I am waiting for my new M1 MacMini to arrive in mid-December - in Australia the 16GB ram ones are still not available and am planning ahead.
I’m upgrading from a 2015 MacBook Air and would like recommendations on USB C hubs that can be used to daily chain devices.
The main reason I didn’t get another Air (yet) was the lack of ports - currently I have a StreamDeck on one USB A socket and the WooHoo 5 + 2 powered hub on the other.
I’d like to purchase a USB C hub that will later work on my future laptop upgrade and possibly even support a 4K external monitor.
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You can’t go wrong with Anker. They have a good selection of travel hubs and desk hubs.
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Getting 4K at 60Hz out of a USB-C hub seems to be not a thing unless you get a hub that uses both ports. I would love to be wrong about this, so please anyone feel free to post a link to one. If that’s an important feature for you then you may want to look at (pricier) Thunderbolt-3 docks instead.
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Thank you - any thunderbolt 3 hub suggestions?
Am I correct in thinking they are the same connection?
I have a pair of Belkin thunderbolt 3 docks that work well for me. If your needs are not extensive then there may be less expensive but smaller ones available.
This AppleInsider article lists a bunch of them:
The short answer is yes and the long answer is messy and confusing. Thunderbolt 3 uses a USB-C connector. You can plug USB-C devices into Thunderbolt 3 ports and they will work, but not the other way around. I believe that technically the M1 Mini has USB 4 ports, which use the USB-C connector, but also support Thunderbolt 3.
Basically though, yes you can use a Thunderbolt 3 dock with your M1 Mini.
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They are Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 which is a USB-C connector and supports Thunderbolt 4, 3, 2, and presumably 1, and also USB 4, 3(.x), 2, and again presumably 1. Note that both USB and Thunderbolt at 2 and below will need an adapter.
I think I’m right in saying that it supports “all the things” excepting displays are limited to a single display of no more than 6K.
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Actually, I was browsing the M1 MacBook Pro specs last night and I see Apple list “Thunderbolt 3” and “USB 4”. So it’s not Thunderbolt 4, which I thought was the same thing as USB 4 except apparently not!
I need to go back and listen to this again.
Edit: I listened. Basically Thunderbolt 4 is all of Thunderbolt 3 possibilities made mandatory, one of which is to support 2 x 4K displays, which the M1 Macs clearly do not, hence must be Thunderbolt 3.
According to a Tom’s Hardware article, USB 4: Everything We Know, Including Apple Support,
- Compatible with Thunderbolt 3 devices: Some, but not necessarily all USB 4 implementations will also work with Thunderbolt 3 devices.
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David mentioned a good, but expensive, desktop hub for his new M1 MacBook Air. I can’t find his recommendation. Anyone recall what it was?