Hub for mac book

prime26 wrote:

I have a printer, many old flashdrives USB-A 2.0+3.0, 3 new external drives -Samsung Flash for macrium imaging etc. , a card reader and SanDisc IXpand flash 3.0.

It sounds like you have multiple peripherals with USB-A plugs, and will be wanting to plug several (but not all) of them in at the same time.

Many USB-C and Thunderbolt docks and hubs provide multiple USB-A ports, and often they have built-in SDXC card readers. Typically such docks will include a HDMI or Mini DisplayPort (which repackages video output from the computer), and often they will include Ethernet ports. Many will have the ability to provide charging power to your laptop when they are provided with external power.

Note that USB-C ports on USB-C hubs are often single-purpose: They let you plug in your power adapter, or let you plug in peripherals that need USB data. Your computer's USB-C ports are multi-purpose – they can handle USB data, charging, DisplayPort video, or Thunderbolt data as needed, depending on what's plugged into them.

You can also find very simple, low-end USB-A hubs that plug into a USB-C port on your computer and give you 4 – 7 USB-A ports.

I would recommend looking around at the offerings from several retailers (e.g., Amazon, Other Word Computing, big office stores – not just Best Buy) and reading reviews on the Internet to get a feel for what is out there.

Also, it looks like Sonnet has a DisplayLink Dual HDMI Adapter for M1 and M2 Macs:

https://www.sonnetstore.com/collections/accessories/products/displaylink-dual-hdmi-adapter-for-m1-macs

The capabilities and limitations are similar to those of the DisplayLink Dual DisplayPort Adapter … except that the monitor interface is different (HDMI vs. DisplayPort), and the price is lower ($90 vs. $150).

The M2 MacBook Airs and the 13" M2 MacBook Pro have

• Two USB-C (Thunderbolt ports)
• A headphone jack
• Support for a single external monitor

The M2 MacBook Airs also have a MagSafe 3 charging port (and can charge over either MagSafe 3 or USB-C).

The 14" and 16" MacBook Pros have

• Three USB-C (Thunderbolt ports)
• A HDMI port
• A SDXC card slot
• A headphone jack
• A MagSafe 3 charging port
• Support for two or more monitors (see technical specifications for details)

You're not as likely to need a dock with a 14"/16" MacBook Pro, as with a MacBook Air or 13" MacBook Pro. But even for the higher-priced models, a dock can be convenient. A USB-C or Thunderbolt docking connection can potentially carry video, power, and data on a single cable – so you just plug in one cable to dock your laptop and just unplug one cable when you want to take the laptop on the road.

d4v3g wrote:

Reading Servant of Cats' reply I think I've botched in the purchase of the 13" M2 MBP - I thought I'd be able to run 2 external monitors off it.

Is there some way in using a MOOV 12 hub I could at least have 1 external monitor as a mirror of the MBP's screen and the 2nd external as an extension/2nd screen? I fear not.

I don't know about the MOOV 12 hub, specifically.

There are some hubs and adapters that use a third-party technology called DisplayLink to let you attach two or more displays. These are not first-class hardware video connections, where there is dedicated hardware in the computer constantly driving each display at the supported refresh rate. They rely on creating virtual screens in software (with the aid of a third-party software driver), and sending compressed updates out to hubs/adapters equipped with DisplayLink chip sets (which repackage the compressed video into a more normal form).

Synaptics makes the DisplayLink chip sets, and the software drivers for Macs and PCs. Other vendors sell the DisplayLink-equipped adapters or hubs.

https://www.synaptics.com/products/displaylink-graphics

https://www.synaptics.com/products/displaylink-graphics/displaylink-products

Here's an example of a third-party product that uses DisplayLink.

https://www.sonnettech.com/product/m1-mac-dual-displayport-adapter/overview.html

"Connect Two 4K DisplayPort Displays Using Only One Port on Your M1 or M2 Mac"

"Not recommended for gaming or applications that require a dedicated GPU"

Be prepared to try several before you get the one you want. Unfortunately some just don't seem to be fully compatible; there is no comprehensive list of those.

You might want to search this forum and the web in general to find opinions and ratings.

One thing I would suggest is getting enough RAM. Once you've bought an Apple-Silicon-based Mac, whatever amount of RAM it came with, is what you'll have forever. There is no way of adding RAM after purchase.

The M2 MacBook Airs are available with 8 GB, 16 GB, or 24 GB of RAM. The stock models only have 8 GB, so if you want more, you have to find a retailer who goes out of their way to carry 16 and 24 GB models – or custom-order the configuration you want from the online Apple Store.

The 14" M2 Pro MacBook Pros are available with 16 or 32 GB. (With the Apple Silicon Macs, the RAM is located right next to the main SoC processor chip, so the SoC choice determines what RAM options are available.)

8 GB of RAM might be enough for light use – Internet browsing, word processing, and so forth. But, for instance, Adobe recommends 16+ GB for their photo processing applications (PS, LR, LR Classic). I'd suggest looking up the "recommended" system requirements (not just "minimum" system requirements) of the application software that you plan to run, and taking that into consideration when deciding how much RAM to get.

Here's another place you could look: the Certified Refurbished section of the online Apple Store.

Certified Refurbished Products - Apple

Apple typically sells Refurbished Macs for 15% off original list price. The selection changes day to day, and it can be especially hard to find configurations with custom upgrades. But at the moment, the U.S. store has an assortment of 13" MacBook Airs (no 15" ones, yet) with 16 GB or 24 GB of RAM.

https://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished/mac/2022-macbook-air-16gb-24gb

Apple's Refurbishment process is pretty thorough, so provided that you can find a configuration you want at a good price, the main disadvantage of buying Refurbished is that your machine arrives in a plain cardboard box. A long time ago, I bought a Refurbished iMac for my sister, and inside the box, the thing was packaged so well that you couldn't tell it from new.

Reading Servant of Cats' reply I think I've botched in the purchase of the 13" M2 MBP - I thought I'd be able to run 2 external monitors off it.

Is there some way in using a MOOV 12 hub I could at least have 1 external monitor as a mirror of the MBP's screen and the 2nd external as an extension/2nd screen? I fear not.

SoC,

Thank you for that!

I'm reaching out to Sonnettech to see if that won't be right option for me.

I may have to bite the bullet and see if the Apple vendor won't upgrade me to a 14".

Your advice much appreciated!

Dave

Another note I just saw on the Sonnet site:

"On macOS, protected content from iTunes and other copy protected (HDCP) players and applications are not visible on any monitors, including built-in monitors, when DisplayLink monitors are connected."

What model(s) are you considering?