The Magnavox 6” HDMI Cable is a versatile solution for connecting various HDMI devices to TVs, Blu-ray players, Fire TV, Apple TV, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, computers, and other HDMI devices. It is compatible with various devices such as Blu-ray players, Fire TV, Apple TV, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, computers, and other HDMI devices. The cable is also compatible with various devices like Rite Aid Apple Lightning Cable and Magnavox Braided HDMI Cable.
Walgreens offers HDMI cables with coupons and weekly deals, with pickup and same-day delivery available on most store items. The USB-C to HDMI Adapter is compatible with Apple MacBook Pro 2019-2021, iMac 2017-2020, MacBook Air 2018-2022, and iPad Pro 2021/2020. For Mac users, a DVI adaptor or HDMI to mini HDMI adaptor is required to connect the cables to either type of Mac computer. Additionally, the RCA HDMI Cable is a 3Ft solution for connecting a laptop or MacBook to a display or TV.
📹 Connect Macbook Pro with HDMI to TV
How to hook up Macbook Pro to a TV through HDMI. In order to do this, you will need a male mini display port to female HDMI …
📹 USB Hubs For Mac Explained: Don’t WASTE your MONEY!
Don’t buy just ANY USB hub for your Mac! Going over what to look out for, breaking down USB docking stations and hubs for …
Are you still answering questions? I have a 2010 Macbook Pro that is still working OK.I changed the battery a year ago. BUT!!!! When I want to do a keynote presentation f ex. my Macbook turns off and restarts. Can it be that it becomes overheated? My fans are not speeding up as they used to. Could it be that it becomes too warm and therefor shuts off.??? How do I fix my fans so they react when the Mac is getting warmer???
Macbook pro 2011 A1286 might have the GPU dissable or CPU dissable. Connecting an external TV Monitor will not work. But I just find out that there is an app that can switch between both Chips. Am gonna try to download that app and swich in between Chips to see if one of them will work with an external TV Monitor via lighting bolt connection.
Thank you…i did that, but the TV says ‘no signal’ and though i used the ‘detect device’ on the computer, nothing happened, I tried 3 inputs at the back of my SAMSUNG HD TV and nothing 🙁 What am I doing wrong! it looks so simple and I have watched tons of articles and you all seem to make it look simple but mine does not work *cry Please advise..thanks
This fella is great…no hyperbole, no yelling, very pragmatic and down to earth. Not everyone needs the fastest and bestest, at all times, in every scenario. I’m convinced half of these Youtube reviewers (at least the ones who actually have to buy the products in their articles) spend more than they actually need to and then make articles telling their viewers that they absolutely NEED to run out and buy XYZ as soon as they possibly can, when, 95% of users likely don’t need half of the performance on offer and could’ve saved themselves some money. Anyway, great job…keep it up!
For a while I was triple booting between a Mac PC, a Windows PC, and a Raspberry Pi 4. I found the easiest way to access all my peripherals (keyboard, mouse, storage, etc.) was to have them all connected to an 8-port powered USB 3 hub. That way all I had to do was swap one cable from the hub to the PC I wanted to use, giving me access to everything.
I went with the OWC Thunderbolt Hub, OWC Dual HDMI, and the OWC Travel Dock. This has given me all the expandability I need for a 2-monitor studio setup running a midi controller and audio interface while still handling external drives and memory cards. I’m really happy with the quality. My first hubs from amazon felt cheap and they would overheat. These OWC docks are built solid and are fast. Pricey though. Total cost was just under $350.
This is absolutely 100% on point! I have a Macbook Pro 16″ 2019 for work. I picked up a Lemorele TC44 hub a few months back. Bad choice! Reviews were fairly good and it had all features I needed, including a LAN port. Problems started when suddenly accessories attached to it just disconnected. Sometimes they came back, sometimes they didn’t. About a month ago ALL attachments glitched simultaneously. Half the hub is now useless. LAN port is dead. One USB 3 port is dead. HDMI port is dead. No damage to the Mac TG, but it did fry a pricey BT headset dongle. Literally burned it out. Supposed to be warranted for one year but Lemorele looks to have gone in to hiding as they’re not responding to any of my attempts to contact them. AVOID LEMORELE PRODUCTS!
