Hey guys, I am hoping to get some ideas for a laptop + docking station that can support at least 1, but hopefully 2x 4k monitors.

I won't be gaming at all, so it's not necessary that the laptop can run new games in really high FPS, just need normal windows capabilities/poker software to run fine (will definitely be buying a laptop with SSD).

Budget isn't an issue, but I obviously don't want to unnecessarily overspend on crazy specs since I won't be gaming.

Another option may be getting a 15-17" laptop with a 4k screen itself, then just pairing that with 1 4k external monitor.

Looking at this dock: http://www.amazon.com/CalDigit-Thund...TFQEZC674FNJAW

What laptops/configurations would you suggest to pair with that or a similar dock and run 1, preferably 2x 4k montiors with? Again, if that proves difficult I would consider the 4k laptop screen + 1 monitor option.

Thanks!

I would be really cautious about buying a laptop that's capable of doing 4k on its own built in panel.

For example, here's one with quite nice specs for I guess a decent price:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LT1JQ5Y

The issue here is 4k resolution on a 15" monitor is going to be impossible to read at 100% scale. If you jack it up to 200% then you have the same screen real estate as 1080p except things look clearer.

Scaling is also far from acceptable. A lot of programs can't handle it well.

For a lot of people the sweet spot for 4k resolution at 100% scale is 32". You could probably get by at 28" with really good vision if you sit close. Bumping to 125%ish scale is generally pretty reasonable too, but just remember as you scale up, you lose screen real estate.

That's a good point, utilizing the 4k on a 15-17" is likely useless, but I'm still wondering if I can run a docked laptop and connect 2 4k external monitors.

Dual 4k is beyond the capabilities of Thunderbolt or USB 3.0.

Your best bet is to find a laptop with both USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt (with separate controllers) and plug 1 4k display into each.

Thanks for the response.

When you say separate controllers, are you saying 2 different GPU's, 1 for each monitor?

I really want to be able to dock it while I'm doing the bulk of my work (whether I can do this with 2 4k monitors or not, I'd make due with the laptop screen + 1 external 4k) and then be able to de-dock the laptop if I only have a few tables going at that time and be portable.

To do this, I assume I need a laptop with a thunderbolt port to connect to the dock itself, correct? Then thunderbolt from the dock to 1 4k monitor and possibly hdmi/displayport to another (though this wouldn't be able to do 4k I believe...)

No, I meant USB controller and Thunderbolt controller. I am actually not sure how that would work exactly with onboard graphics in terms of RAM and VRAM allocation. You'd have to ask someone more technically oriented.

HDMI (those on market anyway) won't support 4k.

But you don't need a dock for 4k display. Thunderbolt ports are display ports as well. You can just hook them up to the monitor. The apple cinema display is actually a thunderbolt dock too. You can connect an USB hub to the display and connect all your peripherals to that hub then connect the monitor to your macbook... voila, screen on and all the desktop accessories connected to usb hub on.

You're right, I didn't even think about bypassing the need for a dock by using the thunderbolt port/daisy chaining from the monitor.

This monitor has a bunch of ports along with the thunderbolt, but isn't quite 4k: http://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronics...erbolt+display

Are there any other similar monitors with thunderbolt ports that aren't apple? It looks like most of the 4k monitors don't have them.

Why not just get an usb hub for all the peripherals? Do you have a thunderbolt peripheral?

Well, for those interested I went with this: http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...php?p=46429184