How to connect 12" MacBook (2015) to a 24" or 27" Apple Cinema Display AND Charge!

If you want me to make your post a user tip, I can put it in the MacBook 2015 forum User tips.

Thanks for this post as it is the only verified solution I could find after hours of googling.

I purchased all of these parts and it does indeed work with my 27" LED Cinema Display. However, there is an issue with the frame rate. Mouse movement and/or dragging windows across the screen is choppy and slow. It may not be noticeable to the average user, but it is definitely present and very tedious when trying to do graphic design work and attempting to drag the mouse with pixel-level accuracy. My goal is to use the macbook at home with the Cinema as the primary monitor (laptop closed), but the poor frame rate makes this impossible.

After reading more reviews on this USB-DisplayPort adapter, it seems many others have the same issue under OS X. I just wanted to post this so anyone else researching this is aware before purchasing all the adapters. Will report back if I can find a better solution.

Great post and Thanks for sharing your test results with the AllSmart Life Mini Displayport Adapter.

I think the setup can be made simpler by using the Belkin 4-Port Mini USB-C Hub with 2 USB-C & 2 USB-A Ports (P/N F4U090btBLK). Its available on Amazon for $39. This gives 2 USB-C connections. One for pass-thru charging to power the Macbook 12" and the other is a data port, which can be connected to the AllSmart USB-C to Mini Displayport Adapter.

Total cost should be ~$60.

Thoughts?

Just found out the Belkin 4 port USB-C hub does not support pass-thru charging : (

However, Dell has a really nice USB-C dock that has its own power supply. It is advertised to work with the Macbook 12" Retina. The price just dropped to ~$120 and it has many different ports, including Mini Displayport.

This should be a perfect match for using the 12" Macbook with desktop peripherals.

That Dell dock looks great, though I can't find it anywhere to purchase online. It also appears to be thunderbolt vs. mini display port from what I read on Slash Gear (not sure if that will work).

Another option I've considered is the OWC dock:

https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/TCDOCK11PGD/

This one appears to have 2 usb-c ports, however the specs only list one USB-C port. So I'm not sure if the second port will support video output.

Hi Jordan,

The Dell Dock is available thru Amazon Dell WD15 Dock

I've been reading more about it and although it does have a Mini Display Port connection, there are quite a few posts indicating that people are having problems with firmware and drivers. They call it "Thunderbolt" because the USB-C cable that connects it to the computer support the latest version of Thunderbolt over USB-C. Its a bit confusing, but it really is a USB-C docking station. The good side is that it can be ordered from Amazon, tested and if it doesn't work, its easy enough to return.

The OWC dock only has 1 USB-C port, which is used to connect it to the Macbook. It does not have Mini Displayport or reguar Displayport connections. The only video output is HDMI, which won't work with the Apple Cinema Display.

Another company called CalDigit has announced a docking station that has everything but its not available for sale at this time. Here is a link to read more about it: http://www.caldigit.com/USB-C/

I really want to buy the 2016 Macbook 12" Retina, but if I cannot use my 27" Cinema Display and power the laptop at the same time, then I'll just stick with my older Macbook Air and forget about buying a new Mac until Apple or someone resolves this issue.

Its totally ridiculous that Apple didn't produce a multimedia adapter with Mini Display Port. Their own monitors do not support HDMI and yet that the only adapter that they produced........CRAZY!!!

Cheers!

It is certainly crazy! Thanks for the link, I ordered that dock and will report back when I get it later this week.

I also have a Hydradock on preorder (similar to the CalDigit with mini displayport built in) but that won't be shipping for another 5 weeks or so.

Hi Jordan,

Thats great and I would love to hear your experience with the Dell Dock. Assuming it works, its a readily available solution. Hopefully you have a better experience than some of the blogs I've read. By the way, you may need to also install a Screen Resolution App (QuickRES, SwitchResX, Display Menu) to be able to scale to the full resolution (2560 x 1440) of the Apple Cinema Display.

I have also considered the HydraDock, but since there are no firm dates for shipment and almost nothing on the internet in actual hands-on reviews, I decided to wait on that one. The CalDigit docking station is also available for Pre-Order, but again, no firm commitment date for shipping it. I'm not going to buy the Macbook 12" until there is a sure solution that allows me to use my $1000 Apple 27" Cinema Display. I really want to buy one, but no desperate need : )

I look forward to hearing your feedback on the Dell Dock.

Best Regards,

Todd

Try the OWC Usb-C Dock for MacBook. It is a bit pricy but have all the port you need and come in a color that match your MacBook 12"

Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately the OWC Dock does not have Displayport or Mini Displayport. The only video output is HDMI, which is not compatible with the Apple Cinema Displays. There are no adapters or converter for HDMI to MDP that will run at the native resolution.

Sadly, the Dell dock does not work. I installed the latest DisplayLink drivers. The display is recognized, and shows in up system prefs, but the Cinema Display just remains black and never turns on. I tried every possible resolution in SwitchResX, and also tried QuickRes and Display Menu, to no avail.

The dock does charge the computer, and the USB ports worked fine (I didn't test any of the other ports).

Seems like Dell support is non-existent for OS X. So, I'll be sending this back.

Hey Jordan,

Thanks for the updates and sad to hear that the Dell Dock doesn't work. I was kind of afraid of that, given some of the mixed reviews.

I found another adapter that should do what we need. Its pretty basic, but has USB-C pass-thru charging, Mini Display Port, 2 USB-A. I wrote to the manufacturer to find out the resolution supported thru the MDP and they informed me that it will support up to 3840 x 2160. This adapter is made specifically for the 12" Macbook Retina, so it should work nicely with the Apple Cinema Display. Its in stock and sells for $50

http://www.juicedsystems.com/USB-C-Macbook-12-Multifunctional-Display-Adapter_p_ 38.html

Thanks TMS. Before I saw your post, I ordered this dock from Hyper that was announced last week, which appears to be the same design as the one you posted:

https://www.hypershop.com/collections/usb-type-c/products/hyperdrive-usb-type-c- hub-with-mini-displayport

As I probably should have expected at this point, it doesn't work. It doesn't detect the display at all and it doesn't show up in system prefs. It was also really difficult to plug in and I was worried that it might damage my Cinema Display connector. It does charge and the USB seems to work fine.

It doesn't seem to have any drivers or support documentation. I filed a support request through their website, will see if I hear anything back.

I am about to give up at this point but if anyone finds a solution, please share!

EDIT:

Also, I just realized that this thing only supports 30hz anyway, so if it did work it would probably have the same framerate issues that I described above with the original poster's solution.

Hey Jordan,

Thanks for your reply and I really appreciate you sharing your test results. Needless to say, this is all very disappointing. It seems that that the Macbook is really limited itself with this single connector and no easy way to use our Apple Displays.

It sounds like the only real option is to wait for the HydraDock or in my case, put off buying the Macbook until there are better adapters available for MDP video connectivity.

Regarding the frame rate, the Macbook 12 Retina does state in the specs that it will only support up to 4K at 30Hz. This is because the USB-C port used on this laptop is USB 3.1 Gen 1 and can only support data transfer speeds of 5Gbps. This limits the frame rate to 30Hz. However, I believe for the resolution of the Apple Cinema Display (2560x1440), it should support 60Hz refresh rate.

Best Regards,

Todd