I have my son's new 13-inch: 2.9 GHz MacBook Pro (not retina) and my wife bought this Samsung LED 23" Monitor (http://www.samsung.com/us/computer/monitors/LS23A550HS/ZA-specs}. The monitor has both a VGA and HDMI outlet. The MBP has the thunderbolt port. Now the big question what is the best way to connect the two especially using the HDMI outlet of the monitor (would there be a difference between VGA and HDMI)? Thanks!
P.S. Bonus question, how would I setup a daisy chain with the monitor to a external drive to MBP (ED not bought yet)?

I have my son's new 13-inch: 2.9 GHz MacPro (not retina) and my wife bought this Samsung LED 23" Monitor (http://www.samsung.com/us/computer/monitors/LS23A550HS/ZA-specs}. The monitor has both a VGA and HDMI outlet. The MBP has the thunderbolt port. Now the big question what is the best way to connect the two especially using the HDMI outlet of the monitor (would there be a difference between VGA and HDMI)? Thanks!
P.S. Bonus question, how would I setup a daisy chain with the monitor to a external drive to MBP (ED not bought yet)?

Yes HDMI is superior to VGA, that is the way to go. You need an adaptor like this:

http://images2.monoprice.com/productlargeimages/53111.jpg

http://images2.monoprice.com/productlargeimages/53113.jpg

Mini DisplayPort | Thunderbolt® to HDMI® Adapter w/ Audio Support (http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10428&cs_id=1042802&p_id=5311&seq=1&format=1#largeimage)
$6.65

and any old HDMI cable, if you don't already have one buy it at Monoprice as well as they are the least expensive around.

You'll need a Mini DisplayPort to VGA or HDMI adapter. HDMI will give you better quality video.

To daisy chain, you'll need to plug the monitor into the other Thunderbolt device, and ensure that is has a second port for daisy-chaining. The only other option would be to get one of the new Thunderbolt hubs that are coming out in the next few months.

Huge difference in VGA and HDMI. VGA is the old way of doing things and I would not do it, things will look terrible on your new LED.

Not sure about the daisy chain, but there is an adapter that connects via thunderbolt that has an HDMI port as well as a few other, like USB 3 I believe.

You can buy an adaptor to go from the thunderbolt port to VGA, HDMI or DVI so it can be used with the monitor.

As far a daisy chain goes if you get a thunderbolt external drive, you would plug the drive directly to the MacBook pro with a thunderbolt cable and the plug the monitor into the drive.


Sent from my iPhone

This is what I was talking about:
Matrox DS-1 Docking Station (http://www.matrox.com/docking_station/en/ds1/)

You get a DVI port, 3 usb3 ports, ethernet, audio in and out in one device connected to one thunderbolt port. A dvi to HDMI adapter is cheap as you don't need to buy it from apple

Boy, every one jumped right in with an answer....

In my opinion, the best way is to use a Mini Display Port to HDMI cable rather than a dongle plus a cable.
Something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/32AWG-Mini-DisplayPort-Cable-White/dp/B003L18YG2

But then I come across this:
Mini DisplayPort to HDMI cables banned by HDMI Org | TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog (http://www.tuaw.com/2011/07/08/mini-displayport-to-hdmi-cables-banned-by-hdmi-org/)

A cable illegal - you have to be kidding.....

Now for the bonus question -
The above cable or the dongle/HDMI cable approach is useless.
Going the Thunderbolt route gets pretty expensive.
Unless the speed is needed I would go with USB for the external drive.

Boy, every one jumped right in with an answer....

In my opinion, the best way is to use a Mini Display Port to HDMI cable rather than a dongle plus a cable.
Something like this:
Amazon.com: 32AWG Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Cable, White (15 feet): Computers & Accessories (http://www.amazon.com/32AWG-Mini-DisplayPort-Cable-White/dp/B003L18YG2)

But then I come across this:
Mini DisplayPort to HDMI cables banned by HDMI Org | TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog (http://www.tuaw.com/2011/07/08/mini-displayport-to-hdmi-cables-banned-by-hdmi-org/)

A cable illegal - you have to be kidding.....

