I’m about to buy a “Framework Laptop 16” with Expansion Bay Module (Graphics Module (AMD Radeon RX 7700S)
I use 4 external monitors.
But I don’t see what ports the Expansion Bay comes with…
What’s the best way to connect 4 external monitors to this new setup?
Thanks!
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I don’t believe the Graphics Module has any ports on it.
There’s one usb-c port on the Graphics Module see comments below.
Monitor ports will have to be used though the Expansion Cards. The 16" can support 3 display expansion slots on slots 1, 2, and 4. To get a 4th monitor you’d either have to use a usb-c monitor or use a docking station.
Note it’s not recommended to use USB-A expansion slots on ports 1 and 4 due to higher power consumption.
Take a look at the expansion card functionality for the 16"
wow thanks
“To get a 4th monitor you’d either have to use a usb-c monitor or use a docking station.”
Its a bummer that it can’t do 4 monitors… Could i daisy chain or come out from a thunderbolt wire somehow?
i’m not knowledgeable about it.
i guess i could just use an old USB video adapter – since i’m not a gamer and i really just need the left monitor for MS Windows explorer windows…
The DGPU has one USB-C port on it
on the back of a Expansion Bay Module (Graphics Module (AMD Radeon RX 7700S) is a USB-C port?
So are you saying i can plug a monitor into the back?
Indeed, the dGPU module has an USB-C port on the back that carries a DisplayPort signal.
I hardly ever use it, but i did at one point connect an external display to it which worked just fine. I recall that in one of the LTT video’s someone plugged a hdmi expansion card into the back, it looks a bit odd, but it worked just fine.
Oh yeah. It does say it has a “USB-C port with DP Alt Mode”
https://frame.work/products/16-graphics-module-amd-radeon-rx-7700s
I wish they woulda showed the port in the picture on the product page…
What’s the best way to plug in my 4 monitors, especially if i just want to mess with one wire when i come home from work?
I could use this thing yeah?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BQJWKBMF
Yeah propably the best option is to get Thunderbotl4/USB4 certified dock that has the needed ports. There is a thread on the forum of different docks and their “compatibility”.
Not sure if there are reports of using 4 external monitors but I guess it should not be a problem.
Depending on the resolution and framerate of your monitors you could run all 4 off just a single port using an mst hub, the igpu supports 4 displays and the dgpu also support 4. You are however limited to the bandwidth of db1.4 on all the ports.
Apologies on the confusion earlier, I found some photos and did not see any ports, but don’t have the 16, just the 13.
The community has researched the compatibility of a lot of docks, you can see the details on the threads below:
Some people have confirmed that daisy chaining can work, your mileage may very by model of monitor.
There also has been some issues with USB-C on linux.
The chip’s specs say it supports 4 monitors. So you don’t strictly need the graphics module even. I’m running two 4k60 monitors through a single USB-C dock, so definitely a two-cable solution for 4 monitors is possible. If your resolutions are lower, then possibly even a single-cable dock with enough outputs can do the job.
Edit: this assumes you’re fine with turning off the laptop’s own display
