Third party hub/dock to connect 2nd Apple studio display?

[camner]

I have ordered two Apple Studio Displays (5K/27”) to go along with my M4 Pro Mac Mini. I know I can connect each of the displays to a different Thunderbolt port on the Mini with no problem. (I also know that daisy chaining one Studio Display to the other will NOT work.)

To save ports on the Mini (and to get more ports for other peripherals), I’m wondering if there are 3rd party hubs/docks that support a 5K monitor such as the Apple Studio Display. The hubs/docks I’ve seen mention the number of 4K monitors able to be connected, but don’t mention 5K displays.

 

[PaulD-UK]

Any TB3 or TB4 dock will do this. You connect the ASD to the downstream port of a TB3 dock.
Some TB4 docks have more than one downstream TB4 port (up to three), and if it's a fully featured TB4 dock, like the Caldigit one that Apple sold, you can connect both ASDs to the dock.
That's the theory, anyway.

Connecting a monitor uses up some of the available bandwidth for other TB or USB 3.* SSDs to plug into the dock, but that's not really a problem unless you have heavy disk use.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

To save ports on the Mini (and to get more ports for other peripherals)

Each Studio Display gives 3 additional USB-C ports, so with two ASD's attached you'd have one open TB5 port, plus eight USB-C (3 on each display, 2 on front of the mini). How much are you attaching??

 

[camner]

Each Studio Display gives 3 additional USB-C ports, so with two ASD's attached you'd have one open TB5 port, plus eight USB-C (3 on each display, 2 on front of the mini). How much are you attaching??

Well, I have 2 always-connected external nvme SSDs, and an always-connected Other World Computing Thunderbolt 3 SATA enclosure holding 4 HDDs (Time Machine and local backups). I also have some other external SSDs that I do not keep connected but need to connect from time to time. I also have a wired keyboard, though if need be, I'm fine to replace with a bluetooth keyboard. If the wired keyboard is connected to a Studio Display, will it be able to wake up the Mini? I'm guessing that a keyboard must be direct connected to the computer to work that way.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

I have 2 always-connected external nvme SSDs

Thunderbolt or USB? If they’re Thunderbolt then yes, you’re out of Thunderbolt ports so you need a Thunderbolt hub.

If the wired keyboard is connected to a Studio Display, will it be able to wake up the Mini?

I think that’s fine… I do use a Bluetooth keyboard (Apple) but I use it plugged into the display a lot of the time to keep it charged (and to just have a USE for that cable, instead of just floating around on my desk), which disconnects it from Bluetooth, but it will still wake the Mac.