A no name cable off eBay might work or could turn out to be unreliable. It’s also a good idea to consider the source you bought the cable from. If its to thick it will be more rigid, less flexible, and harder to work with. I also tell people to consider the cable diameter. If the cable is unnecessarily long you’ll have extra clutter and cable you’ll need to try to tuck out of the way. With a longer cable, you’ll be able to put the MacBook where you want. With a cable that is too short you won’t be able to position your Mac on your desk to table where you want it. You’ll also want to buy the right length cable. You’ll need to choose a cable that has the right type of connectors on each end and is compatible. Now that you know which connectors you want to use you’ll need the right cable. I recommend using the ThunderBolt 2 port. There is also an HDMI port on the right side. The computer has two Thunderbolt 2 ports with Mini-Display Port connectors on the left. My 2015 MacBook Pro Retina has three ports that I can use to connect to these monitors. Now some people may say use the HDMI port but on most monitors is optimized for a TV video signal, not a computer monitor signal. The next best options in order are the DVI, VGA, and HDMI ports. Now the best ports on either of these monitors to connect to your MacBook Pro is the DisplayPort connector.

While the Component, S-Video, and Composite are video ports these aren’t options for connecting to your computer. With the U2407, the DisplayPort, 2 DVI, VGA, and Display Port can connected to my MacBook Pro. It has the following ports for video input. I also have an older Dell UltraSharp 2407 and it has even more ports on the back. With this monitor the DisplayPort, DVI-D, and VGA ports can be used to connect to the MacBook Pro. 1 Digital Visual Interface connectors (DVI-D) with HDCP.My Dell UltraSharp U2412 has the following ports on the back: Each monitor has multiple inputs for connecting it to a computer.

Your best choice will be the HDMI port but the Thunderbolt 2 connectors will work fine as well. On my MacBook Pro there are three ports that can be used to connect the Mac to a TV: the HDMI port on the right or either of the two Thunderbolts 2 ports on the left.

On my MacBook Pro the two Thunderbolt 2 ports use Mini Display Port connectors. Now, whenever you are looking at a MacBook Pro it helps to understand what type or port you have and what type of connector it uses.

On the right side starting from back to front are a USB 3.0 port, an HDMI port, and an SD card slot. Starting from the back to the front are the MagSafe power connector, two Thunderbolt 2 ports, a USB 3.0 port, and the headphone jack. On the left hand side of my 2015 MacBook Pro there are five ports. Your Mac may be different so you’ll need to figure out which ports you have. My Mac is a 2015 MacBook Pro 15 so I’ll describe the ports on that.

Connecting mac to monitor