M5 Max MBP questions (potentially buying)

[anthony13]

Hey all!

So I'm due for an upgrade at work with my machine. I have an M1 Ultra Studio currently, with two studio display's (original), and 3 external SSD's usually in use (dropbox, photos, active back up drive for CAD files). I also have a stream deck.

I've loved the Studio, but there's no upgrade in immediate sight, and I also have been working more and more on the road and away from the desk. I also anticipate the M5 Ultra (if it ever comes) to be a bit out of price range with the work allowance.

My questions about switching to a MBP mostly revolve around the ports. There's 3 TB5 ports, two of which would immediately be taken up by the 2 Studio Display's. Given that I have 3 externals, could I get full speed across all my devices with some sort of hub? I'm not really up to speed on how that all works so please for give my lack of knowledge on the topic.

Thanks!

 

[brerlappin]

You would just need one of these....

OWC Docks, Hubs, Docking Stations, and More | MacSales.com

Transform your workspace with OWC docks, hubs, and docking stations designed for ultimate connectivity. Order now and streamline your tech experience today!

eshop.macsales.com

If you don't need TB5 speeds, you could just use the ports on the back of the Studio Displays. Since you have 2 of those, you have 6 USB-C 10Gb/s ports free.

 

[Boppi]

Anker has a TB5 offering I'm considering: It's spendy, but currently $339 at BestBuy:

https://www.anker.com/products/a83b5-anker-prime-thunderbolt5-docking-station-14-in-1-140w-8k?variant=44920138268822

OWC has a couple TB5 hubs as well:

OWC Connectivity Solutions

Connectivity solutions that let your imagination run wild. Custom design a setup to meet your workflow needs.

www.owc.com

 

[anthony13]

Thanks! So if I’m reading this correctly, these hubs maintain tb 5 speeds for all its ports tb ports while only being fed from one port on the MBP? Because my programs currently auto save back up copies every 5 minutes, I need that speed to be fast. Currently I occasionally get a spinning wheel while it’s saving.

 

[conmee]

At least hold on until the end of WWDC to see if Apple announces new hardware or not (sentiment is leaning toward them not announcing any new hardware but there have been exceptions in the past).

The ASD's from 2022 (like I also have) have three USB-C ports (10Gb/s) which you could use for your external drives. What are your three external drives rated at? Are they hard drives or SSDs? Are they USB-C or TB speed? Depending on the speed of your external drives, the ASD ports may be good enough.

As an example, I have a Seagate 2TB external USB3 SSD (SIDE NOTE: I bought the drive for $129 on Amazon in December 2023, now it is on Amazon new for $649!!!! This timeline sucks for memory and storage). Here are the results when it is plugged into my MBP and when it is plugged into my ASD. Be aware that the speeds are slower in the ASD vs using TB in the MBP. If you are ok with that, you're good to go. P.S. Other option is a TB hub as mentioned above.

Write 131% faster in TB5 vs ASD USB-C
Read 29% faster in TB5 vs ASD USB-C