Best way to connect three displays to Mac Studio

[bradsmith74]

I have a 2010 Mac Pro that I'm going to be replacing with a new Mac Studio M1 Max. I currently have three displays connected to my Pro, and I'd like to have the same setup on the Studio. They are arranged in an H pattern, with the center display in landscape and a display on each side in portrait. The three displays, resolutions, and available ports, are listed below (from left to right):

Dell U2414M - 1200x1920 - 1 HDMI, 1 DVI, 1 VGA
Monoprice MPCP28UHD - 2560x1440 - 2 DisplayPort 1.2, 2 HDMI 2.0, 1 DVI
Dell 2001FP - 1200x1600 - 1 DVI, 1 VGA

The Mac Studio has 4 Thunderbolt 4 ports (back), 1 HDMI port (back), and 2 USB-C ports (front). I assume that I could just buy adapters and things should work, but I'd like to be more strategic about it. For example, I could use one of the Thunderbolt 4 ports to drive the 2001FP, but it might be that the bandwidth needed for that wouldn't exceed what I could get from the front USB-C port, so I'd be better to use the USB-C port and save the Thunderbolt 4 port for something else (like external storage). But I don't know if I'm even able to drive a display from the front USB-C port? (I've looked around and can't find information about this.) Another option - should I drive my main center display from the HDMI or Thunderbolt 4 port? Does it matter?

So my general question is, how would I optimally connect these three displays to a Mac Studio M1 Max? I'm assuming that for the U2414M I'd use its HDMI port, and for the 2001FP I'd use the DVI port. For the MPCP28UHD I don't know if I should use the DisplayPort or HDMI. (I'm using the DisplayPort in my current setup.) And which ports on the Studio should I connect them to? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[eddie_ducking]

Optimum is a bit awkward, optimum for display quality or optimum for port usage ?

Also, with regards to screens & connectivity, refresh rates can be relevant, I'm assuming you don't really care, so 60Hz is acceptable.

Optimum for screens (though rather overkill), use the HDMI port for the Monoprice and then two TB4 ports with new cables for the two other screens (still leaving 2 rear TB4 ports free for disks etc)

from a bandwidth/port perspective, all 3 of your screens will probably be served by a single TB4 port with a dock, but they can be expensive and overkill, personally ...

Run the highest bandwidth 1440p screen via the HDMI port

Then use something like ( USB-C to multi display ) to serve the other two (be it HDMI/VGA or DVI) .. don't know for certain it'd result in perfect results, I've not tried one (though I do run a 1080p and 1GBE on an unpowered USB-C hub without complaint) but for £17 it's worth a punt to re-use the cables you've already got.

 

[sn1p3r845]

I have four screens. I decided on Displayport to usb-c for my 3 main displays and my TV is HDMI. I have 2 displays and the TV plugged in directly to the computer, then I have the Caldigit Element Thunderbolt 4 to connect the third one AND give me more ports. Anything that I need to be fast is obviously plugged directly into the computer, but for accessories the Caldigit does a wonderful job.

 

[PianoPro]

The three displays, resolutions, and available ports, are listed below (from left to right):

Dell U2414M - 1200x1920 - 1 HDMI, 1 DVI, 1 VGA
Monoprice MPCP28UHD - 2560x1440 - 2 DisplayPort 1.2, 2 HDMI 2.0, 1 DVI
Dell 2001FP - 1200x1600 - 1 DVI, 1 VGA

My situation is similar to yours. I run a 43" 4K Sony TV directly off the HDMI output and then two identical 1080p monitors off 2 rear TB ports through cheap ($17) Anker USB-C to HDMI adapters because so far I have enough TB ports without a dock.

(One twist for me is that my 1080p HDMI/DVI monitors are identical so I actually connect one to its DVI input using a passive HDMI to DVI adapter, else Monterey will randomly swap their monitor positions on reboots, and who knows when Apple will fix this ancient, now reoccurring, OS bug.

If I ever need to regain a rear TB port I'll just buy a TB to dual HDMI adapter, but ones that will work (not all USB-C do, some will only duplicate the same image on the dual monitors - check their specs) are closer to $100, at least in brands I trust the most.

Anker USB C to HDMI Adapter (@60Hz), 310 USB-C (4K HDMI), Aluminum, Portable, for MacBook Pro, Air, iPad pROPixelbook, XPS, Galaxy, and More

/

www.amazon.com

SoNNeT Thunderbolt Dual HDMI Adapter

Part No. TB3-DHDMIG Connect Two 4K HDMI Displays Using Only One Thunderbolt Port on Your Computer Thunderbolt Dual HDMI Adapter for Intel, M1 Pro, M1 Max, M1 Ultra Mac and Intel Windows Computers Sonnet’s Thunderbolt™ Dual HDMI® Adapter enables you to work more efficiently with monitors attached ...

www.amazon.com

 

[theluggage]

but it might be that the bandwidth needed for that wouldn't exceed what I could get from the front USB-C port, so I'd be better to use the USB-C port and save the Thunderbolt 4 port for something else (like external storage)

The front USB-C ports don't support displays - you'll have to use the rear ports.

