Base Mac - Triple External Monitors simultaneous to Sidecar?

[says_stuff]

Hey i’m debating the logistics of buying either a mac mini or a macbook air so i could use your input for a specific use case scenario, please!

Could i use a mac mini base m4 model with three extended screens plus sidecar on two different ipads simultaneously? Do things slow down considerably on such a setup? Are two sidecar devices doable plus three monitors (5 total screens) on the m4? Is this same setup available on a macbook air (sans the third monitor, but i would use the laptop screen as the third one)? Wwyd?

I like to work with all my apps open instead of switching between them, so i would keep random notes on 1 ipad (can i use the pencil reliably when in sidecar?), mark up pdfs on the other ipad, have a working document open on a monitor, an excel sheet on an other and web searching on a third one..

I’m thinking my options are to either buy the mac mini plus a third monitor or to buy the macbook air which has a monitor already there..

I also wonder if i could work remotely and reliably using my macos environment, but on the ipad eliminating the actual need for buying and carrying a laptop.. Any feedback on that?

Thank you for any help!

 

[ChrisA]

Hey i’m debating the logistics of buying either a mac mini or a macbook air so i could use your input for a specific use case scenario, please!

Could i use a mac mini base m4 model with three extended screens plus sidecar on two different ipads simultaneously? Do things slow down considerably on such a setup? Are two sidecar devices doable plus three monitors (5 total screens) on the m4? Is this same setup available on a macbook air (sans the third monitor, but i would use the laptop screen as the third one)? Wwyd?

I like to work with all my apps open instead of switching between them, so i would keep random notes on 1 ipad (can i use the pencil reliably when in sidecar?), mark up pdfs on the other ipad, have a working document open on a monitor, an excel sheet on an other and web searching on a third one..

I’m thinking my options are to either buy the mac mini plus a third monitor or to buy the macbook air which has a monitor already there..

I also wonder if i could work remotely and reliably using my macos environment, but on the ipad eliminating the actual need for buying and carrying a laptop.. Any feedback on that?

Thank you for any help!

If you could work remotely on an iPad, it depends on what that "work" is. Why don't you just use IOS on the iPad? If screen sharing would work at all depends on the network. Do you have a fast WiFi 6 connection or is this over the Internet? You really want a fast network.

I use the remote display but the systems are connected with Ethernet and the lag is acceptable for tasks like maintaining servers but I'd not want to edit media on a remote computer.

Adding a display to a M2-Pro does not seem to slow it down at all. But again, it depends more on what you are doing, what is running on the Mac?

 

[says_stuff]

Basically i need a full office suite, reference managers and spss for university research work (probably other software too that wont run on ipads), then i like drawing and photoshoping with a stylus (or maybe i could use the ipads pencil through sidecar? ) and i do want to take up coding, hence I'm trying to make a purchase that i won’t regret.

I currently have an ipad air 13 m2 and an ipad pro 1st gen 12,9 and a pc with two monitors.

A triple (at least) screen setup so far makes the most sense to me, since now im stuck with an old pc and two monitors, constantly rotating taking notes and reading pdfs, switching between excel, spss, word, notes, browsing.. I just wish i could have all these open all the time, instead of switching apps.

Then on the go, if i could log in remotely with my ipad to use my office apps and spss for university work if in a library, i wouldnt need a macbook i guess. Plus it would just be cheaper to only get a macmini and a third monitor. Then at home i could use three large screens and the ipads as sidecar for extra screen estate if needed (or universal control whatsitsname), or sitting on a couch instead of desk work?. I don't have wifi 6 but i think i could get that if nessecary!

So, do you think a base m4 with just 16 gb ram could handle three monitors plus two sidecar ipads (for a total of five monitors) if needed? Would you prefer a desk pc with three interchangeable monitors for my use case or a macbook air with its 13inch monitor with the two extras i already have?

 

[ChrisA]

Basically i need a full office suite, reference managers and spss for university research work (probably other software too that wont run on ipads), then i like drawing and photoshoping with a stylus (or maybe i could use the ipads pencil through sidecar? ) and i do want to take up coding, hence I'm trying to make a purchase that i won’t regret.

I currently have an ipad air 13 m2 and an ipad pro 1st gen 12,9 and a pc with two monitors.

