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Best Thunderbolt docks 2024: Extend your laptop’s capabilities
Wednesday November 20, 2024. 06:00 PM , from PC World
You can call it a laptop dock, a laptop docking station, a USB4 dock, or a Thunderbolt dock; they’re basically the same thing, and this buying guide covers them. Both Thunderbolt docks and the best USB-C hubs and dongles provide legacy ports (USB-A, microSD, and others), and connect PC peripherals like mice, printers, external hard drives, and more. A Thunderbolt dock has traditionally been the faster, more powerful option, however, supplying enough bandwidth via the Thunderbolt port to drive a pair of 4K displays and charge your phone. My recommendations for the best laptop docking stations begin with my top picks, followed by budget and premium options. I also include my favorite DisplayLink USB-C docks — a simpler, cheaper docking station that you should consider. If you need more help, I’ve included a FAQ designed to answer your questions, as well as information on up-and-coming technologies such as Thunderbolt 5 and the slightly odd Thunderbolt Share. Why you should trust me: PCWorld has been testing PC hardware since the 1980s, and I’ve been a technology journalist for 30 years. I first began testing Thunderbolt docks in early 2021, and have reviewed over 40 Thunderbolt docks to date. My reviews of Thunderbolt docks, DisplayLink docks, and USB-C hardware are extensive, and every month I review an average of two additional docks or hubs as contenders for recommendation. I also use input from reviews on PCWorld’s sister sites Macworld and TechAdvisor to help inform my recommendations. Best Thunderbolt docking stations for laptops Kensington Thunderbolt 4 Dual 4K Dock (SD5780T) – Best overall Thunderbolt dock Pros Solid performance No thermal issues Pretty solid mix of ports, including downstream Thunderbolt 4 Price cuts have helped make it more affordable Cons Rear USB-A ports deliver less power than expected One display port, requiring an additional dongle for two displays No dedicated phone charging port, but Thunderbolt can do it Why I like the Kensington SD5780T One of my testing credos is “affordable flexibility,” and I favor a dock that will fit into your existing setup. But I also don’t want you to pay through the nose for it. There are other docks that allow you to get by without using a display adapter, but they generally charge for it — sometimes even $100 more. The SD5780T has one dedicated display port, and you’ll have to buy a $15 USB-C adapter cable to support a second. That’s cheaper than the alternative. The Kensington SD578OT is a solid Thunderbolt 4 dock in all respects. For those who wish to use a single 4K monitor, chances are that you’ll already own an HDMI cable. In my tests, the dock was stable (and not all are!) with a nice port selection. The dock will charge your smartphone, albeit with a USB-A port. The bottom line: This is currently the best combination of value and features in a Thunderbolt dock that I’ve tested. Who should buy the Kensington SD5780T The SD5780T is an ideal “starter” dock, for someone who has a laptop and a single external display and might want to add more in the future. Adding a second display will require the purchase of a USB-C (Thunderbolt) to HDMI cable, which will cost an additional $15 or so. The inclusion of the SD card slot should appeal to photographers who record photo or video on those cards. Read our full Kensington Thunderbolt 4 Dual 4K Dock (SD5780T) review Wavlink Thunderbolt 4 Triple Display Docking Station – Best overall Thunderbolt dock, runner-up Pros An efficient use of ports Affordable 30W charging port in front Triple display capable Why I like the Wavlink Thunderbolt 4 Triple Display Docking Station I’m relying on our sister site, Macworld, and their review of the Wavlink Thunderbolt 4 Triple Display, which isn’t something I normally do. (I do have this dock in hand, however, and it’s next in line for review!) But I’m impressed by the extremely affordable price of this dock and its very focused mix of ports. This dock doesn’t compromise, with two HDMI ports that do not require an adapter. Focus is really the key here. With two display ports, a dedicated 30W charging port, and a mix of other I/O (including SD and microSD), this dock offers what you’ll need and not much more. That helps hold down the cost. I do want to run my own tests for stability and performance, but this is a dock you should be looking at when considering your next purchase. Who should buy the Wavlink Thunderbolt 4 Triple Display Docking Station Our best picks are designed for everyone, but this dock offers the most value of our top two recommendations. You won’t even need a display cable. This dock works best on a desktop, as part of a permanent docking station. It doesn’t seem to include a vertical mounting stand to save space, but it’s pretty compact, anyway. Anker 568 USB-C Docking Station – Best budget Thunderbolt dock Pros Two ports for fast-charging smartphones Solid value Eighteen-month warranty Cons Occasional instability Why I like the Anker 568 USB-C Docking