Know if your setup will actually work.
Check a dock and monitor against sourced technical specifications and see exactly where the connection holds or breaks.
Check compatibilityExample result — every check is run live against the specification dataset, evidence included.
How it works
-
Build your setup
Pick a real dock and monitor from sourced models — e.g. Dell WD22TB4 + LG 27UL650-W.
-
Define your target
Resolution, refresh rate, color depth. 4K at 144Hz? 10-bit? Tell us exactly what you want to run.
-
See the exact outcome
FULL, PARTIAL, INCOMPATIBLE or UNKNOWN — with the bottleneck named and the source cited.
What sits behind each answer
Every result is built from the same chain — a published source states a specification, the engine derives a capability from it, and a fixed rule compares it with the mode you asked for. A result shows the parts of that chain, not just a verdict:
- Verdict — fully compatible, partially compatible, incompatible, or unknown.
- Calculation — the bandwidth your mode needs, and what the link actually carries after encoding overhead.
- Bottleneck — which part of the connection limits the result, when one does.
- Confidence — high, medium or low, from how authoritative and direct the evidence is.
- Evidence and sources — the publisher and document behind each figure.
- What is not known — an explicit UNKNOWN with the reason, instead of a guess.
A real example from the current dataset: 3840×2160 @ 60 Hz, RGB 8-bit on the LG 27UL650-W uses a 533.28 MHz timing, which needs 12.799 Gbps; DisplayPort 1.4 carries 25.92 Gbps of payload, so it fits. Ask for 10-bit color on the same monitor and the answer becomes UNKNOWN, because no consulted source documents its maximum color depth. See the full worked example.
Today the dataset covers 5 docks and 6 monitors, backed by 99 evidence rows from 28 sources. Of 90 reference evaluations across those pairs, 15 return a verdict and 75 are UNKNOWN — the dataset is small and grows deliberately. See exactly what is covered and what is not.
Why trust CompatSense
Source-based
Specifications sourced from manufacturers and standards bodies, not guesses.
Deterministic
A single evaluation engine — the same inputs always produce the same answer.
Explainable
Limitations shown clearly, with the specific bottleneck named — never a bare yes/no.
Honest
When the evidence isn't there, we say UNKNOWN instead of guessing.
Scope today: dock and monitor, evaluated together against a display mode you specify. Host devices, cables, Power Delivery and beyond are on the roadmap, not part of today's result — see our methodology and how we handle sources and corrections.
Guides & troubleshooting
Sourced technical writing on the same standards and figures the engine uses — not a separate blog.