How to simultaneously use 2 external monitors and the laptop screen with Dell Latitude E5430

I am using a Dell Latitude E5430 running Windows 7 Enterprise, with a dell advanced docking station. I have connected 2 monitors to my docking station. I am not able to use all three screens (2 monitors and 1 laptop display) at the same time.

I read from the Dell help pages that my laptop does not support 3 displays. What is the alternate solution?

Thanks!!

Gaurav Banyal

Posted 2015-12-03T15:02:47.363

Reputation: 1

Don't be too surprised if you don't get an answer to this, since you seem to have found proof that your hardware does not allow you to do what you want. If you are asking for advice about external devices that might enable you to connect two monitors but present this to the OS as a single very wide monitor, I expect your question will get closed as basically asking for shopping advice, which tends to lead to opinion-based answers. Perhaps you could clarify what sort of "solutions" you are hoping for people to suggest. – AdamV – 2015-12-04T12:19:04.670

Answers

If your laptop does not support two external monitors via docking station, you can always buy an external USB to HDMI graphic adapter.

Performance might be lacking, yet this is how I managed to get two monitors running when I used to work with a MacBook Air.

k0pernikus

Posted 2015-12-03T15:02:47.363

Reputation: 1 140

Your laptop does not support 3 displays with the hardware in the laptop or in the dock. (It seems only two ports can be used out of four. Either DP+DP, DP+DVI or DVI+DVI). That leaves you with two solutions:

Get extra hardware wich acts as an extra graphics card. (E.g. a full external graphics card via the expresscard slot. Or a slow one via USB).
Or add a device which act as a monitor but which splits the output to multiple screens (with different content). The items I know of which does this is the Matrox 2go series, which is getting somewhat dated. Still, similar hardware may appear again over time.

Hennes

Posted 2015-12-03T15:02:47.363

Reputation: 60 739

I'm using the dell e5430 with 3 external monitors (2 dell P1913S, 1 E190S).

How to configure three (3) displays on a Dell Latitude Portable with Intel HD 4x00 Graphics

The above article not lists the e5430 as supported (or tested), but when you follow the instructions it may work.

You need to connect 2 monitor with display port on the replicator with straight display port cable. (I have tried before with display port to dvi converter: not works.)

Your 3rd monitor can be the laptop screen or a vga cabled monitor to the replicator (I tested both scenario, and works)

So the key that you have two monitor with display ports direct connected to the replicator without any converter.

apr

Posted 2015-12-03T15:02:47.363

Reputation: 101