Expert help needed! external devices on mac mini M4Pro and Studio Display

[Dutch60]

Despite the fact that I’m on my 4th Mac I’m not an expert at all. On the contrary! I hope someone can give me a plain, simple answer to all my questions.

Today I sold my 2019 27” 5k iMac. Tomorrow I’ll order a Mac Mini M4 Pro and a Mac Studio Display.
I use:
- 1 Canon Pro1000 printer (USB-B)
- 1 Canon all-in-one printer
- 1 Eizo CG2700s monitor (hardware calibrated especially for photography) (USB-C)
- 2 external LaCie harddrives (no SSD) (USB-C / Thunderbolt); mostly only one active, but sometimes both (for copying from one to the other)
- OWC card reader (used whenever I need to, and not permanently attached)

On the internet I’ve read a lot about how to make this all work with a Mac Mini and a Studio Display. About adapter/ different cables / hubs / docking stations/ etc. etc. I think I read too much.
Is there someone who can give me a solid advice on how to do ll this? It’s all about connecting everything so that everything works…preferably as fast as possible; ofcourse I don’t like to slow down anywhere.
A little extra money is no issue.

Forgot: I like to connect everything with usb/ cables. Not network / wifi

Thank you very much!
I’ll also post this in another forum here.

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

A little extra money is no issue.

Forgot: I like to connect everything with usb/ cables. Not network/wifi.

Just buy cables that fit, with USB-C at the other end, and plug into the Mini.

I’ll also post this in another forum here.

Please don't clutter the forum. Post only once. Likely also against forum rules.

 

[phrehdd]

So many solutions and all doable. Perhaps you ought to examine some type of Thunderbolt/USB C hub. Lots of choices out there and I would consider the printers and card readers candidates for the hub. That leaves both monitors directly attached to your Mini Pro. As for the printer - USB B is on the printer side and the side connecting to your computer is USB A? A simple hug/dock might be Caldigit Element. It has USB A ports and TB4/USB C ports and nothing more. Use the USB A ports for your printers (even if you have to use an adapter) and then your drives on the TB/USB C ports of the dock. That is a simple solution. I can appreciate folks using Eizo or NEC monitors for photography and in your situation, I would recognize that the Eizo and Studio display may not fully match in calibration. Perhaps a second Eizo monitor would be a good choice instead of the Studio Display. If calibration doesn't matter why not skip the Studio Display for something akin to the Photo/Graphics monitors from BenQ or Asus...etc?

As said, there are various solutions I just mentioned one off the top of my head. I am sure others will have equally and perhaps better ideas.

 

[ChrisA]

Likely you will also need to add at least a mouse and keyboard to the list. But if you are working in photos, I bet you might have another input device, it is hard to edit photos with a mouse.

I would do this
1) connect printers using WiF. Just do it, this is the 21st century already
2) same with mouse and keyboard, Blue Tooth works fine.
3) Connect the two disk drives directly to the Mac using USB cables (wit the correct ends for yo disks and USB-C on the mac-end. But these are "dead slow" by modern standards. Still OK for Time Machine backups but not for primary data.
4) Buy a USB-C hub from OWC such that on day-1 you only use 50% of the ports. You will only need to connect the keyboard or trackpad now and then for charging with usb-c cables.

 

[CharlesShaw]

The Studio Display comes with a Thunderbolt cable that you'll connect to its Thunderbolt port (the only port on the rear of the Studio Display that has the Thunderbolt icon above it, the other three are USB-C for your peripherals). You'll connect the other end of that Thunderbolt cable to one of the three Thunderbolt ports on the rear of the Mac mini (all three of the mini's rear ports are Thunderbolt ports, even though the icon is only above the middle one).

With the two USB-C ports on the front of the mini, you'll have seven remaining ports. If this were mine, I'd first want to see if I could just use simple adapters or replacement cables to make the connections I need, prior to buying any hubs.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

1. Count how many of each connection you need.
2. Choose a Thunderbolt or USB-C hub with at least that many connections (of the types you need).
3. Hook all your stuff to the hub.
4. Hook hub to one port on that Mac.

Or make that 2 hubs to 2 Mac ports that gets you all the connections you need to your stuff.

And yes, you can hook some of it direct to Mac and then hub(s) the rest.

Lastly, think about the future so you have a few ports free for future accessories you may add or need.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

I could just use simple adapters or replacement cables to make the connections I need

Absolutely this. I bought a handful of USB-C to USB-A adapters for under $10.

But, I do prefer to replace the cable when possible. So for example your USB-B printer - assuming it's not capable of Wi-Fi - get a USB-C to USB-B cable in the appropriate length. Most external hard drives use Micro USB 3.0 but there are some exceptions; sometimes they're USB-B 3.0 or even SATA. Regardless, there are USB-C replacement cables available to fit. Get those.

As far as what plugs into the remaining Thunderbolt ports, what plugs into the front of the mini, and what plugs into the three USB-C ports on the Apple Studio Display - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ doesn't really matter. Whichever is most convenient based on location.

