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Comment by theandrewbailey | Hacker News Reader

> Achieving a robust, end-to-end user visual experience remains the utmost priority for VESA’s DisplayPort specification, whether across a native DisplayPort cable, via DisplayPort Alt Mode (DisplayPort over the USB Type-C connector), or tunneled through the USB4 link.

Wake me when I can put a random Nvidia or AMD card in my PC and connect a random monitor, AND have the monitor's USB ports work with only two cables on the monitor (one for power, one to the PC). Bonus points for one cable. Apple's ecosystem has had this for years, but why does my gaming PC and monitor still need a separate USB cable between them for full functionality? My GPU already handles my sound, can't it handle being a USB host device, too?

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VirtualLink on the NV 20xx series was almost there on this.

A USB-C socket on the card and it can host audio/video/usb.

Skipped from 30xx onwards, and I'm not sure of the maximum video resolution, but I use an Apple USB-C to HDMI/USB dongle in mine to connect a rift - I don't think there is any reason it couldn't be a monitor on the other end of the USB-C cable.

The lack of VirtualLink/USB-C on nvidia cards seems like a major loss going forward.

Video cards are realistically the only component in a desktop actually hooked up to enough power to cover the full USB-PD spec(240w currently?) + the rest like display/audio/hub.

I can only hope the upcoming AMD 7000 reference series still has a USB-C port. In fact I would be perfectly happy with a card with nothing but USB-C ports on it.

Apple sold what you want 22 years ago https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Display_Connector. Vesa even tried to promote similar design for PCs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VESA_Plug_and_Display thats why AGP port had USB wired into it, to allow graphic card pass that signal to the monitor. Afaik Nothing shipped with P&D

I didnt fullu understand but I heard some very sad story in commemts a while back that Thunderbolt was largely impossible to do in an add-in-card fashion.

There are of course some add-in cards, and many people use them successfully, but also I dont know if any of these users have multiple cards, which closer models the potential situation here. But notably these users also dont have a dedicated gpu for their thunderbolt ports!

I 100% think likewise to you- the gpu obviously should have usb4 (+ ideally pcie) ports out thr back. Its also frustrating & silly how few systems have usb-pd out.

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