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Summary
Available ways to connect different Apple Silicon (M1 / M2 / M3 / M4 / Pro / Max) powered laptop computers to Dell USB-C docking stations that are deployed throughout LSA Supported spaces.
Directions
Apple Silicon chips have limited compatibility with Dell USB-C docking stations, depending on the generation and computing power of the installed chip. Please reference the sections below for the ideal setup when connecting dual 1080p monitors via USB-C Dock to a MacBook:
M1 / M2 / M3:
In order to preserve user experience, multiple displays were limited for earlier generations of Apple Silicon. A Displaylink Dock and associated DisplayLink Software is required for these models and may affect the performance of the device. It is recommended that users with these computers opt for a single external monitor with a higher resolution instead.
Dell DisplayLink enabled docks are limited to the D6000 and UD22 - both discontinued. Hardware Lifecycle Team maintains a small stock of these for emergency deployments in cases where another display solution is unavailable. Additionally, Lenovo still produces a DisplayLink docking station that is available for purchase from MCPC through OPS/Marketsite.
M4 / Any Pro / Any Max:
Any Apple Silicon generation (M1 / M2 / M3 included) with “Pro” or “Max” included in the name of the processor, as well as everything from M4 onwards, may use the Dell Thunderbolt USB-C Docks provided that at least one of the two monitors is connected by way of the Thunderbolt ports that are available on the dock. These will be labeled, but not always in the same place - we have included some photos of different models to illustrate:
TOP: WD22TB4 (discontinued) - Two Thunderbolt ports on the far right, on the separate black module near where the USB-C cable extends from the dock.
BOTTOM: SD25TB4 - Two Thunderbolt ports under the rightmost USB-A ports. Be careful, as the leftmost USB-C connection is DisplayPort, and will not work for this type of deployment.
This requires the additional purchase of a USB-C to HDMI cable in addition to the docking station to use Thunderbolt's data transfer speeds - connecting both via DP or HDMI to the dock with cables included with monitors will not suffice.