To connect a USB-C screen to an old notebook, such as the Thinkpad X201, there are a few options:

DisplayLink over USB-3

Install the DisplayLink drivers to use your USB-3 port. If your laptop has none, then likely it has a PCI-Express (PCMCIA) card slot in which a (54mm Slot) USB 3.0 ExpressCard can be inserted. The USB 3.0 slot emits at least 5 Watt, which might be almost sufficient for, say, the Asus MB16AC, needing between 5 and 8 Watt. Since power supply is likely somewhat low, a dual power Y-cable with two USB-3 and one USB-C male connectors such as Vention’s provides additional power.

HDMI to USB-C Converters

For possible HDMI (male) to USB-C (female) converters, that is, from an HDMI port (of the Laptop) to a USB-C port (of a portable Monitor such as the Asus ZenScreen) see first Dan’s blog post. There are also now the more affordable Fairikabe and Elebase (which is also sold as Basesailor ) which perform fairly comparably .

VGA to HDMI Converters

If the laptop is so ancient that is only sports a VGA port (such as the Lenovo Thinkpad X201), there are convenient VGA (male) to HDMI (female) converters such as that from HAMA and the ICZI VGA to HDMI Converter that occupy a single additional USB port for power supply and sound and turn the laptop’s VGA into a fully capable HDMI port.