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Two computers and one Studio Display?

applemmm said:
I have the following setup:

1x Windows 11 PC with a 3060 RTX

1x Mac mini M2 Pro

Apple Studio Display

I ordered the Ywentec switch and this cable here - https://www.amazon.de/dp/B09NVV76FH?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

The problem is, that the ASD stays completely black when I connect the windows PC via the switch to it with the mentioned cable.

Do you guys know why this might be? Is it the cable? Is it windows 11?

I have just plugged in the Ywentec via USB to my windows PC to power it. Is that the problem? That it needs to be connected to a proper power socket?

EDIT: I just plugged in my Lenovo ThinkPad T480 with the USB-C cable provided in the Ywentec package, and voila, it works, shows a picture right away.

But when I connect my Windows 11 PC with the 3060 RTX via the display port - USB C cable, nothing, just a black screen.

Anyone any idea how I get this to work? Just buy a different Display Port - USB C cable? Or do I miss something else here?

Thanks and best regards,

MM
Click to expand...
Try switching to the Windows input and then booting the Windows computer from scratch. I've found that the ASD will only pick up my PC if I am booting from scratch or waking from sleep.
 
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applemmm said:
I have the following setup:

1x Windows 11 PC with a 3060 RTX

1x Mac mini M2 Pro

Apple Studio Display

I ordered the Ywentec switch and this cable here - https://www.amazon.de/dp/B09NVV76FH?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

The problem is, that the ASD stays completely black when I connect the windows PC via the switch to it with the mentioned cable.

Do you guys know why this might be? Is it the cable? Is it windows 11?

I have just plugged in the Ywentec via USB to my windows PC to power it. Is that the problem? That it needs to be connected to a proper power socket?

EDIT: I just plugged in my Lenovo ThinkPad T480 with the USB-C cable provided in the Ywentec package, and voila, it works, shows a picture right away.

But when I connect my Windows 11 PC with the 3060 RTX via the display port - USB C cable, nothing, just a black screen.

Anyone any idea how I get this to work? Just buy a different Display Port - USB C cable? Or do I miss something else here?

Thanks and best regards,

MM
Click to expand...
It’s the cable. Try the Cable Matters cable or the Belkin cable. Those are the only two that I’ve found work reliably with the switch box. The other cables have a chip in them that gets powered up incorrectly when the inputs are switched and the PC doesn’t see the monitor.
 
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xraydoc said:
Is this confirmed to work on the Studio Display?
Click to expand...
The reports are mixed and it depends on your set-up. I posted mixed results with a Mac Mini (M2) and have a MBP (M1 pro) and the included cables.

I have a problem that the display stops for a moment then starts again (like it stops and reconnects). This can happens every few minutes or sometime it won't for hours. I haven't been able to correlate it to cause but it is possible switching it again will make it stable. I also have an external HDD on the USB-C next to the ASD cable and after unplugging it the display became stable but I only tried this once.
 
Last edited:
asebg said:
See my above post. I was also getting flickering with the Cabledeconn Switch and so I returned it and replaced it with an identical looking switch made by Angusplay. The Angusplay switch was rated up to 8K60, whereas the Cabledeconn one that I bought was rated at 8K30. Not sure that rating makes much of a difference for this case, but the switcher has remained stable for the past 5-6 weeks now with every day use.
Click to expand...
I found the Angusplay switch on Amazon and there are zero reviews for ASD and reports of various problems (and many reports of it working well). But it is $26 compared to $100 but doesn't come with cables. I have to decide in the next few days if I'm going to return the Cabledeconn Switch.
 
aIsFor said:
I found the Angusplay switch on Amazon and there are zero reviews for ASD and reports of various problems (and many reports of it working well). But it is $26 compared to $100 but doesn't come with cables. I have to decide in the next few days if I'm going to return the Cabledeconn Switch.
Click to expand...
The Angusplay switch I found had a handful of positive ASD reviews. It cost about the same as the Cabledeconn, and it did come with cables. Here’s the link. There are a few positive reviews and some negative ones so it may be roughly the same gamble as the Cabledeconn.
 
asebg said:
The Angusplay switch I found had a handful of positive ASD reviews. It cost about the same as the Cabledeconn, and it did come with cables. Here’s the link. There are a few positive reviews and some negative ones so it may be roughly the same gamble as the Cabledeconn.
Click to expand...
Thanks I followed the link in your original post and I was looking at a different switch. It indeed does have a number of positive reviews with ASD (and negative ones) and as you said the switch looks almost identical and the Amazon listing has most of the same images but the Angusplay is 8K@60Hz. I'll buy that switch and test it out.
 
