Just wondering if there's any docking solution that provides the possibility to connect to 3 external displays to the MacBook Air 2018, or if we're hardware limited by the iGPU here.
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1Can’t you daisy chain them with DisplayPort cables? – Wildcard Mar 04 '19 at 16:47
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1@Wildcard MacOS doesn't support MST/daisy-chaining at the software level – ernie Mar 04 '19 at 17:44
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Thank you! So is my question looking like a no then? – James Myers Mar 04 '19 at 18:08
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Your MBA 2018 intel gpu won't handle correctly even 1x 4K@60hz monitor. – Alexander Kim Mar 04 '19 at 19:06
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If you want a "native" display signal, the 2018 Retina MacBook Air is limited to 2 external monitors.
However, you can use other types of displays such as a USB display to act as a third monitor. They are generally limited in resolution, update frequency, GPU performance, etc. - so do not expect to be able to play 3D games or use 4k resolution on such a display.
If you want higher performance for the third display, you can connect an eGPU to the MacBook Air which would enable you to use more monitors with higher performance. Such a setup is usually quite more costly than a USB display however.
jksoegaard
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Thank you! I think something like this would do the trick for the last monitor. So it's USB displays I should be looking into for MacOS? – James Myers Mar 04 '19 at 18:16
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It doesn’t matter if you want to run macOS, Windows or something else - the limitation is the same. What type of display to look for really depends on what you want to use it for? – jksoegaard Mar 04 '19 at 18:29
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Gotcha. I think with your suggestion this will do the trick: https://www.amazon.ca/Plugable-Charging-Delivery-Specific-Thunderbolt/dp/B01FKTZLBS
As Apple seems to have fixed the compatibility issues with DisplayLink devices in 10.14.2: https://plugable.com/2018/03/30/macos-10-13-4-disables-displaylink-duet-display-devices/
– James Myers Mar 04 '19 at 20:25 -
@JamesMyers There seems to be some confusing as to which computer you actually have. Your question says "MacBook Air", but the product you've found seems to suggest that you have a "Retina MacBook Air" (i.e. with USB-C connectors). Which computer do you have? – jksoegaard Mar 04 '19 at 21:03
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I think the dock I linked above is gonna do the trick, but for reference I was referring to the Macbook Air with Retina Display. I honestly had no idea Apple was still selling the legacy model. – James Myers Mar 07 '19 at 14:03