tenthousandthings

john-useless said:

Apple list the USB-C ports on the Studio Display for up to 10Gb/s *, which should be enough bandwidth for a 4k display at 60Hz.  Whether Apple allow passthrough of a display signal to another monitor I don't know. I suspect not, and that each monitor  would need to connect to a separate port, but stranger things have happened, maybe there's a pleasant surprise.

No, obviously he isn't looking to power a display from USB-C or Thunderbolt.

So much conversation reacting to my post — thanks, everyone! To be clear: Power is not a factor. I'm curious as to whether a non-Retina-quality desktop monitor (with its own power source) could be daisy-chained to a USB-C port on the new Apple Studio Display, itself connected via Thunderbolt to a 2021 14-inch MacBook Pro. Why do I ask? So that I could have the convenience of having to connect only one cable to the MacBook Pro while having two external monitors. This would obviously work if I connect two cables to the MacBook Pro or use some kind of a dock/hub, but I want to see if the convenient one-cable option is feasible.

That is not possible. Apple specifically stated that an additional display must be connected directly to the Mac. The USB-C ports are for peripherals, storage, or networking. Your Dell display would plug into the Mac Studio's HDMI port.

I suspect this might be correct — but where did Apple specifically state that an additional external display must be directly connected to the Mac? The Apple Studio Display's product page does say: "Three USB-C ports let you connect, power, and charge devices — from networking and external drives to your keyboard, mouse, or iPhone. The Thunderbolt port connects Studio Display to your Mac with a single cable. That same port can charge compatible Mac notebooks — and even fast‑charge a 14‑inch MacBook Pro." Although it does not explicitly say that daisy-chaining a non-Retina-quality desktop monitor is possible, it doesn't exclude the possibility. The tech specs page says "Three downstream USB-C ports (up to 10Gb/s) for connecting peripherals, storage, and networking" — and an external monitor is certainly a peripheral, and I would guess a non-Retina-quality monitor wouldn't need more than the available 10GB/s of bandwidth.

I do agree that if it were possible to daisy-chain another Apple Studio Display, Apple would market that fact.

At any rate, I will test this when my new Apple Studio Display arrives (it's due some time in the next week). I will report back here (in case anyone's still reading by then) whether or not it's possible to daisy-chain a non-Retina-quality desktop monitor (with its own power source).

crowley said:

tenthousandthings said:

crowley said:

tenthousandthings said:

john-useless said:

Andrew, you wrote: "Because of Thunderbolt data limitations, it isn't possible to daisy chain two 5K studio displays." Do you know if it's possible to daisy-chain a lower-resolution third-party monitor to a USB-C port on the new Apple Studio Display?

I have a 27-inch Dell QHD resolution monitor, which is 2560x1440 pixels. That's the same resolution as the original Thunderbolt Display and Apple's 27-inch iMacs from the 2009 to 2013 models. (The 2014 edition of the 27-inch iMac was the first Retina 5K model at 5120x2880 pixels.)

I have an Apple Studio Display on order. I'm hoping that I'll need only connect one cable (from the Studio Display's one Thunderbolt port) to my MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021) and that the one cable will provide the MacBook both with power and with connections to two monitors — the Studio Display and a 27-inch Dell monitor with USB-C and QHD resolution. In other words, the chain would be: 14-inch MacBook Pro <—> Thunderbolt cable <—> Apple Studio Display <—> USB-C cable <—> Dell U2721DE monitor, if that works.

Thanks for any info!

I think Andrew means that if it was possible to daisy-chain two Apple Studio Displays, then Apple would have provided a second Thunderbolt 3 port to allow that (same deal with Thunderbolt 4). He's explaining why they didn't, but even if they did, anyone trying to daisy-chain a 4K display would also run into those same data limitations. In theory, your 2560x1440 Dell would work, barely, but Apple isn't going to do it just for that. [Actually, I just realized I have the ability to test this -- I have an Apple Studio Display, a Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter, and an Apple Thunderbolt Display (also 2560x1440). I doubt it will work, but I will try it now...]

The three additional USB-C ports on the back are USB 3.2 Gen 2 (formerly known as USB 3.1), which can be either USB-A or USB-C. [I think, by definition, they probably provide at least 7.5W power, but I couldn't confirm that.] So think of them as USB-A ports -- you wouldn't plug a display into one of those.

So you'll need a powered hub to do what you want to do. The good news is that hub will be your best friend. There are several CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 hubs, but if you want Ethernet then you'll want the TS4 (in theory the TS3+ would work for your setup, but you'd need to make sure it is supported):

https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/02/16/caldigit-ts4-thunderbolt-hub-review-the-dock-of-our-dreams

Apple list the USB-C ports on the Studio Display for up to 10Gb/s *, which should be enough bandwidth for a 4k display at 60Hz.  Whether Apple allow passthrough of a display signal to another monitor I don't know. I suspect not, and that each monitor  would need to connect to a separate port, but stranger things have happened, maybe there's a pleasant surprise.

