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Comment by atombender | Hacker News Reader

Nice work. I miss the ability to filter by video support. I got this one [1] without reading the fine print, and it only supports 4K at 30Hz, not 60Hz.

I'm actually still looking for a hub that will do 4K/60Hz HDMI/DP and power delivery (and preferably 1-2 extra USB-C ports), so that I can power my MacBook Pro with it, and have it deliver video to my external display, all while only having one cable going into the MacBook. Not dual monitors, just a single display while the lid is closed.

From what I can tell, that's only possible with an expensive Thunderbolt dock.

[1] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079GSMZ7G

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I was shopping for that the other day but didn't pull the trigger; here are some things I found. Thunderbolt docks have come down from ~$300 to ~$100 so you may be better off with that route.

https://www.bigmessowires.com/2019/05/19/explaining-4k-60hz-...

https://smile.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Multiport-DisplayPort...

https://smile.amazon.com/Dell-Business-Thunderbolt-USB-C-Doc...

Thanks! The Dell is big and requires an external power supply, which is a no-go. The Cable Matters is better, but only does USB 2.0, which means I can't use it for hard drives. There's an HDMI version, but doesn't do 60Hz.

This is what I'm fighting right now. Lots of hubs, they all do some things right, but not everything. The reason is apparently answered by the first article ("any USB-C hub using this technique for 4K60 video can’t have any USB 3.1 ports on it").

I've yet to find a sub-$100 Thunderbolt dock. Monoprice had a sale on docks in December, bringing the price down to $56, but I was too slow to pull the trigger.

I have bought this [1]. It costs around 40$, does PD at 60W, 4K Display Port, 2xUSB2 (due to bandwidth restrictions - for me this is fine as I have a time machine hard Drive and a USB mic attached) and 100MBit RJ45. I also bought a 1m USB-C extension cord, which makes it possible to completely hide the dongle under my desk. No issues with any of the ports so far. I would definitely recommend looking for DP instead of HDMI, because it seems to use less bandwidth. You can also get 2 DP 4k@60Hz with PD from the same vendor.

[1] https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Multiport-DisplayPort-E...

Thanks, but being USB 2.0 only isn't great. That's why I suspect a Thunderbolt hub is the only option.

To work around macOS' awful monitor restrictions (i.e. lack of general MST support), we bit the bullet and got a Dell WB19TB [1] (Thunderbolt dock). It sucks from a wiring perspective but it works.

[1] https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-thunderbolt-dock-w...

(To those that go down this route, be aware: you cannot use both DP ports on this dock as-is -- again, macOS lacks MST support. One monitor must be connected to the Thunderbolt add-on module.)

I wouldn't trust Dell with this. I have a Dell monitor that I bought because it has a USB-C port that supported both PD and video. But it turns out it doesn't work well with MacBooks (constantly loses connection, and messes with the MacBook's sleep). Dell acknowledged the issue and released a patch that fixed it ... for Windows machines. They refuse to fix it for MacBooks because they don't want to support a competitor's product. So I would be highly skeptical of a Thunderbolt dock from Dell working well with MacBooks.

Addendum: That monitor is also a dud in many other ways, notably that the PIP and PBP feature sucks and it has horrific ghosting. All a real shame as Dell used to have high standards for their monitors.

I have the same monitor. It's great, but I ran into the issues you mentioned with multiple USB-C docks, including Apple's own multiport adapter. Have you been able to get anything to work?

I've only tried my MacBook. Make sure you're on the monitor's latest firmware at least. That doesn't fix anything for MacBooks but the latest patch was supposed resolve USB-C issues for other devices.

What model monitor is this?

It's a Dell U3818DW

> $259.99

It sucks from a price perspective too.

I can recommend the Thinkpad Thunderbolt 3 dock. It's fully compatible with the MacBook Pro. With the latest firmare (or gen2 of the dock - there are two generations), it supports MBP with 2x4K@60Hz (on gen1, one of them needs to be driven from the second Thunderbolt/USB-C port). No DisplayLink needed.

You can get this on sale for reasonable prices. Here's a second hand dock currently going for $80: https://www.ebay.com/i/303430714025

Cool. I don't want a dock with an external power supply, though. I want to reduce cable clutter, not add to it.

ISTR my Dell USB-C dock can do that (but check for yourself, I might misremember). No idea how well it works with Macs though.

Will definitely add filter by video support!

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