I need min 1TB hard drive. Thinking of doing external boot SSD with Neo.
If I need to attached external monitor, can I plug the external SSD and monitor to a USB 3 hub and power and utilize both?
Theoretically, yes, you can.
In practice, though, this sounds like it would be an absolutely awful experience.
Connecting two devices to a USB 3.2 port means that neither will be able to use the complete bandwidth of the port.
And given that you were talking about using the external SSD as a *boot* drive, this is very quickly going to lead to lagging and slow-downs.
Not to mention, depending on the reliability of the hub you are using, using all of that bandwidth at once, constantly, at all times could easily cause it to overheat and crap out on you, especially if you are using a lower end hub.
I simply would not recommend this set up, way, way too much risk for very little reward.
You are much better off…
A: using the Neo’s internal SSD as the boot drive and applications storage, but then using the external for all of your data and media.
B: the option that’s going to give you no problems, that’s never going to present you with any type of issues, spending the extra money for a MacBook Air with a TB internally, or at least with two thunderbolt ports so booting off of an SSD and using an external monitor at the same time is actually feasible.
I know it’s not the answer you wanted to hear but it is genuinely the best option that’s going to lead to the least amount of hassle. One single USB 3 port really isn’t meant to run your entire set-up, from boot drive to display to any other peripherals you’re going to need to connect in the future all at the same time. Eventually, and probably a lot sooner than you are imagining, you will smash into that ceiling. To run the type of setup you are describing, you are at least going to want two USB 3 ports (one for drives and the other for displays), or a thunderbolt port and hub where utilizing all of that bandwidth at once is actually something the port was meant for.
