I have a roughly four-year-old HP laptop running Ubuntu. It has one HDMI port, but the USB-C port only supports data and cannot output video. I also have two regular USB ports and no DisplayPort connection. I want to connect two 4K monitors, ideally at 60 Hz. What hardware or setup would work?
2 Answers
Look for a USB 3 DisplayLink adapter or dock based on a chipset such as the DL-6950, rather than a simple USB-to-HDMI cable. Install the appropriate Synaptics DisplayLink software for your Ubuntu version. 4K at 60 Hz may be possible on a suitable adapter, but Linux driver support, USB bandwidth, and the laptop’s CPU all matter. Expect some compression or delay, and avoid relying on it for gaming; for normal desktop use it should be workable.
Connect one monitor directly to the laptop’s HDMI port, then use a USB 3 DisplayLink adapter for the second monitor. DisplayLink adapters contain their own graphics hardware, so they can output video through a normal USB data port. Linux support varies by adapter, so choose one that specifically lists Ubuntu support and check that its chipset has a current DisplayLink driver. It should be fine for office work, browsing, and video, but it is not ideal for gaming or other latency-sensitive graphics.
The Linux compatibility warnings are what concern me. If the adapter supports a current Ubuntu DisplayLink driver, can it realistically reach 4K at 60 Hz, or should I expect noticeable lag?