MBA M4 has two Thunderbolt ports. To use two external monitors, do I have to connect each to one of the two Thunderbolt ports or can I use a Thunderbolt hub to connect two monitors using only one Thunderbolt port?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Do two external monitors require both Thunderbolt ports or can a hub be used for two monitors on same Thunderbolt port?
- Thread starter Corpuscle
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I would say it would depend on the resolution and refresh you want to use; you might want to find a dock that has multiple monitor ports; but I imagine that they will be limited to 3840x2160 @ 60hz.
Some monitors have a thunderbolt pass through so other thunderbolt accessories can be used. It probably isn't a good idea to hook up multiple thunderbolt monitors on the same port.
OWC does not sell them anymore, but we have thunderbolt to dual DP adapters that can drive 2 outputs at 3840x2160 @ 60hz. They do however have this updated TB3 one Click Me; that uses DSC to enable 2 8K displays.
Some monitors have a thunderbolt pass through so other thunderbolt accessories can be used. It probably isn't a good idea to hook up multiple thunderbolt monitors on the same port.
OWC does not sell them anymore, but we have thunderbolt to dual DP adapters that can drive 2 outputs at 3840x2160 @ 60hz. They do however have this updated TB3 one Click Me; that uses DSC to enable 2 8K displays.
Thanks. I would be using the MBA with two Apple 27" Studio Displays.
I know that I can't daisy chain the monitors.
I would use the OWC Thunderbolt 4 hub:
OWC Thunderbolt Hub
Adds three Thunderbolt 4 ports and one USB port to expand the connection possibilities of your Thunderbolt 4 PC.
www.owc.com
You need a Thunderbolt 5 hub connected to a Thunderbolt 5 port to use 2x ASD connected to the hub. TB5 has the bandwidth to support. This hub should work.
www.owc.com
OWC Thunderbolt 5 Hub: More Ports + More Power
Unlock three additional Thunderbolt 5 ports, one USB-A port, and 140W power delivery to expand the connection possibilities for your TB5 Mac or PC.
www.owc.com
Apple 27" Studio Display outputs 5K60 using HBR2 x4 with DSC@12bpp. Two of those can be connected to a Thunderbolt 4 port using a Thunderbolt dock or Thunderbolt hub or Thunderbolt to Dual DisplayPort adapter.
The maximum bandwidth from a Thunderbolt 3/4 port is 40 Gbps.
HBR2 x4 is 17.28 Gbps.
HBR3 x4 is 25.92 Gbps.
It might be possible to get two HBR3 x4 displays connected if they use < 40 Gbps total bandwidth (without DisplayPort stuffing symbols which Thunderbolt does not transmit). For example, the Apple Pro Display XDR can use a dual HBR3 x4 mode (38.94 Gbps) from Thunderbolt for GPUs that don't support DSC (but Apple does not allow this mode from a Thunderbolt dock/hub).
So you might get two displays using 19.04 Gbps. Using DSC@8bpp would allow a pixel clock of ≈2443 MHz which is more than enough for 8K60 or 4K240 (but not 6K120 or 10K60).
It depends how smart the macOS Thunderbolt drivers are. I believe someone showed > 40 Gbps of DisplayPort (with stuffing symbols) from a Thunderbolt 3/4 port from non-XDR displays but I don't remember where I saw that.
Except the Air doesn’t have TB5 ports.You need a Thunderbolt 5 hub connected to a Thunderbolt 5 port to use 2x ASD connected to the hub. TB5 has the bandwidth to support. This hub should work.
OWC Thunderbolt 5 Hub: More Ports + More Power
Unlock three additional Thunderbolt 5 ports, one USB-A port, and 140W power delivery to expand the connection possibilities for your TB5 Mac or PC.
5K60 from Apple Studio Display uses DSC@12bpp ≈ 11.2 Gbps which is less than 4K60 10bpc ≈ 16 Gbps.
