Apple Studio Display unusable with Windows laptop

[Lodano]

Hi everyone,

I recently bought a used Apple Studio Display and I’m having trouble using it with my work laptop: a Lenovo ThinkPad E15 Gen 2 (AMD Ryzen 5 Pro).

The display works perfectly in 5K with my personal MacBook Pro M1 (2020), so the monitor itself seems fine.

The issue​

When I connect the Studio Display to the ThinkPad, the screen doesn’t show a stable image. It constantly flickers between black and dark gray (like it’s trying to sync but never locks).

However:

• Windows detects the monitor
• Studio Display speakers work
• Webcam works
• So the USB peripherals are fine — only the video signal is unusable.
  ​

What I tried​

• Using the original Thunderbolt 3 cable that came with the Studio Display
• Using a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 cable that works perfectly with my Dell QHD monitor
• Lowering resolution in Windows (down to 1440p / 2K and below) → no change

Constraints​

This is a corporate/work laptop, so

• I can’t install drivers or utilities (no admin rights)
• I can’t do deep system changes beyond standard Windows settings

What I suspect​

An AI suggested this might be due to my ThinkPad only supporting DisplayPort Alt Mode with limited bandwidth (possibly DP 1.2) on USB-C, which might not play nicely with the Studio Display (or cause the flicker).

What I’m looking for​

​

I don’t need 5K on Windows — I’d be happy with QHD (1440p) or 4K if possible.

• Is there a known compatibility issue between Apple Studio Display and certain AMD ThinkPads / DP Alt Mode implementations?
• Is there a specific cable that is known to work better (USB-C → USB-C / USB-C → DisplayPort / USB-C → HDMI)?
• Would a dock solve this reliably?
  For example: a dock that outputs HDMI, while still letting me power the laptop with its original charger (I’m fine using the original power brick if needed).
• Ideally I’d like a single-cable setup (a USB-C that charges and displays the image), but I’m open to adapters/docks if that’s the only realistic option.

If anyone has managed to run an Apple Studio Display from an "old" Windows laptop (especially a ThinkPad/AMD one), I’d really appreciate any advice or recommended hardware.

I'm in the EU market.

Thanks !

 

[PaulD-UK]

@Lodano
Quote: "Standard Ports

• 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 (support data transfer, Power Delivery and DisplayPort™ 1.2)
• 1x HDMI 1.4b"

I'm afraid that's not going to work. 🙁
The ASD needs a USB Alt-mode video DP 1.4 connection that uses all 4 of the high speed USB 3.x connection channels in a USB-C video cable.

The fact that the Lenovo's port also supplies USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 data transfer means that 2 of the channels are probably hard-wired to be a data connection, (which is why the webcam etc work) but the leaves only 2 channels for video.
Which is 2 channels to few to work...

DP 1.2 doesn't support Display Stream Compression, which is needed to make the ASD work on non-Thunderbolt 3/4 computers, and HDMI 1.4 is also far too old a spec to work.

A similar Intel laptop might have Thunderbolt 4 which would probably work.

 

[Lodano]

@Lodano
Quote: "Standard Ports

• 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 (support data transfer, Power Delivery and DisplayPort™ 1.2)
• 1x HDMI 1.4b"

I'm afraid that's not going to work. 🙁
The ASD needs a USB Alt-mode video DP 1.4 connection that uses all 4 of the high speed USB 3.x connection channels in a USB-C video cable.

The fact that the Lenovo's port also supplies USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 data transfer means that 2 of the channels are probably hard-wired to be a data connection, (which is why the webcam etc work) but the leaves only 2 channels for video.
Which is 2 channels to few to work...

DP 1.2 doesn't support Display Stream Compression, which is needed to make the ASD work on non-Thunderbolt 3/4 computers, and HDMI 1.4 is also far too old a spec to work.

A similar Intel laptop might have Thunderbolt 4 which would probably work.

Thanks for your answer.

So there is no way to make it work even with a dock or specific cables ? 😢

Will I have the same problem with another Thunderbolt Monitor like the LG Ultrafine ?

 

[PaulD-UK]

@Lodano Yes, that won’t work either.
The LG 5K Ultrafine needs DP 1.4 to give 4K over USB-C.