MacBook Pro M3 14" Connecting to two Samsung S60UA 27"

Macs do not support DisplayPort MST daisy-chaining.

In addition, if that 14” MBP has the base M3 chip, it supports only one external display. (That may change to be one with the lid open, two with the lid closed - with a future software patch.)

ringhio85 wrote:

hi everyone

i'm trying to get my set up to work... i have a mac led thunderbolt display, a dell u2722de and a macbook pro m3pro. (i'm thinking on getting a second dell to substitute the mac monitor)

i might not have understood what you maybe already explained, but in that case can you do it so that i understand it? I'll attach a picture of how i'd like to let my home office run.

i'm connecting the dell monitor using usb-c to my mbp, from my dell i go out with a dp-to-minidp adapter to connect my apple monitor. now i have only a mirrored screen on the last display and in the settings only the dell is correctly recognised.

i'm happy for every help!

https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/6baee3f5-45d2-47b3-9efb-371bd6df006e

There is no display called a "Mac LED Thunderbolt Display." There are two displays which are very similar – but require different connection methods. I suspect you have the LED Cinema Display.

• The Apple Thunderbolt Display (27-inch), model A1407, requires Thunderbolt input. To hook it to a modern Mac, you would use an Apple Thunderbolt 3-to-2 adapter. A USB-C to Mini DisplayPort adapter cable would not work since it would not provide a Thunderbolt signal. Connecting this monitor to the DisplayPort (Out) on your Dell U2722DE will not work since that port does not provide a Thunderbolt signal.

• The LED Cinema Display (27-inch), model A1316, requires Mini DisplayPort input. To hook it to a modern Mac, you would use a USB-C to Mini DisplayPort adapter cable (or equivalent). Hooking it directly to the Apple Thunderbolt 3-to-2 adapter would not work as that adapter only translates Thunderbolt. Connecting this monitor to the DisplayPort (Out) on your Dell U2722DE will not work since Macs do not support DisplayPort MST daisy-chaining of monitors connected via USB-C (DisplayPort). "A mirrored screen" (because the daisy-chained monitor is showing the DisplayPort signal intended for the first monitor) seems a likely result.

It's my understanding that to connect two monitors to one Mac host port,

• The Mac in question has to support multiple monitors
• The host port has to be a Thunderbolt port
• The device immediately attached to be it has to be a Thunderbolt device (such as a dock)

There are Thunderbolt docks that will let you attach two non-Thunderbolt displays with resolutions of up to UHD 4K @ 60 Hz, if the computer supports it. (Which a 14" MBP with a M3 Pro chip does.)

As far as I know, Macs do not support USB-C (DisplayPort) daisy-chaining even when you are talking about low-resolution monitors (e.g., 1920x1080), or monitors that support USB-C Display Stream Compression (like the Dell U2723QE").

For instance, if I'm not mistaken …

Other World Computing – Thunderbolt Docks

• OWC 14-Port Thunderbolt Dock would let you connect one mDP display and one USB-C (DP) display
• OWC 11-Port Thunderbolt Dock would let you connect two USB-C (DP) displays
• OWC Thunderbolt Hub would let you connect two USB-C (DP) displays
• OWC Thunderbolt mini Dock would let you connect two HDMI displays

(*) where a USB-C (DP) "display" could presumably be a USB-C (DP) to whatever adapter.s

Check with OWC if you have questions about any of their docks.

You can find more examples on that site, and on the sites for

SonnetTech

CalDigit

BigBonza wrote:

Thanks again for your further guidance.

I have found some excellent articles on MacWorld about just this issue, which lists the Macs and how many external displays they can drive, and the key point is the monitors must be Thunderbolt, and not USB-C/Display Port to be able to do what I'm looking to do.

The monitors do not have to be Thunderbolt ones. Just the device connected directly to the Mac does.

Look at the Thunderbolt docks and hubs offered by Other World Computing, SonnetTech, and CalDigit and you will find many that can drive two NON-Thunderbolt monitors. Sometimes the docks bring out display outputs in the form of DisplayPort, Mini DisplayPort, or HDMI. Sometimes they offer USB-C (Thunderbolt) daisy-chaining ports or downstream USB-C (Thunderbolt) hub ports into which you can plug a USB-C (DisplayPort) display or adapter.

The specific mix varies. E.g., one dock might offer 1 DisplayPort + 1 USB-C (DP); another might simply provide two USB-C (DP) outputs.

As Servant of Cats has already stated, to connect TWO displays on one cable out of that Mac:

the port, the cable, and the first device on the cable (Dock or Display) must all be genuine ThunderBolt-3.

Your older Apple display is a Thunderbolt-2 device, which has lower overall bandwidth and will not suffice for this purpose.

USB-C cables have half the data pathways, and therefore half the data-carrying capacity, and will not be adequate for two displays. Apple does not carve out an exception for low resolution displays -- TWO are not supported on one USB-C cable on a Mac.

The simplest, cheapest solution is to connect TWO data cables to your two displays.

if you want the convenience of ONE cable, you will need to buy an expensive ThunderBolt-3 Dock or an expensive Thunderbolt-3 Display.

You say that you have a MacBook Pro with a M3 Pro chip. MBPs with that chip can drive two very-high-resolution monitors (up to 4K over USB-C (DisplayPort); up to 6K over USB-C (Thunderbolt)) or one bleeding-edge (8K) one over HDMI 2.1.