If you are a multi pc user, i recommend whole heartedly Caldigit TS4 dock. It’s greatest strength no techtubers talk about is the usb c compatibility. No, not just USB 3.2 but normal USB 3.0 as well. I use it with 3 computers: 1 MBP that uses TB4, 1 Ryzen laptop that uses USB3.2 and desktop that uses USB3(just for the usb devices, not display).
Great article!! I had the same experience when I was trying to get two hubs, and I was looking for a multi-port with 10Gbps USB 3.1, Thunderbolt for an external raid NVMe SSD enclosure, Ethernet, HDMI, UHS II SD card reader if available, power delivery, and so on… Most of them would go up to 4K/30FPS instead of 4K/60FPS, 5Gbps on USB 3.0 etc… I finally compromised for the 5Gbps USB 3.0 but at least the USB-C SSDs that I have connected to this, would go around 430MB/s instead of about 550MB/s directly on my MacBook Pro 2019, so it’s not a big drop in speed vs comfort. One of the two had a 4K/60FPS and Ethernet, while both of them had a Thunderbolt 3 with power delivery, so I’m using one to power my MacBook and the other to connect the Sabrent raid NVMe SSD enclosure, giving me about 3GB/s transfer speeds.
This is a great guide! I am using this mentioned Anker 8-in-1 USB-C with Power Delivery. And while it works perfectly with my windows device (Dell XPS 13 2021), it has issues properly initialising a monitor connection with a MacBook (both i7 3.3GHz MBPro 13 2016 and basic MBPro 14 2021). I usually have to plug the dock, then plug in the HDMI cable and then the power cable. I’m using a 100W PD-compatible charger, so that’s not the case.
Great article! Really! I love that you went over the whole spectrum. But I got a Question… So I am going to buy atleast 2 (maybe 3) 4k Monitors which have thunderbolt 3 with daisychain function. Do you think something like the dock you have will do the job? Because I only want one single cable into my Mac… and it should charge it, display two/three monitors and should get Network via Ethernet. Or is there a better option?
the anker you suggest is weirdly one of the few that supports 10 Gbps USB and 4K 60 Hz (which also means 2K over 60 Hz). It’s relatively inexpensive compared to a thunderbolt dock and provides most of what people would need. You’ll need to also buy a usb-c power supply if your current one is not powerful enough (for example 30W won’t be enough with the macbook air); as it reserves 15W to itself. I find the only drawback of this kind of hub is the cable is super short; so it’s impossible to make a clean desktop setup with it, it’s very fast a mess. extending the cable is not really recommanded. Also obviously you don’t have a thunderbolt pass through, so you’ll need the second port of the mac for this (again this is a practicality problem). On the plus side it’s entirely portable, so an obvious choice for mobility.
Another great vid! One question about ur LG monitor. What resolution do you run it at and is any text like on the menu bar very small? I had a 24″ 4.5k iMac for a week and ended up returning it because some of the text in the MacOS interface was so small. I’m coming from a 21.5″ iMac running 1080p. thx
Thank you Kyle for all the info. I recently purchased a M2 Mac Mini and saw the ORICO Thunderbolt 3 hub on sale. I am new and not sure where it connects to the Mac Mini due to the two ports have power. Possibly does not mater but I have no idea and can not find any information. Hope you can point me in the right direction.
The big problem with USb cables and many hubs, is that manufacturers usually don’t specify if they meet the USB standard. Part of the USB standard is that the total current drawn by devices connected to an unpowered hub is 500mA, so if you’re using an unpowered hub to provide power to a USB device, you need to know what power will be drawn. That’s why most USB hard drives need to be connected via a powered hub. Software such as USB Tree View is available for free and analyses the connections you make, including the power any device is drawing. Another thing to watch out for with USB 3 is that it can cause electrical interference, which can for instance manifest itself as poor image quality on nearby computer monitors.
Awesome review – all the info I’ve been looking for in one concise review! Would love a little advice if you please…. I have a 2022 MB Pro which is largely stationery, connected to twin 27″ 5K LG displays – am assuming that driving these would require something like the Razor Thunderbolt Mercury Edition, as opposed to something less powerful like the Anker 6-port hub you referenced?
