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NEW MACBOOK DOCKING QUESTION

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Batnut

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 16, 2010
13
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Hello Friends

I am purchasing a new MacBook Pro 13 inch this week to replace my 2013 MacBook Air and have a question about docking (tried searching forum and web but can't find an answer that's helpful.)

I currently have a really good docking workflow. I have a £3 Ikea napkin holder that perfectly holds my Macbook Air in clamshell mode and have the Bluetooth Mac Keyboard and trackpad. It works flawlessly, tap on the keyboard and I get working. I keep it charging at all times to make sure clamshell works.

However, I've been researching the Thunderbolt 3 docks (including USB etc) and many say you can't charge and view on a monitor at the same time. Is there a way (not too expensive please) to do the same thing with the macbook pro? What do I need to have exactly the same simple workflow I have with my Macbook air, but with USB ports.

Thanks you!
 
Amazingly I've just realised that Thunderbolt 3 and USB C are the same thing... so I can just attach everything through USB C... right?
 
Thunderbolt 3 and USB are not the same thing. They are different data transfer protocols that just happen to use the same connector. But yes, if you have the right equipment you'll only have to connect a single cable to the MacBook Pro. Power and data can flow over the same cable. If it's just an external display we're talking about, it has to be capable of providing power to the computer. If not, you'll need two connections--one for power and one for the display.
 
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As you can see from this thread, there is confusion about how to describe the situation with the current crop of MBP systems.

The truth is that Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C are *NOT* the same thing, but that TB3 degrades gracefully to USB-C, and both USB-C and TB3 use the same connector. So TB3 devices can plug into a USB-C port, but won’t work, while (because of the graceful degrading) a USB-C device plugged into a TB3 port will probably work.

For “one-plug” connecting of power & USB-A & a monitor, you can either choose a USB-C dongle (there are LOTS of them) or you can opt for a thunderbolt 3 dock.

Most of the USB-C dongles have a few USB-A/USB 3.0 ports, have HDMI out (with support for up to 4K monitors with 30Hz refresh rates) and USB-C “power in” (where you take the charger your laptop came with and plug it in). Some also have network ports or SD card slots.

Thunderbolt 3 docks usually have all that, plus supply power themselves and have “downstream” TB3 ports allowing you to daisy chain other TB3 devices.

TB3 is ‘better’, but also more expensive — usually around US$300. Some USB-C dongles are flakey. But they are portable and (comparatively) inexpensive — generally under US$100.

Hope this helps!
 
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Batnut said:
Hello Friends

I am purchasing a new MacBook Pro 13 inch this week to replace my 2013 MacBook Air and have a question about docking (tried searching forum and web but can't find an answer that's helpful.)

I currently have a really good docking workflow. I have a £3 Ikea napkin holder that perfectly holds my Macbook Air in clamshell mode and have the Bluetooth Mac Keyboard and trackpad. It works flawlessly, tap on the keyboard and I get working. I keep it charging at all times to make sure clamshell works.

However, I've been researching the Thunderbolt 3 docks (including USB etc) and many say you can't charge and view on a monitor at the same time. Is there a way (not too expensive please) to do the same thing with the macbook pro? What do I need to have exactly the same simple workflow I have with my Macbook air, but with USB ports.

Thanks you!
Click to expand...
Like others have said, technically USB-c and TB3 are not the same thing, but they use the same plug. To answer your question, it depends what you mean by "not too expensive". You will have to go usb-c to keep the price down, and you have to go to the higher end usb-c docks to get power delivery and one plug connectivity. I use this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FMP3B5S/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1, looks like it's down to $150 now. I have a ****-ton of peripherals attached to it on my desk, and it runs everything with one plug. Power and 3440x1440 screen, ethernet, mouse, keyboard, headset dongle. You can do all these things with usb-c. The advantage of TB3 is multiple hi-res monitors and higher bandwidth in your peripherals. I've seen cheaper usb-c dongles, but PD is not too common. If you want to go cheap, you get a cheaper dongle and plug one for peripherals and one for power. Defeats one of the major advantages of usb-c or TB3 for single cable connectivity.
 
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In a nutshell if you are happy with 1080p @ 60hz or 4k @ 30hz, you can buy any of the many ~$30 USB-C hubs and have power, display and USB 3.0 data from a single cable. This is what I do.

If you want 4k/5k @ 60hz, you need to spend considerably more ($200+) for a TB3 dock.

But to answer your question, yes you absolutely can charge and display via a single cable at the same time. You just need to buy the right hub.
 
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