Now for the bonus question -
The above cable or the dongle/HDMI cable approach is useless.
Going the Thunderbolt route gets pretty expensive.
Unless the speed is needed I would go with USB for the external drive.

What do you mean it is useless where do you get that from?

What do you mean it is useless where do you get that from?

You can't use the dongle/HDMI cable connection to then connect to an external drive.
That connection is just good to connect to an external monitor - period.

If the OP wants to daisy chain an external drive via Thunderbolt later (the bonus question) he has to replace both the dongle and the HDMI cable - they become useless - that's what I mean.

Great inputs everyone. Since this is my son's laptop I will avoid the TB route for daisy chain for now BUT if it was my laptop.....

You can't use the dongle/HDMI cable connection to then connect to an external drive.
That connection is just good to connect to an external monitor - period.

If the OP wants to daisy chain an external drive via Thunderbolt later (the supplemental question) he has to replace both the dongle and the HDMI cable - they become useless - that's what I mean.

That was a bonus question... didn't seem to be essential. You don't need to daisy chain anyway to have an external drive as there are 2 TB ports and one USB 3.0 on that model MBP... the daisy chaining TB just seemed to be a bonus not a necessity.

krs, I thought why not a Mini Display Port to HDMI cable like this instead of the dongle setup but illegal? Geez!

I have my son's new 13-inch: 2.9 GHz MacPro (not retina)

Could you please change the title to MacBook Pro. MacPro is a different tower of cheese grater altogether.
Thanks

Could you please change the title to MacBook Pro. MacPro is a different tower of cheese grater altogether.
Thanks

Ooops got lazy! Thanks!

That was a bonus question... didn't seem to be essential. You don't need to daisy chain anyway to have an external drive as there are 2 TB ports and one USB 3.0 on that model MBP... the daisy chaining TB just seemed to be a bonus not a necessity.

Well, I made it clear that second part of my reply was about the "bonus question":
P.S. Bonus question, how would I setup a daisy chain with the monitor to a external drive to MBP (ED not bought yet)?
which was specifically about daisy-chaining.

And the new 13-inch MBp only has one TB port, not two as far as I can see.

Well, I made it clear that second part of my reply was about the "bonus question":

which was specifically about daisy-chaining.

And the new 13-inch MBp only has one TB port, not two as far as I can see.
The Macbook Pro with retina display has two TB ports. Both the 13" and 15" MacBook Pro without retina display have one TB port.

The Mini Display port to HDMI cable (or dongle + HDMI cable) isn't as useless as I thought if you aim for this set up eventually.

http://www.lacie.com/imgstore/technology/TB_tech/TB_Tech_4.jpg

Well, I made it clear that second part of my reply was about the "bonus question":

which was specifically about daisy-chaining.

And the new 13-inch MBp only has one TB port, not two as far as I can see.

So you did... my bad. I must have skipped over that part.. mea culpa.

The Macbook Pro with retina display has two TB ports. Both the 13" and 15" MacBook Pro without retina display have one TB port.

Well, I made it clear that second part of my reply was about the "bonus question":

which was specifically about daisy-chaining.

And the new 13-inch MBp only has one TB port, not two as far as I can see.

Geesh I need to read more carefully today...

Sorry guys I even read the wrong section of the Apple site. But the non retinas do have two USB 3.0 ports so having external drives is not an issue with the TB port being taken up by the monitor... a bit of a waste but not strictly a limitation requiring daisy chaining of the TB port.

And off-topic but since the question's been answered a few different ways, the MacBook Pro with Retina Display not only has 2 ThunderBolt ports, it also has an HDMI port, no adapters or dongles needed. (Finally)

And off-topic but since the question's been answered a few different ways, the MacBook Pro with Retina Display not only has 2 ThunderBolt ports, it also has an HDMI port, no adapters or dongles needed. (Finally)

And you only have to pay $2300 to be adapter and dongle free... also free diy upgrades.

