I need help connecting 2 monitors to the PC?
I found this on the internet:
If your laptop can only connect to one monitor via USB-C, or if you don't have a USB-C port on your laptop but have multiple USB-A ports, a USB-A or USB-C to HDMI adapter can help you connect a laptop to two monitors.
I have a few questions about this:
- Does this mean an HDMI splitter?
- If not, does it also work on the PC?
- What can I do if my PC only has one active HDMI port? Do I have to open my PC right away, or are there other methods?
If it helps, both monitors have a display port.
(1 votes)
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Laptops and PCs currently use two connectors/protocols for image exchange: HDMI and DisplayPort. USB Type-C can transmit a DisplayPort signal and is considered equivalent to DisplayPort in terms of capabilities. Not every Type-C port, especially on laptops, supports DisplayPort.
HDMI can only transmit one display per cable. An HDMI splitter will always mirror the signal.
DisplayPort can also drive multiple independent displays over one cable using multi-stream transport.
For HDMI, DisplayPort or USB it doesn't matter whether it's a laptop or desktop PC.
The source you cited could be referring to DisplayLink adapters. These are small USB graphics cards that can output a screen via the USB port. In the case of USB Type-C, the USB signal, not the DisplayPort signal, is used between the adapter and the PC/laptop.
Since HDMI can only control one screen, you won't get very far with just one HDMI cable, even with a splitter.
The DisplayLink adapters mentioned, which are also not cheap, would work for the second screen.
Ideally, there's another connection for a monitor. Is there perhaps a VGA or DVI output? If the monitor only has DP, adapters for DisplayPort shouldn't be too expensive.
If you already use a dedicated graphics card from Nvidia or AMD, you could possibly use the integrated GPU of the CPU for image output.
Since you have a PC, replacing or adding a graphics card is probably the best option. You shouldn't have the space constraints of a laptop, for example. You should be able to find a simple graphics card, very inexpensive or used, for around €50. Depending on the exact model, you can even have two displays and, for example, don't need an external power supply. You'll have to open up your PC for this.
I have VGA on my PC. If I connect the PC to my monitor using the adapter mentioned above and the other monitor via HDMI, both monitors would work as intended (not like with a splitter).
Thanks for your help
If you connect one monitor via HDMI and the other via VGA, both can display an individual image.
The screens will run as expected.
I just tried it, and the VGA output isn't active either. What graphics card can you recommend that's also reasonably priced?
Normally a good PC has at least one HDMI port and one VGA port!
Can you show a photo of the connections?
Yes, it has multiple HDMI ports and a VGA port. However, only one HDMI port is active. But could I connect one monitor via HDMI and one via VGA so that they work normally and don't display the same thing on both?
Das sollte gehen!