I recently purchased a new iMac 24″ with 16GB of memory and 1TB of storage. I am supremely confused regarding the two USB-C and two Thunderbolt ports in the rear of the machine. I am elderly and not too computer savvy. About the most taxing task I do is edit short drone videos using Final Cut Pro.
I have four or five small USB peripherals including a dedicated hard drive for video that were plugged in to my eleven-year-old 21.5 iMac. I would like to know what expansion device(s) I need to purchase in order to make all of my stuff work on my new iMac. Do I need a USB-C Hub or Dock and/or a Thunderbolt Hub or Dock or a bunch of Dongles to make everything operate? Also, I notice that the cost of hubs and docks vary widely in price. Can I simple purchase a cheap (<$75) device or do I need to spend $300+. Lastly, I would appreciate an answer using plain English and not computerspeak. What is the difference between a USB-C and Thunderbolt device. I would like to purchase a reasonably priced expansion device with at least three USB outputs? Can you recommend anything? ----- Larry D.
USB-C is a type of port. It handles USB 1/2/3/3.1/4 connections as well at Thunderbolt connections. Don't confuse USB-C which is about the SHAPE of the port, with USB-3 which is the type of connection. When Apple says "Thunderbolt port" they mean a USB-C shaped port that can handle USB 1/2/3/4 or Thunderbolt connections.
See: https://macmost.com/understanding-the-difference-between-mac-usb-and-thunderbolt-ports.html
If you have only USB things to connect, you don't need to worry about Thunderbolt. You just need a small USB hub that connects to a USB-C shaped port. Plug that in and then all of your USB devices into that.
Something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Aluminum-Adapter-MacBook-Chromebook/dp/B07DFYQXY7/