A triple (at least) screen setup so far makes the most sense to me, since now im stuck with an old pc and two monitors, constantly rotating taking notes and reading pdfs, switching between excel, spss, word, notes, browsing.. I just wish i could have all these open all the time, instead of switching apps.

Then on the go, if i could log in remotely with my ipad to use my office apps and spss for university work if in a library, i wouldnt need a macbook i guess. Plus it would just be cheaper to only get a macmini and a third monitor. Then at home i could use three large screens and the ipads as sidecar for extra screen estate if needed (or universal control whatsitsname), or sitting on a couch instead of desk work?. I don't have wifi 6 but i think i could get that if nessecary!

So, do you think a base m4 with just 16 gb ram could handle three monitors plus two sidecar ipads (for a total of five monitors) if needed? Would you prefer a desk pc with three interchangeable monitors for my use case or a macbook air with its 13inch monitor with the two extras i already have?

You are not going to be able to do any "real work" remotely. The lag and delay is very annoying. If you need an office suite on iPad then use Apple's office suite on IOS. You can even keep the same document open as you move from Mac to an iPad. I think Apple calls this "continuity. There is an IOS version of everything you use except SPSS. It is far better to run the app natively on iPad but have the data in a single remote location.

That said, maybe you would do best with a Macbook. At home, you plug it into the monitors and then when away you just deal with the smaller screen. Your apps live in the MacBook and travel with you.

Screen sharing ver the Internet of Cell network is so slow that you get annoyed with simple things like highlighting a word and then deleting it. You have to wait for the highlight to show before you can hit the del key.

 

[says_stuff]

So you would choose two external monitors adjacent to the 13 inch macbook monitor, over the desktop mac mini and three monitor setup, just in case you need a laptop since remote isnt fast enough, i get that. Thank you for your input.

Any experience using all available external displays on an m4 on top of sidecar devices? If i cant use both ipads as sidecar (totaling 5 screens), i can at least use one and the other one on continuity, right?

 

[FreakinEurekan]

I’ve never tried running Sidecar to two iPad simultaneously. I wouldn’t expect that to work but don’t really know.

I agree with others regarding “remote work” from a iPad to a Mac… it’s not a great experience. I tried it for about a year and a half, making an iPad my primary travel device with remote access to my Mac mini “when necessary” and it was very cumbersome. If an iPad can do what you need natively, great… but I need access to apps that aren’t available for iPad so I did break down and sell my iPad Pro & bought a MacBook, and now I use an iPad mini or the MacBook as needed.

 

[says_stuff]

Thank you for sharing the experience.

A mac mini and a monitor will set me back around as much as the macbook so i guess its not as about the cost as its about the external monitor connectivity.

If the base macbook could do three screens (that i think i need) when docked i would buy it in a heartbeat, but as it is, my desired third screen will have to be the thirteen inch screen of the macbook thats why I'm still hesitant. Still, if remoting from an ipad is not great then I dont really have an option to not get a laptop. So i guess i’m set on that!

If anybody can share experiences of multiple external screens and sidecars or continuity on the base m4 just to make sure i wont run into problems there, i would be set.

 

[says_stuff]

sorry to bump this but im still undecided if i should go for a base m4 or m4pro or wait for a future update, that’s why im insistent. It all depends on external monitors for me. I wouldnt want to use displaylink and external docks if unnecessary (especially since i’m reading that this could cause a performance hit).

So my question is if i could connect two or three monitors (if on a mac mini) on top of an apple tv and/or ipads either on sidecar or universal control on it? Would that significantly slowdown a mac? Anybody maxing out their external screen usage here to share an opinion?

Thank you (and apologies)

 

[mk313]

FWIW, I use a plugable (display link) dock with three external monitors on an m2 MacBook Air and haven’t noticed any slowdowns at all.

 

[says_stuff]

Since i took the plunge and i got my macbook air m4, i think i should update this with my findings,

Two monitors plus one ipad as sidecar and a second ipad on universal control work natively like a charm and i am so impressed by how fluid they all work together! This is as close as i can get to what i wanted.

On a last note, on further testing i dont think two sidecars work, as trying to add a second, drops the first. If anybody has a different result, maybe drop a comment!