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Great news on my end! I got it working with what I consider a better version of the switch than is available on Amazon.

What I used:

Works perfectly! So excited!

Short-terms plans for 1x Apple Studio Display

Long-terms plans for 2x Apple Studio Display
  • Buy another switch from AliExpress, and hook up each monitor individually, the downside is there will be two cables running from each laptop vs the single if I went with a hub like the CalDigit element... but now I can individually control if I want one laptop displaying on both, or one on each.
  • I have the Logitech G604 mouse and G915 keyboard, that can switch between bluetooth/lightspeed right on the device, so if I'm using one display for each monitor, it will be super easy to switch between inputs.
 
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mmogosu said:
Great news on my end! I got it working with what I consider a better version of the switch than is available on Amazon.

What I used:

Works perfectly! So excited!

Short-terms plans for 1x Apple Studio Display

Long-terms plans for 2x Apple Studio Display
  • Buy another switch from AliExpress, and hook up each monitor individually, the downside is there will be two cables running from each laptop vs the single if I went with a hub like the CalDigit element... but now I can individually control if I want one laptop displaying on both, or one on each.
  • I have the Logitech G604 mouse and G915 keyboard, that can switch between bluetooth/lightspeed right on the device, so if I'm using one display for each monitor, it will be super easy to switch between inputs.
Click to expand...

The switches are all the same, just different vendors selling the same switch and giving it a new name.
 
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trevor-b said:
The switches are all the same, just different vendors selling the same switch and giving it a new name.
Click to expand...
I figured, but also heard there are some switches on Amazon right now that do not work. The added bonus for this one is that it comes with a "remote" so you can hide the wires/bigger pieces.
 
trevor-b said:
The switches are all the same, just different vendors selling the same switch and giving it a new name.
Click to expand...
They are very similar looking but not identical. So they definitely are not the same physically. My new Angus switch behaves a bit differently than the CABLEDCONN. After pressing the select button there is a slight delay with the Angus. Also the Angus has a different spec of 8K@60Hz vs 8K@30Hz with CABLEDCONN. Also the Angus listing says new and improved. Maybe the electronics are the same and we just see a quality differences but my guess is the Angus is a bit different than CABLEDCONN.

I've had the Angus switch for about a day now and I although I haven't had much time to use it, it hasn't flickered once. CABLEDCONN would flicker badly at times (like every minute). But it too worked well in the beginning. A funny side note, as soon as I ordered the Angus switch the CABLEDCONN started working like a champ.
 
I have a macstudio display and I want to connect it to both a Mac Studio and a window 11 pc. both Mac Studio and windows pc have a thunderbolt ports. Is this setup possible and if yes, what is the device I need to use to link up both.
 
vijaysundarts said:
I have a macstudio display and I want to connect it to both a Mac Studio and a window 11 pc. both Mac Studio and windows pc have a thunderbolt ports. Is this setup possible and if yes, what is the device I need to use to link up both.
Click to expand...
See my post above, shouldn't make a difference if it's 2xMacbooks like me, or 1xmac + 1xPC
 
any one connected a Mac OS device and a Windows laptop to 2 apple displays? what would be the easiest way to accomplish this? Would want to avoid having to plug/unplug wires everyday
 
photosapiens said:
Call me lazy. :p I'm planning to place the Mac Studio under the desk and my laptop on the desk. Imagine how inconvenience it will be to plug / unplug between those two computers.
Click to expand...
I use a TB extension cable. Run it from your Mac studio to where your laptop will plug in, switching from the laptop to the studio will be pretty effortless.
 
Just to confirm what I've read here, it looks like there are no actual TB3/4 KVMs in production (one from an ODM), but some of these USB 10gbps switches work for some reason?

Currently have a friend with:
LG Ultrafine 5K
2019 16" MBP - connected to OWC TB3 dock with a 40gbps cable, then dock to LG with another 40gbps
2018 Mac Mini - connected to the LG with a 40gbps cable

How do these switchers work when the bandwidth is lower than what the signal requires?
Would this switch work for the LG 5K as most people are using them with the ASD.
 