Let's say that you have two non-Thunderbolt displays with resolutions of 4K or less. (This scenario is, by far, the most common multi-monitor one.)

You will need to plug those displays into separate ports on the MBP unless you plug a Thunderbolt dock or hub into the Mac, then plug the displays into the Thunderbolt dock or hub. Thunderbolt 3 and 4 offer a wider data pathway than USB-C (DisplayPort) does. When sending video for two displays with <= 4K resolution over the same host port, the Mac wants to see that wider data pathway even if the displays have low enough resolution (e.g., 1080p each) that the data could have fit over a USB-C (DisplayPort) link.

Once the data gets to the Thunderbolt dock or hub, that device can then split the Thunderbolt-encapsulated video into two narrower streams to support two displays.

to get the programmers notice about our problems give a here a feedback directly to apple:

Product Feedback - Apple

i suppose the more the better, they might losen the restrictions if they see a real necessity for it...

first of all, thank you all for your immediate answers and help!

so these are the specs of my dell u2722de:

• 1 x DP 1.4 (HDCP1,4)

• 1 x HDMI 1,4

•1 x USB-C (DP 1.4, PD: 90 W,

2/4-Lanes-Schalter USB 3.2

Gen2, 10 Gbps)-Upstream

• 1 x USB-C
• (USB 3.2 Gen2, 10 Gbps)-
• Upstream
• 1 x DP (Ausgang)
• 1 x Analog 2,0-Audio-Line-
• Ausgang (3,5-mm-Anschluss)
• 3 x USB-A (USB 3.2 Gen2,
• 10 Gbps)-Downstream •1 x RJ45 Schnellzugriff:
• 1 x USB-A
• (USB 3.2 Gen2, 10 Gbps)-
• Downstream mit BC-1.2
• 1 x USB-C
• (USB 3.2 Gen2, 10 Gbps, 15 W)-Downstream

i might get a dell u2722d:

• 1 x DP 1.4 (HDCP1,4)
• 1 x HDMI 1,4
• 1 x USB-C (USB 3.2
• Gen2, 10 Gbps)-
• Upstream (Nur Daten)
• 1 x DP (Ausgang)
• 1 x Analog 2,0-Audio-
• Line-Ausgang (3,5-mm-
• Anschluss)
• 2 x USB-A (USB
• 3.2 Gen2, 10 Gbps)-
• Downstream Schnellzugriff:
• 1 x USB-A (USB 3.2
• Gen2, 10 Gbps)-
• Downstream mit BC-1.2
• 1 x USB-C (USB 3.2
• Gen2, 10 Gbps, 15 W)- Downstream

would it so be possible to get daisy chain from mbp -> u2722de -> u2722d having now the precise specs?

ringhio85 wrote:

would it so be possible to get daisy chain from mbp -> u2722de -> u2722d having now the precise specs?

No. It would not be possible to daisy-chain the monitors. The DisplayPort standard may support MST daisy-chaining, and those monitors may support it – but the Mac does not.

Looking at Dell's online manual, I see that both of those monitors are 27", 2560x1440 monitors. Both of them have DisplayPort and HDMI inputs. Both have DisplayPort outputs for MST daisy-chaining - outputs that you cannot use with a Mac. The U2722DE can also take USB-C (DisplayPort) input.

Since your MacBook Pro has a M3 Pro chip – unlike the OP's MacBook Pro, which had only a base M3 chip – it would be possible to dock both of those monitors to your Mac using a single cable. To do that, you will need to buy a Thunderbolt dock or hub that supports attaching two non-Thunderbolt monitors in one way or another. If you look at the offerings from Other World Computing, SonnetTech, and CalDigit, you should find various such docks and hubs.

For instance, here's one from OWC that's relatively low-cost ($130) as far as such devices go.

Other World Computing – OWC 14-Port Thunderbolt Dock

This one has a Mini DisplayPort and a USB-C (Thunderbolt) port for Thunderbolt daisy-chaining.

You could, e.g.,

• Run a USB-C to USB-C cable from the dock to the Dell U2722DE
• Run a Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable from the dock to the Dell U2722D
• Run a Thunderbolt cable from the dock to the Mac

Because your displays have multiple types of inputs, and there are multiple types of USB-C adapters, there are other ways you could do it.

But you can't connect two displays to one Mac host port - in a hardware-supported way - unless

• That port is a Thunderbolt port
• The device connected to it is a Thunderbolt device (typically a Thunderbolt hub or dock). Note: Thunderbolt; plain USB-C hubs and docks will not do
• The Mac in question supports multiple displays

hi everyone

i'm trying to get my set up to work... i have a mac led thunderbolt display, a dell u2722de and a macbook pro m3pro. (i'm thinking on getting a second dell to substitute the mac monitor)

i might not have understood what you maybe already explained, but in that case can you do it so that i understand it? I'll attach a picture of how i'd like to let my home office run.

i'm connecting the dell monitor using usb-c to my mbp, from my dell i go out with a dp-to-minidp adapter to connect my apple monitor. now i have only a mirrored screen on the last display and in the settings only the dell is correctly recognised.

i'm happy for every help!

No. those two display are USB-C displays.

The Mac only supports TWO displays on one cable when ALL of these conditions are met:

• connected to a thunderBolt port on the Mac

• using a thunderbolt CABLE

• connecting to a first device, (dock or display) that is a genuine ThunderBolt device.

Windows may support two display on a USB-C cable. Apple has much higher standards, and they want your displays to be pixel-perfect. Apple does not support two displays on one USB-C cable.