How do I get dual 4K monitors working over a USB-C hub with my laptop?

To get dual 4K at 60 from one USB C you have two paths. MST hubs ride on your laptop's DisplayPort Alt Mode bandwidth, which means you only get two 4K60 screens if the laptop and hub both support DP 1.4 with DSC and the OS supports MST. Many Windows machines are DP 1.2 or the hub is limited, and macOS does not extend multiple displays over MST, so you end up with one 4K at 30. DisplayLink docks bypass those limits by sending compressed video over USB, need a driver, and are the most reliable way to do two 4K60 while keeping power and peripherals on the same cable.

I would grab TJCXELE DisplayLink Dock. It does dual 4K at 60 Hz and delivers up to 100 W power to the laptop. Install the DisplayLink Manager driver, connect each monitor directly to the dock, use good HDMI 2.0 or DisplayPort cables, then set both screens to 3840 by 2160 at 60 in your display settings. It stays compact and quiet and you get your USB A gear through the same cable without juggling multiple adapters.

Your hub is limited by older DP bandwidth so one 4K drops to 30 Hz; fix it with a dock that gives two independent GPU outputs or a USB graphics dock that does dual 4K60 with drivers.

If using MST, verify DP 1.4 with compression on both ends, keep cables up to spec, and expect a bit of CPU use with the USB route.

Two reliable routes if you want dual 4K at 60 from one USB C. Either run MST on DisplayPort 1.4 with DSC or use a dock that uses DisplayLink to compress video over USB. For MST, your laptop GPU must support DP 1.4 with DSC, your hub must say DP 1.4 MST with dual 4K60, and your OS must support MST for extended desktops. Windows and Linux do. macOS does not extend multiple displays over MST. DisplayLink works on all three once you install the driver and is very stable for office work.

To avoid the 30 Hz trap, check the spec sheet for wording like dual 4K60 over DP 1.4 MST with DSC or Thunderbolt 3 or 4 with two independent display outputs or DisplayLink with dual 4K60 support. Aim for at least 85 W power delivery. Prefer DisplayPort outputs because cheap HDMI paths often cap at 4K30. Seek a fanless metal enclosure for quiet. Works great.

Since you care about size and noise look for a fanless aluminum unit and check photos of the vents — Small and silent. DisplayLink docks tend to be compact and cool because the heavy lifting is done in silicon rather than by pushing raw DP bandwidth, and they let you keep USB peripherals and charging on the same cable. do need a driver and some corporate builds block that, and streaming apps with strict DRM sometimes play at lower resolutions over DisplayLink, so keep that in mind.

If you want to avoid drivers and your laptop has Thunderbolt, a TB dock with two video ports will give you native dual 4K60 with power delivery and no stutter. If you do not have Thunderbolt and you are on Windows, DP 1.4 MST with DSC can also do it as long as both the laptop and the hub advertise DP 1.4 with DSC and you connect the monitors over DisplayPort not HDMI. macOS will not extend two displays over MST, so use Thunderbolt or DisplayLink instead. Aim for 85 to 100 watt charging and good cables to keep everything stable.

The simplest way to guarantee two 4K screens at 60 from one port is to treat the problem as two display pipes rather than one big pipe. Thunderbolt 3 or 4 docks do this by tunneling two DisplayPort links from the GPU which avoids reliance on MST bandwidth tricks. If your laptop has the Thunderbolt logo on that USB C jack, target a dock that advertises dual 4K60 from Thunderbolt with two DisplayPort or two HDMI 2.0 ports and at least 85 W power delivery so yeah those do not need any special display driver and feel the most native.

If you do not have Thunderbolt, your choices are MST with DP 1.4 plus DSC or a DisplayLink dock. MST will only work for extended desktops on Windows and Linux, and it prefers DisplayPort connections because many hubs ship HDMI outputs that top out at 4K30. DisplayLink works across platforms including macOS but does require its driver and it is not ideal for gaming or HDR video. In all cases use certified DP 1.4 or HDMI 2.0 cables and plug each monitor directly into the dock rather than daisy chaining through HDMI.

When you read dock spec sheets, search for the exact promise of dual 4K at 60. If it says up to 4K at 30 on HDMI, move on. If it says DP 1.2 MST, expect compromises. The safer phrases to see are DP 1.4 with DSC for MST or Thunderbolt 3 or 4 with two independent video outputs or DisplayLink with dual 4K60 support.

Match that with your laptop. Thunderbolt present means the TB dock route is the least fussy. No Thunderbolt means either MST on Windows or a DisplayLink dock across platforms. Add power delivery in the 85 to 100 watt range so your CPU does not throttle when charging. Add fanless cooling so the dock stays quiet. Non negotiable.

USB C can run in two modes for video. Four DP lanes for maximum display bandwidth, or two DP lanes plus USB 3 data. Many compact hubs pick the two lane mode so they can keep fast USB, which halves display bandwidth and is exactly how you end up stuck at 4K30. Dual 4K60 over MST needs either four DP lanes at DP 1.4 with DSC or Thunderbolt which carries two full DP links regardless of the USB data. DisplayLink takes a different path by sending compressed frames over USB 3 and ignores the DP lane math.

So what to shop for. If you want MST, the laptop GPU must support DP 1.4 with DSC and the dock must explicitly say dual 4K60 via DP 1.4 MST. Expect your USB ports on the dock to drop to USB 2 speeds during heavy display use unless the design uses DSC cleverly. If you want no surprises, look for a dock based on DisplayLink that lists dual 4K60 and be ready to install its driver, it works well for productivity though I would not pick it for fast paced gaming. And keep cables short and rated for DP 1.4 or HDMI 2.0, otherwise the dock may negotiate down and you will be back at 30.