Station Anker’s 568 is a USB 4 docking station, the more open industry-standard version of a Thunderbolt dock. It will work fine with your laptop, regardless — I’ve tested it. This category used to belong to the Belkin Thunderbolt 3 Dock Core, a tremendous travel dock, but it’s being phased out. This dock sometimes wanders out of the budget category, for some reason. But it generally hovers around the $150 price range. It offers premium-like capabilities, however, with multiple display ports. Everything is well labeled. Anker also has a solid reputation, and there’s a great 18-month warranty if you need more reassurance. This dock was generally stable, although I noticed an occasional flicker. Fortunately, Anker is one of the few dock makers to ship its docks with a firmware utility that can download updates and squash bugs. I do like that. Who should buy the Anker 568 USB-C Docking Station This docking station will do well for most setups, especially if you like to plug in your smartphone to charge while working. Read our full Anker 568 USB-C Docking Station review Ugreen Revodok Pro 13-in-1 Triple Display Docking Station – Best budget Thunderbolt dock, runner-up Pros Excellent performance Great value for the money Optimized build Completely stable Cons Short, built-in cord You’ll need your own power supply/charger Requires a relatively modern laptop Why I like the Ugreen Revodok Pro 13-in-1 Triple Display Docking Station The only reason that this isn’t my pick for the best budget Thunderbolt docking station is because it appears to use a generic form of compression known as HBR3 (High Bit Rate 3) with DSC (Display Stream Compression), which is built into the DisplayPort spec. That’s a particular technology that is more common within recent Intel Core (and Core Ultra) laptops, but isn’t guaranteed to appear on yours. (If you own a laptop with a Thunderbolt port, though, this should work just fine.) You’ll also have to supply your own USB-C power cable. Otherwise, this docking station has so much to offer. The price is outstanding, of course, but Ugreen’s dock is also so flexible yet so stable. Everything’s well labeled, and the dock offers DisplayPort as well as HDMI options. And it’s really quite portable, too. Just remember that charger. Who should buy the Ugreen Revodok Pro 13-in-1 Triple Display Docking Station I’d really recommend this dock for those who own laptops with 13th-gen Core hardware or above. HBR3/DSC technology really doesn’t work on older systems like 11th-gen Core hardware and older PCs. If you own an AMD Ryzen laptop, too, it may be a little iffy. Read our full Ugreen Revodok Pro 13-in-1 Triple Display Docking Station review Kensington Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 Quad Video Docking Station (SD5800T) – Best premium Thunderbolt dock Pros Rugged, well-engineered Can sit vertically on its stand to save space Yes, it works: Four 4K displays are possible Cons Mislabeled USB-A charging port doesn’t deliver Average storage performance Why I like the Kensington Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 Quad Video Docking Station (SD5800T) If you have the means, I highly recommend picking up Kensington’s SD5800T. You may not need four displays, but many shoppers often feel like they want to buy a docking station and not have to worry about picking up a display adapter or cable. This dock does that. One of the only reasons that I don’t recommend this dock as the overall favorite is the price tag. Aside from that, this was one of my favorites. About the only weakness is a lack of adequate smartphone charging from the USB-C port — a trait shared by its competitors, too, for some reason. Why should buy the Kensington Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 Quad Video Docking Station (SD5800T) Not everyone needs four displays, or has the laptop hardware to power them. This is for the “battlestation” enthusiast or someone who needs to be surrounded by information. But you might be a person who simply doesn’t want to have to deal with additional display adapters, either. Read our full Kensington Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 Quad Video Docking Station (SD5800T) review Plugable 5-in-1 Thunderbolt Hub (USB4-HUB3A) – Best Thunderbolt 4 hub Pros Incredibly compact USB-C to HDMI adapter included 15W/60W of charging power to phones/PCs Cons Limited ports Best for Thunderbolt-attached displays Best Prices Today: $189 at Newegg Why I like the Plugable 5-in-1 Thunderbolt Hub (USB4-HUB3A) How does a Thunderbolt hub differ from a Thunderbolt dock? In this case, there’s less of an emphasis on legacy ports, and more of a focus on a direct connection to a display. The Mac world tends to emphasize Thunderbolt-connected displays far more than the Windows world does, so this might be a niche product for most of you. But this thing is tiny (4.75 x 2.88 x 0.5 inches) even if, unfortunately, the associated power brick isn’t. It will send 15W of power via the Thunderbolt/USB-C connections to charge smartphones, and 60W to the host PC. If you don’t need a big, bulky dock with multiple connections, Plugable’s 5-in-1 Hub