They are not MST hubs. They are DP 1.1a based and should work with most any system. Several other vendors such as Dell and Matrox have had similar offerings for quite some time. They appear as a single larger display to the host system and then split the image and re-drive portions of it to the connected displays.
I'm pretty sure this isn't an MST hub and more like the Zotac dp to dual HDMI adapter . If it was an MST hub it wouldn't be limited to 1080p max per monitor but support up 2560x1600 at least
I thought "collage" refers to Intel's graphics drivers as a whole, more specifically to how they appear to be cobbled together from various pieces of scrap and then tossed away and later recycled in yet another collage.
If only they'd put similar effort into making sure their drivers were more compatible with D3D/OGL in general, instead of the rare few folks that will be using 4K capable display outputs in the first place.
Wouldn't it be perhaps easier to just get a Radeon HD 7750 for ~$100, and not have to worry about the whole adapter and driver mess, since an eyefinity setup like that is supported right out of the box. It's cool that this will now be possible with intel integrated, but that seems like it could be more trouble than its worth compared to the alternative.
Because it does't require a discrete graphics card to do so, and Intel's iGPU supports hardware 4k decoding, while most discrete graphics cards don't yet. I know for nVidia, only the high-end stuff like the 670+ claims 4K support.
Last I checked AMD's 4K decode was broken, but the ability to drive 2x2 displays was there. NVIDIA can handle decode with Kepler, but can't output to more than 3 displays in a single large surface configuration.
I would think this would work on any IVB motherboard that had at least 1 DisplayPort and 1 dual-link DVI output; there doesn't seem to be any need for Thunderbolt.
The advantage of this technology would for mobile devices or small form factor devices where adding GPU isn't an option for 4k resolution.
Then again, this is for Thunderbolt which could be used to add an external PCI-e chassis. You'd be limited to 4 PCI-e lanes of bandwidth but for most workloads this wouldn't be an issue.
It is kinda odd that this is appearing first on traditional desktop motherboards where such functionality would be better served by just getting a discrete card.
Am I the only one puzzled by the apple to oranges comparison here?!? Putting monitors next to each others is in no way equivalent to a single display, 4k or not. Am I the only one bothered by the 3 to 4" crossing the screen??
Nope. To me, this is just Intel's take on Eyefinity, so they are a couple years late. Comparing single monitor setups (which is what 4k to me means... one monitor with a vertical resolution of around 4k pixel) to a multi-monitor setup is just weird.
Depends on the price; has anything on that leaked yet?
Also there's no guarantee that just because it's available in a giant tablet/all in one that we'll be able to get it as a stand alone display without paying a gouge tax. ex The handful of 15" standalone capacitive touchscreen monitors are priced only just below a low end 15" touchscreen laptop.
Also, I'd really like something in the 30-35" range to replace my current 2560x1600 main monitor.
If the whole point of the exercise was to toss $1400 out trying to get a 40" 4K monitor setup, the first question is "Why not just get a 4K screen near the 27" mark for near the same price?" and "Why not just run a dual Catleap monitor setup since you want to be cheap anyway?" Just sayin.
The problem is that the LCD display market is bizarre right now, which was Ian's initial beef. There are a million 1920x1080 and a few 1920x1200 panels in the 21-27" range for $100-600, and then you jump up to 2560x1440 at 27 inches or 2560x1600 at 30 inches for $600-$3000 (unless you go the Achieva Shimian or Yamakasi Catleap route). The only 4K displays available are about $10,000, although Sharp has announced the 32" PN-K321 at 3840x2160 which is only supposed to cost a mere $5200 or so.
In terms of sheer pixels/$, you can get 8.3 MP of IPS goodness for only $580 right now. Pair that with a couple of the Lenovo DisplayPort to Dual-DisplayPort adapters at $80 a pop, $48 worth of cables from MonoPrice and an el-cheapo quad display mounting solution for around $100. You've got yourself a 43" 4K display for $888, so long as you can ignore the bezels running through the middle of the picture.
Those DisplayPort adapters look ALOT like the MST hubs that were teased to us when Radeon HD 6000 launched and are still vaporware.