Excellent article on a very important topic, prepared and delivered professionally and quality. Considering how fast the standards and the technology have. progressed in the past 5 years I decided to future proof to some degree my choice of hubs and docking stations today, which does mean a compromise on the higher cost. I decided to go with the Kensington SD5700T Thunderbolt 4 dock. While it has fewer ports than some other brands, it is reliable, robust, and well made. While some users might complain about it not having an HDMI connector, it really should not be a concern because all the quality monitors since 2019 have come with USB-C outputs. For older monitors, there are zillions of low cost article adapter connectors. *One important note I have for users considering the Caldigit TS4 docking station: It has a significant issue with Mac M1 computers where external drives and other peripherals are unmounted when the Mac comes out of sleep mode. The problem has been acknowledged by Caldigit which is working on a fix.
I want a TB3 powered dock that takes a 2.5″ SSD OR NVME so I can use it for Time Machine backups with my Mac Mini. Powered so that I don’t get constant external-drive disconnects as I do with the normal USB-C powered ones that sit under the Mac Mini. Oh, and I notice that the ones that DO sit under the Mac Mini seem to effect its bluetooth signal, so… Make it a tower-style. I’ll settle for NVME, but the 2.5″ external is great because it’s JUST for Time Machine backups and I always have large cheap 2.5″ drives sitting around doing nothing. Am I asking too much? lol
Hey there, Kyle Erickson here! Thanks for the informative article on USB hubs; it’s always a headache to choose the right one. I appreciate your breakdown of the different categories and specs. I’m currently in the market for a mid-tier hub, and the Anker PowerExpand 8-in-1 USB hub sounds promising. The 10 gigabits per second transfer speeds and the variety of ports seem ideal for my needs. However, I’m curious about its compatibility with Macs. Have you tested it on the latest macOS versions, and did you encounter any compatibility issues? Your insights would be greatly appreciated. Keep up the great work on your tech-related content! 🚀
Nice overview and mirrors my journey for finding the expandability for my M1 Macbook Air. I also have an ORICO dock (diff. model than you) and I have noticed that it, just like yours, the power supply outputs 65W while at the same time can charge the mac at 60W and also has a TB port with 15W output. That would be 75W already, more than the power supply can deliver. What is your experience with attaching the ext. Nvme drive to the TB port at the dock while also charging the mac? Will the mac charge with less amps or what are the side effects? Thx
I do not have a MAC but the article proved useful as I just ordered a used Dell XPS 17 with four TB4 ports. When I went to look at connecting my HDMI KVM, monitors and wired LAN things started getting very confusing. What I really wanted was something that I could attach to the back side of a monitor and just run one TB4 cable from the laptop to the monitor.
Q: I have a Röde USB – NT microphone and need your suggestion for a USB hub for my 2021 MBP. The Satechi USB C simmple hub does not work. The audio is inconsistent and does not work when I use my ECAMM Live for recording stream. What do you suggest? The article I watched covered many important considerations and love your content.
Great overview – thx! I have a MacBook Air M1 which I used in clamshell mode connected to an LG display 27″ display via USB-C which powers the MacBook. I was wondering what can I use in the second available USB-C port on the MacBook that will allow me to connect two SSD hard drives. One for Time Machine and the other for Final Cut Pro libraries? Your help is appreciated.
If you see only 19k subscribers with a 516k views, you may wonder if it’s worth the watch and that answer is yes. This vid is nicely shot, nicely paced, and he goes over 1. HUBS and 2. DOCKS, and what they’re differences for cheap to expensive products. I had my hub possibly kill my TV, and now my Kingston hub does not like it when I move it, then my connection is lost (poor build quality).
What baffles me about this topic is that there isn’t a price range where you can trust that the product will work. I’ve literally seen tests of $300+ brand devices that failed reliably connecting to 2 screens. Honestly I think it was a mistake to stuff that many features into one port. Now it’s so complex nobody manages to actually implement it correctly.