But the non retinas do have two USB 3.0 ports so having external drives is not an issue with the TB port being taken up by the monitor... a bit of a waste but not strictly a limitation requiring daisy chaining of the TB port.

True in theory, in practice I like to use as few ports as possible for auxiliary items I connect to a laptop when I use it at home in a desktop mode. Preferably none.
I can connect a keyboard and mouse wirelessly, also a printer but not a monitor.
Connecting all my peripherals using a single TB cable would be my preferred way of doing this - just unplug one cable from the laptop and I'm ready to go.

Sure, because the other computers are free.

There is a non-Retina 15" MacBook Pro that costs the same btw.

And you only have to pay $2300 to be adapter and dongle free... also free diy upgrades.

Sure, because the other computers are free.

There is a non-Retina 15" MacBook Pro that costs the same btw.


True but it is 300MHz faster, but lacks the extra TB port and HDMI port and the SSD... Kinda makes you wonder about Apples pricing scheme, the non retina MBP should be cheaper if you ask me. Anyway you cut it they are both expensive... as per usual.

True in theory, in practice I like to use as few ports as possible for auxiliary items I connect to a laptop when I use it at home in a desktop mode. Preferably none.
I can connect a keyboard and mouse wirelessly, also a printer but not a monitor.
Connecting all my peripherals using a single TB cable would be my preferred way of doing this - just unplug one cable from the laptop and I'm ready to go.

You can if you get a TB Cinema Display and external TB drives.... would only ad at least another $1500 to the cost of your set up but if you have the cash (starting at about $3.5k with the cheapest 15" MBP) you could be set up the way you prefer.

Bought the mini display port to HDMI cable at Canada Computer last night, wife and son couldn't wait for me to order the cable online cheaper. Set up works great and the Samsung monitor is awesome. BUT for the life of me couldn't get the MacBook Pro to see the monitor speakers, tried everything even loaded software that came with the Samsung monitor. Thing is I know speakers are not suppose to be great on monitors and that my son is going to use the external sound system anyway. It just bugs me that I can't get the monitor speakers recognized in the sound prefs.
Well this is where I get the "Dummy of the week" award. My monitor doesn't have speakers, duh! It was another monitor I was going to get.

For future reference, Monoprice is your friend. Here's a Thunderbolt to HDMI for about 7 bucks
For only $5.70 each when QTY 50+ purchased - Mini DisplayPort | Thunderbolt® to HDMI® Adapter w/ Audio Support | Mini DisplayPort to HDMI / DVI / VGA Adapters (http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10428&cs_id=1042802&p_id=5311&seq=1&format=2)

The only downside with Mono-price is the sometimes erratic quality - we switched out and went with NewerTech which also has a lot of cable variety and has been consistent quality.

Speaking Of Connecting An External Monitor, I Would Love To Have A Dual Monitor Setup. I Think It Could Increase My Productivity Level During The School Year & Just In General. I Would Love To Buy The Official MP To VGA Adapter From Apple ($34) Or Buy A Cheaper One.

Has Anyone Had A Problem With The Official Adapter Or Is There A Cheaper, Better Adapter?

The only downside with Mono-price is the sometimes erratic quality - we switched out and went with NewerTech which also has a lot of cable variety and has been consistent quality.

I never realized that NewerTech made other cables other than their FW and some USB 3/eSATA cables, until you mentioned it and I wen looking and found them: Search Results for NewerTech cable at MacSales.com (http://eshop.macsales.com/search/NewerTech+cable)

Thanks.

Geesh I need to read more carefully today...

Sorry guys I even read the wrong section of the Apple site. But the non retinas do have two USB 3.0 ports so having external drives is not an issue with the TB port being taken up by the monitor... a bit of a waste but not strictly a limitation requiring daisy chaining of the TB port.

USB3 is certainly much better than 2.0, but it's still lagging behind the storage technologies connected to it. Even with an SSD in an enclosure, USB3 maxes out at around 125MB/s. Thunderbolt should allow the full 500 MB/s the drive is capable of (I will find out when my cable arrives...)

When working on video projects or Aperture libraries on an external drive, the difference would be significant.