just does the job and without any extra fuss. If your laptop needs more power than the 60W Plugable hub provides, then I would recommend the Satechi Thunderbolt 4 Slim Hub Pro instead. Who should buy the Plugable 5-in-1 Thunderbolt Hub (USB4-HUB3A) Thunderbolt displays are prevalent in the Mac market, but this hub can be used for an emerging market of Thunderbolt/USB-C monitors. They’ll likely become more prevalent in the future. But connecting a cable from each port on your laptop to each display is messy. You’d still like just one. The hub works as a “splitter” of sorts for the Thunderbolt connection. Put another way, if you own a USB-C monitor, those displays tend to also have legacy ports (USB-A, USB-C) inside them, which means that a Thunderbolt dock and its cluster of ports may be redundant. This hub is a way to save a little money for the user who has a specific setup. Read our full Plugable 5-in-1 Thunderbolt Hub (USB4-HUB3A) review Razer Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma – Best Thunderbolt 4 hub, runner-up Pros Rock-solid stability The only (?) dock with RGB lighting Cons Average to slightly poor performance Lack of dedicated display ports A higher price tag than what rivals charge Price When Reviewed: €329.99 Best Prices Today: €329.99 at Razer Why I like the Razer Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma I was surprised by how much I like this combination dock/hub. It’s a premium offering, with enough ports that I’d tend to consider it a full-fledged dock. But with three upstream Thunderbolt ports, you can characterize it as a hub as well. As one of the more modern docks, with rock-solid stability, it won me over in the end, though its storage performance was middling. And, of course, remember to invest in cables. The RGB lighting is fun, and optional — it can be turned off. Frankly, our top pick, the Kensington SD5780T, shares a lot of the same functionality as both the OWC and the Razer docks, so price plays a factor here. Who should buy the Razer Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma Gamers, obviously. But even a stodgy old reporter like me likes it, because the RGB can either be fixed to a certain color or turned off entirely. And the dock surprised me with its stability and construction. You can certainly buy this dock for its blingy aesthetic, but it works just as well as a more down-to-earth alternative, too. Razer did a very nice job balancing both aspects. Read our full Razer Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma review Anker 568 USB-C Docking Station – Best USB 4 docking station Pros Two ports for fast-charging smartphones Solid value Eighteen-month warranty Cons Occasional instability on a second display or connected devices Why I like the Anker 568 USB-C Docking Station Two power ports on the front: They’re a delightful little detail that I wish other vendors would adopt as well. As you may have read elsewhere in this roundup, USB 4 and Thunderbolt 4 are basically identical, so you might be wondering why we’re even separating out this category. Well, if you’re a notebook owner with an AMD Ryzen chip inside, you might be looking for a dedicated dock, and this is a very good one. Quite frankly, this Anker 568 is in the running for the best overall docking station. This 11-in-1 docking station favors DisplayPort, with two DisplayPort 1.4 ports, and a single HDMI 2.0 video port. The Anker 568’s distinguishing feature, however, is the pair of 10Gbps USB-C ports on the front, each supplying 30W of power as well as a separate 100W connection to the laptop. That’s quite unusual, and the two ports should fast-charge a smartphone and possibly even a tablet. Who should buy the Anker 568 USB-C Docking Station If you own a notebook with a Ryzen CPU inside, and you want the confidence that this dock has been tested to ensure USB 4 compatibility, this is the dock for you. You’ll also want to buy it if you charge multiple phones or use high-powered peripherals, such as a high-end SSD. I really like this dock, and I’d recommend it to about anyone. It does lack microSD and SD card slots, though, which may rule it out for photographers. Read our full Anker 568 USB-C Docking Station review Plugable USB4 Dual HDMI Docking Station (UD-4VPD) – Best USB 4 docking station, runner-up Pros Great price and value, even at MSRP 4K120 display capabilities open up gaming possibilities Stable performance Excellent charging capabilities Cons Significant thermal issues Storage tests across the dock were lower than average Why I like the Plugable USB4 Dual HDMI Docking Station (UD-4VPD) Plugable’s dock claims dual 4K120 capability, which unfortunately I wasn’t able to test at the time of the review. But the dock offered a stable connection to the connected devices, with the ability to charge smartphones as well. Anker’s 568 dock edges it out in price and slightly in display flexibility, but lacks the SD card slot that the Plugable includes. Who should buy the Plugable USB4 Dual HDMI Docking Station (UD-4VPD)? This is a general-purpose USB 4 dock, which can be adopted by anyone. But it’s best suited for laptops with a