I am in the process of buying my next computer for DAW and I decided to base it on i9-12900K.
My i7-4790K is currently running Studio One / Cubase, office, web and movies all with integrated graphic ONLY. I do not play games, edit videos etc!!!

Integrated graphic from i7 is driving three displays; two 1920x1200 monitors plus one 4K TV. And I wanted to connect my computer to same monitoring setup w/o dedicated GPU because:
a) I don't need it and
b) it is better not to have it for temperature and noise issues and PSU power requirement is lower
not to mention that nowadays they are ridiculously expensive.

In the past it was easy to find motherboards with 3 video outputs (combination of HDMI and Display Port) however at this moment I can't find any.
Other requirements for new MB are to have at least 6x SATA ports, 4x DDR5 slots and at least 2x M.2 (that are not shared with SATA) i.e. drive 8 SSD or HD drives at the same time)

There are few motherboards with one HDMI and one or two Thunderbolt 4 ports.
For example Asus Z490-Creator has two Thunderbolt 4 ports but according to manual only one will work with integrated graphics.

In theory Thunderbolt 4 can drive several monitors.
My monitors have only HDMI and DP inputs and this can be resolved with simple adapters.
However in order to make one TB4 port drive two monitors if I understand correctly a thunderbolt dock is needed and those with video outputs are quite expensive, often around 300 USD which is funny considering some serious motherboards cost that much.
And even if I go that route how can I be sure that this will work?

On the other hand many Z690 boards feature USB3.2 Gen 2 which could in theory also drive displays (at least on laptops) yet I can't find anything about that in Asus, MSI and Gigabyte manuals (looking only at Z690 DDR5 mbs).

Suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Last edited: Mar 30, 2022

ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 HERO
https://rog.asus.com/us/motherboards/rog-maximus/rog-maximus-z690-hero-model/

 

Thanks for the link.
While manual for Asus Z690-Creator at least mentions that one of the two TB4 ports can be used by integral graphic, manual for Maximus Hero mentions nothing about using those ports for video so my best guess is that it works same as its brother with only one port (if even that). Who would know when all reviews are focusing on testing it with dedicated graphic.

 

Seems indeed a tough question because is quite unusual.
Unless someone pops here with the answer you might want to go to a dedicated forum.

 

Manual for Maximum hero does mention support for Display port on TB4 ports.
I am now browsing through all Z690 DDR5 boards featuring HDMI and two Thunderbolt outputs.
Some MBs such as MSI MEG Z690 ASE and Asus ProArt Z690-Creator have Display Port INPUTS!! not outputs. One has to connect display port cables from graphic card back to motherboard and then take passed thru video signal from TB4 ports to monitors.
Somebody in R&D was playing with modular synths it seams.

 

Last edited: Mar 30, 2022

I recommend you to add a graphics card, then you will have enough ports.

ASUS PROART Z690-CREATOR: PCI-Express 3.0 x16 1x

MSI GeForce GT 1030 2 GB GDDR4 1189 MHz V809-2825R (99 €)
Chip clock frequency: 1189 MHz - Graphics memory capacity: 2 GB - Number of slots: Dual-Slot - Connectors: HDMI, DVI, DisplayPort

Such an ATX motherboard can't possibly accommodate all modern things. You would actually have to reinvent the motherboards, but that will probably not happen for the time being because the competition is too big. Asus has the most USB ports.

 

Are you using Displayport, HDMI, or both?

Best workaround other than an overpriced graphics card would be a USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 dock with multiple monitor outputs.

Dig some digging. Even with workstation (Xeon E) boards, two display outs seems to be the standard. Being that most motherboard makers also produce graphics cards, they of course want you to buy graphics cards to go beyond that.

With pricing falling day-by-day, the NVidia P620 could be a good option. Prices hovering around $100 U.S. as of today. If not in a hurry, pricing should improve by late spring or summer. Especially after Intel ARC graphics become available starting with laptops in April.

