Which Mac ?

[kdm0505]

I currently have a 2013 13" Macbook Air and it is on its way out. Use case is very basic internet & word processing but I want to be able to hook up to two 1920x10800 monitors for work. I like the idea of having 2 external monitors and not using a laptop screen as a second monitor (like I'm currently doing). I also will be using the device as a laptop 75% of the time and plugged into dual monitors 25% of the time. My thoughts are below

Option 1 - Macbook - Like the form factor but unsure if I'd be able to power two external displays with this. The only thought I had was plugging in into a dock that provides power and that dock could provide the ports to run two displays. Have no idea if there is a dock like that for USB C

Option 2 - 13" Macbook Pro - Figure that this will drive dual displays but will I need the model with 4 USB-C ports or will the nTB model be sufficient by daisy chaining the monitors together.

Monitor and dock options are also welcome. I'd also consider buying a mac mini to use it just for work if they would update it or add USB C ports. But can't justify buying tech that is so far behind the curve innovation wise.

 

[Trusteft]

I have neither of them.
From what I know the Macbook does not support two external monitors.
I don't think there is a 13" Macbook Pro model with 4 USB-C ports. I believe only the 15" models have 4.
The 13" have 2, but those should be enough for two external monitors.

 

[Glmnet1]

The MacBook only supports 1 display, even with a dock.

The base 13" supports 2 up to 4k displays. There is a 4 TB3 model with touch bar but you don't need it to drive 2 screens.

 

[alphaod]

I would say the base touch bar 13" MacBook Pro.

The base non-touch bar one also can drive two 4K displays, but you kind of keep one USB-C port for power, so you would need to daisy chain the monitors, but then you don't have any USB ports for anything else unless you get more adapters.

 

[ZapNZs]

I was initially under the impression that the MacBook was only capable of supporting one display, as Apple seems to convey this as the official word on the matter. However, I believe what you wish to do is indeed possible in that some Members here have done it, even though Apple does not indicate it as being supported. IIRC, a Member here was using a DisplayLink port replicator to use 2 external displays. How reliable such a setup will be, or how good performance will be in this situation I could not say, although if you are only using the system for basic tasks it sounds like this could potentially work. The downside is that IIRC the hardware itself can get pricy, and it requires 3rd party drivers to operate correctly. Unless you are really set on the form factor or fanless design, this might not be the optimal solution for your usage. For example, https://www.amazon.com/Wavlink-Univ...pID=31LbSCsgjIL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

You can run dual monitors with the 13-inch nTB, but IIRC you can only chain them if you are using Thunderbolt displays, as DisplayPort Multi Stream Transport (chains) is not supported on macOS. So, with a nTB, the options would be to either purchase a hub that has a video out + supplies charging power, or to purchase at least one monitor with a direct USB-C connection that charges the laptop, or to purchase one of the limited display models with Thunderbolt.

Based on what you wish to do, it's my personal opinion that the 13-inch touchbar MacBook Pro may be the best fit for your needs. It may also be worth noting that a TB model could in some instances be quieter when using dual displays - and, considering that monitors with USB-C charging often fetch a premium, and the higher-end USB-C hubs are not cheap, the price difference between the nTB and TB could be somewhat offset by the TB's greater flexibility (by eliminating the need for a solution such as a hub or having to pay the pricing premium for a charging monitor.)

 

[Glmnet1]

I would say the base touch bar 13" MacBook Pro.

The base non-touch bar one also can drive two 4K displays, but you kind of keep one USB-C port for power, so you would need to daisy chain the monitors, but then you don't have any USB ports for anything else unless you get more adapters.

Unless you get a usb-c dock and plug a monitor on that. That way you could get pass-through charging on a single port and a few additional ports.

I agree that if you have the money you should get the base touch bar though.