There are not so many Thunderbolt hubs out there, with some longer cable attached. I tested two different Anker Power Xpand Thunderbolt hubs for over $200 each. Both were not meeting their own performance promises and had to be returned. Btw. Acasis support told me, that they don‘t support neither WD SN750 SSD nor Samsung evo/plus. I went through all this by myself…
@KyleErickson are you able to connect to your external ssd on your network from another computer? If so, how? I’m not sure of the correct configuration to get it to show up. I’m using a 2017 Macbook Pro with an 8tb G-Raid ssd attached thru the usb port of an AirPort Extreme. It works fine connected directly to the Mac, but isn’t visible when connected to the Extreme, and doesn’t show up on Disk Utility. It does power on when connected both thru the Extreme.
the most common problem, that i have faced – luck of power from usb-c mac port. U can get only 15w power, and usb-c hub with hdmi output will take about 10w for his needs only ( u can see that by what connected power will report your mac from “power through” hub- it will be allways 10w less than charger have) . So, when u connect to mac-powered 10w hub external ssd, that takes 7w – u will exceed 15w limit, hub will reboot or hangout untill power off. Ok, u need external power for hub to handle ext. ssd, but imagine u do some inportant work, run virtual machine from ssd, and u got off grid outage – boom! in a worst-case u will get unrecoverable disk error and lost all your data. solution – use power thru powerbanks to power hub.
Thanks for your article and for showing me the many choices in USB hubs. I have an iPad Pro and was wondering your opinion is the Anker PowerExpand would work on the iPad. I will be doing a lot of article editing on it the Anker hub looks very attractive. Also, I want to attach an SSD to transfer my files. Thanks for your response
Very helpful article. I’m currently using a Dell dock station (WD22TB4) that I had for my previous laptop and now it’s connected to my MacBook Pro 14″ with an M1 processor. What I like: – Charges my MacBook – USB C and USB A ports – Thunderbolt ports (USB C) – Ethernet jack – Dual display ports + HDMI port – Sleek design, very quiet – No lags or freezes What I don’t like: – Due to a problem with M1 processors, I can’t use two monitors directly on the display ports or HDMI. It works on regular notebooks, not on the M1. I got it working with a workaround: Using a HDMI USB-C adapter on the thunderbolt port. – Lack of headphone jack – Only 2 USB-A in the back For reference: I’m using a 4k ultrawide monitor and a regular full HD one.
The recommended hub, which I have purchased, only has temporary tape strips marking its ports. The tape covers the ports so you need to be knowledgeable to identify the ports. I placed the tapes on the sides of the unit, next to the ports. What would it have cost to engrave port names or use Apple symbols?
I have started to research for a good Thunderbolt hub for my Mac Mini and Mac Book Pro a few times and digging through all the specs and features was not worth the time or the expense for what I was leaning towards. Still want one, have not had the time to do the research, just living without one for now. It’s a bit inconvenient sometimes but for 95% of the time I can do what I need to do. For the other 5% I can get it done by unplugging one device. It does help to have multiple computers so this may not work for everyone.
I have had a really good experience with the UGREEN USB C 10 in 1 dongle. Apart from the 1xHMDI 4K 30hz (which is good enough since I use a 1080p monitor), it has: 1xVGA 1080p 60Hz, 1xRJ45 1000Mbps, 1×3.5mm audio jack, 1xPD 100W USBC Charging port, 1xSD 104Mb/s, 1xTF (MicroSD) 104Mb/s and 3xUSB 3.0 ports for 40€ or 44$ on Aliexpress. I have a 2021 Macbook Pro M1 16gb RAM and a heavy user of applications like Photoshop, Lightroom and Final Cut Pro. No problems so far and for that price…can’t beat it imo.
Thank you for this article. My own research led to me buying the Anker PowerExpand 8-in-1 USB Hub. I’m relieved you recommend it too. BTW,yYou talk as if transfer speed only applies to moving files. If you want to plug an HD or 4K camera into your Mac to use as a article camera using something like the Elgato Cam Link 4K, then you’ll need a hub with fast transfer speeds for that as well. At any rate, great article. I liked and subscribed.
I would like to buy a hub that I can plug in an external monitor but I’ve heard of peoples new macbooks (like mine), batteries draining… Don’t want that to happen! I would appreciate a suggestion on a hub that will not destroy my new computer. I will be plugging in my scarlett interface, external SSD drive, and an Acer monitor… Thanks for your input! 🙂
This was useful. I went through a similar process and ended up with a variant on the Anker you endorsed. It works great with my single 4K monitor via HDMI, but it only has one usb3 that can do either power(in) or high speed out, so no way to use the USB -> DisplayPort cable I bought for anything beyond Mario Brothers. Verdict is OK, but could be better.
nice and clear article. Straight to the point with just the right amount of information. One point to may be consider for Mac users as it is for me. At time, I have to use Windows Machines and not all do have Thunderbolt ports. Therefore my choice was USB-c only. May be not the fastest but the most versitile when you have to work with both eco-system.
