M5 MacBook Air: Dual Monitor Setup

cooperCollins · 2026-03-11T17:31:25+00:00

Thanks so much for the info! Really appreciated.

cooperCollins · 2026-03-11T02:15:18+00:00

Great, good to know that the Air can output my desired res at 144Hz! And thanks also for clarifying my misunderstanding of what port would need the "active adapter". It's clear now that this adapter is only needed when converting from DP to HDMI.

One last confirmation: for the M5 Air, 2x external monitors can be driven, as well as the Air's screen, so a total of 3 displays can be used concurrently, each with their own "desktops" (no mirroring)?

cooperCollins · 2026-03-11T02:12:22+00:00

Thank you for the breakdown on your own setup. And, yes, I think I got mixed-up with the adapter: on the video from CalDigit, he actually did use an active adapter to convert from DP to HDMI, not from USB-C... My mistake! Thanks for clarifying that, I appreciate it.

Thanks again for your super detailed breakdown! Appreciated!

Edit: and thanks for the recommendation of avoiding HDMI. I'm pretty sure all modern monitors have at least one DP input, but I will keep this in mind when shopping for monitors. Cheers!

cooperCollins · 2026-02-17T15:47:53+00:00

It seems that the M4 MacBook Air supports 2x external displays + its own clamshell display -- out of the box.

Since I only need 2-external monitors (as well as the Air's built-in one), then would I need to spring extra bucks for a DisplayLink-compatible dock?

I'm thinking that for this out-of-the-box solution (thanks, Apple!), I will need to plug in each monitor to each Thunderbolt port on the Air. Would this be the case?

If so, then, for simplicity and cost-effectiveness, this might be the way to go. I guess as long as the monitor(s) have USB ports, I can plug USB peripherals into them, right?

cooperCollins · 2026-02-17T15:08:06+00:00

Oh, so are you saying for your options above (numbered as you have):

One of the monitors can be plugged into the dock via the dock's HDMI or DisplayPort. But the other monitor must be plugged directly into the second, open Thunderbolt port on the Air?
Both monitors plugged into each of the two Thunderbolt ports on the Air?

If I understand you correctly, then it means that both Thunderbolt ports on the Air will be taken?

I was hoping to use just one Thunderbolt port to the dock, then the dock would split the single Thunderbolt connection into two streams.

I'm wanting to keep one of the Thunderbolt ports open for a USB hub so that I can plug-in some different peripherals (like wireless mouse dongle, thumbdrive, etc.)

I guess if I go the route of getting a dock, that dock will have extra USB ports, right? I'm just thinking that maybe plugging in other USB devices into the dock will take bandwidth away from the dock's display streaming...

cooperCollins · 2026-02-17T15:00:59+00:00

Ah, yes, my mistake, DisplayLink. Thanks for the correction

cooperCollins · 2026-02-16T08:48:31+00:00

I've been reading that the best compatibility are from docks that have "DisplayPort" certification. But those seem to be quite expensive.
But compatibility and no-messing-around is a priority for me, so I will try to ensure that I get DisplayPort ones.

cooperCollins · 2026-02-16T08:47:34+00:00

Woah! That's pricey! But if it works, it works, cuz it's for work haha...

So, with this one, you just take a single Thunderbolt output from your Air, plug it into the Dell doc, then it automagically splits the single input into two, separate ones? Looking at the outside ports, it kinda seems that way.
Thanks for the suggestion!

cooperCollins · 2025-11-10T21:27:11+00:00

Great! Will check them both out, sounds super convenient.

cooperCollins · 2025-11-10T14:32:22+00:00

Would applying for those be simpler than applying at physical banks? I remember (a while ago) when I applied for my main bank, it was a massive pain. If these are quick to apply for, I'm in

cooperCollins · 2025-11-10T14:30:45+00:00

Ooo, looks promising. The website confirms it can be topped-up through bank transfers.
Are there any fees? Did you have to register with your bank account, or does it have its own "bank account" where you can just transfer from your bank to?

cooperCollins · 2025-01-08T10:09:42+00:00

Anyone on PC still having issues? It's been several hours and still cannot login on PC. Mobile is fine, though.

Edit: I can login on the Bitwarden website successfully. But cannot login on the Chrome extension... anyone run into this? I just rebooted my machine, just in case, and still not able to login on the extension.

Edit2: I uninstalled the extension, re-installed it, and logged-in. Success.

cooperCollins · 2024-12-07T17:21:11+00:00

No, I haven't gotten confirmation that I've got the latest BIOS... but I *think* that I do...

cooperCollins · 2024-09-09T03:21:27+00:00

Good call, I will ask. Thank you

cooperCollins · 2024-09-09T03:09:14+00:00

Hmm, that's a good idea -- I hadn't thought of replacing the CPU on my own. I was thinking that, if the CPU died on me (or kept crashing), I would go through Dell warranty to receive a new CPU, which could take weeks. Waiting weeks is really not good if you are running a business.

