Connecting two external monitors to 21.5" iMac

I have a 21.5" iMac at work. I also have two older vga/dvi monitors that are not getting any use at home. Is there a way I could hook these two monitors to my iMac desktop at home even though I only have one mini-display out on the back.
Back of the computer is 4 usb 2.0, 1 Firewire 800, 1 Mini-display
I would like to be able to operate each monitor as extended desktops (to the right and left of the iMac) I found a converter box, but I am looking for something a little cheaper. Would getting dual vga to dvi then a dvi to mini display work or is there an adapter that goes from mini diaplay directly to dual dvi or vga?

Rudegar I hate to say this but you are wrong, I have successfully connected 2 20 inch monitors to my 21.5 inch imac using a usb to vga converter and the thunderbolt to vga addapter, the usb to vga adapter works but still is not as fast as the thuderbolt to vga cable. So if you are planning to use the 2 extra monitors for an enlarged gaming screen, your out of luck but for actually doing work it works perfectly.

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Connect two external monitors to mini DP(using a mini DP to VGA adapter) and the VGA out at once

I am trying to connect two external monitors to mini DP(using a mini DP to VGA adapter) and the VGA out at once. Windows recognize both monitors as well. But it dowsn't let me use all three monitors at once(see the below image). In the dropdown, it lists all three monitors. Problem is there are two active displays I can select.

Mavec wrote:
I would like to add a third monitor.
The GPU(s) in your T400 (and most other laptop brands) will support two different displays concurrently. If you want to support more than two different displays concurrently, you will need another GPU external to the T400.
Generally, if you want to use two external displays on a T400 you will nee dto use a docking station.
I have read messages on various fora on this topic and know that there are a number of ways of doing this, but as I have never had a need to do this myself I can't tell you how to go about it.
Cheers,
Bill
I don't work for Lenovo

How to connect two external monitors to a Mac Book Pro?

How to connect two external monitors to a Mac Book Pro?

Not as is, but Matrox makes a peripheral that enables connecting more than one external monitor - matrox.com.

Satellite P100: Can I connect two external monitor to VGA & DVI port at the same time?

The Satellite P100 comes with two external monitor port. A VGA and a DVI. Can you have have two external monitor working at the same time? Can you have two external monitor as well as your internal display working at the same time (for a total of 3 display at the same time?
Here is what I have confirm:
Internal display + DVI connector display
OR
Internal display + VGA connector display
Is it possible to have:
DVI connector display + VGA connector display?
OR
DVI connector display + VGA connector display + Internal display?

As far as I know this is not possible and you can use either DVI or VGA port.
For signal output can be used only one port for external display.

Connect two external monitors to Macbook Pro (non-retina, 13", mid 2012)

I've connected one external monitor to a Macbook Pro (non-retina, 13", mid 2012) using a Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter.
Can I connect a second external monitor using a USB to DVI or USB to HDMI adapter? Will the Macbook Pro recognize a monitor connected to the USB port?

Something like this -> http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=101&cp_id=10114&cs_id=1011404&p_id=6191&se q=1&format=2 - from MonoPrice may work.
Clinton

Is it possible to connect two external monitors to my T400 laptop?

Hi,
I bought a T400 laptop this summer and have it connected through the VGA port to an external monitor, using both the laptop´s monitor as an extended display. I would like to add a third monitor. I am wondering if there is any way to do this or anyone knows further, even if some additional hardware is required. There is no HDMI port on the laptop of course but I´m wondering if some sort of VGA splitter is possible. Any thoughts are appreciated!
Best wishes.

Mavec wrote:
I would like to add a third monitor.
The GPU(s) in your T400 (and most other laptop brands) will support two different displays concurrently. If you want to support more than two different displays concurrently, you will need another GPU external to the T400.
Generally, if you want to use two external displays on a T400 you will nee dto use a docking station.
I have read messages on various fora on this topic and know that there are a number of ways of doing this, but as I have never had a need to do this myself I can't tell you how to go about it.
Cheers,
Bill
I don't work for Lenovo

With MacBooks Retina 13" can you connect two external monitors with resolution each 2560x1600?

