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March 20th, 2026 17:53
Can I get an Inspiron 15-3520 (without the USB-C port) to support a 4K display monitor?
I have a Dell Inspiron 15-3520, bought in 2023,. It does not have the USB-C port hence a second monitor can only be connected via the HDMI 1.4 port which provides at best 1920x1080 at 60Hz. This HDMI port does not offer 3840 x 2160 resolution, even at the lower rate of 30Hz.
I have an older laptop, a Dell Inspiron 15-5570, bought in 2019. This one does have a USB-C 3.1 (with DP). It does support a 3840 x 2160 resolution at 60Hz.
My question is...is there anything I can do to get the Inspiron 15-3520 (without the USB-C port) to support a 4K display monitor? Any external adapter I could get? Or, Any external Dell USB Hub I could get?
Your help is much appreciated.
Steve
ejn63
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March 20th, 2026 18:16
A displaylink adapter (which uses software drivers to overcome the hardware limitations) should work.
Example:
https://plugable.com/products/usbc-6950u?srsltid=AfmBOookQ8QFx2Dc_cFScRfXJocN1FdcHI4HFTEqZkL-XM7OH3x3v2cO
stevij
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March 20th, 2026 18:45
@ejn63 Thanks for the suggestion, but I cannot see the option from Pluggable, that converts my DELL laptop's display output via an HDMI 1.4 port, into either HDMI 1.4 or USB-C (with DisplayPort 1.4 Alt Mode) as input ports for a 4k Monitor (the DELL S2725QC). It's a lot of money for the Pluggable adapter and so I need to be sure it will work.
ejn63
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March 20th, 2026 18:57
A displaylink adapter is your only option -- there is no other way to make a 4K connection to this budget notebook. If one of these won't work, you will need a more capable system.