i7-1165G7 output to 8K TV

Community Support
1

Hi.

I’m posting this is in the Creators & Developers section because the topic is uncommon, involves working with the mainboard directly, and it seems where the more technical people hang out. If it should be have been posted in Framework Laptop 13, my apologies.

I am fortunate to have picked up a 55-inch Samsung QN700-B 8K TV that I am using as a monitor for my MacBook Pro 16-inch. Makes for an amazing setup with the content area of four 27-inch 4K displays, but without bezels.

The MacBook Pro 16-inch is the only computer I have that can drive this display natively. I don’t have any recent PCs. Seems like GeForce RTX 20 Series and newer support 8K. Harder to see when Intel integrated graphics first does.

I’m looking out for an inexpensive, but capable PC that outputs 8K. Looking for productivity, no gaming.

Intel ARK says the i7-1165G7 can output 8K over DisplayPort. Does that include USB-C alt-DP to DP cables?

[had link here, new users can only include two links, sorry]

Went to check out Framework mainboards as an option. Unfortunately, no information about external display output is in the specifications.

[had link here, new users can only include two links, sorry]

I did find this knowledgeable article, which lists higher resolutions than Intel ARK, but does mention DSC, which I believe is used in 8K TVs with HDMI 2.1. (As opposed to earlier 8K implementations, like the Dell UP3218K, which uses two DisplayPort cables.)

External monitor support on the Framework Laptop
https://knowledgebase.frame.work/en_us/external-monitor-support-on-the-framework-laptop-rk5GVUwyY

Can the Framework Laptop 13 Mainboard with i7-1165G7 output 8K with a cable like this?

https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-48Gbps-Adapter-Supporting/dp/B08QDV5H4M

Also, add the i7-1165G7 motherboard to your cart. In the cart, the item shows as i5-1165G7. Odd.

Framework Laptop 13 Mainboard (11th Gen Intel® Core™)
[had link here, new users can only include two links, sorry]

Thank you for your time and help.

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According to the knowledge base,

the DP-Alt mode should support up to 8K/60p!

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Thank you, Shiroudan. I missed that.

Unfortunately, that item is out of stock and a Canadian currency link. I was afraid there was a massive price increase, then I saw the red CAD at top right. Whew!

There is a second generation card in stock, with less information for some reason:

DisplayPort (2nd Gen) Expansion Card

which shows in stock. Not sure why the store wouldn’t link to the second generation card.

The Samsung only has HDMI 2.1 inputs, no DisplayPort inputs, so there would be an active DisplayPort 1.4 to HDMI 2.1 48Mbps cable needed.

Since the expansion cards use DP alt mode, I’m guessing this cable would work.

Cable Matters 48Gbps 8K USB C to HDMI 2.1 Cable 6 ft
[had link here, link is above, new users can only include two links, sorry]

If I’m able to get this working, I will report back.

Thank you.

4

If you need to use external adapters anyways, you can simply use a USBC->HDMI adapter cable, so you don’t need an additional expansion card.

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Ah yes, sorry I didn’t clarify!
I didn’t mean for you to buy the cable, I just wanted to find the specifications of Framework’s DP Alt mode!

Best of luck.

6

The only difference between the 1st and 2nd Gen DisplayPort card is that the 2nd Gen ships with a firmware version that fixes a bug that caused the CPU to draw extra power while the card was installed. (This is different from the HDMI card where a physical hardware revision was needed)

In terms of capabilities both cards are pretty simple pass-throughs of whatever DisplayPort capabilities the CPU has. When the 1st Gen DisplayPort Card was released all the processors FrameWork offered had the same DisplayPort capabilities (DP 1.4), so they listed those capabilities on the listing for the card.

However now Framework offers some CPUs with better DisplayPort capabilities than other CPUs (the AMD CPUs support DisplayPort 2.1), which is why it now just says “maximum DisplayPort version and monitor resolution supported by the processor.” on the listing for the 2nd gen DisplayPort Card.

The store has links to both.

I see no reason it wouldn’t work, although the device will likely automatically start using compression to carry all the data it needs over 1 cable (I actually don’t think it’s possible to run that monitor at full resolution and quality without compression in any setup just due to the ports it has, this will just require slightly more compression than it otherwise would).

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I agree. The original post was asking about a specific active-adapting cable.

Cable Matters 48Gbps 8K USB C to HDMI 2.1 Cable 6 ft
[had link here, link is above, new users can only include two links, sorry]

To clarify, I’m not sure why the page for the DisplayPort (1st Gen) Expansion Card doesn’t have a link to the DisplayPort (2nd Gen) Expansion Card, particularly since it is out of stock.

Yes, I think it will work as well. You’re right, DSC, Display Stream Compression, is used here. My experience is that display manufacturers are clearer than computer/video card/console manufacturers when describing whether their equipment supports DSC.

In the interest of providing context to the community, here’s a blog post I found which describes the quirks of using an 8K TV as a giant bleeding-edge monitor. The important part is to adjust four different settings to get the proper image out of a PC or Mac.

Using a Samsung QN700B 8k TV as a Monitor

In the US, Best Buy seemed to be the only vendor with this unit, but has been sold out for several months. Here’s a link with some reviews that may provide additional context.

Samsung QN700B 8k 55-inch TV at Best Buy

When looking for 8K 55-inch TVs now, it seems they are only sold now in EMEA and APAC.

Thank you for your help and insight, everyone. If I’m able to get this working, I will report back.

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