I'm not talking about Thunderbolt displays, but other brands like ASUS, LG, SAMSUNG, etc.
Has anyone tested?

You can connect two displays to the two Thunderbolt ports with appropriate Mini DisplayPort cables or adapters.
<http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/specs-retina/>
"Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 2560 by 1600 pixels on up to two external displays"
If the display supports HDMI, you could connect one to the computer's HDMI port, but not at 60Hz.
"Support for 3840-by-2160 resolution at 30Hz"

Has anyone tried driving two external monitors (3 total displays) on the iMac 2011 through the thunderbolt ports on Windows 7 Bootcamp?

I would love to purchase an iMac 2011 with the Thunderbolt ports, but I need to occasionally boot to Windows 7 Bootcamp.
I imagine this will work in general... but has anyone tried driving two external monitors using the Thunderbolt ports in Windows 7 Bootcamp?
Thanks in advance!
Ralph

Hi,
I am trying to get this working at the moment. both monitors are fine in Lion but I am losing the second monitor in windows. I will update you when I get it working.

Problems connecting to external monitor

Hi, ive just purchased a imac this week and one of my first tasks is connecting a external monitor to watch my films on. Ive watched a few youtube tutorials on how to do it and it seemed easy, the items i have are:
1, Hdmi Cable
2, Mini displayport to Hdmi adaptor
3, 32 inch samsung 1080p hdtv
So i connected the hdmi cable to the hdmi2 socket on my tv, i then connected the hdmi cable to the mini display adaptor and then connected the adaptor to the mini display port on the back of my imac, so now according the videos on youtube, both monitors are supposed to flash blue and then the display will appear on my tv. But absolutely nothing happens, my imac screen doesnt flash blue, and my tv still says "HDMI 2 - No signal".
So im stuck know on what to do next, i tried changing my screen resolution to a lower resolution on my imac just incase the tv wouldnt pick the signal up becuase it was too high of a resolution but that hasn't worked.
I know its not my tv and its not the hdmi lead as i connected it to my xbox360 and it worked fine. My first suspicions were that the adaptor was faulty, but i disconnected the wire and removed the adaptor from the back of the imac, i then attached the adaptor back to the hdmi cable ( while not attached to the imac) and the tv went completely blank for 3 seconds and came back to "Hdmi 2 - no signal" So im guessing the adaptor isnt faulty?
Any suggestions or help on this subject would be great!
Thanks
Message was edited by: Kiz5000

Have you tried resetting the PRAM?
Reset the PRAM
• (Re)start the computer
• Immediately press & hold the CommandOption+PR keys
• Wait for two startup chimes
• Release the keys and allow the computer to boot.
Also Apple suggests that you always turn on the display/TV first before turning on the Mac so that the Mac gets a good read on the display's identification of itself to the Mac. I would power down both devices and connect all of the cables. Then power up the TV and lastly power up the Mac.
Dah•veed

Can I connect 2 External monitors simultaneously on Toshiba notebook?

Hi,
I am interested to find out which of toshiba laptop's currently on offer do support 2 external monitors simultaneously (one as normal and second as extended dekstop in windows). I am looking for to replace my old configuration of laptop and docking station connected to two external monitors with resolution of 1280x1024.
I was looking on toshiba websita at
Portg R700-15Q
http://uk.computers.toshiba-europe.com/innovation/product/Portege-R700-15Q/1089286/toshibaShop/false/
together with Port Replicator PA3680U-1PRP then some other laptop that do have port replicator but no where on the website I was able to find if any concrete model does support the dual use of the two port (VGA and HDMI or VGA and DVI)
I was looking on the Port Replicator PA3680U-1PRP user guide at http://www.csd.toshiba.com
http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/tais/support/jsp/modelContent.jsp?ct=SB&os=&category=&moid=2756712& rpn=PA3680U&modelFilter=PA3680U-1PRP&selCategory=2756711&selFamily=116319
and in the troubelshouting part I did found this:
Cannot display information to a
DVD-D and RGB Monitor at the
same time
Check that the cables connecting the monitors are firmly attached on
both ends. Some computer models do not support output to DVI and RGB
monitors simultaneously. Check the documentation for your computer
model.
But even if you find on http://www.csd.toshiba.com the pdf's of detailed spec's and user guides, there is no information about if they do support simultant output to monitors or not and what is the maximum resolution supported for this.
Thanks for any help
Ian

