Using Dual External Monitors as Separate Screens with Late-2011 15" MBP

Hello,
I've looked around for answers, but haven't found something that seems to address what I'm looking for.
I have a late-2011 15" MBP. The Apple TB FAQ page says it can support two external monitors. I currently have it hooked up to one external monitor via mini-to-HDMI.
I'd like to add a second external monitor, but am not sure the best way to do that. It looks like the Apple TB monitors can do it natively, by daisy-chaining, but I can't afford to purchase two of those monitors. I'd prefer to use a third-party monitor like a ViewSonic 27" or some such, which are significantly more affordable.
I want to have two actual separate monitors, the way the setup they do with the Apple TB monitors appears – not two monitors that are splitting a single screen between them (as is the case with a few of the splitter-solutions I've seen linked).
Is there a way to achieve this?
Thanks!

I should clarify that I would prefer to do it without using a USB port to do a USB-to-HDMI conversion. I have used USB for a monitor before, and I find the lag virtually unworkable. A daisy-chaining solution, or a native splitter would be ideal.

Similar Messages

Is it possible to use an external HD to startup a MacBookAir (late 2011)?

My external HDs include
1) OWC Mercury Elite Pro 3tB (Firewire 800) with Yosemite startup partition
2) MacBook Pro 2012 with ThunderBolt (OK for Target Disk startup using Thunderbolt cable)

Thank you, Niel.
My 2012 Macmini has the USB 3.0 port. Can I get advantageous speed boosts by using USB 3 external drives with a Yosemite startup partition for a startup ?

Dual External Monitors with 15" MacBook Pro (Late 2011)

I'm looking for suggestions for using dual external monitors with new MacBook Pro's. The company I work for has started to puchase these for certain employees and we are looking for any good suggestions.
It appears that the display/thunderbolt port should be able to support many devices but I have not seen any way to hook up multiple displays. The idea is that these employees would be working with the macbook pro screen closed while in the office and use dual displays. The only option that I can find is to use a usb device to output video to a second display. I don't really like that because my experience with these devices is that they usally present a display lag and I know our graphic designers would never go for that.
One employee suggested that he use the VGA adapter and then get a VGA splitter. I'm not exacty certain that would work though. Wouldn't that just mirror the display on two screens instead of allowing an extended desktop? Also it looks like expensive Apple displays have ports so that you can daisy chain thunderbolt devices out of those monitors but this company will not go for the cost of those displays.
Am I missing anything? Any suggestions would be helpful.
Thanks!

Look into the Matrox Dualhead2Go DP Edition. If it works with Thunderbolt Macs, it will support two identical 1920 x 1080 DVI monitors as one extended desktop. Verify with Matrox that it is Thunderbolt-compatible and will suit your purposes before ordering.

Dual external monitor setup?

I'd like to use dual external monitors, ideally also plus the laptop screen for a total of 3 monitors, with my new 5th gen 17" MBP. I hear that USB-to-DVI options out there due have very poor poor refresh rates and picture quality. I'd like to use the ViDock2 expresscard/34 setup, which is a full fledged external video card, http://www.villagetronic.com/vidock2/index.html, but I understand it only works with MBP gens 1-4. Anybody know any other multi-monitor solutions that work with gen 5, other than poor quality USB options? Anybody know why the ViDock2 doesn't work with the MBP 5th gen?

Check out the Matrox dual head and triple head units, marc.
http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/products/gxm/
My suspicion is that you will need the more expensive "DP" versions to operate effectively with the new model.
Cheers
Rod

New X220 support dual external monitors with mini dock plus?

Hi,
I need to purchase a new Lenovo laptop in urgent.
But we need to make sure it support dual display to two external monitors. (VGA)
My question is:
(1) we plan to purchase with mini dock plus, it have two HDMI port.
can it support two external monitors for Intel HD Graphics 3000?
( we will close the Lids when use in dual external monitors)
(2) Can i use DVI to VGA convertor convert to VGA for supporting two external monitors
(3) what is the weight difference for X220 SATA HDD and SSD HDD?
Please kindly help in urgent!
Rgds,
Sun
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Hi
Yes, it work.
It must need a Display port to VGA (F) convertor.
Thank you.
Cheers
Sun

Why does my screen turn blue and freeze every time i try to plug in my 'mini display to hdmi' cable into my thunderbolt port in order to use an external monitor?

why does my screen turn blue and freeze every time i try to plug in my 'mini display to hdmi' cable into my thunderbolt port in order to use an external monitor? it only works if i turn the computer on with it already plugged in.

