I'm looking to set up two monitors with my laptop, but it only has one HDMI port, and both monitors have DisplayPort connections. Can anyone suggest what kind of cables or adapters I might need? I'm trying to avoid spending a lot—definitely don't want to pay around $40 for a display to USB adapter. Any budget-friendly solutions would be appreciated!
5 Answers
Just a heads up—if your laptop doesn't support DP over USB-C, you're likely going to have to invest in a proper docking station to extend your desktop across both monitors. That’s how my wife uses her company Dell laptop with a dock—makes it super easy!
A solid option is to consider a docking station that has two DisplayPort outputs. If you're looking for something a bit cheaper, you might get away with using a single USB-C hub with DisplayPort, assuming your laptop supports DP over USB-C. One monitor can connect to that hub, and for the second monitor, you could use an HDMI to DisplayPort adapter directly from your laptop.
Since your laptop only has one HDMI port, you could run into trouble trying to extend your display. Even with an HDMI to DisplayPort splitter, you'd end up mirroring the same image on both screens. If you're flexible on your budget, look into USB-C docks that offer multiple video ports, or a mix of HDMI and DisplayPort. Some Lenovo docks we use at work have multiple DP outputs and can charge your laptop too, which is a plus!
Oh, and you mentioned your laptop is an Asus Vivobook 16. Make sure to check the specifications for the exact model; that might give you some clues on what ports it supports!
I tried using HDMI to DisplayPort cables in the past, and they didn't always work reliably, so keep that in mind. You might want to consider it a last resort.
Just be sure that your laptop can actually handle DP over USB-C, or it won't work!