Looking for a dock/dongle to be used with a 2019 MBP 16 that can drive 2 monitors - 4K LG monitor in portrait, and a Xiaomi Mi curved Ultrawide as primary, in landscape mode. Both have HDMI and DP inputs.
For work, I'm not too fussed about refresh rates (I think!). Budget of $150 or so, but can go higher.
For those who have a similar set up running, keen to hear of your experiences/tips.
Thanks, that is a sweet deal you've managed to secure!
As @raisinberry777 said, if you're wanting to drive two monitors from a single port, you will need to be looking at thunderbolt docks exclusively, which tend to be significantly more expensive than USB-C docks. $150 is a bit too low for those.
Alternatively, if you can live with two cables, you could have one USB-C dock or dongle with one monitor attached, and a second USB-C to displayport cable for the second monitor. If you're just wanting to connect the screens and don't care about other ports, you can even use a USB-C to HDMI (or DP) dongle with USB-PD charging input. Those are under $50 each (e.g. 4K@60Hz belkin dongle https://www.amazon.com.au/Belkin-Adapter-Supports-Passthroug…
Yes, this sounds like a good workaround, thanks!
I hadn't even considered it, the MBP does have 4 ports.
Ah, all the wires!
I've now gone back to a single monitor so not sure if it's still a problem, but back in the day when running 2 monitors off a dock, one of them had to be USB-C from the monitor to the dock (unless your dock has DisplayLink).
https://medium.com/@sebvance/everything-you-need-to-know-abo…
Before you get anything that doesn't support 60hz, try running your monitor on 30hz so you know for sure!
Also make sure to check the PD output on the dock. Since the dock provides power, you can think of the finance as an extra charger too
Thanks, mate!
Hi OP, What did you endup buying? Thanks.
I went with @pinchies advice, got a pair of USB C to DP cables, and one of the cheaper dongles that show up as a deal from time to time.
Cool! Thanks mate.
Try your luck on eBay - plenty of high-end docks get sold on cheaply. Dock compatibility between brands is a bit all over the place so do your research about Mac compatibility before buying.
For my case, I picked up a second-hand Elgato Thunderbolt 3 dock off eBay for $90, which can drive 2x 4k monitors (using on a 2020 MacBook Air). Definitely look for a Thunderbolt 3 dock as opposed to regular USB-C - USB-C doesn't have the bandwidth for two big, hi-res displays like that so to drive it properly, you'll need Thunderbolt.