Making a work station, what do I need?

[Rossatron]

Hey,

I want to creat a work station at home, where I can just plug my rMBP to a bigger screen, with all my peripherals already connected to some sort of a dock.

I'd appreciate any help on finding what I need. Recommendations are most welcomed.

So, I need a screen - but which one? In terms of size, I'd like to get as much real estate as possible, but to still be able to sit comfortably at my desk, and maybe catch is movie here or there. I'm thinking about a 23" monitor. What spec's should I be looking for? My budget here is around $500, but I could add $50 if it would bump me from a good monitor to an excellent monitor. Otherwise, I'd like to stay with $500 budget.

As far as the dock goes, I need something that plugs in my Mac and to which I can connect a printer, scanner, DVD reader and a display. So I need 3 USB 3 ports, preferably 4 (for redundancy) and a display port which (I think) shoul be an HDMI, just because I don't want to buy an adapter for a dock. Is there such a thing in existence that can be had for less than $200?

Already got a chair and a desk, so I'm good as far as these go

 

[Giuly]

Are you set on that 23" display, or do you mind a 27" display if it's well within your budget? In that case a Dell UltraSharp U2713HM would fit the bill, and it has a 4-port USB 3.0 hub built-in.

 

[Rossatron]

Are you set on that 23" display, or do you mind a 27" display if it's well within your budget? In that case a Dell UltraSharp U2713HM would fit the bill, and it has a 4-port USB 3.0 hub built-in.
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Nope, 24" is the biggest I can fit in my desk (I have shelves with books and such above)

 

[Giuly]

The smaller 24" Dell UltraSharp U2413 also has a 4-port USB 3.0 hub built-in.

 

[Namrak]

Are you set on that 23" display, or do you mind a 27" display if it's well within your budget? In that case a Dell UltraSharp U2713HM would fit the bill, and it has a 4-port USB 3.0 hub built-in.
Image

That's well out of his budget. I would go with the pavilion 27xi for the monitor (sleek, 27" 1080p can be bought for about 250). Instead of wasting money on a dock (I don't think any of the rmbp docks available are worth it), I would get a USB 3 hub to plug in your scanner etc and plug in the monitor via HDMI. Get a bluetooth apple keyboard and Bluetooth magic track pad (or magic mouse) and you're good to go. If you really want to make it look nice get a book arc or something of that nature to set you're rmbp in while it's connected.

Edit: just saw your 24" monitor requirement. In that case, everything above stays the same but with a different monitor

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By USB 3 hub I mean something like this

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008ZGKWQI/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1374444925&sr=1-1&pi=SL75

Or this

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00BERGFV6/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1374444925&sr=1-2&pi=SL75

From my understanding the ultra sharp doesn't have so much of a "hub" as it has separate USB ports. The solutions linked above minimize the wire mess

 

[Rossatron]

The smaller 24" Dell UltraSharp U2413 also has a 4-port USB 3.0 hub built-in.

This monitor looks good, and within budget. Have you used it? How is it?

That's well out of his budget. I would go with the pavilion 27xi for the monitor (sleek, 27" 1080p can be bought for about 250). Instead of wasting money on a dock (I don't think any of the rmbp docks available are worth it), I would get a USB 3 hub to plug in your scanner etc and plug in the monitor via HDMI. Get a bluetooth apple keyboard and Bluetooth magic track pad (or magic mouse) and you're good to go. If you really want to make it look nice get a book arc or something of that nature to set you're rmbp in while it's connected.

Edit: just saw your 24" monitor requirement. In that case, everything above stays the same but with a different monitor
The non-powered hub looks like it'll do the job
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By USB 3 hub I mean something like this

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008ZGKWQI/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1374444925&sr=1-1&pi=SL75

Or this

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00BERGFV6/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1374444925&sr=1-2&pi=SL75

From my understanding the ultra sharp doesn't have so much of a "hub" as it has separate USB ports. The solutions linked above minimize the wire mess

the power-independant one looks nice

 

[COrocket]

The only docking solution with video out would be a thunderbolt dock. They are insanely priced. I would stick with a USB 3.0 hub for peripherals (if the monitor does not have one) and plug in the monitor into a thunderbolt port.

There are USB to DVI/HDMI adapters like http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-...qid=1374454776&sr=8-2&keywords=usb+3.0+to+dvi with the bandwidth of USB 3.0 there is theoretically enough to drive a 1920x1200 display. You could plug one into a port on the USB hub but honestly I would stick with using a separate video cord.

 

[Giuly]

That's well out of his budget. I would go with the pavilion 27xi for the monitor (sleek, 27" 1080p can be bought for about 250). Instead of wasting money on a dock (I don't think any of the rmbp docks available are worth it), I would get a USB 3 hub to plug in your scanner etc and plug in the monitor via HDMI. Get a bluetooth apple keyboard and Bluetooth magic track pad (or magic mouse) and you're good to go. If you really want to make it look nice get a book arc or something of that nature to set you're rmbp in while it's connected.

Edit: just saw your 24" monitor requirement. In that case, everything above stays the same but with a different monitor

----------

By USB 3 hub I mean something like this

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008ZGKWQI/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1374444925&sr=1-1&pi=SL75

Or this

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00BERGFV6/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1374444925&sr=1-2&pi=SL75

From my understanding the ultra sharp doesn't have so much of a "hub" as it has separate USB ports. The solutions linked above minimize the wire mess

It was $500 for the display, and $200 for a dock. The 27" UltraSharp is $650 and you could save the money for the dock. 27" at 1080p like the Pavilion 27xi is not something I'd put on my desk, except as a TV. And he'd have to relocate his bookshelf.

They have four USB 3.0 input ports and one USB 3.0 outputs. That's a hub.

This monitor looks good, and within budget. Have you used it? How is it?

It's intended for professional graphics design, one of the most color accurate on the market and praised in every review.

If you want a normal display instead, have a look at the HP Pavilion 23xi or Dell S2340L, along with a Matrox DS1 Thunderbolt Docking Station (but I'd propose skipping the Dock and putting the $250 towards a better display nevertheless).

 

[Namrak]

It was $500 for the display, and $200 for a dock. The 27" UltraSharp is $650 and you could save the money for the dock. 27" at 1080p like the Pavilion 27xi is not something I'd put on my desk, except as a TV. And he'd have to relocate his bookshelf.

They have four USB 3.0 input ports and one USB 3.0 outputs. That's a hub.


It's intended for professional graphics design, one of the most color accurate on the market and praised in every review.

If you want a normal display instead, have a look at the HP Pavilion 23xi or Dell S2340L, along with a Matrox DS1 Thunderbolt Docking Station (but I'd propose skipping the Dock and putting the $250 towards a better display nevertheless).

Yeah I wasn't sure if the ultra sharp had a USB output as well. Since that's the case, and since the OP did mention he wanted as much screen real estate as possible, I would have to say the ultra sharp seems to be a good solution.

 

[EricT43]

The only docking solution with video out would be a thunderbolt dock. They are insanely priced. I would stick with a USB 3.0 hub for peripherals (if the monitor does not have one) and plug in the monitor into a thunderbolt port.

There are USB to DVI/HDMI adapters like http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-...qid=1374454776&sr=8-2&keywords=usb+3.0+to+dvi with the bandwidth of USB 3.0 there is theoretically enough to drive a 1920x1200 display. You could plug one into a port on the USB hub but honestly I would stick with using a separate video cord.

He has a Retina MBP, so it comes with an HDMI port. No Thunderbolt adapter required.