Need help regarding Mini DP 1.2 to USB-C adapters in Vive Pro.

[NightOwl]

Hello! I bought a Vive Pro a few months ago, and I realized that my laptop didn't have the right ports. It had an HDMI port, which I thought would work. So, I got a suitable cable for it, but it obviously didn't work. My second option was a USB-C port. I've been searching for a while online, and talked to live support about it but I've always gotten uncertain answers. Live support told me that they don't recommend adapters as they normally don't work for the Vive Pro, but I see people online able to use USB-C and such. I'm having trouble finding a suitable adapter for my Vive Pro from Mini DP 1.2 to USB 3.1 type c. I would appreciate it if any of you could help me find it or maybe clarify some things I might have misunderstood. Thank you, much appreciated.

[HackPerception]

, 

 

I have a couple of notes on on this:

• The Vive Pro is a Displayport 1.2+ device. Your GPU must have a port capable of outputting DP1.2+ signaling. This requirement is listed as a system requirement on all marketing pages and store pages.
  • Most current gen HMDs have the same requirement such as Valve Index, Oculus S, Pimax 5/8K, ect... If your laptop ends up not being compatible with Pro, it will by default be incompatible with these other HMDs.
• HDMI is not capable of delivering the bandwidth required to drive the Pro - you cannot drive a Pro via an HDMI port using any combination of adapter, cable, ect...
• USB-C is extra tricky because OEMs can integrate them a number of different ways. You first need to first look up the spec sheet for your specific model of laptop and confirm if the USB-C port is capable of supporting DP1.2 signaling and if the USB-C jack is wired to the dedicated GPU. In many cases, especially with budget laptops, that USB-C port will only be wired to the integrated graphics or will not 
  • If your laptop's USB-C port will output DP1.2+, here is an adapter that's known to work with Pro. It will only work if your laptop is compatible.
  • If you can't confirm, reach out to your laptop's OEM to have them confirm if the port is wired to support DP1.2+ via the dGPU. 
• Laptops need extra umphf because they're not as powerful as their PC equivalent. In most cases, you need a GTX1070 to run a Vive Pro on a laptop due to thermal throttling, a 1060 usually dosen't cut it (but it depends). Your laptop should have a MiniDP port if it's a modern gaming laptop with a dGPU. 

[MatteoM]

Hello,
Thanks @VibrantNebula for your very informative post. I have nearly the same problem as @NightOwl. I have a state of the art laptop (with a Geforce 2070 Max-Q GPU, Intel i9, ...) with no displayport. However I live in Western Europe and the adapter suggested is not available anywhere close by. Could you please suggest other adapters that have been shown to work with HTC Vive Pro? Or a guide on the minimum specifications needed for it to work?

In my case, I am sure that the issue comes from the adapter since I can use the docking station of my laptop as an USB-C to Display port converter and everything runs smoothly, but for the mobile platform (used to demonstrate the softwares that my group develops), the compact DP1.2++ adapter that I have purchased (https://www.digitec.ch/en/s1/product/club-3d-usb-c-zu-dp-10cm-notebook-adapters-5711550) doesn't work (I get huge image latencies even on commercial VR games running at 400 FPS on the laptop, based on GeForce Experience indicators).
Thanks in advance

[HackPerception]

@MatteoM - The Club3D Adapter you linked is the most reliable of the third party USB-C adapters we've tested firsthand. The specs you're looking for are Displayport 1.2+ support, with support for 4K@60fps with a bandwidth greater than 20gbps. Your USB-C port specifically needs to be physically wired to work with the Nvidia card and the port must support DP 1.2+ signaling.

Laptops are incredibly complex since there's so many models of them. On some laptops like Razer's, there are special BIOS settings you need to alter. .

I'd  recommend going into the PhyX panel within your Nvidia control panel and posting a screenshot of it back here before trying to source an adapter. This will show you the port mapping of your PC to the internal hardware. I've posted an example below of a laptop where the Minidisplayport is hooked up to the Nvidia card but the USB-C is only hooked up to the Intel card.

• If the port mapping shows that your USB-C port is not hooked up to your discrete GPU and only your Intel integrated graphics, your PC is unfortunately incompatible with any Displayport 1.2+ driven headset including Cosmos, Pro, Rift S, and Index. You'd be limited to first-gen HDMI driven headsets.

Contacting your laptops OEM for confirmation of laptop's capabilities to support

 

[MatteoM]

@VibrantNebula Thank you for your fast and detailed answer. Your support is greatly appreciated.
If useful, the laptop is a Gigabyte Aero 15-x9. I don't have access to the Vive HMD today (I can post an update with it tomorrow), but here is the print-screen demanded, with 2 screens connected to the USB-C docking station. To my understanding everything is going straight through the Dedicated GPU. Shall I check something in the BIOS?


 

[MatteoM]

On 5/7/2020 at 5:35 PM, MatteoM said:

@VibrantNebula Thank you for your fast and detailed answer. Your support is greatly appreciated.
If useful, the laptop is a Gigabyte Aero 15-x9. I don't have access to the Vive HMD today (I can post an update with it tomorrow), but here is the print-screen demanded, with 2 screens connected to the USB-C docking station. To my understanding everything is going straight through the Dedicated GPU. Shall I check something in the BIOS?


 

Solved, I needed to swap the USB-Cs not all were going through the GPU. When I do set the adapter on the right port it works fluidly. Thanks for the explanation.

[salalsalman]

Hello @VibrantNebula

I have the same issue, I bought HTC Vive Pro and my laptop has RTX 2070 Super, and has a USB Type-C with Display port 1.4, But I don't know if its physically wired to Nvidia graphic card or not?

I'm sharing a screen shot of Configure Sourround, PhysX. 

Please don't tell me that my laptop is incompatible with Vive Pro, as I have purchased this laptop specifically for HTC Vive Pro. 😢

 

P.S there is an unusual thing, the Nvidia Control Panel states that my GPU has Display Port and HDMI, yet I only have HDMI !!

 

 

[HackPerception]

@salalsalman - That photo doesn't bode well unfortunately. The only real way to get confirmation about this is to get the exact make/model of your laptop and ask the manufacturer for a definitive answer. The Displayport in that diagram may be hardwired to the laptop's screen if you don't have a miniDisplay port on there somewhere.

It's important to note that it's not just that that laptop would be incompatible with Vive Pro - it would be compatible with all current gen headsets that are driven by Displayport (Index, Rift S, Pimax, ect...)

[salalsalman]

@VibrantNebula  Thanks for the prompt reply.

I understand. When I purchased the laptop "ASUS ROG Strix Scar 15 (2020)" it stated the it is Virtual Reality Ready. Also it states that (USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 port, which also serves as a DisplayPort 1.4 input) see attached.

 

Anyways, I bought this https://www.amazon.sa/-/en/DisplayPort-CHOETECH-MacBook-وGalaxy-Thunderbolt/dp/B073W6QWY5/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=mini+displayport+to+type+c&qid=1596751598&sr=8-2, I hope it works.

[HackPerception]

@salalsalman, The port might support DP1.2+ but it's useless unless the port can directly talk to the Nvidia GPU, it's not helpful. That cable seems like it meets the criteria on paper (4K @ 60hz) but I haven never seen a user report specific to that cable or brand.