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Two computers and one Studio Display?

K

krburrell

macrumors regular
Dec 5, 2007
110
1
ChrisA said:
Connect the Studio Display to the Mac Studio. Then when you need to access the Dell notebook, use screen sharing.

You can have the notebook display come up as a window on the Mac Desktop or you can go full screen. This would be sub-optimal for games but for work-related stuff like documents and email the lag is not noticeable at all.

This works BETTER than using a switch because a switch is "all or nothing" and with screen sharing, you have access to both computers at the same time. You can even cut and pates between them.
Click to expand...

Chris, I liked your response. How do you screen share between a Mac and PC?
 
Romanesco

Romanesco

macrumors regular
Jul 8, 2015
126
65
New York City
edanuff said:
My Sabrent TB4 KVM switch arrived today and here's my mini-review. I'm using it to switch betrween a Mac Studio and a Windows 11 PC. On the PC side, I have an MSI Z790 motherboard which has Thunderbolt 4 output and has a mini-Displayport input for passthrough from the GPU card, which in this case is a 4090. This is fairly standard for how PCs support Thunderbolt video. I was previously using a CableDeconn USB-C switch for the last year, which did an acceptable job except that it cannot pass through 40Mbps of video bandwidth and hence drops down to 20Mbs Displayport with DisplayStream Compression, which is not a big problem, but it was quite unreliable for passing through USB signals for accessing any of the built-in devices such as the camera or speakers, nor enable the use of the rest of the ports on the back of the monitor. I've been eagerly awaiting the availability of a true TB4 KVM switch for a while, and had been hoping SSI would find a US partner to distribute their KVM since they originaly previewed it back in 2021. Physically, the Sabrent KVM is essentially a Thunderbolt Hub with two host input ports and a pushbutton switch at the end of an extension cable, so that the box can be placed out of sight. I used a pair of Cable Matters TB4 cables to hook up the Mac to the KVM and the KVM to the Studio Display and everything worked as expected. The KVM does come with a pair of short Thunderbolt cables but those weren't going to reach for my desk setup. On connection, System Information shows a full TB4 40 Gb/s connection to the Studio Display and everything works great from speakers and camera. On the PC, it didn’t like the DisplayPort to USB-C cable I was using, which was just a simple one that did not have USB passthrough. Sabrent does claim that DisplayPort alt-mode cables on the PC or other devices do work with this switch, so I suspect that the cable needs to have USB in addition to the video signal, which the cable I used did not. I do have a Belkin cable somewhere in my cable box but didn't try it, opting instead to use the PC's Thunderbolt output, which worked fine. I have had issues with Thunderbolt video on PCs before, particularly with games as well as not getting a boot screen until Windows loads, so I've typically used DisplayPort to USB-C cables rather than Thunderbolt, even though the motherboard supports it, but this time around none of those issues has occured and everything I've tested seems to work so far. Intel Thunderbolt Control Center shows the KVM and the Apple Studio Display. I don't have the Bootcamp drivers installed so I'm not seeing the speakers or the camera on the PC side. I will try that and report back. Switching between the two displays takes quite a bit longer than the CableDeconn switch, which is not surprising since it's a substantially more complicated device, but I could see this being an issue for some. In any case, I use both the Mac and PC fairly regularly in my workflows as well as PC gaming, so I expect I'll find any issues reasonably quickly and will report back. I am not using it with any laptops, so I don't know about whether it charges the laptop that's not active. I do need to switch between the PC and Mac fairly regularly every day, so if this switch doesn't prove reliable or has compatibility issues, I should find them fairly quickly and report back, but so far so good.
Click to expand...

Can’t get 6K with the Pro Display XDR. It’s stuck at 5K. My setup is Mac Pro (2019) + MacBook Pro (2021, M1 Max) on a Pro Display XDR. Any idea why?
 