Does this mean that those are finally going to come to market? If so I consider this a much bigger deal than Intel finally figuring out how to do Eyefinity....
These aren't MST hubs as they'll work with DP 1.1a.
Though MST hubs likely depart from their vaporware status this year. The components are out there as several monitors have built-in MST hubs for DP chaining now.
1. Strip the bezels. 2. Cut and join the bezels to create a large bezel for the quad. 3. Remove the portions of the rear casing that block the LCD panel from adjoining. 4. Move any electronics that was there. 5. Create a very thin, clear-lipped bezel for LCD panel touch edge-to-edge. (think clear-plastic keyboard cover type material.
For this to work you'd need monitors with minimal electronic controls, or ones where they could easily be moved/removed without damaging the structure.
Now imagine 4x Dell U2412M with hardly visible centre bezels!! Please somebody do it!
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zdw - Friday, January 11, 2013 - link
Any idea if those Lenovo Displayport to Dual Displayport adapters will work with most any system?I know a lot of Mac users who want that functionality.
DanNeely - Friday, January 11, 2013 - link
More generally, are these two port MST hubs, or something else?repoman27 - Friday, January 11, 2013 - link
They are not MST hubs. They are DP 1.1a based and should work with most any system. Several other vendors such as Dell and Matrox have had similar offerings for quite some time. They appear as a single larger display to the host system and then split the image and re-drive portions of it to the connected displays.SunLord - Friday, January 11, 2013 - link
I'm pretty sure this isn't an MST hub and more like the Zotac dp to dual HDMI adapter . If it was an MST hub it wouldn't be limited to 1080p max per monitor but support up 2560x1600 at leastArnulf - Friday, January 11, 2013 - link
I thought "collage" refers to Intel's graphics drivers as a whole, more specifically to how they appear to be cobbled together from various pieces of scrap and then tossed away and later recycled in yet another collage.powerarmour - Friday, January 11, 2013 - link
Touché...If only they'd put similar effort into making sure their drivers were more compatible with D3D/OGL in general, instead of the rare few folks that will be using 4K capable display outputs in the first place.
frogger4 - Friday, January 11, 2013 - link
Wouldn't it be perhaps easier to just get a Radeon HD 7750 for ~$100, and not have to worry about the whole adapter and driver mess, since an eyefinity setup like that is supported right out of the box. It's cool that this will now be possible with intel integrated, but that seems like it could be more trouble than its worth compared to the alternative.ImSpartacus - Friday, January 11, 2013 - link
Yes, I want to know why this is better than Eyefinity.Guspaz - Friday, January 11, 2013 - link
Because it does't require a discrete graphics card to do so, and Intel's iGPU supports hardware 4k decoding, while most discrete graphics cards don't yet. I know for nVidia, only the high-end stuff like the 670+ claims 4K support.repoman27 - Friday, January 11, 2013 - link
Last I checked AMD's 4K decode was broken, but the ability to drive 2x2 displays was there. NVIDIA can handle decode with Kepler, but can't output to more than 3 displays in a single large surface configuration.I would think this would work on any IVB motherboard that had at least 1 DisplayPort and 1 dual-link DVI output; there doesn't seem to be any need for Thunderbolt.
powerarmour - Friday, January 11, 2013 - link
My GTX 650 seems to decode 4K test video fine, so I assume all Kepler hardware does.nathanddrews - Friday, January 11, 2013 - link
All Kepler GPUs support 4K.Kevin G - Friday, January 11, 2013 - link
The advantage of this technology would for mobile devices or small form factor devices where adding GPU isn't an option for 4k resolution.Then again, this is for Thunderbolt which could be used to add an external PCI-e chassis. You'd be limited to 4 PCI-e lanes of bandwidth but for most workloads this wouldn't be an issue.
