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How do you connect your USB-C only MacBook Pro to your monitor?

L

LincolnsiPod

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 20, 2009
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I currently have a Dell P2715Q monitor that doubles as my USB hub connected to an old 2014 MBP. I'm planning to upgrade to a 2018 model so this will be my first time using Thunderport 3/USB-C.

My monitor's USB hub connects my webcam, USB drive and Logitech receiver for my wireless keyboard and mouse. In order to connect things the same way I would need:

a USB-C to Displayport cable, a USB-C to USB-A cable for the hub, using a third port to connect the MBP to the adapter for charging, and finally connecting my speakers to the headphone jack.

Has anyone found a more simplified solution than this? I used to have a Hengedock so it was a breeze to dock my old MacBook without having to manually reconnect 100 cables.
 
goobot said:
Hengedock just released new docks for the newer designed mbp’s. I have one and it’s really nice.
Click to expand...

I'd like to continue using a Henge Dock but unfortunately the new MacBooks now have the headphone jacks on the right side, so you can't dock that anymore with the Henge Dock. Disappointing, but I'm thinking it may be better to use a stand from now on to keep the MBP open and better ventilated (plus gives me a secondary display to draw from).

The CalDigit TS3 Plus seems to be one of the few options that can do what I need, paired with a laptop stand maybe.
 
If you only want to connect the monitor, there are plenty of USB-C dongles that offer 1-2 USB-A ports, HDMI or DP, and pass-through charging to your laptop. I'm using one right now to charge my laptop and connect to an external monitor.
 
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That’s what I’m checking into now, though I can’t seem to find any dongles that include a dedicated DisplayPort (they mostly seem to be HDMI). It seems I'd have to get a USB-C to DP cable for that.

I'm also looking into USB-C to 3.5mm headphone adapters to see if a Henge Dock can still be viable by making it possible to keep all ports Id use on the right side.
 
LincolnsiPod said:
I'd like to continue using a Henge Dock but unfortunately the new MacBooks now have the headphone jacks on the right side, so you can't dock that anymore with the Henge Dock.
Click to expand...

Almost all the USB-c hubs I've seen include a headphone jack. Mini display port connectors are pretty easy to find, too (Hengedock's own hub, called the Stone tethered dock, has one). Display port probably isn't the same as mini, but there's bound to be adapters for that too.

Right now I'm using plugable's Thunderbolt 3 to dual HDMI adapter on port 1 of my usb-c hengedock, and a regular Mac power adapter on port 2. Two displays + AC is all the wired connectivity I've needed for years, but if I ever have to regularly use other sorts of connectors my plan is to pick up a hub that has the ports I need, its own power supply, and at least one usb-c port to replace the one the hub used. These are harder to find than I expected, but they are out there.

I'm still surprised that it's next to impossible to find hubs that include more than one usb-c port. It's my understanding that this is mostly related to the -c's power spec. Supplying the correct amount of power to more than one port isn't cheap and (apparently) isn't in high demand. Hopefully the situation will improve over time.

Love my new Hengedock. No more cables getting pushed out of range by a not-quite-right docking attempt!
 
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dscottj said:
Love my new Hengedock. No more cables getting pushed out of range by a not-quite-right docking attempt!
Click to expand...

Are you getting 60hz reliably with HDMI? I just learned now that I don't need to use DP anymore since the new MacBook supports HDMI 2.0 and hence 4K at 60hz with that resolution. My old 2014 MBP only supported 60hz if I used DP so I completely forgot that was unnecessary.

So let's see, as it stands now, I would just need a

1 HDMI 2.0 port
1 USB-A 3.0 port if I keep all my peripherals connected to my monitor's USB hub
1 pass-through USB-C port for charging
1 headphone jack

Now browsing for dongles that have these components, as before I've been limiting my search to dongles with DP ports.
 
LincolnsiPod said:
Are you getting 60hz reliably with HDMI? I just learned now that I don't need to use DP anymore since the new MacBook supports HDMI 2.0 and hence 4K at 60hz with that resolution. My old 2014 MBP only supported 60hz if I used DP so I completely forgot that was unnecessary.
Click to expand...

60 mhz all day with zero problems. There were times with my 2013 MBP & the previous version of the henge dock that things would get discombobulated and I'd have to pull it out & try again, and sometimes even reboot the PC. Not so with this one. Note that I'm using a Thunderbolt 3 adapter, not a USB-c. The MBP doesn't support extended displays over USB-c.

Your needs as now described seem straightforward enough. Don't forget to search for Thunderbolt 3 docks, as they will also have what you need. Good luck!

CAVEAT: I'm not using 4k displays right now, only 1080p, so YMMV.
 
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