My 15" 2017 Macbook Pro hasn't been doing much since I've been working from home the last couple years. In fact it just sits in one place. But it's the more powerful of the two machines I own. So I've decided I should retire my 2012 Mac Mini (make it a server) and use my Macbook Pro as my desktop machine. But I need to be able to hook it up to two 21" 1080p monitors and several external USB 3 hard drives. Ten of them. Although I suspect I'll keep maybe half plugged into the Mac Mini. So probably more like five or six.
I also need SD card reading ability. I currently have a USB reader and USB-A to USB-C dongle I use for that with my laptop. But if I continue to use that, I'll need a free USB-C port on my Macbook Pro to keep using that.
What is the best way to do all of that? I assume some kind of dock, but some of these docks are super expensive. Like $250 or more. That's a good chunk of money that could go toward a new computer. Even so, if that's what it costs I guess that's what it costs. But my understanding is that MacOS won't allow two unique displays out of one thunderbolt 3 port. Which means that even if I got a dock with two HDMI outputs I would still need a separate HDMI dongle for a second display. Is that true?
I also need SD card reading ability. I currently have a USB reader and USB-A to USB-C dongle I use for that with my laptop. But if I continue to use that, I'll need a free USB-C port on my Macbook Pro to keep using that.
What is the best way to do all of that? I assume some kind of dock, but some of these docks are super expensive. Like $250 or more. That's a good chunk of money that could go toward a new computer. Even so, if that's what it costs I guess that's what it costs. But my understanding is that MacOS won't allow two unique displays out of one thunderbolt 3 port. Which means that even if I got a dock with two HDMI outputs I would still need a separate HDMI dongle for a second display. Is that true?
