One of the first prototypes of Steam Machine, the Xi3 Piston mini-PC, was thoroughly reviewed on the Bringus Studios YouTube channel. This PC from 2013 runs on Windows instead of the Linux-based SteamOS. According to Bringus Studios tests, the PC, later released by Xi3 under the name Piston, has moderate gaming performance, and even at the time it was not very fast.
The Xi3 Piston features an AMD Trinity processor and 8GB of RAM. This chip is labeled R-464L, but in fact it is an analog of the AMD A10-4600M from 2012. But the most interesting detail of the computer can be seen not from the inside, but from the outside. It is a combined DisplayPort and HDMI connector.
So, after the video about the Xi3 Piston by Bringus Studios, a former Xi3 employee turned to the team on Discord and explained the purpose of the DP port with HDMI signal support (full compatibility of the contacts is still not there). Experimenters changed HDMI or DisplayPort settings in the BIOS, however, the employee said that the BIOS parameter should automatically determine which device is connected.
The website PC Watch took a closer look at the connector: it turned out to be a model from REGO Electronics HDMI/DisplayPort 2-in-1. It uses a non-standard 21st contact. When it is free, the connection works as HDMI, while DisplayPort actually closes this contact, and activates its own protocol. HDMI and DP plugs work perfectly with this specific port and fit tightly, as if they were "native".
Standard HDMI and DP connectors are blatantly physically incompatible. The additional contact and elimination of some parts of the original connector helped create a DisplayPort that accepts HDMI plugs well. Considering the current status quo of video cards, usually having 3 DP ports and one HDMI, and monitors, which predominantly have HDMI, motherboard and video adapter manufacturers could benefit from this 11-year-old experience.
Source: Tom's Hardware
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