Daisy-chaining monitors in your workspace can be very convenient. It’s one of the best ways to make the most out of your workspace without getting messy, especially if you work in a tight space. So, how do you daisy chain monitors safely? Should you do it?
Daisy-chaining monitors makes your workspace cleaner by reducing the number of cables you plug into your PC. First, plug the monitors into power and use a DisplayPort or Thunderbolt cable to connect your PC to monitor 1. Then, use another cable to connect monitor 1 to monitor 2.
If you’re putting together a multi-monitor setup, daisy-chaining your displays is the way to go. Now, let’s get into the details and learn how to daisy chain multiple monitors together, then finish by looking at the benefits of daisy-chaining.
How Do You Daisy Chain Multiple Monitors Together?
There are two ways of daisy-chaining multiple monitors together: DisplayPort and Thunderbolt. First, you need the right cables for the job. You also have to confirm that your PC has an output port of either type and that the monitors have both input and output ports of the same kind.
What Cables Do You Need to Daisy Chain Monitors?
You’ll need DisplayPort cables to connect the monitors and one DisplayPort cable to connect your first monitor to your host.
It would be best to go for high-quality DisplayPort 1.4 cables (on Amazon) to get the most feature-rich cable on the market. If you’re daisy-chaining via Thunderbolt, get a Thunderbolt cable (on Amazon) for the setup.
You can also get braided cables to make your gaming setup look more stylish and ensure the cables have the longest life possible. The braided outer coating offers added flexibility, preventing kinking, and provides an extra layer of protection from an unanticipated impact damaging the cable core.
How to DisplayPort Daisy Chain
Setting up a daisy chain using DisplayPort is a straightforward task. Here’s how:
- Check that your GPU can support DisplayPort v1.2 MST. If it can’t, download a driver.
- Plug your monitors into a power source and ensure you’ve securely connected the power cables.
- Connect your computer to DisplayPort In on the first monitor using a DisplayPort cable.
- Use another DisplayPort cable to connect DisplayPort Out on the first monitor to DisplayPort In on the second monitor.
- You can daisy chain additional monitors by following a similar sequence- use a DisplayPort cable to connect DisplayPort Out on the second monitor to DisplayPort In on the third monitor, and so on.
If you use Windows 10 on your PC, it may not recognize your daisy-chained monitors straight away, or it may recognize them in an incorrect configuration. For instance, it may perceive the screen on your left as the screen on your right. You can quickly adjust the display settings on your PC to fix this issue.
How to Thunderbolt Daisy Chain
The daisy chain connection via the Thunderbolt port is similar to DisplayPort daisy-chaining. Here’s how to set it up:
- First, confirm that your GPU can support MST. Download a driver if it can’t.
- Plug all your monitors into a power.
- Use a Thunderbolt cable to connect your PC to the first monitor.
- Use another Thunderbolt cable to connect the first monitor to the second monitor.
- Add the other monitors in the same way. Thunderbolt typically enables you to daisy chain up to six or seven independent monitors.
Alternatively, you can run a Thunderbolt daisy chain using a Thunderbolt docking station. Plug each monitor into the Thunderbolt dock using the Thunderbolt cables, then connect the dock to your computer. Your PC should recognize your monitors.
The dock method is less space-efficient than the standard Thunderbolt daisy chain method because a swarm of cables will be plugged into your dock. However, it’s still beneficial, as you can easily connect several monitors to your computer using a single Thunderbolt connection.
Additionally, the Thunderbolt is super-quick and can transfer a lot of data, so it might be a better option if you’re dealing with intensive software on more than one monitor.
Note: While Windows OS laptops support daisy-chaining through both DisplayPort and Thunderbolt, MacBooks only support daisy-chaining via Thunderbolt. Also, daisy-chaining isn’t supported via USB or HDMI ports. Moreover, you can only connect one external display using a Mac with the M1 or M2 chips.
Is it Good to Daisy Chain Monitors?
Daisy-chaining monitors has several benefits, including the following:
Fewer and Shorter Cables
A daisy chain reduces the number of cables you plug into your computer, making it easier to maintain a clean and spacious workspace. You concentrate better when your work area is clean, and your productivity will improve by daisy-chaining.
Using short DisplayPort cables between monitors rather than several long cables reduces the total wire length, eventually cutting down on the amount of PVC plastic used and discarded carelessly.
You Can Link Other Devices
A daisy chain isn’t only limited to connecting multiple monitors. It also allows you to link external hard drives and other devices on the same chain if you’re daisy-chaining devices using Thunderbolt connectors.
This makes it especially helpful to creative pros as they can use daisy-chaining to connect monitors with RAID-optimized hard drives on the same setup.
It Lets You Have Multiple Monitors
Daisy-chaining enables you to connect monitors quicker and easier, especially if your computer is in a confined area, as you only need to connect one display cable to the PC.
Having two or more monitors makes it simpler to carry out in-depth tasks. For example, you can research on one screen while you type, enter data, or video conference on another.
Daisy-chaining doesn’t affect a monitor’s refresh rate (excluding 5-megapixel monitors), even on high-performance monitors.
Computer graphics boards only require a single DisplayPort output to connect multiple monitors. This makes daisy-chaining ideal for laptop and small-PC users as they often have limited outputs.
Decreases the Likelihood of Accidents
It’s less likely for someone to accidentally pull out cables in a daisy chain because the DisplayPort cable has a clip that connects it to the terminal. This comes in handy if you’re dealing with time-sensitive information.
Does Daisy Chaining Reduce Performance?
Daisy chaining is helpful, but the performance diminishes as you go further down the chain. Research carried out by computer experts using SanDisk Extreme 900 USB 3.1 Gen 2 Portable SSD proved it.
In the first test, they connected the portable SSD directly to the Thunderbolt 3 port of the testbed. They then ran CrystalDiskMark with Alpine Ridge acting as a pure USB 3.1 Gen 2 host. In the second test, the experts connected the portable SSD to the free Thunderbolt 3 port on the Thunder3 Duo Pro furthest from the testbed.
The results indicated a significant drop in performance as the chain went further and further away from the central system.