E

edanuff

macrumors 6502a
Oct 30, 2008
578
258
Romanesco said:
Can’t get 6K with the Pro Display XDR. It’s stuck at 5K. My setup is Mac Pro (2019) + MacBook Pro (2021, M1 Max) on a Pro Display XDR. Any idea why?
Click to expand...

I can't say for sure since I just have a Studio Display. Is it on both the Mac Pro and the Macbook Pro using Thunderbolt 4 cables? Can you see the display in System Information on one or both Macs?
 
Romanesco

Romanesco

macrumors regular
Jul 8, 2015
126
65
New York City
edanuff said:
I can't say for sure since I just have a Studio Display. Is it on both the Mac Pro and the Macbook Pro using Thunderbolt 4 cables? Can you see the display in System Information on one or both Macs?
Click to expand...

I just checked it with another setup (MacBook Pro (2021, M1 Max) + Mac mini (2020, M1) and it worked at 6K on both. Maybe something to do with the lack of DSC support on the Mac Pro (2019)?
 
J

joevt

Contributor
Jun 21, 2012
6,694
4,089
Romanesco said:
Can’t get 6K with the Pro Display XDR. It’s stuck at 5K. My setup is Mac Pro (2019) + MacBook Pro (2021, M1 Max) on a Pro Display XDR. Any idea why?
Click to expand...
You are using the Thunderbolt 4 KVM Switch?

What does the Thunderbolt tab of System Information.app look like on the Mac Pro and MacBook Pro?

Apple does not enable the 6K dual tile mode of the XDR for GPUs like the Vega II that don't support DSC if there appears to be any Thunderbolt dock (KVM or not) between the GPU and the XDR.

What does the EDID look like when the display is connected to the dock with only one computer connected? Dock + Mac Pro 2019? Dock + MacBook Pro? No dock + Mac Pro 2019? No dock + the MacBook Pro? Power off/disconnect the dock between each test to make sure it's not saving an EDID. I believe the different connection methods will have different EDIDs (one for dual tile 6K and one for single tile 6K using DSC). Is the KVM capable of presenting two different EDIDs for the same display?
 
Romanesco

Romanesco

macrumors regular
Jul 8, 2015
126
65
New York City
joevt said:
You are using the Thunderbolt 4 KVM Switch?

What does the Thunderbolt tab of System Information.app look like on the Mac Pro and MacBook Pro?

Apple does not enable the 6K dual tile mode of the XDR for GPUs like the Vega II that don't support DSC if there appears to be any Thunderbolt dock (KVM or not) between the GPU and the XDR.

What does the EDID look like when the display is connected to the dock with only one computer connected? Dock + Mac Pro 2019? Dock + MacBook Pro? No dock + Mac Pro 2019? No dock + the MacBook Pro? Power off/disconnect the dock between each test to make sure it's not saving an EDID. I believe the different connection methods will have different EDIDs (one for dual tile 6K and one for single tile 6K using DSC). Is the KVM capable of presenting two different EDIDs for the same display?
Click to expand...

How can I identify the EDID?
 
J

joevt

Contributor
Jun 21, 2012
6,694
4,089
Romanesco said:
How can I identify the EDID?
Click to expand...
On Intel Macs, use AGDCDiagnose (or AllRez which uses AGDCDiagnose). It will be able to get the EDID from both tiles of a dual tile display.

For Apple Silicon Macs, use BetterDisplay. I don't know if it can get both tiles of a dual tile display. Someone with an Apple Silicon Mac and a dual tile display that doesn't support DSC would have to test that.
 
J

jacklivehere

macrumors regular
Oct 9, 2014
237
111
Utopia
I got my TB4 KVM today from sabrent.

Here is my setup :( too complicated but works with two 5k displays.

