I want to set up a dual monitor home office rig that can run my Mac and work's surface pro.
I am perfectly happy with a 1080p 60Hz monitor. My only requirements are daisy chain compatible via USB C and 24" is ideal but between 24" and 27". Would be nice to be able to change input with minimal clicks (for times when I need to snap out of procrastinating with the quickest possible time). Anything else is an added bonus. Budget $1000 total - the lower the better.
Any suggestions?
I guess that would be the most simplest straightforward setup but I always have to be a bit extra
Oh, I thought you meant like daisy chaining monitors using displayport. Where if the GPU can support DisplayPort 1.2 MST and the monitors do too you can connect GPU —> monitor 1 —> monitor 2 and its like having two monitors each connected to their own GPU output portt. The signal for the second monitor is sent to the first, and is passed through it to the second.
Yep that's exactly what I am after! Don't know if its possible but I was thinking mac > monitor 1 > monitor 2 and then monitor 1 < monitor 2 < PC switching between mac and PC without too much fuss
@bigpoppa: As far as I knew only DisplayPort and Thunderbolt supported daisy chaining. Not HDMI. Not USB-C. But when I look at this link, it seems that Dell sells a cable that plugs into a USB-C port, and the cable is DP at other end, giving you what you want, "USB-C Multi-Stream Transport" capability with a pair of DP 1.2 MST monitors.
https://www.dell.com/community/Monitors/Daisy-Chaining-expla…
Whether you can do that on a Mac I don't know. Or on any PC other than a Dell. Because you have to turn MST on at the GPU end, which means it has to have that ability.
@GordonD: I'm using a USB-C to USB-C cable to connect a fairly standard business notebook with Intel graphics (8th gen i7) to a USB-C monitor. It's great, because not only does the monitor daisy chain to a second monitor and act as a USB hub, it also supplies power to the notebook.
@GordonD: Daisy chaining from a USB-C source is possible and the link you included indicates it is. In fact for thunderbolt 3+ the connector is the same as USB-C.
A more technical explanation is it is only the DisplayPort protocol (HDMI is a different protocol) that supports daisy chaining. DP can be transported over thunderbolt or USB-C as well as DP cables.
We need more information. Are you planning on stringing them together to use as a rope for cave diving as you descend down? Or do you want to actually power them and watch something while descending?
No he just wants to play some Descent and Descent 2 casually.
I could say it was autocorrect. But let's keep it real - I can't spell for shit. Dyslexia is a b****
Depends what you're inclined to do with it.
Mostly reading (a lot of reading) but some youtube to procrastinate
Whoosh
For work, I'm using a Lenovo P24h-10, with USB-C and daisy chained second monitor. I'm pretty happy with the setup. I don't think that particular model is still available, but Lenovo has other models that support this setup.
I would also look at Dell's models, for example: P2722HE
Note that daisy chaining is only with display port or USB-C, not HDMI, (although I'm using a display port to DVI adapter to connect my second monitor).
Late to the party but the
Dell U2422HE
is the monitor you describe as the host of the daisy chain. Has daisy chain, usb-c power delivery/dp alt mode and KVM. Haven't found any other monitor (other than the 1440p 27" of this same monitor) with all 3 of these in my search so far, apart from some much more expensive benqs. Most USB-C monitors lack daisy chain, and a few have daisy chain but lack the KVM.
Then can run any* displayport monitor at the end of the chain. *limited by bandwidth. Specs say the displayport is 1.4 rather than 1.2 on this dell, so I'm hopeful that means no issues with a 4K. AFAIK a 1080p at 60Hz plus a 4K at 60Hz would be running close to the limit of displayport 1.2 bandwidth.
Been looking at a similar setup myself between my desktop and my work lenovo, though I don't intend to daisy chain the desktop unless I find there is no downside (eg not confident about Variable refresh rate working when daisy chained).
PS if you intend to daisy chain the mac best to check it supports MST, I vaguely remember reading macs don't support displayport MST which would mean no daisy chaining I think. Surface pro should be fine.
Would you consider a KVM switch instead? Might that work?