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MBP 16" Compatible Docks with 96W/100W Power
- Thread starter bsbeamer
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I am more interested if their hubs can go up to 140w
From the reports I've read, 140W is only supported via MagSafe at release. Up to 100W via TB. So if you're on 14" you're fine, but 16" would need power cable + dock cable for full power solution.
I'm a bit surprised that my order has the 140 Watt Magsafe as I thought that they were providing lower-powered bricks for the base model.
But couldn't you plugin the magsafe cable into the dock?! And if the dock would support 140w you would have the same result?! Or am I misunderstanding something?
This way I would only need one power brick from apple to take with me and the dock would power the macbook.
140W USB-C Power Adapter
The 140W USB-C Power Adapter offers fast, efficient charging at home, in the office, or on the go for your 16-inch MacBook Pro (M1, 2021). Buy now.
www.apple.com
This way I would only need one power brick from apple to take with me and the dock would power the macbook.
I think the limitation here is as mentioned above by bsbeamer that 140W is only supported via MagSafe. 100W via TBBut couldn't you plugin the magsafe cable into the dock?! And if the dock would support 140w you would have the same result?! Or am I misunderstanding something?
140W USB-C Power Adapter
The 140W USB-C Power Adapter offers fast, efficient charging at home, in the office, or on the go for your 16-inch MacBook Pro (M1, 2021). Buy now.www.apple.com
This way I would only need one power brick from apple to take with me and the dock would power the macbook.
The PSU's with most Thunderbolt docks are 140W-150W on their own. That is intended to supply power to both the laptop AND the dock, which requires power to operate all their ports. You would likely need a dock that supports at least 200W with standard PSU with a dedicated USB/TB that has 140W direct. This would be a new product, likely months away if anyone even makes something like that.
It is nice to be able to use on dock to charge mobile devices along with being a port hub for a Mac. I have an Anker Powered Hub and charge things on it and also use it to connect devices on my M1 mini. This is more for permanent desk connections though. I do not know what I'm going to do with the MacBook Pro at this point. I'll figure it out over the next week I guess.
But the magsafe cable has USB-C plug, so if the dock would support 140w you could plug the magsafe cable into the dock and charge with 140w via magsafe.
I think that the dock negotiates with the computer on power. I guess you'll have to try it out when you get your MacBook Pro.
Docks like the CalDigit Element Hub (Thunderbolt 4) are probably where most people will be heading in the future. The biggest issue for those looking at or needing 140W dedicated - the dock ports are capped at 60W charging. That is the case for most of these docks. You're going to need a DEDICATED port that supports 140W to plug into. Just because it is the same physical connector does not mean it can pull the needed 140W from a 60W supply.
Short term, most people would be better off getting a 140W USB-C PSU and using their existing docks. You're going to need a 2 cable solution for dock + power anyway.
Short term, most people would be better off getting a 140W USB-C PSU and using their existing docks. You're going to need a 2 cable solution for dock + power anyway.
Good luck finding a currently available dock that supports USB-C at 140W dedicated on one port + power for all the other ports with a PSU that is 150W. It just does not exist outside of the special connector docks that are basically two cable connectors in one (mostly for HP style machines) and that do not work with Apple products.
I personally think this would be 6+ months out from finding something that actually is worth purchasing as an "all in one" solution tailored to these specific Mac's.
Would be OK with 96/100W power delivery for the 16” — rarely going to need fast charging from dock, and expect 96W to be enough even for intense workload without draining battery. But even more reluctant now to settle for 87W (iirc) from TS3+, still less 60W.
The info out there right now is mostly speculation and not 100% end user confirmed, but so far have read this is not the case. Seems like you're going to need 100W+ to prevent the battery being tapped in most scenarios that are utilizing the performance cores. Apparently even the 96W Apple charger (with original MBP16") was not enough to prevent battery being tapped. I'd speculate this needs to be close to 120W on the max models. At that point, probably just use the 140W charger (or equivalent) and forget about it.
I typically run about 8% CPU on my M1 mini. I imagine that my MacBook Pro use would not drain the battery very much in normal use.