Not to step on Kyle’s vid and affiliate links (it does help with offsetting vid costs), for article and photo creators that need UHS-II support, look at “Cable Matters USB C Hub with 4K HDMI, 80W Charging, UHS-II Card Reader, 4X USB, and Gigabit Ethernet – USB-C and Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 / Thunderbolt 3 Port Compatible with MacBook Pro, Dell XPS”. At $55ish US, it’s pretty solid. It is more square and compact on 2 dimensions, but thicker than the Anker. I happen to have an AOHI 40W Fast Charger Adapter, so it fits the travel pouch without the width being overly wonky. Good vid that nicely explains the muddled state of the USB hub market – well done Kyle!
Thank you HEAPS for the GREAT article! So good and clear!!! Actually I’m after a HUB that has 4 USB A ports, one HDMI and the slots for micro SD and SD cards and passthrough power. My budget around 100 bucks. Any suggestion? I saw your link to the Anker 555 but it has only got 2 USB A ports and need at least 3 (better 4) to connect different MIDI instruments. Thank you heaps!!!! 🙏
Which dock would you recommend for a 24″ m1 iMac. I want to plug in to it the following: 2.5″ 5tb HDD, slim bluray player, Apple SuperDrive, iPad Pro, iPhone, and apple keyboard and mouse (last two would just be for charging so usb 2.0 is ok for that). I’m not sure which dock would have enough power for all devices as I assume the iMac can’t power them all. The connected devices would use the dock for power. Do I need a dock with external power (mid tier range) or an Anker with external power (I am not using a MacBook so worried about pass through power). Thanks in advance! 😅
Great in depth article. Thanks. I have a music studio with loads of MIDI devices/controllers. I have a few hubs but they dont always power the midi devices (Audio interface, midi keyboards/synths, APC40, Push3, Novation MkII and more. ). Hubs I already have include HDMI, and more but all I need is a hub or doc only with 4 to 8 USB ports that will work with my midi devices. Any help would be appreciated.
hey Kyle awesome article, thanks so much for making it, quick question – I’m trying to understand that whole pass-through PD, so the 16 inch M1 Pro comes with 140W charger, can I plug it into something like that Anker recommended by you, then plug in couple of external SSD/HDD, and the whole thing will be powered, drives will be fine and also MacBook will get enough juice despite the hub delivering only 100W? Or do I need something that comes with dedicated power supply
Thunderbolt 3/4 shouldn’t be included in the same tier as USB-4 docks. Lumping them together devalues the technical improvements moving from USB to PCIe, especially the elimination OS bottlenecks inherent in USB. The lowest end of TB docks/hubs will have more reliable sustained performance than the highest end of USB docks/hubs.
After experiencing many problems with my 2015 MBP to the point that my machine was damaged as it would’n start anymore even when attempting to restart “naked” aka without any external SSDs and I had to bring back to life an even older 2012 MacMini. Then I found a used USB hub from Lindy on ebay from a computer systems house. I was hesitant but ordered it for 35€ instead of 70€ or so. Lindy claims to make products for industrial use. Now, quality seems to be impressive, 7 port hub USB 3.0 heavy metal housing power input not by a simple plug but a by a bolted connection. So far I’m happy. I even tried my MBP once more after 2 month or so and to my big surprise the machine started again. How is this possible? How can a cheap China hub ruin a Macbook? I was wondering if it perhaps damaged the USB chip / port inside my machine? As I had the MacMini for free I didn’t send my MBP in for service, but still wonder what’s going on?