So my general question is, how would I optimally connect these three displays to a Mac Studio M1 Max? I'm assuming that for the U2414M I'd use its HDMI port, and for the 2001FP I'd use the DVI port. For the MPCP28UHD I don't know if I should use the DisplayPort or HDMI.

You probably want to exploit the Mac's HDMI port to "save" a Thunderbolt port - and, in theory, you should be able to use a passive HDMI to DVI cable to run the 2001FP.

You've got a nice cocktail of interface types there. I'd usually go with DisplayPort where available, since that's the "native" output format of the Mac, whereas HDMI adapters include a converter - more to go wrong. I have a couple of USB-C to DisplayPort cables from Plugable which have never given me trouble.

That said, there can be some weirdness with the display order when you start up - so maybe getting a couple of USB-C to HDMI socket dongles would, effectively, give you 3 HDMI sockets and allow you to juggle monitors.

Unfortunately, I wouldn't 100% guarantee plain sailing, esp. with the older displays.

NB: the MPCP28UHD is 3840x2160, not 2560x1440 - although you can use it in "looks like 2560x1440" mode, that isn't the same thing.

 

[joevt]

I have a 2010 Mac Pro that I'm going to be replacing with a new Mac Studio M1 Max. I currently have three displays connected to my Pro, and I'd like to have the same setup on the Studio. They are arranged in an H pattern, with the center display in landscape and a display on each side in portrait. The three displays, resolutions, and available ports, are listed below (from left to right):

Dell U2414M - 1200x1920 - 1 HDMI, 1 DVI, 1 VGA
Monoprice MPCP28UHD - 2560x1440 - 2 DisplayPort 1.2, 2 HDMI 2.0, 1 DVI
Dell 2001FP - 1200x1600 - 1 DVI, 1 VGA

The Mac Studio has 4 Thunderbolt 4 ports (back), 1 HDMI port (back), and 2 USB-C ports (front). I assume that I could just buy adapters and things should work, but I'd like to be more strategic about it. For example, I could use one of the Thunderbolt 4 ports to drive the 2001FP, but it might be that the bandwidth needed for that wouldn't exceed what I could get from the front USB-C port, so I'd be better to use the USB-C port and save the Thunderbolt 4 port for something else (like external storage). But I don't know if I'm even able to drive a display from the front USB-C port? (I've looked around and can't find information about this.) Another option - should I drive my main center display from the HDMI or Thunderbolt 4 port? Does it matter?

So my general question is, how would I optimally connect these three displays to a Mac Studio M1 Max? I'm assuming that for the U2414M I'd use its HDMI port, and for the 2001FP I'd use the DVI port. For the MPCP28UHD I don't know if I should use the DisplayPort or HDMI. (I'm using the DisplayPort in my current setup.) And which ports on the Studio should I connect them to? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Use DisplayPort for the MPCP28UHD since it's a 4K60 display (HDMI 2.0 doesn't have enough bandwidth for 4K60 10bpc RGB).
Use HDMI/DVI for the U2414M and 2001FP (USB-C/DisplayPort to DVI adapter or USB-C/DisplayPort to HDMI adapter with HDMI to DVI passive adapter/cable).

1) Use Studio's HDMI port for one of the HDMI/DVI displays.
2) Use one Thunderbolt port for the other HDMI/DVI display with a USB-C adapter/cable.
3) Use another Thunderbolt port for the MPCP28UHD with a USB-C adapter/cable.

To save a Thunderbolt port, connect #2 and #3 to a Thunderbolt 4 hub or a Thunderbolt 3/4 dock or Thunderbolt 3 Dual DisplayPort Adapter.
Examples:
https://www.owcdigital.com/products/thunderbolt-dual-displayport-adapter
https://www.caldigit.com/thunderbolt-4-element-hub

Options:
- HDMI <-> DVI (passive so it works in either direction - they have the same pins but different connector shapes, like DisplayPort and Mini DisplayPort)
- USB-C to DisplayPort (only some USB-C to DisplayPort cables are bidirectional but your display is DisplayPort so it doesn't matter)
- USB-C to HDMI (single direction)
- USB-C to DVI (single direction)
- DisplayPort to HDMI (single direction)

Each option can have a cable type (usually 6 feet) or an adapter type (a few inches of cable or no cable).
https://www.club-3d.com/en/cat/1606/CABLES/
https://www.club-3d.com/en/cat/1609/adapter/
They may have female or male connectors or one of each.
You can chain adapters but it's probably better not to. One adapter plus one cable is usually the most you should connect together.