Converseallstar95 said:
Just to confirm what I've read here, it looks like there are no actual TB3/4 KVMs in production (one from an ODM), but some of these USB 10gbps switches work for some reason?

Currently have a friend with:
LG Ultrafine 5K
2019 16" MBP - connected to OWC TB3 dock with a 40gbps cable, then dock to LG with another 40gbps
2018 Mac Mini - connected to the LG with a 40gbps cable

How do these switchers work when the bandwidth is lower than what the signal requires?
Would this switch work for the LG 5K as most people are using them with the ASD.
Click to expand...
The switcher switches signals that are up to 10 Gbps per line. A USB-C cable has 4 SuperSpeed lines so it could do up to 40 Gbps in one direction. Plus it has the HighSpeed lines for USB 2.0.

The 10 Gbps cables can do these modes:
- Thunderbolt 2: Thunderbolt at 20 Gbps each direction. Thunderbolt can tunnel PCIe and DisplayPort.
- USB 3.x + HBR3 x2: USB at 10 Gbps each direction with DisplayPort 1.4 at 12.96 Gbps (16.2 Gbps on the wire).
- USB 2.0 + HBR3 x4: USB at 480 Mbps (one direction) with DisplayPort 1.4 at 25.92 Gbps (32.4 Gbps on the wire).

The LG UltraFine 5K requires Thunderbolt 3 to achieve 5K60 using two HBR2 x4 signals. Without Thunderbolt 3, it is limited to 4K60 (or 5K38 with a custom timing). The first generation LG UltraFine 5K requires Thunderbolt but the second generation can use USB-C (non-Thunderbolt).

The Apple Studio Display requires Thunderbolt 3 or DSC to achieve 5K60. With DSC, only one HBR2 x4 signal is required.

HBR2 x4 max data is 17.28 Gbps (21.6 Gbps on the wire).
 
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joevt said:
The switcher switches signals that are up to 10 Gbps per line. A USB-C cable has 4 SuperSpeed lines so it could do up to 40 Gbps in one direction. Plus it has the HighSpeed lines for USB 2.0.

The 10 Gbps cables can do these modes:
- Thunderbolt 2: Thunderbolt at 20 Gbps each direction. Thunderbolt can tunnel PCIe and DisplayPort.
- USB 3.x + HBR3 x2: USB at 10 Gbps each direction with DisplayPort 1.4 at 12.96 Gbps (16.2 Gbps on the wire).
- USB 2.0 + HBR3 x4: USB at 480 Mbps (one direction) with DisplayPort 1.4 at 25.92 Gbps (32.4 Gbps on the wire).

The LG UltraFine 5K requires Thunderbolt 3 to achieve 5K60 using two HBR2 x4 signals. Without Thunderbolt 3, it is limited to 4K60 (or 5K38 with a custom timing). The first generation LG UltraFine 5K requires Thunderbolt but the second generation can use USB-C (non-Thunderbolt).

The Apple Studio Display requires Thunderbolt 3 or DSC to achieve 5K60. With DSC, only one HBR2 x4 signal is required.

HBR2 x4 max data is 17.28 Gbps (21.6 Gbps on the wire).
Click to expand...

Thank you for the detailed info. What you said makes sense, but I’m missing something. If they can only switch 10gbps, but all your bullet points are more than 10gbps, how do they switch more than 10.

So then if the LG is first gen, the switcher won’t work because it’s TB 3 only and can’t use the second two bullet point options?
 
Converseallstar95 said:
Thank you for the detailed info. What you said makes sense, but I’m missing something. If they can only switch 10gbps, but all your bullet points are more than 10gbps, how do they switch more than 10.
Click to expand...
I said 10 Gbps per line and USB-C has 4 lines. 10x4=40Gbps in one direction or 20Gbps in two directions.
Thunderbolt 2 is actually 10.3125 Gbps per line on the wire.

Thunderbolt3/4 and USB4 is 20 Gbps per line. A Thunderbolt 3/4 cable can do 80 Gbps in one direction or 40 Gbps in two directions. DisplayPort 2.0 is also up to 20 Gbps per line.
Thunderbolt 3/4 is actually 20.625 Gbps per line on the wire.

