When you run a ton of peripherals with your Mac, how do keep it all connected and running smoothly? Well, today’s featured M4 Pro Mac mini user drives a pair of 4K external displays, runs a power hub and input devices, and keeps backups on portable storage devices. And they keep it connected without a hitch using the well-regarded CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 hub named “Element.”
M4 Pro Mac mini user keeps scads of peripherals going with a fast CalDigit Element Thunderbolt 4 hub
With 4X USB4 Ports and USB 3.2 Gen2 10Gb/s speeds, this capable hub works with a a single 8K or dual 4K displays and offers 60 watts of charging to connected devices.
- 4 Thunderbolt 4 ports
- Fast data transfer
- Works with high-resolution displays
- New in 2021, no longer the latest
- Not the most ports (but can add other Element hubs)
Redditor pseudosuto (“PS”) showcased the “budget” M4 Pro Mac mini setup in a post entitled, “New Mac mini, New Desk Setup.” Their new Mac mini is an M4 Pro model with a 12-core CPU, a 16-core GPU, a 16-core Neural Engine, 24GB of unified memory and a 1TB SSD for storage.
The potent little desktop machine drives a pair of 4K displays through a CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 Element Hub. An 11-inch iPad Pro also sits in the setup as a third display. And as we’ll see below, portable-yet-high-capacity SSD/HDDs from Samsung and LaCie help with data backups, or for when they need to be travel with big files to transfer to other machines.
Relatively budget setup
“For 2+ years, I was saving up for my dream desk setup. I lost my job earlier this year and had to use the savings to cover all necessities these part many months,” PS said. “After selling my old M1 Mac mini and getting the new M4 Pro Mac mini, I was able to find cheaper items to complete my desk for graphic design+photography projects and hopefully a remote job. I’m really happy with how it turned out and won’t have to make any upgrades any time soon!”
Last week we covered PS’s Mac mini and 4K external displays. Then we looked at the portable storage solutions. Now we’ll look at the crucial device that helps keep the setup’s peripherals going with fast connection speeds, a Thunderbolt 4 hub. It’s CalDigit’s Element hub.
CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 Element Hub
Photo: [email protected]
Upon the release of the Thunderbolt 4 Element Hub in 2021, CalDigit called it “the first of its kind, offering 4x the performance of traditional USB-C hubs, while harnessing the power of Thunderbolt 4 in order to create a device without compromises.” While Thunderbolt 5 is coming on fast, Thunderbolt 4 is still the current standard, and this backwards-compatible hub is hugely capable.
Features:
- Works with Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3, USB4, and USB-C computers, including Apple M4, M3, M2, M1, Max Pro, Ultra, Intel based Macs (with adapter), Windows PCs, and Chrome OS devices. Also compatible with the iPhone 15 Pro and tablets including iPads and Windows tablets that feature Thunderbolt or USB-C.
- 4 x Thunderbolt 4 40Gb/s ports, ideal for high resolution displays and high speed NVME SSD storage devices. 60W of power is available to charge your host device. Downstream Thunderbolt 4 ports provide 15W of power for peripheral devices. Supports a maximum of two displays via downstream Thunderbolt 4 ports.
- Daisychaining. Thunderbolt and USB4 laptop users can daisy-chain Thunderbolt, USB4 and USB-C devices to the Element Hub. Users on non-Thunderbolt and USB4 hosts, such as USB-C computers (USB 3.2, USB 3.1), are able to daisy-chain USB-C devices only. In order to daisy-chain Thunderbolt devices, a Thunderbolt or USB4 connection is required.
- 60W Power Delivery. Charge your computer, tablet or host device while connecting up to seven additional devices. Or, keep your USB-A or USB-C devices connected to the Element Hub and it will continue to charge them (without a computer). All eight ports on the Element Hub can be used at the same time for offline charging.
- High resolution display-compatible. Supports 8K 60Hz, dual 4K 60Hz, or 1440p 240Hz extended displays. You can use USB-C video adapters with downstream Thunderbolt 4 ports to convert to HDMI or DisplayPort.
- 4 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gb Type-A ports, ideal for accessories such as keyboards, mice, or SSD or HDD storage devices. Each USB-A port provides 7.5W of power for your devices.
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With 4X USB4 Ports and USB 3.2 Gen2 10Gb/s speeds, this capable hub works with a a single 8K or dual 4K displays and offers 60 watts of charging to connected devices.
- 4 Thunderbolt 4 ports
- Fast data transfer
- Works with high-resolution displays
- New in 2021, no longer the latest
- Not the most ports (but can add other Element hubs)
Thunderbolt 4 hub:
Computers, hubs and stand:
- M4 Pro Mac mini (16GB/1TB)
- Anker 525 Charging Station
- 11-inch iPad Pro
- TwelveSouth HoverBar Duo for iPad/iPad Pro
Displays and mounts:
- 32-inch Dell P3223QE 4K monitor
- 24-inch LG UltraFine 24MD4KL-B 4K monitor
- Fully Jax monitor arms (2)
- Ikea Vattenkar monitor stands (2)
Input devices:
Audio:
Storage:
Other accessories:
If you would like to see your setup featured on Cult of Mac, send some high-res pictures to [email protected] (iPhone pics usually suffice). Please provide a detailed list of your equipment. Tell us what you like or dislike about your setup, and fill us in on any special touches, challenges and plans for new additions.
