WFH monitors - Windows & Mac compatible

[citoyen]

I'm reconfiguring my WFH office and need some pointers to avoid wasting money on things that don't work/have the wrong connection options.

I currently have an iMac with a nice big screen, but I've been given a Surface for the new job, so I'm thinking of doing away with the iMac and replacing it with a dual monitor setup to which I can dock the Surface or my Macbook Air as needed.

In the short term, I might just get a cable to use the iMac as a mirror for the Surface, but I've been thinking about switching to a dual monitor setup for a while, so this is a good excuse.

This is what hardware I have:

Surface Book 2
2x USB 3.1
1x USB-C – supports displayport

iMac 21.5in late 2013
4x USB 3
2x Thunderbolt 2

MacBook, 13in, early 2015
2x USB 3
Thunderbolt 2

What should I be looking for in monitors to be able to connect both the Surface and the MacBook? What cables do I need?

[Ham]

Dual monitor is worth it, I can't help you with the tech aspect for the macs, but I can say that the pair of Eizo's (replacing a very old pair of eizos) I bought from this outfit https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/fgddirect for a fraction of the new cost a couple of years ago are serving me well.

ETA they don't seem to have the range of quality monitors they did when I was looking. Personally, i'd start with 2nd user Eizo or apple and go from there

[citoyen]

Thanks. Don't know Eizo as a brand but I trust your judgment on this kind of thing so will keep an eye out for them on the fgd shop.   

[jdsnape]

The most versatile interface is HDMI, as you can get an adapter to it from most things. It's also what all monitors come with. Some now also come with displayport (possibly over USB-C on newer ones).

If you have a monitor with HDMI, then you'll just need the right adapter for each machine. For the macbook and the Surface pro I think it'd actually be the same adapter (something like https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/MUF82ZM/A/usb-c-digital-av-multiport-adapter although cheaper ones are available - I use a startech dock with all sorts of ports alongside HDMI). For the iMac I think you'd need a mini displayport to HDMI adapter.

[ian]

Most newish monitors have thunderbolt/USB-C support.

I can't work with fewer than three monitors and an iPad these days. Once you're used to 4k/5k retina-type displays though, you can't go back to lower resolutions without it feeling like you've volunteered to have your eyeballs sandpapered.

[Ham]

Thanks. Don't know Eizo as a brand but I trust your judgment on this kind of thing so will keep an eye out for them on the fgd shop.   

Eizo are at the top end of the market, generally noted for their colour accuracy, used extensively by professionals. I like them as I do photography work, and they are generally very reliable and long lived (IME). If the colour reproduction is not important to you, then they are just another brand.

[citoyen]

The most versatile interface is HDMI, as you can get an adapter to it from most things. It's also what all monitors come with. Some now also come with displayport (possibly over USB-C on newer ones).

If you have a monitor with HDMI, then you'll just need the right adapter for each machine. For the macbook and the Surface pro I think it'd actually be the same adapter (something like https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/MUF82ZM/A/usb-c-digital-av-multiport-adapter although cheaper ones are available - I use a startech dock with all sorts of ports alongside HDMI). For the iMac I think you'd need a mini displayport to HDMI adapter.

A few complications:

First, my MacBook is quite old, so doesn't have a modern USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 port, just the old style Thunderbolt 2, so I need different adapters for the Surface and the MacBook. But that's not a big deal - such things are reasonably cheap.

Second issue is the number of ports on each device. My wife's desktop setup is a Mac Mini connected to two monitors via HDMI. But because the Mac Mini only has one HDMI port, the second monitor is connected to the Thunderbolt 2 port via an adapter.

From further research, I *think* what I need to enable a dual monitor setup with the Surface is DisplayPort MST - then I can connect up to five (apparently) daisy-chained monitors using a single USB-C to DisplayPort from the Surface.

Slightly more complicated with the MacBook because I don't think it officially supports DisplayPort MST. I might need to connect the MacBook to the monitors via a hub.

However, I think using the iMac as a single display for the Surface will be relatively simple - just need an appropriate USB-C/DisplayPort to Thunderbolt 2 cable. Won't be as good as a dual monitor setup, but at least I'll have *one* screen of a size that's reasonable to work on (21in as opposed to 13in).

[citoyen]

Thanks. Don't know Eizo as a brand but I trust your judgment on this kind of thing so will keep an eye out for them on the fgd shop.   

Eizo are at the top end of the market, generally noted for their colour accuracy, used extensively by professionals. I like them as I do photography work, and they are generally very reliable and long lived (IME). If the colour reproduction is not important to you, then they are just another brand.

Ta. I'm not worried about colour reproduction, but it's worth keeping an eye out for bargains anyway.