Third party hub/dock to connect 2nd Apple studio display?

Question

Third party hub/dock to connect 2nd Apple studio display?

I have ordered two Apple Studio Displays (5K/27”) to go along with my M4 Pro Mac Mini. I know I can connect each of the displays to a different Thunderbolt port on the Mini with no problem. (I also know that daisy chaining one Studio Display to the other will NOT work.)

To save ports on the Mini (and to get more ports for other peripherals), I’m wondering if there are 3rd party hubs/docks that support a 5K monitor such as the Apple Studio Display. The hubs/docks I’ve seen mention the number of 4K monitors able to be connected, but don’t mention 5K displays.

Mac mini (M4)

Posted on Nov 29, 2024 1:17 PM

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Answer 1

Dec 3, 2024 5:12 PM in response to Robert Camner

Robert Camner wrote:

To save ports on the Mini (and to get more ports for other peripherals), I’m wondering if there are 3rd party hubs/docks that support a 5K monitor such as the Apple Studio Display. The hubs/docks I’ve seen mention the number of 4K monitors able to be connected, but don’t mention 5K displays.

That's because the limit is normally TWO 4K display, or ONE 5K display. A connection to a 5K display typically involves wrapping two DisplayPort sessions within one Thunderbolt connection, each session carrying data to refresh half of the display. With displays that have 4K resolution or less, the two sessions can be used for the purpose of driving two separate displays.

I have seen some Thunderbolt 4 docks that claim to support connecting two 5K displays, but that might involve dropping the refresh rate for each display from 60 Hz down to 30 Hz.

Thunderbolt 5 can provide much more video bandwidth than Thunderbolt 3 and 4, so the question there may be when/if a Mac with a Thunderbolt 5 port and a Thunderbolt 5 dock would let you take advantage of that.

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Answer 2

samtenor

Level 4

1,894 points

Nov 29, 2024 2:19 PM in response to Robert Camner

The Studio Display only has 1 TB port - so, daisy chain is not feasible at the time.

So far I have tried - this Caldigit TS 4 (has 2 TB ports downstream) does support 2 Studio Display simultaneously.

I have not tried on OWC TS4 dock yet - can't comment on that.

A little pricey with this CalDigit - total your call..

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Answer 3

samtenor

Level 4

1,894 points

Dec 6, 2024 12:29 PM in response to Robert Camner

I have not tried "element hub", so I can not comment on this.

The one I have is Caldigit TS4 - which can handle with 2 Studio Displays (make sure the hub's Firmware is 39.1).

There is another new kid on the block - it has 2 Thunderbolt controllers, that means you have to use 2 cables from Mac to this iVanky Fusion Max 1. Do some search and it's performance seems quite amazing.

For my own experience, I went through few hubs (Elgato, OWC...etc) that finally go for more future proof hub; especially "multi-monitors" would be in play.

Best

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Answer 4

Dec 3, 2024 9:33 PM in response to Servant of Cats

@Servant of Cats: This is VERY helpful info, and I appreciate your taking the time not only to reply but to do so in enough detail to explain your answer.

Since submitting this question here, I saw a Reddit post where someone saying he worked for CalDigit claimed that the CalDigit Elements (Thunderbolt 4) Hub did support two 5K monitors, but, he didn’t say anything about the refresh rate.

I think the question (which I don’t enough to know how to answer) is whether a 40Gbps thunderbolt 4 connection has enough bandwidth to support two 5K monitors. To answer this, one would need to know two things: how much bandwidth does a 5K monitor at 60Hz use, and how much of a 40Gbps connection is lost to “overhead”?

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Answer 5

Dec 6, 2024 10:01 AM in response to Robert Camner

I contacted Technical Support at CalDigit and asked them about the Element hub supporting two 5K apple studio displays. Their response puzzled me. They said that the hub would support 2 apple studio displays, but would not support two 5K displays if one or both of them were not apple studio displays. I don't understand this response, because I would think the bandwidth requirement for a 5K display is the same whether it is made by apple or another manufacturer.

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