Thanks for the reply,
Toshiba Dynadock did not have really good reviews and it is working via USB which would be quite slow for all the traffic needed to show the graphic information for two monitors at 1280x1024.
Rick in here
http://forums.computers.toshiba-europe.com/forums/thread.jspa?messageID=214855&#214855
is talking about about 'm9 ... to display to two external monitors which works well' so I thought must be possible. I know HP, Dell and Lenovo laptop's are able to do it so why not toshiba?

Twist: Can't make two external monitors work

I'm trying to get two external monitors to work with my twist. One is connected via mini-HDMI, the other using a Thunderbolt adapter (I've tried adapters for VGA, DVI and HDMI - same result). Only one external monitor (mini HMDI) works, although Win8 detects both (lists the grayed-out monitor make/model correctly). If I unplug either monitor, the other works fine.
Note that I am using an Apple Thunderbolt adapter, not the Lenovo Mini DisplayPort adapter. I use the Thunderbolt adapter with one monitor all the time.
I have two monitors working at another location; Mini DisplayPort -> VGA and USB -> SVGA.
Is the problem that I'm not using the Lenovo adapter, or is this never going to work? Thanks.

The Twist should support internal LCD + one external LCD (or 2 external LCD with displayport splitter) on at the same time.
Regards,
Jin Li
May this year, be the year of 'DO'!
I am a volunteer, and not a paid staff of Lenovo or Microsoft

Supports two external monitors???

Hello.
I'm in need of a new laptop but I dont know what to buy. I'm thinking of a Macbook Pro w/ retina (would be my first Mac). But will I be able to connect it to my two external Acer monitors? Each monitor supports HDMI, VGA and DVI. I know that Macbook Pro got one HDMI, and two Thunderbolt outputs.
Would it be possible to connect an external monitor with, lets say Thunderbolt --> VGA, with an adapter or something, and the other screen with HDMI --> HDMI?
I don't want "mirror screens", I wan't to extend the screen into two monitors.
Would this scenario be possible?
Thanks!
// Anton.

Yes, this will work just fine. I have done it through two thunderbolt -> VGA adapters. Also, have done one thunderbolt -> VGA to power one in addition to one connected through HDMI.

Use two external monitors

Hi Guys!
I am using a MacBook Pro early (2011), i also use an external Monitor. (Works fine -> mini displayport dvi adapter) !
Yesterday, i tried to connect an older (VGA, i did not want to throw it away) monitor too, in order to use 2 Monitors + MacBookPro-Monitor!
Is there a way to use these two external monitors?
Thanx guys for your help, if this topic was discussed in the past, i apologize for this extra entry (May you can show its link)
Greetings from Austria
theFlow

Hi MarcusL,
Welcome to the HP Community, I hope you enjoy your experience! To help you get the most out of the HP Forums I would like to direct your attention to the HP Forums Guide First Time Here? Learn How to Post and More.
I saw your post regarding using the two external monitors. You should be able to connect both. I have included two documents below depending on your operating system that will show you how to do it.
Connecting a Monitor, Projector or TV (Windows 7)
Connecting a Monitor, Projector or TV (Windows 8)
Thank you,
Please click “Accept as Solution ” if you feel my post solved your issue.
Click the “Kudos Thumbs Up" on the right to say “Thanks” for helping!
Thank you,
BHK6
I work on behalf of HP

Two external monitors + ethernet on the Macbook Pro Retina (late 2013)

The new MacBook Pro 13" retina have 2 thunderbolt connectors and one HDMI but no ethernet port (how pro is that?).
As the title of this post suggest, I want to drive two external monitors as well as an ethernet port.
1.) Is there a dock that woudl allow such setup out of the box?
-OR-
2.) Using the Macbook Pro's two thunderbolt ports and the following adapters:
- Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet,
- Mini DisplayPort to DVI (is this actually thunderbolt compat?).
Can once of the thunderbolt connector be splitted or chanied to drive etiher: two screens or one screen + ethernet?
Or would I also need to use the HDMI port in such case? If so is there any performance difference between the Macbook Pro's HDMI port and the thunderbolt ports? Can all these be run concurrently i.e. thunderbolt display and the HDMI port?
The monitors both have DVI-D connectors.

