Dock / Hub - USB C vs Thunderbolt

Hey all,

I recently posted in regards to a dual monitor setup.

I’ve since upgraded and am running both monitors directly from my Mac.

MacBook Pro 14inch M1 Pro - 512GB - 16GB Ram

Monitor 1 - AOC 34inch U34P2C - 3K WQHD IPS, 3440x1440, 75Hz.

I run this through USB C (with power pass through)

Monitor 2 - Lenovo L29w-30 - FHD, 90Hz.

I run this through HDMI.

I need a dock / hub so I have more ports available (plus I’d love a single cord setup).

My questions are:

  1. With this setup is there a point in getting Thunderbolt? Both monitors are not thunderbolt. I don’t run an external SSD very often so upload speed is not a concern.

  2. For performance am I best running the monitors through USB C, HDMI or DP to the hub / doc. I’ve had no issues with performance with my current setup.

At this stage I’m not really concerned with ‘future proofing’.

What are your recommendations? Price at this stage is my main driver.

Thanks!

I think it will be helpful to post your Mac specs as well, how many ports on the Mac etc…

1 Like

Thanks Mina - added to the main topic!

MacBook Pro 14inch M1 Pro - 512GB - 16GB Ram

So in my opinion if your Mac works great with both monitors and you have plenty of ports on that Mac, then optimize for your use case, get a dock or potentially hub to increase the number of ports, and continue to connect the monitors directly.

Is there a budget in your mind?

Great point. I suppose it’s my desire for a single cord setup, but really it’s a high cost to pay just for that.

I think for my purpose a standard UCB hub is probably sufficient!