What would be nice, is if you could just say I want 3 type C, one SD card reader, and one mini card reader and 3 USB- 3.1 and no ethernet, no HDMI ports. I basically need a quality SD Card reader, and all the rest ‘might’ get used at some point. I’m currently using a USB-A quad dongle after getting a 2019 iMac, and need some expansion for devices. The important word above is ‘quality’ which I don’t mind paying a little more for, but getting the inputs I want, without the one’s I don’t…is the hard part. Still looking…
Hi, Can you recommend a thunderbolt hub for an iPad Pro m1, which uses thunderbolt 3? I will be connecting a micro-usb type-B audio interface that may need bus power, MIDI controller that may need bus power, occasional external hard drive, an external 4k monitor. Headphone port. Also, if possible, nvme option, but not required. I would like 120 refresh rate, but may only be able to afford 60 refresh rate. I heard the refresh rate can effect typing and mousing latency. is 60 refresh rate ok for typing and mousing ? I also need audio meters in software, like Logic for iPad to be realistic & precise, so low latency (in regard to refresh rate) there as well. I’m essentially trying to use the iPad Pro as a portable recording studio. I like the Acasis 10 in 1, but it’s usb c, and I’m confused about how that will work with Thunderbolt 3. plus I heard it gets really hot. Sorry for all the questions. Cheers
Thanks Kyle great article. What would you recommend for – I’m trying to setup 2 monitors on 2019 Macbook Pro M1 – really just for work-from-home setup (finance work), logging into remote cloud desktop. doesn’t need to be special just need the extra screen space – appreciate any suggestions…The Hyperdrive 10-in-1 seems like a simple setup that works with some small drawbacks
biggest things i hate about usb c hubs, they are only 5gbps and rarely 10gbps, they trick people into thinking that their usb c hub is a thunderbolt hub, the article out if it has one is only 4k 30hz which is most of them rarely 4k 60hz, (this one is a my own personal issue) no extra usb c for dp alt mode for a second display or just one display with usb 5gbps or 10gbps over the type c port so if a usb c monitor is connected that has usb ports on them that they can actually be used through the hub while the other ports on the hub wont be wasted
I’ve been waiting for someone to this very article. Thank you, Kyle. I gave up. However, I’m still confused about the difference between a Mac Book and an iMac when it comes to powered hubs. As an iMac user, is it possible to use a powered hub with an iMac even though the iMac has its own power? Cheers 🙂
SCENARIO; I’m a mobile musician, want to boondock and not rely plugged in on 120v. I’m in a camper with no access to power in the middle of nowhere. Just myself and nature (I call it God, do and think what you will). HOW and WHAT do I use as a hub to power my audio interface and external SSD from my M1 laptop? Don’t care if the power drains the laptop battery in 2 hours. I care about the inspiration in the middle of nowhere with no one around.
Worth bearing in mind with the high end ones, that the Thunderbolt limit applies overall to all the devices plugged into the hub. This can start to hit hard when you (as I do) have 2 4k Displays via USB-C plugged into the hub. Each of those will gobble up 10 gbps of your theoretical 40 gbps at thunderbolt 4 speeds. If you’re like me and you’r excessive you might then want to wire up your DSLR to also do streaming through this hub. That starts to eat up the remaining bandwidth. Now, on the other hand, if you plug the camera recording device straight into one of the free MBP ports, suddenly the problem goes away because they each have their own 40gbps of bandwidth. So in short, if you have a lot of high bandwidth applications you may not be able to run it all through a single hub and may need to use some of the additional ports on the MBP directly to take some load off the hub. Atm I gave up on the streaming setup (too many cables, too messy, too fiddly, etc) and I have my 2x 4k monitors plus an SSD on the hub (plus everything else – 1GBPS fibre connection, sound, peripherals, etc) on there, and one working SSD directly into a mbp port.
I have a 2021 iMac which has lightning ports…where do I get an adapter so that I can plug in my USB stuff? Obviously, I’m not tech savvy, but it’s super frustrating since the people at Best Buy let me know that of course the iMac had USB ports. Morons…not impressed and not shopping there again. If you can help me with this, I would appreciate it!
I use to only buy the cheapest hub. On the recent upgrade I upgrade with very costly, relative, best mixed fit licence cable and hubs, the Workflow is extremely fast, which I never thought these thing can make a difference. But it does. Just have to know what to buy, Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 the price is vary varies, just think the upstream what cable need in equipment and link. It safe a lot of money, and trouble free. That is my experience with Mac, I never really use a PC, since I am a very longtime Media Artist, where used to only work with Macs.