 

[BrianBaughn]

I recently replaced, with SSDs, all my mechanical hard drives that were connected and ON all the time. Having them active slows the Finder down a lot on these new Apple Silicon Macs.

 

[Dutch60]

So many solutions and all doable. Perhaps you ought to examine some type of Thunderbolt/USB C hub. Lots of choices out there and I would consider the printers and card readers candidates for the hub. That leaves both monitors directly attached to your Mini Pro. As for the printer - USB B is on the printer side and the side connecting to your computer is USB A? A simple hug/dock might be Caldigit Element. It has USB A ports and TB4/USB C ports and nothing more. Use the USB A ports for your printers (even if you have to use an adapter) and then your drives on the TB/USB C ports of the dock. That is a simple solution. I can appreciate folks using Eizo or NEC monitors for photography and in your situation, I would recognize that the Eizo and Studio display may not fully match in calibration. Perhaps a second Eizo monitor would be a good choice instead of the Studio Display. If calibration doesn't matter why not skip the Studio Display for something akin to the Photo/Graphics monitors from BenQ or Asus...etc?

As said, there are various solutions I just mentioned one off the top of my head. I am sure others will have equally and perhaps better ideas.

Thank you! I also read, that I can possibly use the Mac Studio Display USB ports for printer(s) with a usb-b to usb-c cable. If that’s the case than that would be perfect, although Canon advices to use computer ports for printers.
…..Eizo into Mac Mini M4 directly.

 

[Dutch60]

1. Count how many of each connection you need.
2. Choose a Thunderbolt or USB-C hub with at least that many connections (of the types you need).
3. Hook all your stuff to the hub.
4. Hook hub to one port on that Mac.

Or make that 2 hubs to 2 Mac ports that gets you all the connections you need to your stuff.

And yes, you can hook some of it direct to Mac and then hub(s) the rest.

Lastly, think about the future so you have a few ports free for future accessories you may add or need.

Thank you very much! Nice and simple advice!

 

[Dutch60]

Likely you will also need to add at least a mouse and keyboard to the list. But if you are working in photos, I bet you might have another input device, it is hard to edit photos with a mouse.

I would do this
1) connect printers using WiF. Just do it, this is the 21st century already
2) same with mouse and keyboard, Blue Tooth works fine.
3) Connect the two disk drives directly to the Mac using USB cables (wit the correct ends for yo disks and USB-C on the mac-end. But these are "dead slow" by modern standards. Still OK for Time Machine backups but not for primary data.
4) Buy a USB-C hub from OWC such that on day-1 you only use 50% of the ports. You will only need to connect the keyboard or trackpad now and then for charging with usb-c cables.

Thank you, Chris!

 

[Dutch60]

The Studio Display comes with a Thunderbolt cable that you'll connect to its Thunderbolt port (the only port on the rear of the Studio Display that has the Thunderbolt icon above it, the other three are USB-C for your peripherals). You'll connect the other end of that Thunderbolt cable to one of the three Thunderbolt ports on the rear of the Mac mini (all three of the mini's rear ports are Thunderbolt ports, even though the icon is only above the middle one).

With the two USB-C ports on the front of the mini, you'll have seven remaining ports. If this were mine, I'd first want to see if I could just use simple adapters or replacement cables to make the connections I need, prior to buying any hubs.

Thank you Charles. That’s indeed what I plan to do at the moment….try replacement cables for printers. If that doesn’t work, I can always get a hub (and hope that will work)

 

[Dutch60]

Absolutely this. I bought a handful of USB-C to USB-A adapters for under $10.

But, I do prefer to replace the cable when possible. So for example your USB-B printer - assuming it's not capable of Wi-Fi - get a USB-C to USB-B cable in the appropriate length. Most external hard drives use Micro USB 3.0 but there are some exceptions; sometimes they're USB-B 3.0 or even SATA. Regardless, there are USB-C replacement cables available to fit. Get those.

As far as what plugs into the remaining Thunderbolt ports, what plugs into the front of the mini, and what plugs into the three USB-C ports on the Apple Studio Display - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ doesn't really matter. Whichever is most convenient based on location.

Thank you FreakinEureka. Good idea and I will do this.

 

[Dutch60]

I recently replaced, with SSDs, all my mechanical hard drives that were connected and ON all the time. Having them active slows the Finder down a lot on these new Apple Silicon Macs.

Thnxs Brian. I always have 1 external LaCie harddrive active; Time Machine backups. Do they slow down a lot on Apple Silicon Macs, or is the difference between Intel iMac i.c.w. External HD and Apple Silicon Macs i.c.w. External HD (much) more noticeable? Permanently attached is a 10Tb LaCie ….don’t know if they exist, but if so, a comparable SSD would be way too expensive.

 

[Dutch60]

Update:
I just ordered:
- Apple M4 Pro chip with 14‑core CPU, 20‑core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
- 64GB unified memory
- 2TB SSD storage
- Gigabit Ethernet
- Mac Studio Display

Now I’ll have to wait….2 weeks for the Mac Mini and a couple of days for the other items.
Curious to see if (and if so, how much), speed has improved, coming from a 2019 Intel 27” iMac (also 64GB memory and 2TB SSD storage).

