MSI - Pro MP161 E2

i have a portable monitor. but i use it as a 2nd monitor on my desktop setup. dont buy the cheapest one on the market. $60 Koouri the cheap one every time you turn it on and off you have to manually adjust screen brightness using the monitor display buttons and monitor menu. huge pain for daily use. [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CSRKR767/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CSRKR767/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) this is the cheapest good monitor. has software to control screen brightness via laptop. no need to use menu on monitor. had this for a couple days before i decided i wanted a larger display for daily use. but since i daily use it i ened up getting a larger monitor [https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1816179-REG/asus\_mb229cf\_22\_zenscreen\_full\_hd.html](https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1816179-REG/asus_mb229cf_22_zenscreen_full_hd.html) ended up with this. but i use it with a desktop. so you need to make sure your laptop can deliver the power it needs. I use just 1 thunderbolt cable to send power and video to it. but my desktop has 100watt thunderbolt output. ur laptop might have 15watt or 30watt or 60watt. if your laptop only supports 15watts. the monitor might not go to full brightness. if i recall 30watts is what is needed for max brightness.

i use a 21inch asus portable monitor $300 as my second monitor. if i could go back in time i would have gotten the 24inch. i started with cheaper $60 16inch you dont want that. the brightness was an issue. every time i shutdown i had to manually adjust the monitor menu to get the right brightness [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CSRKR767/](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CSRKR767/) this is probably the cheapest portable monitor i would consider. it has software to control brightness settings. the portable monitors needs USB c power delivery. I ended up with a motherboard that i could add a thunderbolt usb c card that can deliver up to 100watts. that card was $130.. i think most usb c ports only do 15watts which might result is 50% monitor brightness. might need 30watts minimum for max brightness. going the portable monitor route will probably cost you more than just buying a standard monitor. id only recommend portable monitor if you have the money i went portable cause i wanted less cables. power and video signal is all sent via one cable thunderbolt usb c.

How much power needed for the laptop? I am using MSI Pro161 E2, which can do what you want, however the USB-C PD power for laptop is only roughly 39W, it's enough for my Chromebook (45W max, while most of the time anything> 30W works fine)

As I mentioned, I own this monitor, and it has been travelling with me quite a few times, one side plugging into power source with it works well.

My monitor has mentioned PD output 15W in specifications, however quite a few people tested it can deliver 39W