Thunderbolt expansion docks are beginning to appear. "They ain't cheap." This one would support what you want to do ... Belkin Express Dock (using both Thunderbolt ports on your MBP)
Thunderbolt devices can be daisy-chained however I don't believe that means it will support 2 displays on the same chain.
miniDisplayPort and Thunderbolt are co-compatible. You can plug a miniDisplayPort cable into the Thunderbolt port in order to connect a display.
DVI and HDMI are co-compatible. You should only need an appropriate cable to connect the display to the MBP's HDMI port.

Need help: W520 connecting 2 external monitors

Hi,
I just bought two new monitors and trying to connect both of them with W520. Both monitors are 1920*1080 and have VGA, DVI, and DP. (No HDMI)
I know one solution that probably going to work is to connect one with displayport and the other with VGA.
However, I really hope I could use digital signals for both of them since VGA is still not completely as good as displayport or DVI.
As the displayport on W520 is the only digital output, I called the technical support to ask if I could use a dp->dvi converter and a dvi splitter to connect both monitors. The technical support confirmed this. But I still don't know if I should use a dp->dual-link dvi or just a regular dp->dvi.
I've also read the reviews of USB->DVI adapters. The common problem they have is that videos could not be smoothly played.
I don't want to buy the dock or an active converter since they cost too much. So, please suggest what is the most economic solution if I want to get 2 digital output from W520.
Thanks!

[Reviving this slightly old topic because it still comes up on Google searches ...]
I wanted to report my successes with 3 screens - the laptop screen and two external monitors - with a W520 quad-core and a MiniDock Plus 3 - 4338 - 90 Watt. Both external monitors are connected to the MiniDock with DisplayPort cables.
a) Win7 Ultimate was easy to set up with the drivers 83de42ww (8.17.12.7593/8.15.10.2538, dated 2011-12-14). BIOS in Optimus mode, but disabled OS detection. I can use the Windows 7 "screen resolution" applet to configure the resolution and relative location of the monitors. Only issue: I have to do that each time I dock - otherwise it boots/revives from sleep using only the laptop's screen. I never use the Intel or NVidia consoles to do anything.
b) Windows Server 2008 R2 was MUCH harder to get going - largely because I was doing it six months later and using the latest drivers. The drivers in 83de44ww (8.17.12.7658/8.14.10.2538, dated 2012-04-20) just do not work for this purpose - I could not get all three screens going no matter what I tried. So I uninstalled the NVidia drivers and Intel drivers (in that order!) and installed 83de42ww (as in (a) above) and now it works fine. Even better: it remembers when I dock to light up all three displays without me having to adjust anything. To get it to work, though, I had to use the NVidia control panel to set screen resolutions. After that, the Windows "screen resolution" applet now works fine.
c) Back in November when I was trying to get 4 screens going I found a Lenovo PDF that described all kinds of display configurations for the W520. Can't find it online now. Anyway, it certainly implied that 4 screens (3 external) worked, but I couldn't get it to happen. Now I'm glad you've pointed to this specification that contains the following remarkable facts: First, that you can get 4 monitors working with the 170W MiniDock Plus, and you can also get it working with the 90W MiniDock Plus (which is what I have) ONLY IF you've got a DUAL-core, not a quad-core (I have a quad-core). Very interesting! Perhaps the quad core sucks up just enough extra energy that the NVidia chip isn't left with enough to power 3 video signals. Unfortunate.
d) I don't know why I have the 90W MiniDock Plus - Can anyone advise me? I've got a 170W brick that says it delivers 8.5 amps at 20V, that's 170W alright. But the bottom of the MiniDock says it accepts 4.5 amps at 20V, thats 90W. So did they just ship me the wrong MiniDock with the right brick?
-- David

Connecting two external monitors to 21.5" iMac

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