Video output support for the USB-C card?

Does the USB-C expansion card support video output? I have a USB-C to DisplayPort cable and hope to connect to external monitor using a USB-C port on the framework laptop. Is it possible? This is important to my purchase decision since I will have to pick a DP or HDMI expansion card if there is no video output support on the USB-C card. Thanks!

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Yep, the USB-C Expansion Cards support DP Alt Mode for connecting a monitor. :+1:

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Does DP Alt Mode support Multi Stream Transport (MST) to daisy chain multiple displays?

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Yes, MST is supported.

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I created an account just to post here:

THANK YOU :heart: :heart: :heart:

(I am assuming it follows this document: Maximum Resolutions Supported in a Three Display Configuration so that I can connect laptop screen + up to 2 devices and up to 4096x2304 @ 120 Hz each ?)

Ordering one in September :smiley:

Hi, you should be able to use up to four displays simultaneously, so the internal display plus three 4k 60hz monitors should work, or four external 4k 60hz monitors.

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@nrp Expanding on your statement, what exact expansion cards support that setup?

My objective is a single cable connected to my three (3) external displays. Currently 1080p @ 120Hz, but they can run at 60Hz if need be.

However, in Framework’s spirit, I would like something compatible with 3x 4K external displays in the future.

Currently, I get 3x 1080p @ 60Hz over a single Thunderbolt 3 cable from my (will not name here) laptop - in addition to multiple USB3 ports, another TB3 x2 output, etc in the docking station. It has dual TB3 at full x4 PCIe speeds each, so it leaves one of the TB3 ports open for all sorts of accessories.

I would love to continue using this specific TB3 docking station with 3x outputs if possible since it’s just a standard TB3 cable with nothing specific from the device manufacturer.

What exact expansion card would I need to support such a setup with the Framework? I ask because that was the first thing I looked for when configuring my Framework - and stopped when I didn’t see any TB3/TB4 expansion slots.

Will a single USB-C expansion card work with TB3/TB4 devices? Forgive me, as I haven’t looked into 9th/10th/11th gen Intel specs and what the current speeds of USB-C is and what it can all do. :slight_smile:

You just need a DisplayPort 1.4 MST Hub that supports DSC. Then connect it to one of the Framework expansion cards (either DisplayPort or USB-C).

The Delock 87737 is a DisplayPort 1.4 MST Hub. It uses the Synaptics VMM5330.

The HP Thunderbolt Dock G2 is a Thunderbolt 3 dock that contains a DisplayPort 1.4 MST Hub (Synaptics VMM5333). This needs to connect as Thunderbolt to get HBR3 x4 connection. The HP Thunderbolt Dock G2 uses Titan Ridge so it can also connect to USB-C (not Thunderbolt) hosts, but in that case the bandwidth is halved (HBR3 x2).

There are many similar MST hubs.

In both cases, I had to do a firmware update to enable DSC. With DSC, three 4K 60Hz displays can be connected (from a HBR3 x4 capable host). I’ve tried with AMD W5700 but not with Tiger Lake’s GPU.

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