Desk Hookup planner
Turn the laptop into a desktop.
Plan every cable from your laptop to your monitors: which port goes to which input, what to buy, and whether the resolution and refresh rate you want actually fit through it.
Free planner for two monitors. Desk Pass $1.95 a month or $19.50 a year: free during preview, nothing is charged.
12.54 Gbps
The least a 3840 × 2160 picture at 60 Hz needs, 8-bit colour (reduced blanking; TV timing over HDMI needs more).
8.16 Gbps
All HDMI 1.4 carries. That 4K picture stops at 30 Hz there (6.18 Gbps).
2 of 4
DisplayPort lanes left for video on a USB-C hub that also has USB 3 ports.
How it works
Three questions, one plan.
- 01
What can the laptop send?
Count its HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C and Thunderbolt ports. The Port Guide shows how to tell a video USB-C port from a charging-only one.
- 02
What can each monitor take?
Resolution, refresh rate, colour depth and the inputs on its back: HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C or Thunderbolt.
- 03
What fits through which cable?
The planner tries every pairing, picks the one where each picture fits with the fewest adapters, and lists the cables to buy.
Worked example, from the real planner
A laptop with HDMI and two Thunderbolt ports, a fast 27-inch and a 4K monitor.
1 HDMI (HDMI 2.0), 2 Thunderbolt 4 / USB4
The 144 Hz monitor's HDMI 1.4 input cannot carry its full speed (14.08 Gbps against 8.16), so the planner sends it DisplayPort over USB-C instead and keeps the HDMI port for the 4K screen.
-
Left 27-inch 2560 × 1440 at 144 Hz
FitsThunderbolt 4 / USB4 port 1USB-C to DisplayPort cable, rated 2560 × 1440 at 144 HzDisplayPort in (DisplayPort 1.2)
Needs 14.08 Gbps of 17.28 Gbps through DisplayPort 1.2 · 19% to spare
-
Right 4K 3840 × 2160 at 60 Hz
FitsHDMI port (HDMI 2.0)Premium High Speed HDMI cableHDMI in (HDMI 2.0)
Needs 12.54 Gbps of 14.40 Gbps through HDMI 2.0 · 13% to spare at the leanest timing (many laptops use TV timing over HDMI, which needs more)
Port Guide
Know the socket before you buy the cable.
- HDMI
- DisplayPort
- Mini DisplayPort
- USB-C
- USB-A (no picture)
Pricing
Free for one desk. Desk Pass for the whole house.
Free
$0
No account, no email.
Desk Pass
$1.95/month
or $19.50 a year (two months free). Free during preview: nothing is charged.
| Feature | Free | Desk Pass |
|---|---|---|
| Hookup Planner: port to input, cable, Gbps check, flags | ● | ● |
| Monitors in one plan | 2 | 4 |
| "One cable instead?" hub and dock check | ● | ● |
| Signal Check and Port Guide | ● | ● |
| Desks saved in your Desk Book | 1 | 10 |
| Printable Hookup Card with cable labels | – | ● |
| Shopping list as CSV | – | ● |
Questions people ask
Why does my 4K monitor only run at 30 Hz?
Usually because the link is HDMI 1.4 (on the laptop, the monitor or an adapter). HDMI 1.4 carries 8.16 Gbps of picture; 3840 × 2160 at 60 Hz needs at least 12.5. An HDMI 2.0 port and a Premium High Speed cable, or a DisplayPort or USB-C video path, carries 60 Hz.
Why do both monitors show the same picture on my Mac?
Many USB-C hubs put several screens on one DisplayPort link using MST. macOS does not support MST, so every screen behind such a hub mirrors. Separate ports, or a Thunderbolt dock, give each screen its own stream, up to the number of displays your Mac supports.
Do you sell cables or get paid for recommending them?
No. The shopping list names cable types only, with no shops and no links. Any cable of the right type works.
How sure is the answer?
The planner uses the published maximum rates of each standard and the VESA timing formula most monitors use. Real ports can be slower than their standard allows: when your laptop's or monitor's spec page says something different, the spec page wins.