❌ I am waiting for someone to invent a wireless laptop tray that will be a Bluetooth & WiFi transfer hub for files to any peripheral device no matter what the physical connection may be. I am so tired of the various ports and adapters that we have to buy for USB-C, HDMI, chargers etc. It would be nice to place my laptop down onto a tray (like the one I use in bed!) whereby it connects to my own internal “cloud” of devices (no matter their age) AND also Apple iCloud, Dropbox, the lot! When will this be available? There is already a way to charge phones this way. One day, we will all look back on how we had to plug everything in and laugh, but until then…
Kyle; the Anker 8 in 1 is junk, plus they don’t refund their products. I took your recommendation on buying it and I have had constant problems with it and their deceptive customer service, the connections are low quality and have constant intermittent connectivity, especially the RJ45 port, also the micro SD port will not read micro SD cards. I was ripped off by Anker.
Thanks.I am looking to capture mini-dv footage from my sony cameras (Pd150’s) and import into my new mac mini computer.I have always gone firewire 800 into an external drive.I plan to get a newer larger hard drive,but that Sony will still be my way to access all that old footage i treasure. I just dont want to buy extra un-needed cables,if i were buying wrong ones.
Apple sell CalDigit and in my experience they the goat for docks. Driving 2 displays can have serious issues unless they are Tbolt displays. Dell has a tech bulletin on why their docks mostly can’t drive displays. My Griffin dock gives me ONE display resolution on the Macs (no scaling). CalDigit has no such issues. So yeah, it’s a mine field.
I could have killed my MacBook trying to charge it with a cheap hub. The software saved me. It reported an issue with my hub and disabled the USB-C port into which it was plugged until I restarted the computer, at which time I gave the hub a critical review, and the manufacturer started emailing me constantly trying to change my mind. Yuck. So you can’t trust retailer reviews of the thousands of Amazon USB hubs because companies actively try to buy good reviews.
🍺 Great news! After days of researching, I finally found an external SSD with a consistent read/write speed of 2,800 mb/s for Mac Studio computers and PC. It supports the Mac Studio USB 4 port rated at 40 gb/s. And supports Thunderbolt 3 & 4. Doesn’t get any better than that. Decent price too. 👉 2.0TB OWC Envoy Pro SX-$469.00 External SSD at Amazon and BH Photo article same price. Cheers‼️
I was considering razer for dual display output but wanted something with displayport or hdmi ports and I found i-tec docks (they are a czech company) and they work great, with around 90W of PD, thunderbolt 3 and ethernet port. The only thing lacking is an SD card slot but for $250 range I can’t complain at all
I’ve got some pretty odd mouse/keyboard delay. Basically it is an Anker 5 in 1 port plugged into a M2 MBA, mouse and keyboard are 15 year old USB A wireless Logitech. The only extra stuff I connect to the Anker port is a USB type A connection to the monitor for USB ports there (which shouldn’t really draw any power as and is data only as the display, an IIyama Prolite 4k, has its own power supply). Could it be that the power through is actually interfere with data transfer? I don’t need it anyway as I prefer to charge the MBA with the megasafe. However, the mouse doesn’t seem to register if I connect the port to MBA via the 5G usb-c port (admitted it maybe the cable problem).
I need 10G NIC and extra thunderbolt ports and the only one that does all for me was owc professional tb3 model. However, it’s way too expensive and even worse, a lot reviews reported compatibility issue with Apple Silicon Macs yet no issue with Intel-based Macs. I ended up in no purchase and continue with the only three ports that came built in.
Are you still able to use a docking satiation with your laptop while not in clam mode? I have a few 2.0 and 3.0 external hard drives. And I want to start to separate my files. As I have a total of 8tb in external drives.I just purchased the Mac book pro max 16 inch screen with 1tb ssd. I used to DJ for fun and have all my audio files along with my music article files. On top of that I also went buck wild when I got my dlsr camera and have a lot of ton of pics I have to go through. along with articles from my cellphone and dslr camera and go-pro and drone. Now that I want to start to get into editing I wanna make sure my drives are all separated and up to par. . I’ve tried to transfer up to 5k +mp3 and on my 2012 Mac Pro before and it couldn’t transfer that load and eventually overload. I would probably get a thunderbolt drive. But would this work or should I just get the anker usb hub?
I hate how many macs and in general most modern laptops have opted for fewer ports that then make these annoying hubs necessary. I bought a usb-c hub that has 4 usb 3.0 ports and ethernet jack. The first issue is it gets extremely hot even when nothing is plugged into it. In addition I had a problem with my Dell XPS laptop not liking the ethernet jack randomly dropping the connection. I got a cheap dedicated usb-c to ethernet adapter that worked without issue. So it’s hit or miss. It’s also cumbersome have all these peripherals hanging off your computer. One last thing I tried using usb-c to display port cable to connect my mac M1 mini to a 4k monitor. Every couple of hours the screen would turn green and the computer locked up. Luckily the mini had a traditional hdmi port and after switching to it never had a problem. So I’m not really a fan of usb-c.
