Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

hajime

macrumors 604
Original poster
Jul 23, 2007
7,796
1,222
Hi, I am looking for 3m long TB3 cable that is capable of 40Gbps. Any good recommendation appreciated. Thank you.
 

hajime

macrumors 604
Original poster
Jul 23, 2007
7,796
1,222
Is getting a TB3 dock as a passthrough a good solution? I have two external 4K displays.

Two cases:
1. For the MBP 16" 2019, one is connected to the computer via a TB3 port. Another is connected to the MBP via an Apple USB-C to AV HDMI adapter.

2. For my desktop PC, one is connected via HDMI 2.0 output from my GPU. Another is connected to the GPU via a USB-C port. The cable for the latter is 2m.
 
Last edited:

joevt

Contributor
Jun 21, 2012
6,685
4,081
Is getting a TB3 dock as a passthrough a good solution? I have two external 4K displays.

Two cases:
1. For the MBP 16" 2019, one is connected to the computer via a TB3 port. Another is connected to the MBP via an Apple USB-C to AV HDMI adapter.

2. For my desktop PC, one is connected via HDMI 2.0 output from my GPU. Another is connected to the GPU via a USB-C port. The cable for the latter is 2m.
A TB3 dock or any Thunderbolt 3 device with two or more Thunderbolt ports will let you move the display further from the Mac. The only exception is for Apple Pro Display XDR - it will not work with a dock between the Mac and the display if the GPU does not support DSC.

1. Only a few docks have two USB-C ports for display output so you may need a different adapter or cable for one of the displays.

2. Your PC doesn't have Thunderbolt?
 

mdgm

macrumors 68000
Nov 2, 2010
1,665
406
If you have a Mac with Thunderbolt 3 ports or a PC with Thunderbolt 4 ports and are happy to run Big Sur there is at least one Thunderbolt hub available for pre-order, for example the OWC Thunderbolt hub can have three Thunderbolt/USB-C devices connected to it. The hub supports two 4k displays. If you're going to connect those to the hub it'd be recommended to connect other devices e.g. Thunderbolt storage to a different port on your Mac.

The downside of the OWC Hub is whilst it's cheaper than a dock it only supplies 60W of power to a laptop which is not suitable for the 16".

If not already there are likely to be other similar options I would suspect from other companies.
 

hajime

macrumors 604
Original poster
Jul 23, 2007
7,796
1,222
A TB3 dock or any Thunderbolt 3 device with two or more Thunderbolt ports will let you move the display further from the Mac. The only exception is for Apple Pro Display XDR - it will not work with a dock between the Mac and the display if the GPU does not support DSC.

1. Only a few docks have two USB-C ports for display output so you may need a different adapter or cable for one of the displays.

2. Your PC doesn't have Thunderbolt?

Good question. I just checked. It looks like there are two TB3 ports at the back. There is a lighting symbol. between them.
 

joevt

Contributor
Jun 21, 2012
6,685
4,081
Good question. I just checked. It looks like there are two TB3 ports at the back. There is a lighting symbol. between them.
Do you know the motherboard model? Unless it has DisplayPort inputs from your GPU, you probably don't want to use them for displays because they'll use the less powerful integrated GPU of the CPU.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.