Can our DisplayLink products be used with ChromeOS?

Our DisplayLink products are compatible with ChromeOS, the operating system used in Chromebook laptops. And there may be some limitations.

To summarize:

1. Our DisplayLink products are best used with Chromebooks that have an Intel or AMD CPU, as opposed to ARM CPUs, due to performance limitations.
2. For optimal performance, we recommend using DisplayLink products with Chromebooks released in 2020 or later.
3. ChromeOS version 100 or later is recommended for use with DisplayLink products, and only the 'Stable' release channel is supported.
4. The wired Ethernet network adapter in DisplayLink products may perform at a lower level when used with a Chromebook due to a limitation in the Ethernet network driver built into ChromeOS.
5. Google has complete control over ChromeOS, which means that updates could cause unexpected behavior of DisplayLink devices. Third-party driver updates and fixes are not possible, as they are provided by Google.


To provide more information:

Our products that use DisplayLink USB video technology  (https://www.synaptics.com/products/displaylink-graphics)  are virtual graphics processing units that depend on the CPU and GPU of the host computer to create the image displayed on the DisplayLink-attached displays.

ChromeOS is efficient and does not require a powerful CPU to function properly, resulting in many Chromebooks having lower-powered CPUs than their Windows and Mac counterparts. While this makes Chromebooks more affordable and provides excellent battery life, some lower-powered processors may not perform as well with our DisplayLink products compared to more powerful CPUs and GPUs. Therefore, we recommend using our DisplayLink products with Chromebooks made in 2020 or later that have Intel or AMD CPUs for optimal performance.

Chromebooks with ARM CPUs are generally less powerful than those with Intel or AMD CPUs. Therefore, we do not recommend using our DisplayLink products with Chromebooks that have an ARM CPU. If you're unsure about the CPU type in your Chromebook, you can check the manufacturer's specifications. Google also maintains a list of all Chromebooks and their CPU types, which can be accessed if the manufacturer's information is not helpful. → https://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/developer-information-for-chrome-os-devices/

In Google's list of Chromebooks, the 'User ABI' column indicates the type of CPU, with 'x86_64' referring to an Intel or AMD CPU and 'arm' referring to an ARM CPU. Additionally, Chromebooks should have ChromeOS version 100 or higher installed to be compatible with our DisplayLink products. Google offers a guide for checking the ChromeOS version and updating it, which can be accessed here. → https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/177889





Leave a comment

All comments are moderated before being published.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.