If your 2560x1440 monitor needs a cable longer than 6', you may want to go with newer DisplayPort 1.2 4K capable cabling?
Accell UltraAV B142C-010B DisplayPort to DisplayPort 1.2 Cable with Latches (10 Feet / 3m)
I've been using my Nixeus 2560x1440 monitor for months now, sandwiched nicely between two 1920x1080p monitors, a set up I describe here:
How to enjoy Windows 8 on your Lenovo ThinkPad W520 laptop, with 3 external monitors, and an external keyboard and mouse
But I've occasionally been plagued by issues with my main display not always waking right up, after I resume my docked laptop from suspend.
Once in a while, I'd even get greeted by a UBSOD (Unhappy Blue Screen of Death) when I'm really just trying to sit back down and resume working. Very annoying. Big productivity hit.
This BSOD would happen more often when I would use a power strip to power up all the monitors. Or when a generic 15' DisplayPort 1.1 cable was used. Not good.
Well, those issues are finally gone.
Peter Trinh from Nixeus has been very responsive in helping me with this matter, described near the bottom of my article over here:
Close look at my Nixeus NX-VUE27 2560×1440 27″ monitor
Peter suggested that since I required a longer than 6' run between my ThinkPad W520 dock and my monitor, and I'm pushing a lot of pixels, that I might want to try the shortest cable I could get away with. Perhaps an Accell branded cable, that he had good customer feedback on. Especially since my somewhat older DisplayPort 1.1 15' Tripp Lite P560-015 cable was still giving me occasional issues. We also wanted to be sure Pin 20 20_PWR wire wasn't being used, for the reasons described on pages 146-147 here.
So I decided to try and settle this issue once and for all by trying their newer and slightly more expensive DisplayPort 1.2 cable. Over-spec'd, for up to 3840x2160 resolution (4K). Had to buy mine from special order from Accell directly actually, since it wasn't yet in stock on Amazon. I contacted their sales department since none of the resellers they list here had any in stock. Thank you Steven for this one-off, expedited order!
Here's Accell's various DisplayPort 1.2 cable lengths:
See also Accell's product listing.
This new 10' cable hasn't appeared on Newegg quite yet, but as of Dec. 21 2012, it is finally in stock at Amazon for $24.99 USD (even though the listing has been there since August 2012):
Accell UltraAV B142C-010B DisplayPort to DisplayPort 1.2 Cable with Latches (10 Feet / 3m)
Simply put, it works. It's rugged, a bit stiff and heavy, and sure beats the 15' generic cable I had tried but had issues with.
Finally, no BSODs so far, and no more fiddling with cables or drivers. This cable just works.
I realize this sounds a bit like Monster cable up-sell for digital signals, or HDMI up-sell from your local Best Buy. But in this case, it stands to reason that for longer cable lengths at 2560x1440, perhaps there really could be issues beyond typical 6' cable lengths.
The Accell cable worked for me anyway, with my issues now gone, including occasions where automatic waking of my primary display wouldn't always work (staying powered off despite signal being received).
Always skeptical when there's few user reviews, but still interesting to see recent Amazon buyer "Dennis" giving the first review here, saying:
Purchased this cable after using DVI-D cable with my 27" monitor, couldn't get signal from POST until booting into Windows. Now, using this cable, with faster signal switching, I can see POST on bootup! Highly recommend if you have displayport connection with your monitor and video card.
Finally, here's my own unboxing:
and my overview of how things all "just work" with my triple-monitor docked-laptop configuration:
Dec 22 2012:
I'm fully admitting my understanding of DisplayPort cabling is imperfect at best, and the information on potential interactions with BSODs is lacking, and nobody seems to mention how the monitor is powered off (power strip, or soft power off/standby). Complicating matters is the presence of my Lenovo USB 3.0 Docking Station and its drivers, described here. So if BSODs strike again, it's back to the drawing board, eliminating factors besides the cabling one-by-one. And I still find it interesting how few people are apparently using 3 monitors with a laptop of any sort, see also:
https://tinkertry.com/enjoy-windows-8-on-lenovo-thinkpad-w520-with-3-external-monitors
Given this article's point was really that the same roughly $25 can get you a cable designed back in 2007, or one designed in 2012 with eventual 4K in mind, it seems there's little harm in trying the new cable, so perhaps it can stay in use in your configuration for more years. If it turns out this article turns out to be spreading any misinformation, doing more harm than good, then I'll have to update it again.
I've now added a question mark to the title of this article, acknowledging this story might not be over yet.
