Question can a thunderbolt 3 to dvi cable be able to display 144hz?

[SuitoMitarashi]

so i have the Acer GN246HL and a Dell G5 15 5587 and the hdmi port on the monitor only goes up to 60hz and im just wondering if i could buy a thunderbolt 3 to dvi to make my monitor be able to display 144hz?

 

[boju]

Unfortunately not mate sorry. If there were TB3 to DVI DL adapters then yes but they're all SL.

More info here;

Guide to Display Cables / Adapters (v2)

Glenwings Guide to Display Cables / Adapters (v2) This Revision: 2.5.0 (2020-01-16) This is a guide intended to assist with the selection of cables and adapters. It covers the different types of DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI, VGA, and USB-C cables, as well as every possible combination of adapters betwe...

linustechtips.com

If laptop had mini Displayport, then there's a good chance an active DP to DVI DL adapter would work but don't think the laptop has one.

 

[Glenwing]

Actually I just tested this adapter: https://www.amazon.com/CAC-1510-DVI-D-Active-Adapter-1600P/dp/B07QKM856C/

And can confirm it is a true dual-link DVI adapter, and works up to 1080p 144 Hz. I'll update my guide soon to include it. Even true dual-link adapters don't always work on that monitor though, it's rather finicky. So it's a bit of a gamble whether it would work for you.

 

[boju]

Oh sweet.

Are you going to update your guide to include that adapter Glenwing? Or is it there and i missed it?

 

[Glenwing]

Oh sweet.

Are you going to update your guide to include that adapter Glenwing? Or is it there and i missed it?

It's not there yet, I need to add it

 

[Karadjgne]

That's a type-C usb to dvi-dual adapter. I know tb3 can act as usb, but usb can't act as tb3, so would that apply to the adapter as well? Can it handle tb3 or only USB?

 

[Glenwing]

That's a type-C usb to dvi-dual adapter. I know tb3 can act as usb, but usb can't act as tb3, so would that apply to the adapter as well? Can it handle tb3 or only USB?

All TB3 outputs support USB DP Alt Mode as well, so will work with any USB Type-C adapter.

 

[Karadjgne]

Right. Exactly. The pc/laptop is the tb3 output. The adapter is USB input though, can it handle the difference is what I'm asking, as it's not a tb3-dvi dual adapter. Or will it choke the signal.

 

[Glenwing]

Right. Exactly. The pc/laptop is the tb3 output. The adapter is USB input though, can it handle the difference is what I'm asking, as it's not a tb3-dvi dual adapter. Or will it choke the signal.

Any USB Type-C adapter, including this one, will function identically in a TB3 output port as it would in a non-Thunderbolt USB-C host port.

 

[Karadjgne]

Thats what I'm trying to ask and you are missing. It's a type C adapter. USB. Is it going to be able to handle the full tb3 bandwidth, as a tb3-dvi adapter would or will it only be able to handle the USB allowable bandwidth which is like ¼ of what tb3 can carry. It's a USB-dvi dual adapter, regardless of the connector type, will it handle tb3, or will it be bottlenecked to USB standards.

 

[Glenwing]

Thats what I'm trying to ask and you are missing. It's a type C adapter. USB. Is it going to be able to handle the full tb3 bandwidth, as a tb3-dvi adapter would or will it only be able to handle the USB allowable bandwidth which is like ¼ of what tb3 can carry. It's a USB-dvi dual adapter, regardless of the connector type, will it handle tb3, or will it be bottlenecked to USB standards.

It′s a DVI adapter, so it's only going to support the capabilities within the limits of DVI. This particular adapter supports dual-link DVI with at least enough bandwidth for 1080p 144 Hz (≈8 Gbit/s).

USB-C DP Alt Mode is a passthrough from the video card, it's not limited by USB bandwidth, so whether the port supports 5 Gbit/s or 10 Gbit/s in USB transport is irrelevant, and similarly, asking which USB speed the adapter uses/supports is meaningless, since the video isn't transmitted via USB protocol. The adapter would need at minimum 4 lanes of HBR DisplayPort, which any system can provide.

TB3 devices can additionally use 8 lanes of DP, which normal USB-C DP Alt Mode cannot do. But DL-DVI doesn't need nearly that much bandwidth, so it's an irrelevant question really. It's like asking whether a 100 Mbit/s WiFi adapter supports USB 3.0 or is limited to USB 2.0 speeds.

The output is the limiting factor, it's not bottlenecked by the USB/TB3 input in either case.

 

[Karadjgne]

That's what I was looking for, thank you. I've seen similar adapters used, have a few myself, and really dislike not having answers when ppl ask, not just if it'll fit, but if it'll work as they need. 😊

 

[SuitoMitarashi]

All TB3 outputs support USB DP Alt Mode as well, so will work with any USB Type-C adapter.

So can i just buy an adapter for the dvi and give me 144hz?

 

[Glenwing]

So can i just buy an adapter for the dvi and give me 144hz?

If it's a genuine dual link adapter like the one I linked above, then yes.