Possibly true, however this comment was specifically for "intense workload"
How many people run intense workloads on notebooks for long periods of time? I would expect that most people do a lot of low-intensity workloads the vast majority of the time.
You can certainly make that argument as people did with the original MBP16,1 with 87W/90W vs 96W power adapter. I can personally say, if you're doing video intensive work with an upgraded MBP16,1 model using a dock providing less than 100W pass through power, plug in your authentic power adapter or battery drain can become an issue, especially towards the end of your day right when most are getting ready to hit that render button again.
These new 16" M1 machines are being billed as portable video workhorses which would be very CPU & GPU intensive if they are truly utilized as intended. You'll need to wait for end user hands on for most reviews if this is a concern for your specific needs or not. I would argue if you're not using them in an intense workload manner even half the time, the 14" model with a desktop might better suit your needs and budget. Without a 27" M1/M1x iMac available, you're going to see a lot of people jumping on the 16" M1 and pushing it to the limits as a desktop replacement.
You have always been able to use higher wattage chargers with Apple devices. Even going back to the original MagSafe, you could use 15" charger (believe ~85W) with the 13" machines (believe shipped with ~60W OEM).
There is a full compatibility list for the 140W charger, which includes many older models that did not require 140W:
Mac Models
MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018 - 2019)
MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021)
MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016 - 2019)
MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016 - 2019)
MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015 – 2017)
140W USB-C Power Adapter
The 140W USB-C Power Adapter offers fast, efficient charging at home, in the office, or on the go for your 16-inch MacBook Pro (M1, 2021). Buy now.
www.apple.com
Does this mean, that the same machine, can either work with 140w charge or 100w charge, while you use it, with no effect to mbp operation?
It seems strange to me.
For 16" M1 with 100W charger, you're going to be tapping into the battery (in conjunction with power draw) to achieve enough power during intensive operations. There is not 100% clarity if full CPU speed and full GPU require a minimum battery level/capacity, but I would not be shocked if that were the case. Certainly could see a situation where throttling could occur when battery capacity hits a certain level. Battery will not support quick charge via TB/USB-C.
For 16" M1 with 140W charger, you're going to be running off PSU likely 99%+ of the time. I could see a situation where 100% utilization may require battery power for excess operations or something like that, but likely rare and likely not for sustained periods. Battery will support quick charge via MagSafe. (For those seeking to use 16" M1 as desktop replacement or as a powerhouse, this is likely the setup to use.)
For 14" M1 with 100W+ charger, you're going to be running off PSU likely 99%+ of the time. Battery will support quick charge via TB/USB-C or MagSafe.
I'm using a big Windows desktop as a trading station right now. I play around with Virtual Machines and also do development. None of those things is heavy on CPU all the time. I plan to get a mini, though, to run my workflow and use the laptop to run it when I'm not at my desk. If you have a sustained, intense workflow, a server or desktop is a better option as you can get much better cooling. My i7-10700 has a massive Air cooler and there are a total of five case fans. It also uses a 65 Watt part so the whole system runs cool.
You’re right, pure speculation, and I did think the 2019 16” was OK with 96w.
My back of the envelope was CPU up to 30W and Max GPU up to around 60W (slides from presentation), compared with iirc 45W + 50W tdp for the 2019 16”. Plus availability of same chips for the 14” with 96W charger. Nothing more informed than that.
Must admit I ordered M1 Pro anyway, & starting to think TS3+ with 87W might be fine…. Suspect you’re right better solutions will take 6 months with supply chain problems.
Many would be better served with a desktop. Many of those same people also seem to be waiting for 27/30" iMac with M1 and jumping on the 16" MBP M1 anyway.
Having used nearly every brand and generation of power hungry laptops in some fashion at some point, they're "portable" but you need to plan to use them as plugged in computers when you're doing intensive work. I would be almost shocked if 16" M1 Max magically can get 4+ hours of intense use without throttling or power saving just running on the battery.
My plan was to get a second M1 if the M1X kept getting delayed but I can partition my workflow.