With Thunderbolt 3/4 (40 Gbps), 22.4 Gbps of DisplayPort means maximum transmit speed of USB/PCIe is reduced slightly from the max of ≈22 Gbps to < 18 Gbps. Maximum USB/PCIe receive speed is less affected by DisplayPort.
With Thunderbolt 3/4 (40 Gbps), 22.4 Gbps of DisplayPort means maximum transmit speed of USB/PCIe is reduced slightly from the max of ≈22 Gbps to < 18 Gbps. Maximum USB/PCIe receive speed is less affected by DisplayPort.
I ran that setup originally with a MacBook Pro M1 Pro, and now with a MacBook Pro M3 Max.
Ok, both of those support DSC from their Thunderbolt ports.
Most Intel Macs do not support DSC from their Thunderbolt ports. You need an Intel Mac with a Radeon Navi dGPU or a IceLake iGPU (I'm not sure if IceLake iGPU is good enough for two Studio Displays?).
Who cares about Intel machines, the OP has a M4 MBA, which is what we are talking about.
If Apple is forcefully using DSC to drive their 5k studio display then I want one even less; but that's just me. But if they revert to DSC smartly then I guess that isn't bad.
If Apple is forcefully using DSC to drive their 5k studio display then I want one even less; but that's just me. But if they revert to DSC smartly then I guess that isn't bad.
I currently have two Dell P2715Q's attached to an OWCTB3ADP2DPT, which is connected to my OWCTB4HUB5P, which is connected via one TB4 port on my M2 Studio.
The same directly attached to a single TB4 port on the Studio works, also (and both directly-attached individually do, two).
A TB3ADP2DPT is a financial/performant no-brainer (and allows one to free a TB port)
All I have are 4K DP monitors, so I can't speak for alternatives...
The same directly attached to a single TB4 port on the Studio works, also (and both directly-attached individually do, two).
A TB3ADP2DPT is a financial/performant no-brainer (and allows one to free a TB port)
All I have are 4K DP monitors, so I can't speak for alternatives...
That won’t work with Thunderbolt-only displays like the OP’s Studio Displays.
A Thunderbolt 4 hub (such as the OWC TB4 hub or Caldigit Element) should be the way to go.
Or, endure the unspeakable pain of plugging two wires into the laptop (bearing in mind that handles the power as well) unless you actually need another Thunderbolt peripheral which won’t run from the downstream USB C/USB 3 ports on the Studio Displays.
Yup - that dual DP adapter is perfect for your setup & saves a TB port on your hub. It's just not suitable if you have Thunderbolt or DisplayPort-over-USB-C displays - which could plug straight into the hub.
No TB5, but I have this dock that uses both TB ports on my TB3 MBA and quite like it.
ivanky.com
FusionDock Max 1
Designed exclusively for MacBook users, this dual USB-C docking station expands your laptop into more ports to vastly improve efficiency while working from home. 12 Ports Connectivity: Equipped with 12 ports, including 2x HDMI 2.0, 1x 18W PD USB-C, 1x USB-C 3.0, 4x USB-A 3.0, 1x SD (UHS-I), 1x...
ivanky.com
The Studio Display is not Thunderbolt-only. You can connect it using a DisplayPort + USB 2.0 to USB-C cable but you will loose USB 3.x support and you need to find an unused USB port.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/alternative-to-the-belkin-vr-cable.2378619/
A Thunderbolt 4 hub is the way to go. A Thunderbolt 5 hub should also work (more useful when you get a new Thunderbolt 5 Mac in the future).
Would I be able to use this? It says it doesn’t extend the monitors on Mac’s (only extends one, but mirrors the other), but since MBA 4M can suppose 2 monitors, this should work, right?
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
What it says it will do on Macs is what it will do on Macs.
MBA M4 can support 2 monitors from different Thunderbolt ports or from a Thunderbolt hub/dock but not from a USB-C (not Thunderbolt) hub/dock.