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I have a Dell XPS 15, late 2013 and it has a Mini DisplayPort and an HDMI slot.

I am aware that different versions of HDMI support different resolutions and even different drivers affect things, too.

I would like to purchase two external monitors for use with my laptop and am looking to optimise the resolution (the XPS 15 comes with QHD 3200 x 1800 and Windows 8+ doesn't play well with scaling differently on multiple monitors).

Is there some software I can install, or some method within Windows, to tell me what resolutions my ports will allow?

I have tried downloading the specifications sheet for the XPS 15 and it doesn't even tell me which HDMI version is installed :(

Manuals home page:

http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/product-support/product/xps-15-9530/manuals

Reference guide:

ftp://ftp.dell.com/Manuals/all-products/esuprt_laptop/esuprt_xps_laptop/xps-15-9530_Reference%20Guide2_en-us.pdf

Even if it was in the manual, I'd like to know if there is some software that can tell me :)

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Your video card determines the max supported resolutions. If you have the optional discrete GT750M video card see:

http://www.geforce.com/hardware/notebook-gpus/geforce-gt-750m/specifications

Intel states: https://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/quick-reference-guide-to-intel-processor-graphics

4th generation Intel® Core™ processor family (Intel® Iris™ Pro graphics 5200 / Intel® Iris™ graphics 5100, Intel® HD graphics 5000 / 4600 / 4400 / 4200) DisplayPort* 1.2 / eDP* H-Processors: 3840 x 2160 @ 60 Hz (Ultra-HD) U-Processors: 3200 x 2000 @ 60 Hz, 3840 x 2160 @ 30 Hz Y-Processors: 2560 x 1600 @ 60 Hz HDMI*: 4096 x 2304, 3840 x 2160 @ 24 Hz / 24bpp DVI: 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz

However, the performance of that many high resolutions displays will be slow on the intel graphics. If you do any kind of 3D work you will not achieve a useable performance level at resolution 1920p and 2 monitors. If you run the laptops display at the same time as the 2 monitors performance will suffer even more.

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  • Thanks. Doesn't it switch between the two graphics cards? Integrated and the GT750M? I'll be doing Visual Studio development work but nothing 3D, so I only need good desktop performance which should be OK. Also, what does all the H-Processors, U-Processors etc. mean? From reading the above I should be able to buy two screens at 3840 x 2160 and it should be OK? Nov 28, 2014 at 22:09
  • If you have a HDMI v1.4(30hz max) or higher and a (mini) displayport you can attach 2 monitors @3840x2160. The GT750M will offer the best experience. You may experience significant lag with the intel hd4600.
    – cybernard
    Nov 28, 2014 at 22:25
  • Thanks again - how can I find out the HDMI version? The laptop specs just say "HDMI" :/ Is the choice of which graphics card to use in my hands? I thought the OS/drivers took control. It'd be great to force the GT750M. Nov 28, 2014 at 23:07
  • You will probably have to call/email/chat with dell to get the hdmi version number as the manual is vague and unhelpful. You can force it to use the Intel or Nvidia graphics. You may have to go into the BIOS to do this.
    – cybernard
    Nov 29, 2014 at 3:06

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