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Two 4k external monitors through a docking station - Why is this seemingly effortless for Windows but basically impossible for Linux? (feddit.dk)

submitted 3 months ago by [email protected] to c/linux

52 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I've ran into this situation multiple times at my current and previous jobs. I really want to avoid Windows and use something better, but I can't live without two external monitors.

On Windows, it "just works". I don't have to do anything.

On Linux (I tried Linux Mint today) it doesn't work. First, it only connected one of the monitors, the other one did not register. Then I switched to a different cable from the computer to the docking station and it connected both screens - however, they were locked to 30fps. I could not make them work at 60fps (and this is a major dealbreaker, I cannot live with 30fps).

This isn't really a tech support question, I'm more trying to understand what fundamentally causes this situation. Why is Linux still struggling with pretty basic functionality that Windows does with zero setup? Is it the vendor of the laptop and docking station that aren't properly supporting Linux? Or is it some other problem?

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

I had a similar experience with a couple of Dell USB-C docks. The "good" one was as you describe, although I was running higher resolution displays, so games were off the table, and the slight input lag you saw while gaming, I could see while doing office work. Way too annoying. The "bad" one was just unusable. That's what drove me to the external enclosure with Thunderbolt, which I am now using with three displays, two at 1920@60, one at 2560@144.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Yeah, it was Dell D6000. I switched to a single big monitor while my gf is using my old setup for remote work and she's never noticed anything off. We're also using some Lenovo DisplayLink docks in the office and those are ever so slightly laggier but still OK for that type work. Obviously it's a bit of a niche case and last resort for personal use but I wouldn't write them off wholesale.