Mini DisplayPort - Thunderbolt 1 or 2 ?

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Mini DisplayPort - Thunderbolt 1 or 2 ?

The below quest largely arrises because I'm looking to use the most relevant eternal storage for my MacBook Air's current hardware:

1] My MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2012) started life with a Mini Displayport or is a A thunderbolt 1 port?

2] By virtue of OS updates, now Catalina ver 10.15.7- has the hardware now been changed so I now have a Thundebolt 2 port?

3] I have read elsewhere the Thunderbolt port can daisy-chain up to 6 other's- is that correct for my machine please?

4] at https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207443 Support shows Thunderbolt and Mini DP cables and I'm assuming when daisy-chained in a serial fashion, the Mini DP cable is at the end of the chain or doesn't work like that?

Best regards...

Posted on Jan 11, 2021 9:03 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

woodmeister50

Level 7

20,497 points

Jan 12, 2021 8:40 AM in response to chuncles

Thunderbolt port
Installing an operating system cannot magically change the built in hardware.
Yes
In order to daisy chain Thunderbolt Devices you need Thunderbolt cables.

Mini Display Port can only do as the name implies, connect to Mini Display Port equipped displays.

Only if the last device in the chain is a display that supports Mini Display Port, do you use a

Mini Display Port cable.

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Answer 2

chuncles Author

Level 1

4 points

Jan 13, 2021 9:09 AM in response to woodmeister50

Thanks for replies 1,2 & 3- most helpful.

On point 4 I feel most conflicted although I did find the thunderbolt bus on the hardware report which says up to 10 Gb/s x2

...time two what tho?

I have read elsewhere that Mac didn't not enable the power pin on the Thunderbolt socket- Wikipedia says pin is the DPPWR (?) power pin. The System Report mentions nothing regards power capability for the Thunderbolt. I ask this because there are Used LaCie external enclosures/drives with a thunderbolt flying lead on the marketplace that might be a solution extra memory but not much good if my version of a mac-air can't power it?

Regards daisy-chaining to a monitor, I have an arrangement via a not very good adaptor to two small monitors so replacement with one larger or wider on the end of a thunderbolt cable might be the ticket- hence the mention on the original post. A used 27" iMac might work for both external screen and data storage?

... although not a portable solution regards the data.

Help & support in clarifying the requirements of an external drive like the LaCie to my thunderbolt would be next consideration- the mac-air's USB 3.0 is looking not a viable investment for the current Thunderbolt 3 world, moving forward.

Regards..

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Mini DisplayPort - Thunderbolt 1 or 2 ?

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