You need one (“upstream”) Thunderbolt port for connecting to and charging your laptop (although the 14/16in MacBooks can also power via the MagSafe port), and likely at least another (“downstream”) to attach further devices (hard drives, external display, and others). If you require a bunch of fast ports including Gigabit Ethernet, then look for a docking station that fulfils your needs. If you just need a few extra ports, a USB-C hub or Thunderbolt 4 hub might be your best choice. As Gigabit Ethernet’s speed is 1Gbps, a cheaper 5Gbps USB-C to Ethernet adapter will work just as well. Some later docks include faster 2.5Gb Ethernet but you’ll need a 2.5GbE router or other device to get the benefit. MacBooks also lack wired Internet access via a Gigabit Ethernet port, so if you want to escape flaky Wi-Fi, buy a dock with at least Gigabit Ethernet, although you could add a Thunderbolt-to-Ethernet adapter if you have a spare TB port. Although this is rated as UHS-II (312MBps), Apple has pegged it back at 250MBps, so for the fastest speeds (and a microSD slot if you need one), a dock will likely be a better choice for memory-card use if it is rated at UHS-II rather than UHS-I (104MBps). These MacBooks also have an SD card reader. With three TB4 and an HDMI port, a MacBook with an M1 Max could connect to up to four external displays without the need for a dock, although such a power user would likely require extra Thunderbolt ports for other devices to make up for using all the laptop ports for multiple monitors.
#Macbook air two monitors software
This means that when using any docking station, M1 MacBook users cannot extend their desktop over two or more displays, and will be limited to either dual Mirrored displays or one external display-although there are software workarounds and dedicated docks that allow you to add more than one external monitor to an M1 or M2 MacBook. While Apple’s MacBooks featuring the company’s own M1 or M2 Silicon chip are super speedy compared to the models sporting Intel processors, early models come with an incredible limitation: they don’t support more than one external display in Extended Mode even via their Thunderbolt 3 ports. Natively over USB-C, Macs can only connect to one external display in Extended mode (where the screen extends beyond what you can see on the laptop screen, as opposed to Mirrored mode that replicates exactly what you get on the laptop screen) but you’ll get two Extended mode screens over a Thunderbolt connection. If you want to connect more than one external display to your MacBook you’ll need a Thunderbolt dock, rather than a USB-C dock. You can turn that 13in laptop screen into an iMac-sized 27in or even larger monitor by adding an extra display-or connect two large screens to extend your screen across your whole desk. If you use your laptop as your principal computer, you would do well to consider attaching at least one larger display to create a hybrid desktop/laptop setup (with a keyboard, mouse and printer all available via a single connection to your MacBook). If you don’t require the ultimate bandwidth for the fastest data transfer and best screen frame rates or resolutions, a USB-C dock might suit your purposes and save you money. We have included some cheaper non-Thunderbolt USB-C docks.
#Macbook air two monitors pro
That said, there are still some great-and often more affordable-TB3 docks available, and most Apple users won’t see much difference between TB3 and TB4-the Thunderbolt 4 standard was mainly about getting Windows laptops up to speed, although there are technical benefits for MacBook Pro users, such as smarter daisy-chaining and faster PCI hard-drive connections. If your MacBook is equipped with Thunderbolt 4, then you really should buy a TB4 dock if you need more ports than those 14/16in laptops already possess.īuying a Thunderbolt 4 dock is a wise decision based on future-proofing even for owners of TB3 Macs as the standard is backwards compatible with TB3 and USB-C.
0 kommentar(er)