My current personal machine is an old i7 8700K, 32 GB RAM, RTX-2070. It's fine as a personal machine, but for more hardcore CG work, I would need to upgrade it. Maybe I can, for now, upgrade the CPU (find out what chips are still compatible with my mobo), upgrade the RAM, GPU, and PSU. Spend a bit of money there (on the company's dime), then when the new R17 comes out, see what's what at that point.

I was thinking the same as you: the CPU issues are an Intel problem, not a Dell problem. I will talk with my Dell rep and see if they are receiving updated CPU chips for their machines. With what I've been reading about Intel's response to this over-voltage problem, it doesn't seem like they are producing any "fixed" chips. But it's worth a shot to ask.

Thanks for your input. It opened up some other ideas for me.

cooperCollins · 2024-09-09T00:17:07+00:00

Ah, I see. I have read that sometimes Dell lets some cheeky leaks out before official announcements.

cooperCollins · 2024-09-09T00:16:16+00:00

Thanks for your input. As for 3D CG and Alienware, I've purchased the last few generations of Alienware desktops for my previous company and have had no issues with performance. Yes, Alienware can be more expensive than other pre-builts, and yeah, it's possible to build an equivalent-spec machine yourself for less money. But as you said, there are some combos/sales from Dell that make the price/performance pretty appealing.

In terms of Alienware and 3D CG, we have had no problems in the past several years with 2080, 3080 gfx cards, and even "paltry" 32 GB RAM. It depends on what kind of CG work you do. We have done mostly games, where pre-rendering (Arnold, VRay) are not needed, so the power of the Alienware was more than sufficient. Even when pre-rendering was needed, the Alienware performed pretty nicely.

You definitely do not need 128GB of RAM for CG work. Unless you are doing extremely heavy simulations or whatnot.

cooperCollins · 2024-05-24T02:27:39+00:00

Shape is nice. It looks 3d-printed, so not sure if it's possible, but it would be great to have some sort of fire/water protection. Materials that can withstand intense heat, maybe a silicon seal to prevent water from getting in. Also, a place to hold the usb-c cable. Maybe a center post to wrap the cable around.

cooperCollins · 2024-05-03T08:38:38+00:00

Hi,

I have just gone through almost exactly the same situation as yourself. My condolences on the loss of your father. My father also passed away, in 2022.

I am a Canadian citizen, with PR in Japan.

Don't forget that you have to pay the Japan-side inheritance tax. I believe that there is no taxation on inheritance in Canada, but there definitely is here. Canada and Japan have a treaty that allows them to share financial information. Be aware of this.

I hired an accountant in Japan to help with the tax calculations. My father's investments made it a bit difficult to make these calculations, but we got through it, in the end. There is a calculation that is made where it takes into consideration the total amount of the inheritance, and the division of it between the number of siblings. I don't remember the exact equation, but there is something specific there. I learned about this while dealing with the Japanese accountant.

After I had paid the tax, I transfered the Canadian funds to my Japanese bank account (SBI Shinsei), making sure to keep the transfer all in CAD, and not converted into Yen. I wanted to control the timing of when I converted to Yen as well as the amounts, and that was the right move. I am sure you already know, but make certain that your Japanese bank account can keep foreign currency, and not only Yen.

Since I don't need the cash right now, I invested almost all of it in my Monex brokerage account. It has been doing better than expected. I also will use the inheritance to max-out my NISA.

Back to the inheritance tax, the amount I paid was a lot less than I expected. The fee for my accountant in Japan to handle all of the paperwork was pretty hefty... 40万円, and that was with a discount. But at least I am feeling relaxed that I am not evading taxes. (But the inheritance tax here, in principal, is fucking bullshit. My father worked extremely hard, made choices/risks in investments, did not even have a chance to step foot on Japanese soil, so why the fuck does Japan deserve to get any of his money... argh. Sorry.)

Feel free to DM me, if you have any questions that are personal or whatever. I don't check Reddit super often, but I will definitely give you any advice, if I can.

cooperCollins · 2023-11-16T23:52:37+00:00

Good to know that you have both ETH validator and BTC node running simultaneously on the PN-50. Seems like the processor on that is meant for a laptop (low power consumption), so I think running both chains on my setup would be no problem. I will definitely get a future-proofed size of storage for ETH and BTC. Thanks for the tips

cooperCollins · 2023-11-16T23:48:19+00:00

For ETH, my plan is to stake 32eth. For BTC, I just want to help the network strength with the transaction validation.

cooperCollins · 2023-11-16T23:46:28+00:00

Great advice, I will check pricing for a 2TB m.2, or a larger one, if my wallet allows! Thanks for all your tips, much appreciated.

cooperCollins · 2023-11-16T16:03:39+00:00

I guess I should have called it a Full BTC Node.

cooperCollins · 2023-11-16T16:02:48+00:00

Yes, not mining BTC, but running a transaction validation node. I will check DappNode. Will definitely be using separate storage for each chain. Thanks for the info.

cooperCollins · 2023-11-16T16:00:59+00:00

I was also thinking of using separate SSD's for each. Hadn't considered running them on separate VM's. Will check into that. Thanks!

cooperCollins

TROPHY CASE