LG 5K Display - Thunderbolt 1 to USB-C?

[rtkane]

I've struggled to find the answer to this and have come across differing opinions on it--apologies if this is a duplicate question that's been previously answered--I didn't see any results in my search.

Will the new LG 5K display allow me to connect a Thunderbolt 1 drive, with an adapter, into one of the three USB-C ports on the back? The Thunderbolt 3 port will be in use going directly to my MacBook Pro so I can't connect it there and am really hoping to only have the single cable going to my MBP. Here's what I'm hoping will work

LG 5K Display
Thunderbolt 3 port ---> MacBook Pro
USB-C port ---> USB-C to USB-A dock for keyboard/dvd drive/USB Hub
USB-C port ---> iPhone (with USB-C to lightning cable)
USB-C Port ---> Thunderbolt 1 External Drive (with Thunderbolt 1/2 to Thunderbolt 3 adapter)

Apple's chat agent said it would work, but I've read elsewhere that it won't. Any help is appreciated.

 

[hollandog]

I think it should work. I can't guarantee until I test it next week.

I plan to connect my existing TB2 dock to the Ultrafine 5k with the TB3 -> TB2 adapter.

 

[matreya]

I doubt it will work because the monitor has USB-C ports, they are NOT thunderbolt 3 ports.

 

[hollandog]

if it doesn't then I'll have to abandon my TB2 dock and get a USBC hub with ethernet. Luckily those are not expensive.

 

[rtkane]

This is what's so confusing--hearing both yes and no. I hope it works, because it'll suck having to plug the one cable into the laptop all the time instead of just leaving it plugged into the monitor.

 

[dyn]

I can see where it is confusing. From the description in the Apple store:

A single Thunderbolt 3 cable (included) provides up to 85W of charging power to your MacBook Pro with Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports. And three downstream USB-C ports (5 Gbps) offer additional connectivity and power to compatible devices and accessories.

There is only 1 TB3 port which you use to connect the display to the Mac. The other 3 USB-C ports are USB3.0-only (this is what Apple means with "5 Gbps" and it is their wording that can confuse you; in the tech specs they do list it correctly though) so you can only use those to connect USB hardware. Your TB drive needs to be connected to the Mac directly.

Too bad this display doesn't come with a Thunderbolt daisy-chain option (which requires having 2 TB3 ports), ethernet port and headphone jack. It would have been the ultimate dock if it did.

 

[Scary Spice]

Too bad this display doesn't come with a Thunderbolt daisy-chain option (which requires having 2 TB3 ports), ethernet port and headphone jack. It would have been the ultimate dock if it did.

I would pay anything if apple made this monitor (super thin of course) with the LG panel....

All day long I have the Acer logo in my peripheral vision as I work....

I miss having an apple monitor on my desk and this would be the ultimate solution. 1 cable to my tb MacBook and nothing more.

 

[garyleecn]

99% sure it won't work.
the port on the back of lg 5k is usb3.1 gen 1, not thunderbolt. and it has less bandwidth (5g) than even thunderbolt 1 (10g)..
not that you need all 10g for your hard drive, but there will be a compatibility issue. so your only option is to change the interface on your HD (to usb or usb-c), or change your HD all together. portable HD with usb-c interface isn't that expensive

 

[MrX8503]

No it will not work.

Let's ignore USB-C altogether and look at what the actual ports are. The ports on the LG 5K are USB 3 ports NOT thunderbolt.

You have to connect your drive directly to your MBP using the TB3/2 adapter.

 

[glindon]

I would pay anything if apple made this monitor (super thin of course) with the LG panel....

All day long I have the Acer logo in my peripheral vision as I work....

I miss having an apple monitor on my desk and this would be the ultimate solution. 1 cable to my tb MacBook and nothing more.

I can see where it is confusing. From the description in the Apple store:

There is only 1 TB3 port which you use to connect the display to the Mac. The other 3 USB-C ports are USB3.0-only (this is what Apple means with "5 Gbps" and it is their wording that can confuse you; in the tech specs they do list it correctly though) so you can only use those to connect USB hardware. Your TB drive needs to be connected to the Mac directly.

Too bad this display doesn't come with a Thunderbolt daisy-chain option (which requires having 2 TB3 ports), ethernet port and headphone jack. It would have been the ultimate dock if it did.

The display itself uses 26.5 Gbps of the 40 Gbps available for thunderbolt 3. Then after you subtract what bandwidth the webcam and speakers use and you're left a little more than 13 Gbps. That's barely above thunderbolt 1 bandwidth. And it's not even enough to run the 3 USB C ports on the back of the monitor at full USB 3.0 speed (5 Gbps x 3 = 15 Gbps).

 

[dyn]

Take a look at the official documentation regarding Thunderbolt 3: https://thunderbolttechnology.net/sites/default/files/Thunderbolt 3 Update Presentation_Computex 2016 v3.pdf Scroll down to page 14 and you get a nice graphical representation of the available bandwidth. As you can see TB3 has been designed to run 2 4k displays at 60Hz (which can be substituted with 1 5K display) whilst also being able to supply gigabit ethernet and USB3.1 Gen 2 (the 10Gbps version).

If you look at the features of the 5K display and what users really like you immediately see the use case for an 80Gbps version of Thunderbolt. Too bad it can't do it right now because as I said earlier, a display with those options would be the ultimate dock if it did.

 

[rtkane]

Thanks for everyone that responded... I can confirm that it does not work. Oh well, I guess I'll have to plug it directly into one of the MBP ports.