Do you have gfxCardStatus installed? Is your monitor set to "Integrated" or "Discrete". You want it set to Discrete to drive the external HDMI display.
Try resetting the PRAM and SMC
<About NVRAM and PRAM>
<Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)>
Are you sure you have a good miniDisplayPort to HDMI cable?
Do you have another HDMI display you can test against (your neighbor's HDMI capable TV).
Do you have friend that can test the cable using their Mac and maybe their TV or a monitor that has HDMI input.

Using an external monitor with the computer closed and using a bluetooth ke

Can you use a bluetooth keyboard and mouse with the computer closed and using an external monitor?

Yea i do this all the time on my big screen I just go in to system preferences and bluetooth and tell it to allow devices to wake the computer and then close the desplay then wake it with mouse or keyboard.

My mac won't recognize an external monitor. The screen Goes Blue Once, then goes blue again and the second monitor just turns off. I am using an HDMI adapter to a visio TV. I also have my xbox on the tv. Can anyone Help??

My mac won't recognize an external monitor. The screen Goes Blue Once, then goes blue again and the second monitor just turns off. I am using an HDMI adapter to a visio TV. I also have my xbox on the tv. Can anyone Help??

Lol, figured out the first part. Just for those who may be searching, when you click on the Display Preferences, and click on the arraingment tab... it not only shows where your two screens will be displayed, but the WHITE BAR at the top of one screen is the dock/toolbar. Click and hold to grab this and just slide it over to the screen you'd like it to be on.
You have to release it IN the screen box, not on top of it... and it should pop right over to the new (or old) screen. At any rate, you can put the dock on either (or any) screen that you prefer.
I am thinking of ordering more of these. Lol. 3 monitor setup seems like it would be crazy good.
Still looking for the answer to keeping the new 16" screen on the right without switching between screen #s with that... not expose... Lion feature.
Thanks. Hope my other question has an answer out here.
Paul H

Can macbookpro be used with the lid closed while using multiple external monitors

I want to use macbook pro with external monitors and be able to close the lid on the laptop, but can't figure out how to make that works with multiple monitors. I currently use two external monitors with the laptop monitor as my third. All are independent monitors and I accomplish this using the matrox diamond bvu-195 product (one for each external monitor). Now I would like to add a third external monitor and be able to close the laptop lid - kind of like you would do with a docking station for a Windows laptop. Anyone have any suggestions as to how to accomplish this?

Connecting your present two external displays via USB has left your MBP's Mini-DisplayPort available for a third. Depending on the monitor's available inputs, buy a mini-Displayport-to-VGA, MDP-to-DVI, or MDP-to-HDMI adapter and the appropriate cable to make the connection. I would expect that adding a third monitor to your GPU's workload might cause your already slow USB-connected monitors to slow down farther, but you'll have to see whether that's true and, if so, how tolerable it is in your work.
As for what will happen when you close the built-in display, I suspect that what happens if you do that now will continue to happen if you do it with a third monitor connected. If you can now close the display and run the machine in closed-clamshell mode, I expect you'll still be able to do so after adding the third external screen.

How do I use two external monitors with my laptop?

I have a new Pavilion dm4-301 d cl Entertainment PC. My OS is Windows 7. I am used to using two external monitors with a docking station. This new laptop does not have a docking station. What do I need to get to use two external monitors?
This question was solved.
View Solution.

Certainly not without a dock but even with, HP laptop docks pretty well limit you to one of the external monitor ports, even if there are two on the dock. We have used a device called an Atlona AT-HDPIX2 which is a usb to hdmi adapter. It provides a third monitor capability for a laptop....use the native external monitor port and the internal laptop display and then this device gives a third monitor which is full configurable from the Windows 7 display interface...clone, extend, etc. It allows full HD resolution and is responsive enough for even light gaming. HP makes no true docking station for your laptop.

Using External Monitor as Main Screen during OS Install?

I have a MacBook whose screen has gotten trashed (less than half of the left side visible), and I am resigned to using an external monitor. But I need to re-install Leopard. When I boot from the DVD, the trashed screen is the main one, and the external monitor is active, but the installer screens won't drag. Obviously I can't get to the Monitors Preferences to reset the main screen. BTW, resetting the main screen to the external monitor doesn't persist across the reboot.
SO: Is there a way to use the keyboard OR is there a Terminal command for switching the main screen to the external monitor?
Thanks in advance for any tips.

