X230, Intel HD 4000, dock and three monitors, how?

[styleza]

Hi,

I just got new X230 (made 12/12). It has intel HD 4000 and i7-3xxx-series processor. 

I also got dock (usb3 support). 

I foud a few topics saying that x230 would support 3 monitors, but how?

I have 3x fullHD monitors, 2 of them is connected with DVI to the dock and one with VGA to dock. 

Windows screen settings allows me to enable 3 monitos, but the 3rd wont "wake up" and after reopenin windows screen manager it says that 3rd monitor is "disconnected". Intel's own tool only gives option for 2 monitors.

So is it possible to enable 3rd monitor?

[lead_org Microsoft MVP Contributor]

where are you reading that the Thinkpad X230 supports 3 LCD natively?

If you need 3 LCD support, you have to either:

1. ThinkPad USB 3.0 dock
2. Lenovo Displayport splitter
3. eGPU/ViDock

[styleza]

Not natively, but with ThinkPad USB 3.0 dock.

And I've ThinkPad USB 3.0 dock, but still I'm unable to show picture in 3 monitors.

[lead_org Microsoft MVP Contributor]

Running windows 8?

[styleza]

Windows 7 PRO

Edit: 

Intel HD 4000 driver is the latest

[Tout1108G Retired Support Specialist]

Hey there styleza,

To confirm you did get the ThinkPad USB 3.0 Dock correct?

The ThinkPad USB 3.0 Dock (0A33970 - US) provides a quick and easy connection to all the workspace peripherals you use every day. Simply plug in a single USB 3.0 cable into your Lenovo PC for instant access to up to two external monitors, Gigabit Ethernet, headphones/speakers, USB printers and scanners, keyboard, mouse, and up to 5 Gbit/s access to external storage (over 10 times faster than USB 2.0).

Looking over the User Guide, it also only mentions a 2 external monitor capability. What ports are you connecting into on the dock? Are you using regular VGA to VGA, VGA -> USB, etc..?

Now it could be saying two external monitors plus the laptop's lcd for a total of of 3 monitors. But as far as I can tell, the setup you are running will only support 2 external monitors.

However, I did find this handy article on Intel's site discussing 3 monitor setups for machines with the Intel HD 4000 and 3rd Generation i Processors. Hopefully this provides some insight to you,

Some further notes from the Intel site:

Q: Are three display configurations supported using a USB display?

A: No. Three display configurations are not supported using a USB display.

Q:What three independent display configurations are supported?

In most cases, three independent displays are supported in the following configurations:

• If two of the displays are DisplayPort* monitors
• If one of the displays is an Intel® Wireless Display (Intel® WiDi)
• If the built-in display is an Embedded DisplayPort¹ (eDP)

I hope this helps.

[styleza]

My dock is 

Type: 4338

P/N: 0B56231

so it seems to be the problem

[lead_org Microsoft MVP Contributor]

Have you tried to reinstall the ThinkPad USB 3.0 dock drivers from Lenovo website.

I remember getting up to 4 displays with the use of the USB 3.0 dock on my ThinkPad X230.

[styleza]

Hi,

I'vent installed any drivers. My dock is "ThinkPad Series 3 Docking Stations with USB 3.0" not USB3 connected dock.

And I noticed that http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/product-and-parts/detail.page?&DocID=PD024298 says

"Many systems allow for two of these video ports to be used simultaneously. Select systems, including those with NVIDIA Optimus technology, allow for up to three video ports on the dock to be used simultaneously."

And as far as I know X230 doesn't have optimus, so I can't get more than 2 monitors with this setup.

[Tout1108G Retired Support Specialist · Accepted solution]

Hey there styleza,

Thank you for clarifying the dock you are using, comparing what you have found there to the PSRef for your machine, it does seem to be the case. The PSRef states:

"Intel HD Graphics 4000 in processor, supports external analog monitor via VGA and digital monitor via Mini Display Port; supports dual independent display." Looking over the all the PSRef sheets for the X230, I agree, it does not appear the Optimus technology was available for this machine as all of PSRef sheets I was able to find for different X230 configurations only list the Intel HD Graphics 4000. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news =/.

At the very least I hope this clarifies things for you.