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2009 MBP -> 2018 MBP - > What else do I need?

L

late show

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 13, 2008
38
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my 2009 17" MBP is on its last legs....Just about to pull the trigger on a fully loaded 2018 MPB, its been almost 10 years since I had to come up for air on what set up to have.

What is the standard package of equipment with a new MBP set up these days? I do some light web developing, music recording, netflix etc.


still have my 24" Cinema display should I get a New Display? which one?
usb-c hub? (OWC? whats the best one?)
new iPhone cable?
track pad, keyboard?

Getting this config:

Hardware
  • 2.9GHz 6‑core 8th‑generation Intel Core i9 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.8GHz
  • Retina display with True Tone
  • Touch Bar and Touch ID
  • Radeon Pro 560X with 4GB of GDDR5 memory
  • 32GB 2400MHz DDR4 memory
  • 1TB SSD storage
  • Four Thunderbolt 3 ports
  • Backlit Keyboard - US English
  • Accessory Kit

any advice would be appreciated
 
What you should get really depends on what you want/need to do.

As for the display, there are relatively inexpensive female-minidisplayport to male-DisplayPort adapters -- that may help with making the connection to the monitor. It has a fixed-cable, right? Ending in a male miniDisplayPort plug?

Apple Magic Keyboard 2 & Magic Trackpad 2 work fine with my MBP2018 (same config as yours).

I'd start with a couple USBC to USBA adaptors such as these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CVX3516

Then consider your needs/wants and whether a small portable hub or a TB3 docking station make more sense for your situation. Or whether it's just as easy to replace certain cables with USBC versions.

Some I have so far:
USBC to Micro-B (USB2.0 speed) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LONQ7R6
- some old stuff I have is micro-B and USB2 speed
USBC to Micro-B (USB3 speed) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012V56992
- used with a portable external hard drive
USBC to USBC Superspeed Gen2 (10Gbps) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FM525KK
- Careful - a lot of USBC to USBC cables are just USB 2.0 speed though...
 
Last edited:
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deeddawg said:
What you should get really depends on what you want/need to do.

As for the display, there are relatively inexpensive female-minidisplayport to male-DisplayPort adapters -- that may help with making the connection to the monitor. It has a fixed-cable, right? Ending in a male miniDisplayPort plug?
Click to expand...

FYI, something like this would be way simpler then whatever you were going for. mDP to USB-C/TB3. https://www.amazon.com/USB-3-1-Type...SY340_QL65&keywords=mini+displayport+to+usb-c

It will painlessly drive a 24” or 27” LED Cinema Display. If you still want the usb/FaceTime/mic/brightness you’ll also need a apple usb-a to c dongle. A dock may also be an advisable option for less dongles hanging around.
 
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rawweb said:
FYI, something like this would be way simpler then whatever you were going for. mDP to USB-C/TB3. https://www.amazon.com/USB-3-1-Type...SY340_QL65&keywords=mini+displayport+to+usb-c

It will painlessly drive a 24” or 27” LED Cinema Display.
Click to expand...
Nice to see that exists, handy for direct connection. Review spread is interesting; 40% 1-star, 48% 5-star, a smattering in the middle. Guess you roll the dice and see what you get.

Anyway -- since OP had referenced getting a hub, I went down the path of what'd work well to attach the monitor to a hub -- and DisplayPort would be the most direct since very few hubs or docks have USBC downstream inputs. Though with the OWC dock he'd have a mDP port already and no adapter needed.
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
deeddawg said:
Nice to see that exists, handy for direct connection. Review spread is interesting; 40% 1-star, 48% 5-star, a smattering in the middle. Guess you roll the dice and see what you get.

Anyway -- since OP had referenced getting a hub, I went down the path of what'd work well to attach the monitor to a hub -- and DisplayPort would be the most direct since very few hubs or docks have USBC downstream inputs. Though with the OWC dock he'd have a mDP port already and no adapter needed.
Click to expand...

There are units on Amazon with far better reviews and ratings. Type in “mini display port to usb c” reveals all. I have a few at work and have never had issues. No idea what brand I purchased though. It was like $10.

As I said in my post, I also think a dock is a great idea as you’d also be able to plug in the usb cable from the Cinema Display without monkeying with dongles.
 
My ultimate desk setup at work right now is:

MBP 15" 2018 (i9 / 32GB RAM / 1TB SSD, GPU 560X) Space Gray
OWC Thunderbolt 3 13-Port Dock Space Gray
LaCie Bolt3 2TB External SSD with Thunderbolt 3 Connectivity
LG UltraFine 5K
Apple Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad Space Gray
Apple Magic Trackpad 2 Space Gray
Twelve South Curve for Macbook stand

I connect everything to OWC dock including 5K display and then connect it dock to MBP with one thunderbolt 3 cable. In this case I don't need to buy USB-C <> Lightning cables to charge my iPhone, Watch, Keyboard and Trackpad, because I can connect them directly with USB-A to the dock. And when I need to work on terrace or go to meeting room, I just disconnect one cable from MBP, take it and go. Then when I'm back, I connect one cable and everything is working right away.
 
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