If you want to create a multi-monitor setup on your computer in the most streamlined way possible, then you should read about DisplayPort's Multi-Stream Transport (MST).
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Multi-Stream Transport (MST) is a unique feature of DisplayPort that allows multiple external displays to be easily connected to a single system.
The purpose of MST is to simplify the process of connecting multiple displays to a system and reduce the amount of cabling required to achieve it. The connection can be made in two ways: via an MST hub or by daisy-chaining the displays and can work with both traditional DisplayPort cables and Alt-Mode DisplayPort via USB-C.
Let's see them in more detail:
What is Multi-Stream Transport
Where traditional, bulky laptops offered a range of ports for connecting external displays, modern laptops, as well as serious GPUs on desktops, are much more svelte, albeit with a much more limited array of ports.
The reduction in ports makes it more difficult to connect arrays of external displays, but Multi-Stream Transport technology simplifies this by making it easier to connect multiple displays to a single source device, such as a laptop with few display port options.
MST was developed in 2009 and first implemented in the DisplayPort 1.2 standard in 2010. Since then it has been part of each successive generation of DisplayPort and can be used with traditional DisplayPort cables and with USB-C cables using DisplayPort alt mode.
MST provides the ability to connect a source equipped with a single DisplayPort port to multiple displays with any port, so that you have a transmission of the total display divided into individual parts.
A DispalyPort port can be connected by transmitting the video to an MST-compatible hub, which then distributes the video to the connected displays, or it can be used to transmit video to the first display, which then transmits it with another cable to the next screen and so on, forming a cable chain of screens.
MST achieves home screen extension by splitting the video signal into multiple digital signals at the source, before transmitting them to the respective displays down the cable. This is quite different from single-stream transport (SST), which transmits only one stream of data to a connected display.
MST is supported by Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8 and Windows 7. It is also supported on Google's Chrome OS, but not supported by Mac OS and Linux. This limits Macs and Linux to a single external display when using DisplayPort, although from time to time Linux forums have reported various tricky patents to get MST to work on certain graphics cards.
The benefits of multi-stream transport
Multi-stream transport isn't the only way to run a multi-screen setup. There are gaming PCs with massive graphics cards that can output individual streams to individual monitors with ease, but for systems without multiple video outputs or for users who want to minimize cabling and optimize a multi-monitor setup, multi-stream transport is especially useful.
Compared to traditional single-stream transport, the benefits of MST are obvious. Multi-stream transport allows multiple displays connected to a central system that will display unique content, that is, they will expand the original display by dividing it into 4 or more displays and will not be simply copies of each other.
This is true for any laptop or desktop computer, but the advantages of MST can be seen especially clearly when you compare Windows and Linux laptops. Linux devices do not support MST and can only output one external display via DisplayPort or USB, Windows laptops can deliver the original signal to a multi-stream transport hub and from there to multiple displays or chain multiple displays together.
Non-MST computers and especially laptops can use multiple displays, but they can only copy the content of the first one to all the others, rather than extending the home screen or displaying additional content. Only if your machine has two graphics cards or one graphics card with two outputs, you will be able to see your two screens in extended and not mirrored.
Chain connection
A computer is connected from its DisplayPort port with a DisplayPort cable which on the other hand is connected to a display compatible with DisplayPort (according to the computer, i.e. the source, a Mini DisplayPort or USB-C port that has the DisplayPort alt function can be used) .
This display (which has two DisplayPorts) is then connected to a second DisplayPort-compatible display using the same type of cable, and a third display is connected to the second using the same technique, and so on.
This keeps cabling to an absolute minimum while still allowing each screen to display unique content, whether it's extending the home screen or showing something else entirely.
Connecting to a hub
With a hub-connected MST system, the original host system is connected to a DisplayPort hub with multi-stream transport, with a DisplayPort, Mini DisplayPort or USB-C cable, and then each of the subsequent displays is connected to its outputs of the hub through the same wiring.
This results in an extra cable compared to the chain system, but using a hub makes it easier to replace screens without breaking the chain.
MST hubs can also provide additional connection options such as HDMI. In any case, the host system must also support MST. With the hub you can connect up to 4 HDMI monitors or TVs.
Resolution and refresh rate support for any attached displays also depends on the graphics card or host chip. Higher refresh rates, such as 60Hz or higher, and higher resolutions, such as 4K and 8K, may require modern GPUs.
The real benefit of using a hub is that each monitor can be connected or disconnected without affecting the rest of the setup.
This makes it a great solution for stadiums, restaurant or hotel lobbies, trade shows etc where multiple screens may want to display different information in different parts of the building. By using a hub, it's much easier to replace a screen or change its configuration without canceling them all at once.
Set up multiple 4K displays with one MST Hub
The first step is to buy a high-quality MST hub that can handle three 4K displays or more at the same time.
Not all can do this, so make sure what you buy is right for your job. You'll also need at least three DisplayPort 1.2 or later cables to support 4K resolution, and a host system that supports MST and has a modern GPU with a DisplayPort connection.
Once you have all the necessary hardware, setting up most MST hubs on Windows is relatively simple. Connect the MST hub to your host system's DisplayPort port, and if external power is required, plug it in and turn it on.
Next, you need to connect your MST-compatible displays to the MST hub. This can be done with DisplayPort, Mini DisplayPort, USB-C or Thunderbolt cables, depending on the hub and available video inputs on the displays themselves.
When everything else is ready, turn on the host system. It's possible that screens other than the first one won't show anything until you get to Windows, but from there they should be recognized and show the content you've chosen for them.
If this is your first time using this setting, they may default to duplicating the home screen, so if you want them to extend it or show unique content, you'll need to set it manually in Windows.
If the displays still don't do what you want, consider updating your graphics card drivers to the latest version to see if that fixes the problem. And a Windows update never hurts.
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