1. One Studio Display always works with work MacBook Pro
2. Second Studio Display on demand switches between Work MacBook Pro and Mac Studio
3. Hyperdrive TB4 port allows Work MacBook to charge at full capacity
4. Logidock is always connected to Work MacBook Pro to allow Work/Zoom Calls


Work MacBook Pro --->Hyperdrive TB4 Switch ---> Studio Display #1. ( Always connected to Work MacBook Pro)
Work MacBook Pro --> Hyperdrive TB4 Switch ---> Logi Dock
Work MacBook Pro --> Hyperdrive TB4 Switch -->TB4KVM PC#1
Mac Studio -->TB4KVM PC#2
Mac Studio -->TB4 KVM -> Logitech Unifying Receiver
TV4KVM Thunderbolt Port #2--->Studio Display #2


Observations :

I wish I can replace Hyperdrive TB4 and Sabrent TB4 KVM with one device TB4 KVM/Gan Device
I wish Sabrent provides better power supply. Supplied Power supply 24v 5amp is huge and cheap quality.
Hyperdrive TB4 Build quality seems 1000 times better than Sabrent, but both does some what different job.
Daisy chaining of Thunderbolt Ports from MacBook Pro--> Hyperdrive--->Sabrent KVM -->Studio display works great. and all operating at full 40G speed


Tip:
Buy directly from Sabrent with 10% coupon on their website. , Thats atleast $100 less than amazon price (before tax)
 
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T

tiguanito

macrumors member
Mar 8, 2010
70
12
edanuff said:
My Sabrent TB4 KVM switch arrived today and here's my mini-review. I'm using it to switch betrween a Mac Studio and a Windows 11 PC. On the PC side, I have an MSI Z790 motherboard which has Thunderbolt 4 output and has a mini-Displayport input for passthrough from the GPU card, which in this case is a 4090. This is fairly standard for how PCs support Thunderbolt video.
Click to expand...

edanuff said:
I don't have the Bootcamp drivers installed so I'm not seeing the speakers or the camera on the PC side.
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing your results.
I currently have a M1 MBP 16 connected to the ASD that I use for work. I'm currently considering a Mac Studio M2 Ultra, or a PC with Z790/i9 + 4080 (with DP IN to do the passthrough over the TB4 out). The 2nd machine will be connected to the same ASD.
This Sabrent TB4 KVM is expensive but seems to be the only reliable switch that fully supports all the TB4 bandwidth with no issue.

- Can you use all the Studio display peripherals (camera, mic and speakers) from the Win11 PC ?
- I know Win11 cannot adjust the display brightness. But does auto brightness still work on the ASD when connected to the PC over the switch ?
 
R

RyanJWilliams

macrumors member
Oct 18, 2014
35
1
I’ve been trying to get caught up on some threads about this but the information is quite overwhelming.

At the moment I am manually switching the ASD cable between my Mac Mini M2P, my work MacBook Pro 2019, and my work HP something laptop. It all works fine like this.

It is however a faff changing the cable from the Mac Mini to the laptops. It would be better if I had one cable permanently plugged into the Mac Mini, and another loose on the desk for putting into laptops as needed, and a simple means of switching between the two such as a button. It is ideal but nonessential that they receive power too.

I have found plenty of switchers and hubs but I either find them startlingly expensive or am unsure if they’ll work.

Can anyone suggest some economical possibilities?
 
E

edanuff

macrumors 6502a
Oct 30, 2008
578
258
tiguanito said:
Thanks for sharing your results.
I currently have a M1 MBP 16 connected to the ASD that I use for work. I'm currently considering a Mac Studio M2 Ultra, or a PC with Z790/i9 + 4080 (with DP IN to do the passthrough over the TB4 out). The 2nd machine will be connected to the same ASD.
This Sabrent TB4 KVM is expensive but seems to be the only reliable switch that fully supports all the TB4 bandwidth with no issue.

