Thunderbolt 4 dock with Mac Studio and the speeds of ports
Hello, I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this question. I am considering replacing an older iMac Pro with a Mac Studio within the next year.
I am a heavy video (8k included), image creation, audio and photography user, I make way too big files. I wish I didn't, but they are for larger immersive installations and large prints.
I don't have the pay grade for a Mac Pro, and from what I understand they aren't upgradable anymore- except for ports, -- but this is something I do need. But for my $ reasons, I am considering a thunderbolt hub.
I run a lot of drives at once, backing up and reading and writing from multiple workflows, it can get a frenzied, and hectic, until I finish the extremely cross program reliant process.
So while I'm working I need thunderbolt 4 read and write speeds. (or as fast as I can with as many fast ports as I can) I can easily fill a 5tb sdd in half a day when I am on a directive workflow, and need to be able work over multiple ssd drives, for this to work quickly. I run some large hdd's as libraries also where information is moved to the faster sdd's to add to the work flow.
My question is what dock is going to give me real thunderbolt 4 speeds with probably an extra 6 ports, or will that depend on how many drives I have plugged in because of the need for a seperate bus per port (ARGH) (assuming they are all genuine T4'S) and is it even possible? Will it all just bottle neck?
I am uncertain where to find real transfer speeds with ports, and how that works with bus's. I am guessing there are a few others who have this issue and need a thunderbolt hub, but with ports that have the maximum speeds possible. I realise different Macs have a different number of ports per bus - but I don't really understand it properly, glad to read up with any current information that isn't just a sales pitch. Which seems to have become harder to find!
I also have a m1 Mac book pro that I pull into the mix when things get really busy, so hoping to maximise it's ports and my drives as well.
But would love any insights on actual speeds vs 'up to' speeds of thunderbolt ports, and any reading on thunderbolt and bus, or even a suggestion for my troublesome workflow.
Thank you.