

 

Problem description: If I just plug in both monitors, it defaults to the one connected to the USB-C port and the other remains blank. If I remove the one from the USB-C, the other comes on. This turns into a game of "seduce the ports" by plugging both in/out until magically they decide to both work. This can take a ridiculous amount of tries and time but always works eventually. I have tried to unplug it in different sequences and that doesn't seem to be the issue, something with timing + sequence? Idk.

 

What I've tried:

  • Updated everything Lenovo offers an update on for this machine (BIOS and Intel Graphics included) and yet this remains the same. Updated Windows as well.
  • Used a different USB-C hub from another brand, same result.
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Posted

Does the laptop come with multiple gpus (aka intel igpu and amd/nvidia secondary gpu)

I probably forgot about this comment so quote me if you need a response.

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1 minute ago, tddk25 said:

Does the laptop come with multiple gpus (aka intel igpu and amd/nvidia secondary gpu)

No, only the Intel igpu.

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  • Solution

Is your USB-C port also Thunderbolt 3, or is it just USB-C?

 

I've heard that standard USB-C can be a lot more finicky than TB3 with regards to running multiple displays.

Quote or tag me( @Crunchy Dragon) if you want me to see your reply

If a post solved your problem/answered your question, please consider marking it as "solved"

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3 minutes ago, Crunchy Dragon said:

Is your USB-C port also Thunderbolt 3, or is it just USB-C?

 

I've heard that standard USB-C can be a lot more finicky than TB3 with regards to running multiple displays.

This is the USB-C AC power port. However, after reading your comment I checked out the spec ant realized that what I thought was only the dock connector is actually a dock connector and along side it a USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 port. One of the monitors has a USB-C plug, tried that, worked immediately. This means an extra cable, but it works!

The TB3 plug did the trick.

 

Thanks 🙂

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