- Can you use all the Studio display peripherals (camera, mic and speakers) from the Win11 PC ?
- I know Win11 cannot adjust the display brightness. But does auto brightness still work on the ASD when connected to the PC over the switch ?
Click to expand...
All the TB4 accessories appear to work PC side and auto brightness seems to still be on. I’d recommend going over to the Windows compatibility thread to see about controlling brightness from the PC. There are a few options including a utility that a forum member created.
 
C

Converseallstar95

macrumors member
Sep 24, 2008
30
7
Converseallstar95 said:
So I’ve had a chance to play with mine too and here’s what happened.

Currently have a 2019 MBP 16 inch (TB 3) connected to a TB 3 dock from OWC, then the dock is connected to an LG UltraFink 5K. Then I have a 2018 Mac mini connected to the display as well and manually switch the TB 3 cables.

This KVM would not work with any of the TB 3 cables regardless of which way I tried. The only way I got the KVM to work was when I connected the laptop to KVM with a TB 4 cable (included) then KVM to display with a TB 4 cable (included).

I’ve ordered two more TB 4 cables to see if I can get everything else working with the OWC dock (since it does 85W pass through) and will report back.

Weird the TB 3 cables didn’t work when they were 40gbps cables.
Click to expand...
Update on my setup, as I've got everything (mostly) working. For whatever reason the 40gbps TB 3 cables I had prior did not work with the KVM, only TB 4 cables worked. In my experience, switching between the two computers takes about 8-10s. It would be nice to get rid of the OWC dock, but the Sabrent KVM only has 60W charging and USB A ports. LG Ultrafile 5K is running at full res on both computers.

Only weird quirk, if anyone else can confirm, is when the Mac mini has FileVault enabled, the KVM will not display the Mac on the LG. Without the KVM and FileVault enabled, there is no issue. With FileVault disabled, it displays fine. FileVault on the MacBook Pro does not have this issue. Both updated to the latest macOS.

MacBook Pro 16" (2019)
> OWC TB 4 1m cable​
> OWC TB 3 dock (85W charging)​
> Sabrent TB 4 cable (included)​
> Sabrent TB 4 KVM​
​
Mac mini (2018)
> OWC TB 4 2m cable​
> Sabrent TB 4 KVM​
​
> Sabrent TB 4 KVM​
> Sabrent TB 4 cable (included)​
> LG Ultrafine 5K​
 
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C

Converseallstar95

macrumors member
Sep 24, 2008
30
7
jacklivehere said:
No issue with file vault , Mac Studio and studio display via TB4 KVM .
Click to expand...

edanuff said:
Same for me. I’m using FileVault too on my Studio with no issues with the KVM
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input, I'll investigate more. Might have something to do with LG then, or the timing delay causing it to appear black but it's actually working. Could also be T2/Intel related since both of you are using M series.
 
kirkster501

kirkster501

macrumors regular
Aug 20, 2011
113
72
Nottingham, UK
What was the eventual answer to the OP's question of one display and two MAC's and how to switch between them without cable swapping? I have same issue; work laptop and my own M2 Studio. This problem is holding me back pressing the go button on a Studio Display.
 
C

Converseallstar95

macrumors member
Sep 24, 2008
30
7
kirkster501 said:
What was the eventual answer to the OP's question of one display and two MAC's and how to switch between them without cable swapping? I have same issue; work laptop and my own M2 Studio. This problem is holding me back pressing the go button on a Studio Display.
Click to expand...

Sabrent TB4 KVM released this month, or various rebranded USB C switches from Amazon linked throughout the thread.

Sabrent: $300+ (if you need new cables), but will work well since it's a certified TB device.
USB C switches: Under $100, might be glitchy, yet acceptable--up to your workflow.
 
xaero_q3

xaero_q3

macrumors newbie
Jul 21, 2023
1
0
Has anyone used the Sabrent switch with MSI Z690i Unify (Mini ITX) motherboard? Did you encounter any problems? it seems like it killed my mobo when I plugged it in (it works fine with a different motherboard though. It also works fine with a M1 macbook pro).
 
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