Hi, great article gave me a lot of info. I recently purchased a wav link for my mac book pro. My mac does not have an usb-c port. My question is, can I use an adaptor such as a usb-c to usb? and if so will it work properly? I watched your article and I realize I must pay attention to the speeds listed on the adaptors. I was going to purchase a gold plated adaptor from amazon at $12.00 but this adaptor was showing the interior construction and it uses micro chips and seems pretty complicated so I have held back ordering it. I really only use my Mac ports for my iPhone a mouse and external hard drive. what type of adaptor would you use? Thanks!
bruh i jus twanna use my asus gaming monitor lol at the refresh rate i want which is 165 hz and my other gaming monitor at that that same rate. on my macbook pro with my razer mouse that’s wireless, and keyboard.. and my DAC stack and it seems like apple just wants you to spend lol more money to plug shit in, and my monitors won’t even be able to be used at that refresh rate. def has stirred me away from trying to buy a mac product is it really this difficult? I have to resarch lol ports and adapters, when I built my pc ? lol thank you for this article it was so complicated. Apple def gets you in decision paralsysis. holy fuck .
I use a Thunderbolt dock at work and a USB-C when I am home or away from the office. My hub lets me connect to a monitor, ethernet, USB-A, and get power from one connection. The dock takes care of connecting to monitors at their highest settings. The hub lets me be mobile. It’s a little more costly but I get the best of both worlds.
Hi! I found this one off Amazon. It’s pretty cheap in price. Would something like this be good to connect dual monitors (via hdmi) and wireless keyboard/mouse (via usb) for editing purposes and charge laptop or is this one of those devices that could mess my mac air up? Thank you! Brand: 4URPC Description: USB C Laptop Docking Station Dual Monitor for MacBook Pro/Air, 6-in-2 Dual 4K USB C Hub Adapter, USB C Dock with 2 HDMI, 3 USB 3.0 Ports, PD 3.0 Charging, Plug and Play
Surprised this article doesn’t cover the Apple Silicon USB support issue. 9to5Mac reported on the issue back in April of this year, but MacRumours & Apple Support Communities have posts going back much further. “No port in any M1 model appears to fully support 10 Gb/s SuperSpeed+ in USB 3.1 Gen 2.” Apple hasn’t addressed the issue in nearly 24 months. I’ve done my own speed tests and found that the reporting was correct – at least for my Mac Studio. Given the duration of the issue, and Apple’s failure to patch it, people should consider Thunderbolt docks that both use and accept Thunderbolt connections.
Hi Kyle, do you have an Air M2? Does it work with the Anker 8-in-1? I have just bought a Taiwan made j5Create (which has almost exactly the same spec as Anker 8-in-1) but the Air doesn’t recongised the Hub at all (though HDMI 4k and PD input is working). I’m wondering if the Air is not able to support a 10gbps Hub, or the j5Create is just junk.
Do you hate Caldigit or something? The Elements hub is quite a bit cheaper than the Razer one and does a very similar job and no list should be complete without the TS4. It’s overkill for most people, but it also provides any kind of connectivity one could wish for. Oh, and the Razer dock is not even their own. It’s a rebranded OWC Thunderbolt 4 Dock. Check out the port alignment. It’s the exact same, except Razer covered up the front 2.0 port.
The options just crazy. I need a micro SD reader ( USBC ) for my 10th generation iPad. And with all the options and compatibility issues? This is exhausting. I need it for work. I’m project manager for a roofing company and need it to transfer photo files to my iPad so I can do onsite quotes. Instead of driving all the way home or back to the office just to put a photo proposal together. And there are SO many options. This is really slowing me down. Any recommendations?
I need to connect multiple devices in my studio. ideally a minimum of 2 HDMI out and I need 10 USBs for connecting keyboards and other musical hardware. What do you recommend? i am currently looking at a few hubs and dongles and wonder if I can connect hubs to hubs (ie can I connect my current 6-bay hub to a new hub to give me more connections)