Thunderbolt 5 and USB4 2.0 will be even faster. They'll use 25.6Gbaud. The baud term is used instead of bits because it uses PAM-3 where each component can have 3 levels. A bit only has two levels. When there's 3 levels, you can call the value a trit instead of a bit.
https://www.graniteriverlabs.com/en-us/technical-blog/usb4-80-cio80

Converseallstar95 said:
So then if the LG is first gen, the switcher won’t work because it’s TB 3 only and can’t use the second two bullet point options?
Click to expand...
If it can connect as Thunderbolt 20 Gbps then it might be able to do 4K60 or 5K39. The switch might block Thunderbolt connections - I don't recall if anyone in this thread reported success with Thunderbolt 20 Gbps connection. You can try Thunderbolt 20 Gbps connection using a normal USB-C cable without a switch.
 
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mmogosu said:
Great news on my end! I got it working with what I consider a better version of the switch than is available on Amazon.

What I used:

Works perfectly! So excited!

Short-terms plans for 1x Apple Studio Display

Long-terms plans for 2x Apple Studio Display
  • Buy another switch from AliExpress, and hook up each monitor individually, the downside is there will be two cables running from each laptop vs the single if I went with a hub like the CalDigit element... but now I can individually control if I want one laptop displaying on both, or one on each.
  • I have the Logitech G604 mouse and G915 keyboard, that can switch between bluetooth/lightspeed right on the device, so if I'm using one display for each monitor, it will be super easy to switch between inputs.
Click to expand...

Can you confirm that after a month this USB-C Switch is still working fine with Studio Display? The three USB-C ports in Studio Display are working (charging, data transfer) just like when monitor is connected directly to the Mac/Windows when you are using this Switch or there are some limitations? I would appreciate the answer since this Switch form AliExpress looks like something that would be answer to my problems 🤞
 
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pgkrzywy said:
Can you confirm that after a month this USB-C Switch is still working fine with Studio Display? The three USB-C ports in Studio Display are working (charging, data transfer) just like when monitor is connected directly to the Mac/Windows when you are using this Switch or there are some limitations? I would appreciate the answer since this Switch form AliExpress looks like something that would be answer to my problems 🤞
Click to expand...
Hi- keen to hear whether there is an update on this.

One more thing I don't understand is how you power the two MBP/PCs. Do you directly plug them to chargers or does the adaptor re-route power to each of the individual laptops depending on which one is chosen to transmit to the screen?

Thanks
 
mmogosu said:
Great news on my end! I got it working with what I consider a better version of the switch than is available on Amazon.

What I used:

Works perfectly! So excited!

Short-terms plans for 1x Apple Studio Display

Long-terms plans for 2x Apple Studio Display
  • Buy another switch from AliExpress, and hook up each monitor individually, the downside is there will be two cables running from each laptop vs the single if I went with a hub like the CalDigit element... but now I can individually control if I want one laptop displaying on both, or one on each.
  • I have the Logitech G604 mouse and G915 keyboard, that can switch between bluetooth/lightspeed right on the device, so if I'm using one display for each monitor, it will be super easy to switch between inputs.
Click to expand...
I have purchased the exact same USB C Switch from Aliexpress and the Cablematters cables from Amazon and I can confirm that the setup works like a dream with the Studio Display and two Macs. The switch supports 5K@60Hz which is exactly what the Studio Display needs, so I'm not sure why you would need the updated and more expensive switches from Angusplay or other brands that support even higher refresh rates eg. 8K@60Hz.

You will definitely need 2x of the Cablematters cables, because the cable that comes supplied with the Studio Display doesn't work at all with the switch, you will just get a dark screen. The Macbook only gets power when the device is selected on the switch. It says it's connected to power and charges when it's selected via the switch. Once you switch to another device, the Macbook loses power supply, unless you connect a separate charger to the Macbook.

The remote that is supplied with the switch is super handy. I've installed it under my desk so I can easily click it to switch between devices. I am based in the UK and the delivery of the switch from Aliexpress from China only took 8 days. I paid a total of £55.01 for the entire setup (switch + cables + delivery).

I haven't experiences any issues switching between the Macs yet. If I do, I'll provide an update. It takes about 4-5 seconds to switch between devices.
 
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