Thunderbolt Dock Setup?

[Genghis Khan]

Hi guys,

It's been a while. After a break of a few years, I've finally bought a new Mac - my dream come true, a top spec MacBook Pro.

It will be replacing my aging Mac Pro as my workhorse computer, so I'd like to hook it up to my desktop setup, which consists of:

- 2 x 24" 1080p Monitors
- USB 3.0 External Hard Drive
- Speakers connected through 3.5mm audio jack
- USB Keyboard+Mouse​

Questions:

1) What dock? All of the ones I've seen only have one HDMI port. How to connect two monitors?
1a) Are Thunderbolt, USB-C, and MiniDisplayPort all able to plug into each other?
2) What else can you do with Thunderbolt to extend the laptops abilities? I vaguely remember reading about using it to add PCI cards such as graphics cards?
3) What case to get?​

Thanks guys,

- Michael

 

[Freyqq]

1. I'd advise just plugging it into the computer directly. All it would take is a USB 3 hub and a monitor with audio out. Then, you've got 1 power cord, 1 usb cord, and 2 display cords to plug in - opposed to 1 power cord and 1 thunderbolt. The cost is too high to be worth it.

1a. Yes for video, with the proper adapters. USB-C is displayport + USB.
2. Graphics card support is coming, but right now it is unofficial. It still works though with some makeshift parts.
3. I wouldn't advise a case, just a sleeve or backpack.

 

[JTToft]

1. OWC and StarTech seem to get the best reviews based on my reading. But I'll echo the response above in that the TB dock isn't worth it for your use. Also, you wouldn't be able to use both monitors off it. For that, one of the monitors has to be a Thunderbolt monitor. So the dock would actually only save you one cord from your machine, two if your monitor doesn't have 3.5mm out.

1a. No. Thunderbolt and Mini DisplayPort are (which is not to say they're compatible; mDP won't work for TB functionality), but USB-C uses a completely different form factor and doesn't contain any Thunderbolt capability.

On 2 and 3, I agree with the comments above.

 

[treekram]

Oops - I see you already bought your MBP. My response was to wait a little and there may be more options available.