MacBook Pro / Air single cable dock and monitor solution.

[Akrapovic]

Hey all.

Looking for a bit of guidance regarding MacBooks and external monitors. I currently have an M1 Pro MacBook Pro. I have 2 Samsung M8 4k 60hz monitors attached to it via USB-C cables. Additionally I have a USB-C dock attached in the remaining port, which provides ethernet and additional I/O. This setup is working great.

My work has provided a terrible Dell laptop. After seeing how unsuitable it is for my work they've agreed to supply a 15 Inch M3 MacBook Air (result!). My issue is that the Air only has two USB-C ports, and I'm using 3 for my setup. I've tried routing the two monitors through the dock, but it wasn't able to power both monitors doing this.

I've done a bit of reading and got confused, so wanted to check with the experts before spending some big cash. Am I right in thinking that now that the MacBook Air supports dual monitors when the kid is closed, it can, in theory, have two 4k 60hz monitors through a single cable? Is the setup I need a Thunderbolt 3 dock, Thunderbolt 3 cable attached to the Air, and both monitors attached to the dock? Or have I misunderstood the setup required?

I'm also seeing some (Anker) Thunderbolt Docks which say they don't support M1 MacBooks. I'm assuming this is the base M1, not the M1 Pros?

Many thanks.

 

[chrfr]

Hey all.

Looking for a bit of guidance regarding MacBooks and external monitors. I currently have an M1 Pro MacBook Pro. I have 2 Samsung M8 4k 60hz monitors attached to it via USB-C cables. Additionally I have a USB-C dock attached in the remaining port, which provides ethernet and additional I/O. This setup is working great.

My work has provided a terrible Dell laptop. After seeing how unsuitable it is for my work they've agreed to supply a 15 Inch M3 MacBook Air (result!). My issue is that the Air only has two USB-C ports, and I'm using 3 for my setup. I've tried routing the two monitors through the dock, but it wasn't able to power both monitors doing this.

I've done a bit of reading and got confused, so wanted to check with the experts before spending some big cash. Am I right in thinking that now that the MacBook Air supports dual monitors when the kid is closed, it can, in theory, have two 4k 60hz monitors through a single cable? Is the setup I need a Thunderbolt 3 dock, Thunderbolt 3 cable attached to the Air, and both monitors attached to the dock? Or have I misunderstood the setup required?

I'm also seeing some (Anker) Thunderbolt Docks which say they don't support M1 MacBooks. I'm assuming this is the base M1, not the M1 Pros?

Many thanks.

To use 2 external displays on the M3 Air, the lid must be closed and a display has to be connected to each port. You can go through a dock but you can't have both displays connected to that dock.

 

[Sgaar]

To use two monitors connected vis a docking station you will need to use displaylink drivers. While that is fine you should be aware that there are problems waiting videos across displaylink. It doesn’t matter if is a MBP or MBA. From what I found it is not really an issue with displaylink but rather how MacOS works.