 

[Dutch60]

Update:
I just ordered:
- Apple M4 Pro chip with 14‑core CPU, 20‑core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
- 64GB unified memory
- 2TB SSD storage
- Gigabit Ethernet
- Mac Studio Display

Now I’ll have to wait….2 weeks for the Mac Mini and a couple of days for the other items.
Curious to see if (and if so, how much), speed has improved, coming from a 2019 Intel 27” iMac (also 64GB memory and 2TB SSD storage).

 

[Dutch60]

Thank you! I’m afraid I already did (post in other forums), before I read your post here. Sorry about that. First and last time! You’re right.

Update:
I just ordered:
- Apple M4 Pro chip with 14‑core CPU, 20‑core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
- 64GB unified memory
- 2TB SSD storage
- Gigabit Ethernet
- Mac Studio Display

Now I’ll have to wait….2 weeks for the Mac Mini and a couple of days for the other items.
Curious to see if (and if so, how much), speed has improved, coming from a 2019 Intel 27” iMac (also 64GB memory and 2TB SSD storage).

 

[Fishrrman]

Do one or both of the printers work with "AirPrint"?
If so, could save you one or two connections.

Display should go right into the Mini.

Drives and card reader... could use a powered hub (or dock)...?

 

[Dutch60]

Thank you Fishrrman. Yes, both have an Airprint option. Never used that though. One is a Canon pro1000 printer. Only for “fine art” papers. The other one a 3-in-1 printer. Maybe I can try. Canon says….straight into the computer for “best” results (maybe they mean most stable working….but maybe there’s colour and colour matching involved as well; I have to find out).
I know now that both Mac Display and Eizo CG2700S should go right to the Mini (I can use HDMI on Eizo, and also USB-C. BUT…..it seems that using HDMI with Mac computers will influence colors on the Eizo (!). That’s the last thing I want. So….USB-C seems to be best here.
I’m thinking card reader on a front USB port on the Mac Mini M4 Pro. And maybe….printer(s) and external HD in the back of the Studio Display….

 

[BrianBaughn]

Thnxs Brian. I always have 1 external LaCie harddrive active; Time Machine backups. Do they slow down a lot on Apple Silicon Macs, or is the difference between Intel iMac i.c.w. External HD and Apple Silicon Macs i.c.w. External HD (much) more noticeable? Permanently attached is a 10Tb LaCie ….don’t know if they exist, but if so, a comparable SSD would be way too expensive.

It will be easy enough to compare what it's like with and without the mechanical HD connected. Where I see the worst of it is opening Finder windows or, when in applications, using Open or Save. Perhaps with only one drive the problem won't be too bad.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Likely you will also need to add at least a mouse and keyboard to the list. But if you are working in photos, I bet you might have another input device, it is hard to edit photos with a mouse.

I would do this
1) connect printers using WiF. Just do it, this is the 21st century already
2) same with mouse and keyboard, Blue Tooth works fine.
3) Connect the two disk drives directly to the Mac using USB cables (wit the correct ends for yo disks and USB-C on the mac-end. But these are "dead slow" by modern standards. Still OK for Time Machine backups but not for primary data.
4) Buy a USB-C hub from OWC such that on day-1 you only use 50% of the ports. You will only need to connect the keyboard or trackpad now and then for charging with usb-c cables.

This. I would add the recommendation to buy only top quality cables certified for Thunderbolt 4 or 5. TB4 is fine today but planning ahead I recommend TB5 cables. It is easy to waste lots of worker hours chasing the anomalies common to inexpensive cables.

Also I recommend using powered docks and hubs to help distribute the heat of operation away from the Mac. Bus powered docks/hubs are dumb IMO except for mobile applications.

 

[Dutch60]

Thank you BrianBaughn and Allen_Wenz. With the Mac Mini M 4, I also ordered a TB5 cable. I always try to get “premium” cables.
If I have 2 attached external hard drives, it’s when I copy from first drive to the second. As an extra backup. I do that a few times a year.
Thnxs also for the powered hub advice! I’ll remember that in case I need one. First I’ll probably try new cables/connectors for my printers. See how that works.

 

[Dutch60]

Just an update….this could work very well;
The Eizo CG2700S has ports as well; 1 USB-C / 1 HDMI / Displayport / 4 USB (2x2.0 and 2x3.1).
According to Eizo the HDMI isn’t recommended with any Mac (M1/2/3/4 chip); for one reason or another, Mac then doesn’t support correct colours for an external hardware colour calibrated monitor like the Eizo. So, for that I’ll use USB-C…(one of the Thunderbolt 5 ports of the Mac Mini M4 Pro)

But….according to Eizo. I can use those USB ports on the Eizo, for printers (!). They will stay active, even when the Eizo monitor is on standby (or even Off). In a 2 monitor setup I’ve always had my Eizo as a first screen…and the iMac (now sold) as second. I could work on the iMac, without even the Eizo turned on.
Plan to do the same with the Studio Display and the Eizo.

Look like a very good solution! Ofcourse I’ll have to try when the Mac Mini arrives, but I probably do not have to worry about any shortage of ports.

Thank all of you!