tldr; I want a new laptop, but I don’t know if I’ll like 4k screens enough to pay extra. Is 4k all that nifty? Also, USB C apparently allows a laptop to utilize desktop GPUs. Is it also possible with USB C, and some adapters, to use the laptop screen as a secondary monitor for a separate desktop PC?
I’m in the market for a new laptop and noticed many offer 4K displays. Usually, these displays are touchscreen and add something like $300 to the price tag, so I’ve ignored them. However, certain Alienware models have 4K nontouch displays that add $200 instead. The Alienware 4k screens are also IGZO displays that cover 99% AdobeRGB color space, and are apparently quite sexy.
Maybe it’s time to finally jump into the spacious 4K world. I use two monitors with my desktop (one 1080p and one uh… smaller) and I’ve always been happy, but I’ve been wondering more and more what it might be like if one of them was a 4K monitor. Is the extra resolution really all that handy? How does windows 10 handle UI scaling with Adobe Premiere and Photoshop right now?
Then I really got thinking- the new trend with laptops is to have a separate box to plug desktop graphics in for extra power. The Razor Blade Stealth and Alienware both have such a device. It’s a nifty idea, and I may or may not care for it down the road.
The Razor graphics box will connect to the laptop through USB type C, and that’s apparently all it needs to provide power and GPU processing to the laptop. I’ll be honest, I know little about USB C, but apparently it’s dope. The Alienware models also have USB type C, according to the Dell/Alienware website. So now I’m wondering what USB C can do. Specifically, can the USB C utilize some sort of adapter and/or software magic to allow the laptop itself to act as a secondary dummy display for a different computer? In other words, can I plug my desktop into a laptop with USB C and make that laptop become the desktop’s bit- I mean secondary monitor?