Datasheet Quadro P620

 

Last edited: Mar 31, 2022

What's wrong with the Asus Pro Q670M-C-CSM?
https://www.asus.com/Motherboards-Components/Motherboards/CSM/Pro-Q670M-C-CSM/

Anyway, I understand the problem with the completely unnecessary dedicated GPU, but you can easily add another SATA or USB controller, if you're running out of ports. Or maybe just update your drive configuration, so that you won't need eight (!) internal drives.

 

I am curious, how much will it cost ?

 

I am using both, monitors can use either DP or HDMI but 4k TV needs one HDMI.

Thanks for your tips, I'll check P620, particularly if fan is noisy and working all the time.
If I'll capitulate and go with dedicated card the noise and heat will be primary concerns.

So far I found that following boards should in theory support 3 video outputs, 2 of which via Thunderbolt 4.
As suggested above: Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero with a stream of user horror reviews at NewEgg, it also has weird compromises

ASRock Z690 Taichi - looks more promising, difficult to find in stores, board has active cooling which may or may not be the problem. Even the Asus Hero which features passive cooling according to user reviews has annoying pipe noise.

 

No Thunderbolt but Interesting, I'll check it.
I wasn't aware of Q670 chipset exists. It's not on 600 series list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGA_1700

Regarding adding PCI controllers, gone are days when we had 5 PCI slots as standard, now 3 are on abundant side, at least on Z670 boards that I was checking.
UAD2 is taking one slot and not much is left for additions especially if in the end dedicated GPU will have to be added.

 

That board is for "Enthusiasts' and, has the price tag to go along with it. The P620 should provide quiet operation as compared to a normal consumer/gamer graphics card. NVidia still has updated driver for for workstation Quadro cards going back to the K600.

The P620 (or similar card) provides dedicated mirrored or separate video outs at a consistent minimum refresh rate on all four video outs.
Also frees up Thunderbolt for external sound and/or storage.

 

Guys i'm on the Way to upgrade my PC System, do i need a external GPU for Music Production?
New Hardware:
Intel I9 12900K with Intel UHD Graphics 770 (iGPU)
ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Extreme

 

Nope, for music production you don't need any external gpu.

i7 11700k works flawless for me

 

I'm also on the process of building a new pc and i have to suggest you to wait for the 12900KS which is the fastest and unlocked ! i was also for 12900k but i will wait until May i think . About 100 to 150 dollars or euros the difference .

 

I'm waiting for more then 10 Years

 

sorry, but your logic is flawed, trying to drive this many monitors from igpu will just bloat your cpu and ram performance,

any cheap graphics card with passive cooling or zero-noise fan curve is significantly more simple and cheaper (compared to fancy thunderbolt 4 cables) to set up,
get something like ASUS GeForce GT730-4H-SL-2GD5 which costs 90 bucks and has 4x HDMI perhaps, or any recent used GTX 1660 - still better performance driving 4 screens, compared to overly expensive TB4-capable motherboards and 12900K cpu you wouldn't even need (12900KF without igpu is cheaper)

 

Buy a passive graphics card, it has no fan and is therefore very quiet, it relieves your CPU enormously.

MSI - GT 710 2GD5H

Core/Memory

• Core Clock / Memory Frequency
  954 MHz / 5010 MHz
• 2GB GDDR5

All Solid Capacitors

• 10 years long lifetime under full load.
• Lower temperature and higher efficiency.
• Aluminum core for higher stability.

Virtually Silent

• Large heat sink covers the area of GPU and memory.
• Providing the best environment for gaming and multimedia.

Afterburner Overclocking Utility

• Wireless control through Android/iOS devices.
• Predator: In-game video recording.

GeForce Experience

• Ensures the best gaming experience by automatically updating users’ game-ready drivers.
• Allows users to optimize the game settings to their PC with a single click.

www.msi.com/Graphics-Card/GT-710-2GD5H

 

a music computer has in tb times to be one thing, quiet. since its gonna be close to you and your monitors
asrock i have a bad relation with, my creators south bridge was flawed from the start and the fan noise is unacceptable, passive pcie gfx powers my closerange monitor and my main 60 inch 4k tv for audio meters and metric ab.
im looking for a motherboard upgrade but asrock is a nogo. any other good tb3 mainboards?

 

Thank you All, i ordered the ASUS GeForce GT730 Card.