Connect your DIY eGPU to a USB-C display with this cable

Posted:
in General Discussion
This new $30 cable will allow you to use your own eGPU to connect to a USB-C display, instead of having to use a more expensive solution.




One of the problems with technological upgrades is that some older hardware with legacy connections are left behind and need to be replaced, despite being fully functional. One such component is the monitor, which can use adapters to change connection types, but the accumulation of adapters could be too much for some users.

The Bidirectional USB Type-C to DisplayPort Cable tries to solve this particular problem, with the 6-foot nylon-braided cable having a USB Type-C connection on one end and DisplayPort on the other. By offering both connections, this can allow an older monitor that uses DisplayPort 1.4 to be connected to a USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 connection directly, without needing an adapter.

Given that this cable is bi-directional, any given eGPU enclosure that holds a video card with a DisplayPort connection -- effectively all of them -- can accelerate a USB-C display.

The cable is compliant with DisplayPort 1.4 and VESA DisplayPort Alternate Mode 1.0a, allowing it to provide video at a resolution of up to 4K at 60Hz. The bidirectional conversion itself is performed between the HPD signal and Power Delivery VDM.

Monoprice is selling the Bidirectional USB Type-C to DisplayPort Cable for $29.99, in black.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 7
    So this cable will work with my LG Ultrafine 4K display and my 2018 15 inch MacBook Pro via a Razer Core X eGPU with AMD RX 5700 XT?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 7
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,861administrator
    ljc94512 said:
    So this cable will work with my LG Ultrafine 4K display and my 2018 15 inch MacBook Pro via a Razer Core X eGPU with AMD RX 5700 XT?
    Yup. That use case is specifically why we wrote this today.
    edited January 2020 watto_cobrachasm
  • Reply 3 of 7
    Isn't that a simple passive cable that uses an alternative DP-mode of a USB-C port? Got a similar one for $10 (but much uglier though) to connect external display to macbook pro. Worked fine with 1440p@144Hz.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 7
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,861administrator
    not_anton said:
    Isn't that a simple passive cable that uses an alternative DP-mode of a USB-C port? Got a similar one for $10 (but much uglier though) to connect external display to macbook pro. Worked fine with 1440p@144Hz.
    Not all USB-C to DisplayPort cables are bidirectional. Most are unidirectional, specifically, only in the USB-C to DisplayPort direction.

    You couldn't take your cable and hook up a USB-C display to a DisplayPort GPU, for instance.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 7
    @Ljc94512, Other World Computing says that the RX 5700 XT does not yet work with MacOS, but the chart they display was last updated in October, so it /might/ work with Catalina. Just as an FYI. https://www.owcdigital.com/assets/products/mercury-helios-fx/helios-fx-compatibility-guide-owcsgdhfxgpucmp.pdf
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 7
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,861administrator
    bcarney said:
    @Ljc94512, Other World Computing says that the RX 5700 XT does not yet work with MacOS, but the chart they display was last updated in October, so it /might/ work with Catalina. Just as an FYI. https://www.owcdigital.com/assets/products/mercury-helios-fx/helios-fx-compatibility-guide-owcsgdhfxgpucmp.pdf
    The 5700XT does work with macOS Catalina.

    Source: Using one now.

    edited January 2020 watto_cobrachasm
  • Reply 7 of 7
    omasouomasou Posts: 573member
    Is this cable similar to the Moshi cable? Moshi says, "For bi-directional support, please check with the monitor manufacturer to ensure the monitor accepts a DisplayPort signal over USB-C (UFP_D pin assignment E)" is that the same thing as VESA DisplayPort Alternate Mode 1.0a?

    I'd like to hook up my Lenovo X250 doc with a full size Displayport port to a LG 24 Inch UltraFine 4K (24MD4KL-B).
    edited April 2020
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