It is kinda odd that this is appearing first on traditional desktop motherboards where such functionality would be better served by just getting a discrete card.
vicbee - Friday, January 11, 2013 - link
Am I the only one puzzled by the apple to oranges comparison here?!? Putting monitors next to each others is in no way equivalent to a single display, 4k or not. Am I the only one bothered by the 3 to 4" crossing the screen??Death666Angel - Friday, January 11, 2013 - link
Nope. To me, this is just Intel's take on Eyefinity, so they are a couple years late. Comparing single monitor setups (which is what 4k to me means... one monitor with a vertical resolution of around 4k pixel) to a multi-monitor setup is just weird.mfenn - Friday, January 11, 2013 - link
Agree. This is nothing new, AMD and Nvidia been able to do this for years.RamarC - Friday, January 11, 2013 - link
Panasonic showed a 20" 4K win8 tablet CES. so a 20" 4K monitor should be ready by late summer.http://ces.cnet.com/8301-34439_1-57562882/panasoni...
DanNeely - Friday, January 11, 2013 - link
Depends on the price; has anything on that leaked yet?Also there's no guarantee that just because it's available in a giant tablet/all in one that we'll be able to get it as a stand alone display without paying a gouge tax. ex The handful of 15" standalone capacitive touchscreen monitors are priced only just below a low end 15" touchscreen laptop.
Also, I'd really like something in the 30-35" range to replace my current 2560x1600 main monitor.
Paulman - Friday, January 11, 2013 - link
There's Ian, for you... he's like Panasonic: just slightly ahead of our time...Death666Angel - Friday, January 11, 2013 - link
That's DR. Ian Cutress. :DPaulman - Friday, January 11, 2013 - link
Sorry, I forgot. He's a REAL doctor, too (PhD). Not one of those MBBS/MD's (physicians) ;)IanCutress - Sunday, January 13, 2013 - link
Technically D.Phil., but only because Oxford does it a bit differently. :)Ammaross - Friday, January 11, 2013 - link
If the whole point of the exercise was to toss $1400 out trying to get a 40" 4K monitor setup, the first question is "Why not just get a 4K screen near the 27" mark for near the same price?" and "Why not just run a dual Catleap monitor setup since you want to be cheap anyway?" Just sayin.repoman27 - Friday, January 11, 2013 - link
The problem is that the LCD display market is bizarre right now, which was Ian's initial beef. There are a million 1920x1080 and a few 1920x1200 panels in the 21-27" range for $100-600, and then you jump up to 2560x1440 at 27 inches or 2560x1600 at 30 inches for $600-$3000 (unless you go the Achieva Shimian or Yamakasi Catleap route). The only 4K displays available are about $10,000, although Sharp has announced the 32" PN-K321 at 3840x2160 which is only supposed to cost a mere $5200 or so.In terms of sheer pixels/$, you can get 8.3 MP of IPS goodness for only $580 right now. Pair that with a couple of the Lenovo DisplayPort to Dual-DisplayPort adapters at $80 a pop, $48 worth of cables from MonoPrice and an el-cheapo quad display mounting solution for around $100. You've got yourself a 43" 4K display for $888, so long as you can ignore the bezels running through the middle of the picture.
scook9 - Friday, January 11, 2013 - link
Those DisplayPort adapters look ALOT like the MST hubs that were teased to us when Radeon HD 6000 launched and are still vaporware.Does this mean that those are finally going to come to market? If so I consider this a much bigger deal than Intel finally figuring out how to do Eyefinity....
Kevin G - Friday, January 11, 2013 - link
These aren't MST hubs as they'll work with DP 1.1a.Though MST hubs likely depart from their vaporware status this year. The components are out there as several monitors have built-in MST hubs for DP chaining now.
repoman27 - Friday, January 11, 2013 - link
I was going to mention that the Dell UltraSharp U2713H and U2913WM have DP 1.2 HBR and MST capabilities. Are there any others yet?erson - Saturday, January 12, 2013 - link
You can add U2413 to that list.pvdw - Friday, January 11, 2013 - link
Here's how I'd do it if I had the time.1. Strip the bezels.
2. Cut and join the bezels to create a large bezel for the quad.
3. Remove the portions of the rear casing that block the LCD panel from adjoining.
4. Move any electronics that was there.
5. Create a very thin, clear-lipped bezel for LCD panel touch edge-to-edge. (think clear-plastic keyboard cover type material.
For this to work you'd need monitors with minimal electronic controls, or ones where they could easily be moved/removed without damaging the structure.
Now imagine 4x Dell U2412M with hardly visible centre bezels!! Please somebody do it!