Eric Sloof

I recently bought a new 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 Max chip, and soon discovered my VGA, HDMI and Ethernet adapters didn’t fit anymore. These adapters use Thunderbolt Mini DisplayPort connectors instead of the new regulated USB-C ones. So, I had to buy a few new adapters.

The most important one was a USB C to HDMI adapter, because I mainly use my MacBook for training course deliveries. I know it has an onboard HDMI connector, but in most cases, when I attach a long cable to this port, I’m not able to establish a connection to the presentation device. When using HDMI over USB C/TB4, the length of the cable can stretch much longer.

The MacBook Pro with the M2 Max chip can serve up to four external displays simultaneously, and supports 8K at 60Hz (or 4K at 240Hz) over HDMI. The USB C connectors support 6K at 60Hz over Thunderbolt 4. Make sure the USB C to HDMI Adapter you’re going to buy is compatible with Thunderbolt 3 and operates at 4K @60Hz. The one I’ve ordered works, but it’s not on stock anymore. I’ve included the Dutch product description on Amazon.nl as a reference.

USB C naar HDMI, Mini HDMI Type C Adapter naar Thunderbolt 3 & Compatibel met Apple MacBook Pro/Air/iPad Mini/ - 4K @60Hz

The Ethernet adapter is a bit trickier. Not all USB C/TB to Ethernet adapters are supported by the Apple M2 chip. My MacBook supports Thunderbolt 4, which offers a bandwidth of 40Gbps. My Ethernet switch only supports 1Gbps, so that’s not a limitation. But I had my eyes on an adapter with M2 and Thunderbolt 4 support. I found the following one at Amazon. The link is included as a reference.

USB C Ethernet Adapter, Maxonar USB C Gigabit LAN Adapter Thunderbolt 3/4 RJ45 Network Adapter, Aluminum Compact Design, Compatible with M2 MacBook, Pad Pro/Air, Surface Pro 8, Galaxy Tab S8, Galaxy



I can confirm both adapters work. I’m still looking for a VGA adapter, but these days there are not that many devices using VGA anymore. Maybe I settle for a HDMI to VGA adapter. At home, I’m not using my MacBook as my main computer, but there are some interesting docking stations for MacBook Pro's with Thunderbolt 4 support on the market.

There seems to be a problem with the Realtek RTL8153 chipset, comments on X please.

This video shows a recorded whiteboard session created with Excalidraw and Dropbox Capture. It starts with an introduction into vSphere virtual networking using a standard switch. It also explains the benefits of using NSX segmentation compared to VLAN ID's. Finally, I'll discuss distributed routing and the distributed firewall.