Dual monitors through 1 HDMI port

Question

I currently have a Dell Studio XPS 13 laptop connected to a 24" HP monitor (w2448hc). Im thinking on getting a second one, however am wondering what i need for the setup (hardware wise).

Also I was wondering it there is any down side to it, or something i should be aware of. For example, image quality loss, GPU overloading, or anything important I should know. More than anything Im interested in your advice.

Also the monitors do have built in speakers (HDMI sound output), is the sound going to be reproduced by only one monitor or both?

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Specs

• Model: Dell Studio XPS 13
• OS: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-Bit
• CPU: Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo P8600 (2.4GHz, 3MB L2 Cache, 1067MHz FSB)
• Chipset: NVIDIA® GeForce® MCP79MX
• RAM: 4GB 1067MHz DDR3 SDRAM
• Graphics: SLi NVIDIA® GeForce® 9500M - 256MB

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Thanks for your advice, if there is anything additional i need to buy an you have a personal preference pass the brand name so i can check it out. Thanks!

Answer 1

I don't think it's possible to drive more than one monitor from a single HDMI output. However, the Dell Studio XPS 13 has a DisplayPort connector, as well as VGA. So you could convert the laptop's DisplayPort output to DVI or HDMI, or directly connect the 2nd monitor with a VGA connector. Digital connectors (DVI or HDMI) are usually preferred, but it may be best to check with the manufacturer that the laptop can definitely drive an independent display from each digital output.