how to connect 4 monitors to a mac pro 2017

How to connect 4 monitors to a mac pro 2017 professional#

A MacBook with only a USB-C port is limited to a maximum of one external display. With Apple laptops that have only USB-C support built-in such as the 2015, 20 MacBook models (notice the absence of the ‘Pro’ designation and hence the lack of Thunderbolt 3 support) the options are more limited. This is because all Thunderbolt 3 ports can also function as a USB-C port. If a Thunderbolt solution proves too expensive for your needs, any of the USB-C docking stations we mention in the next section can also be used. The maximum number cannot be expanded regardless of what Plugable products are in use or how they are physically connected. ** Another important note, the maximum number of displays supported by either model laptop are finite when used with our products. Our Thunderbolt 3 Dual Display Adapters and USB-C video cables can also be used individually on their own (without a docking station) to allow for additional displays to be added, within the confines mentioned earlier. This is because the laptop has two Thunderbolt 3 controllers (one for each side) and they can each power two displays. ** An important note, our Thunderbolt 3 Dual Display Adapters must be connected to a Thunderbolt 3 port on the opposite side of the system compared to where the dock is connected. This configuration still leaves two available Thunderbolt 3 ports in the system. One of our Thunderbolt 3 Dual Display Adapters can be connected to one of the Thunderbolt 3 ports on the opposite side of the laptop to add two additional displays bringing the grand total to four. Our Thunderbolt 3 Dual Display Adapters in DisplayPort ( ) and HDMI ( ) variants are a good solution to allow the system to reach the maximum number of displays while using as few of the available Thunderbolt 3 ports in the system.įor example, a MacBook Pro 15” model can have our TBT3-UDV dock connected to one Thunderbolt 3 port and drive two displays. The inclusion of the more powerful AMD Radeon graphics adapter allows the system to support a maximum of four external displays. As the name implies, the system can ‘switch’ between the two depending on need and in doing so allows for better battery life or higher performance. They have both an Intel graphics adapter and a more capable (but more power hungry) AMD Radeon graphics adapter. If more than two displays are needed, the options available depend on the type of internal graphics adapter built-in to the MacBook Pro.Īll MacBook Pro 13” Thunderbolt 3 models have an internal Intel graphics adapter that is limited to a maximum of two external displays, so using a docking station with two displays as described above would be the maximum.Īll MacBook Pro 15” Thunderbolt 3 models have what is known as switchable internal graphics adapters. We have a video demonstration showing the setup of the TBT3-UDV ( ) that can help provide context for those unfamiliar. When combined with one of our USB-C to video cables (such as our USB-C to HDMI cable -> or our USB-C to DisplayPort cable -> ) a second display can be connected to the dock. M1 Pro MacBook Pros work with up to two monitors, and the 13-inch model with the standard M1 chip supports a single monitor.Out of the box, the dock can be used to add one additional DisplayPort or HDMI display (using the included DisplayPort to HDMI adapter) to a MacBook Pro laptop with Thunderbolt 3. Want to use up to four external monitors at once? Get a MacBook Pro with M1 Max. Regardless, keeping track of MacBook Pro monitor compatibility has never been easier.

How to connect 4 monitors to a mac pro 2017 professional#

That's probably too limited for a professional who needs multiple monitors, but for those users, they're probably already looking at the M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pros anyway. Apple says this version of the MacBook Pro supports just one external monitor using one of the available Thunderbolt ports. This is the least powerful MacBook Pro currently available, and as expected, it has the most limited external monitor support. If it has an M1 Pro chip, you'll only be able to use up to two external monitors at once.Īnd, last but not least, there's the 13-inch MacBook Pro with the baseline M1 chip. Just like above, this applies to the 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro.

If someone has a MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro processor, they can only use up to two external displays at up to 6K resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate. That said, external monitor support is different for MacBook Pros with lesser chips.