Try this trick. Get everything set for the install. You can have the disk in the drive so it is ready to rock as soon as you start. Have the external display hooked up. Turn off your MacBook. Now hit the on switch. As soon as you do close the display on the MacBook this will force the MacBook to use the external display as the main Monitor. Now do your install. You can open the MacBook and the internal display will stay off and the external will continue being the main monitor. This will allow use of the keyboard if you don't have an external one.

How do I use an external monitor with my MacBook??

Hi,
I recently purchased my MacBook, but when I am at home, I want to be able to use my MacBook like a normal computer, by plugging a keyboard, mouse and my existing LCD monitor to it.
What do I need to purchase to enable this and what system settings do I need to adjust to get my monitor to work?
Could I have my laptop closed while i am using my external monitor? How do I do this? I don't want my MacBook open, while I am using my monitor!! Can someone please give me a simple step by step guide on how to turn on and use my laptop which my external monitor plugged in.
Thank you very much for your help.

Can you read it ? http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3510076&#3510076
Shortly,yes,if your Display connected,just close it and than click the mouse it'll wake up in external display.

Using an external monitor with my clamshell

Hi there,
I was wondering if I can use an external monitor iwith my tangerine clamshell. If so, what adapters do I need to purchase.
Thanks

I don't think you are able to, the later (firewire) models had composite video out though which may or may not be useful .

Dual External Monitor Solution

Hello,
I currently have a late-2011 MBP, which only has one Thunderbolt port for an external monitor.
I am used to using two external monitors for my workflow on my Linux machine, and would like to be able to continue to do the same thing with a MBP.
I ordered a Matrox DualHead2Go ME, thinking that would solve my problem. But the Matrox treats the two external monitors like one large monitor, which means I can't maximize on one screen, pop-ups appear in the intersection between the two monitors, and certain apps (like Lightroom) that have a second-monitor option for displays don't function properly. Completely doesn't work with my workflow.
I've read about a USB adaptor for an external monitor, but most of the posts I read about them seem to indicate there are lag issues – does anyone have any experience with these, and can they give a first-hand account of how severe the issues are (I don't use them for gaming, but I do use them 90% of the time for photo and video editing).
Finally, I looked at the late-2013 MBPs, which have two Thunderbolt ports. But it sounds like I can't swap out the HDDs on these newer models? The MBP I am currently using has two 1TB SSDs in it (one replacing the existing HDD, the other in an OptiBay where the Superdrive was). I don't like the idea of not being able to upgrade my SSD storage as storage options increase – is it possible but just difficult to replace the include hard drive, or is it actually soldered on to the motherboard, making future upgrades unfeasible?
My questions are basically:
1) Is there a solution for a late-2011 MBP to get two external monitors, where each is treated as an independent monitor (can you daisy chain monitors, for example?), using just the one Thunderbolt port.
2) If not, how bad is the lag on a USB->HDMI adapter?
3) Finally, if neither of the above are feasible, are the new MBPs really impossible to upgrade in terms of SSD down the line, or is it still doable?
An answer to the first would be ideal, but if there is truly no out-of-the-box solution that allows for two external monitors where each are treated as a separate monitor, the next two would be great.
Thank you!
Addendum: For reference, these are the external monitors I am using: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008A3KFB8/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&p sc=1

http://eshop.macsales.com/search/NWTVIDU
The worst lag problems occur when you try to use a Mouse on these screens. The feedback is slow and will drive you nuts.

Dual / External Monitor Problems

I have recently purchased a NB200/007 netbook, and wish to use dual monitors (mainly for displaying photos etc on larger screens)
It came preloaded with Windows 7 starter, after finding out that the Starter edition did not support dual monitor i upgraded to Windows 7 Home Premium, however i am still yet to get this to work.
When the external monitor is connected, the netbook picks it up and sets up dual monitors, however the external display will not power on (it remains in standby mode) I have tried several different resolutions and also tried to use the external monitor as a single screen by selecting the option to have it as my primary display.
If anyone has a suggestion of how i could get this to work, i would be greatly appreciative.
Regards.

Al-ex,
Thankyou for your suggestion, however this did not solve the problem.
It is still like there is no signal getting to the external monitor, even though the netbook itself picks up the monitor.

Using Dual External Monitors as Separate Screens with Late-2011 15" MBP

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for