I don't think john-useless's requirement is to power the monitor via USB.  Only portable monitors usually allow that.

* https://www.apple.com/studio-display/specs/

Yes, you can see from my edit above that after I posted that I realized that I couldn't test it for him -- I have a M1 Mini, which doesn't support it, but it's possible his 14" MacBook Pro does. It would be useful to know how much power those USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 ports provide -- in theory, they can do up to 20W. But I'll guess it's only 7.5W (the minimum to meet the standard), because otherwise Apple would be saying so in the Tech Specs.

I don't think power is the question at all.

crowley said:

tenthousandthings said:

john-useless said:

Andrew, you wrote: "Because of Thunderbolt data limitations, it isn't possible to daisy chain two 5K studio displays." Do you know if it's possible to daisy-chain a lower-resolution third-party monitor to a USB-C port on the new Apple Studio Display?

I have a 27-inch Dell QHD resolution monitor, which is 2560x1440 pixels. That's the same resolution as the original Thunderbolt Display and Apple's 27-inch iMacs from the 2009 to 2013 models. (The 2014 edition of the 27-inch iMac was the first Retina 5K model at 5120x2880 pixels.)

I have an Apple Studio Display on order. I'm hoping that I'll need only connect one cable (from the Studio Display's one Thunderbolt port) to my MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021) and that the one cable will provide the MacBook both with power and with connections to two monitors — the Studio Display and a 27-inch Dell monitor with USB-C and QHD resolution. In other words, the chain would be: 14-inch MacBook Pro <—> Thunderbolt cable <—> Apple Studio Display <—> USB-C cable <—> Dell U2721DE monitor, if that works.

Thanks for any info!

I think Andrew means that if it was possible to daisy-chain two Apple Studio Displays, then Apple would have provided a second Thunderbolt 3 port to allow that (same deal with Thunderbolt 4). He's explaining why they didn't, but even if they did, anyone trying to daisy-chain a 4K display would also run into those same data limitations. In theory, your 2560x1440 Dell would work, barely, but Apple isn't going to do it just for that. [Actually, I just realized I have the ability to test this -- I have an Apple Studio Display, a Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter, and an Apple Thunderbolt Display (also 2560x1440). I doubt it will work, but I will try it now...]

The three additional USB-C ports on the back are USB 3.2 Gen 2 (formerly known as USB 3.1), which can be either USB-A or USB-C. [I think, by definition, they probably provide at least 7.5W power, but I couldn't confirm that.] So think of them as USB-A ports -- you wouldn't plug a display into one of those.

So you'll need a powered hub to do what you want to do. The good news is that hub will be your best friend. There are several CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 hubs, but if you want Ethernet then you'll want the TS4 (in theory the TS3+ would work for your setup, but you'd need to make sure it is supported):

https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/02/16/caldigit-ts4-thunderbolt-hub-review-the-dock-of-our-dreams

Apple list the USB-C ports on the Studio Display for up to 10Gb/s *, which should be enough bandwidth for a 4k display at 60Hz.  Whether Apple allow passthrough of a display signal to another monitor I don't know. I suspect not, and that each monitor  would need to connect to a separate port, but stranger things have happened, maybe there's a pleasant surprise.

I don't think john-useless's requirement is to power the monitor via USB.  Only portable monitors usually allow that.

* https://www.apple.com/studio-display/specs/

john-useless said:

Andrew, you wrote: "Because of Thunderbolt data limitations, it isn't possible to daisy chain two 5K studio displays." Do you know if it's possible to daisy-chain a lower-resolution third-party monitor to a USB-C port on the new Apple Studio Display?

I have a 27-inch Dell QHD resolution monitor, which is 2560x1440 pixels. That's the same resolution as the original Thunderbolt Display and Apple's 27-inch iMacs from the 2009 to 2013 models. (The 2014 edition of the 27-inch iMac was the first Retina 5K model at 5120x2880 pixels.)

I have an Apple Studio Display on order. I'm hoping that I'll need only connect one cable (from the Studio Display's one Thunderbolt port) to my MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021) and that the one cable will provide the MacBook both with power and with connections to two monitors — the Studio Display and a 27-inch Dell monitor with USB-C and QHD resolution. In other words, the chain would be: 14-inch MacBook Pro <—> Thunderbolt cable <—> Apple Studio Display <—> USB-C cable <—> Dell U2721DE monitor, if that works.

Thanks for any info!