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Work From Home FAQ

The Monoprice Technical Support team is well trained and fully qualified to help you determine exactly what you need, but we wanted to put together a brief overview of some frequently asked questions you may have.

What is Thunderbolt 3? 

  • Thunderbolt 3 is a multipurpose hardware standard developed by Intel®. It uses a USB Type-C® connector, but the interface can carry video, data, and up to 100W of power. 

  • Thunderbolt 3 ports are identified with a Thunderbolt logo next to the port. 

  • Thunderbolt 3 supports up to 40Gbpbandwidth and up to two 4K monitors at 60Hz refresh rates on a single connection. 

What is MST?  

  • Multi Stream Transport (MST) allows you to extend your computer screen to multiple displays, using a single connection. MST is typically supported only on Windows® PCs with MST specific hardwareCheck your PC's specs for compatibility, as not all computers support MST. 

What if I have an Apple Mac? 

  • Unless your Mac® is equipped with Thunderbolt 3 connection, you can only extend the desktop to a second monitor and mirror the main display on third monitor. Most Macs are equipped with MST hardware, but MST is not functional due to software limitations. 

What is HDMI, DVI, and DisplayPort? 

Most modern monitors and display adapters are equipped with one or more HDMI®, DVI™, or DisplayPort® video connections. In addition to video, HDMI and DisplayPort connections support multichannel audio streams. Check your video card and monitor for the type(s) of video connections available. The following images illustrate the main video interfaces.                                                                                                    HDMI                                                                                              DisplayPort                                                                                                         VGA                                                                                                    DVI

                                                                                     USB-C/Thunderbolt 3  

  • Converters and adapter cables between the different video standards are available, as well. HDMI, DVI, and DisplayPort have very similar video signals and timings, and in many cases a simple cable or passive adapter is all that is needed to adapt one standard to another. 


Apple®, Mac®, OS X®, and Lightning® are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. 

HDMI®, the HDMI Logo, and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC in the United States and other countries. 

DisplayPort® and the DisplayPort® logo are registered trademarks of the Video Electronics Standards Association. 

DVI™ is a trademark of the Digital Display Working Group. 

USB Type-C® and USB-C® are trademarks of USB Implementers Forum, Inc. 

Intel®, Thunderbolt™, Thunderbolt™ 3, and the Thunderbolt logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or other countries. 

Wi-Fi® and Wi-Fi Alliance® are registered trademarks of Wi-Fi Alliance. 

AMD® is a registered trademark of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. FreeSync™ is a trademark of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. 

Microsoft® and Windows® are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. 



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