Ryzen chip inside, and for photographers that need the SD card slots that the Anker 568 doesn’t provide. Read our full Plugable USB4 Dual HDMI Docking Station (UD-4VPD) review Sonnet Echo 20 Thunderbolt 4 SuperDock – Best Thunderbolt dock for Apple Mac users Pros Thunderbolt 4 19 ports Built-in speedy SSD enclosure 100W PD 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet Price When Reviewed: 402,40 € Best Prices Today: €375 at Macway€402.40 at MUSIC STORE Professional Why Macworld likes the Sonnet Echo 20 Thunderbolt 4 SuperDock This recommendation comes courtesy of our colleagues at Macworld, who have compiled their own list of best Thunderbolt docking stations for the Apple Mac market. “Boasting an impressive 19 top-rated ports, Thunderbolt 4 certified, and with a bonus internal SSD storage feature, the Sonnet Echo 20 Thunderbolt SuperDock offers remarkable value for money,” Macworld concludes. I haven’t reviewed this dock myself, but there’s an undeniable surplus of ports, and an SSD enclosure. I suspect that this particular feature may become more common over time. And it’s reasonably priced, too. Who should buy the Sonnet Echo 20 Thunderbolt 4 SuperDock Think of this dock as a more full-featured version of our Thunderbolt 4 hub recommendation, above. Though this recommendation is targeted at Mac users, there’s no reason that an owner of a Windows PC couldn’t buy this dock, too. If you’re trying to save space on your desk but also want an external SSD, this hybrid dock could serve both needs. Read our full Sonnet Echo 20 Thunderbolt 4 SuperDock review Best DisplayLink USB-C docks DisplayLink USB-C docks, which I discuss in more detail in a separate article, don’t offer enough bandwidth for high-refresh rate monitors or gaming, but they work admirably well for everyday office work, including watching movies. Anecdotally, they’ve often been more stable than a Thunderbolt dock on older hardware, as sometimes Thunderbolt docks have issues “waking up” when the host laptop wakes up from standby. You can “break” the dock by pushing more and more over the connection, like streaming while copying files. What I’d like to see in a DisplayLink USB-C docking station is a feature set that approaches a full-fledged Thunderbolt dock, but that is priced below what you’d pay for Thunderbolt performance. The current pick does just that. Some recent reviews do not appear here — for instance, StarTech’s USB-C Triple Monitor Dock fell short. Ugreen 9-in-1 USB-C (Revodok) Docking Station CM615 – Best USB-C DisplayLink dock Pros Terrific price and value Excellent stability Great display port flexibility Support for two 4K60 displays Cons Have to provide your own power supply Can warm to somewhat alarming temperatures Mandatory software driver A lack of naming consistency Best Prices Today: $139.99 at Ugreen Why I liked the Ugreen 9-in-1 USB-C (Revodok) Docking Station CM615 Like some of our premium Thunderbolt docks, Ugreen provides options to use either HDMI or DisplayPort to connect a display, allowing you to use your existing display cables and save some money. Like most DisplayLink docks, this dock was unusually stable, with no flickering between displays — one of the reasons I like DisplayLink docks. Some other Thunderbolt docks offer the same flexibility to shift between monitors, but not many. Ugreen’s dock does so affordably. Who should buy the Ugreen 9-in-1 USB-C (Revodok) Docking Station CM615 If you’re not worried about hunting down the proper software driver (because Ugreen, bless them, does not make it apparent that it needs one) than I would recommend that you buy this dock. It offers many of the features of more expensive Thunderbolt docks at an affordable price. Read our full Ugreen 9-in-1 USB-C (Revodok) Docking Station CM615 review Sonnet Echo 13 Triple 4K Display Dock – Best USB-C DisplayLink dock, runner-up Pros Top-notch performance Support for three 4K60 displays Solid value 20W of charging power for smartphones, 100W for laptop Exemplary documentation Cons Direct display connection disconnected once Poor, glitchy intermittent audio Best Prices Today: $239.99 at Sonnet Why I liked the Sonnet Echo 13 Triple 4K Display Dock Sonnet’s Echo 13 Triple 4K Display Dock follows the intriguing path other DisplayLink docks have blazed: The dock’s built-in compression means you can connect to three 4K displays, without penalty. And yes, it works as advertised, though with one issue that holds it back: spotty audio that really needs to be fixed. (If you use your laptop’s headphone jack, there’s no issue.) There was a tiny bit of instability, but performance was excellent. And with 20W of charging power for your phone and 100W for your laptop, you’ll be able to power a wider range of laptop options. Who should buy the Sonnet Echo 13 Triple 4K Display Dock The price differential between the Sonnet and Ugreen docks should help answer that question: The Sonnet buyer is willing to pay a little more for what is really a well-made and well-documented dock, with clear instructions. Really, without the price differential and the audio issues, this would be the top dock in the category. Read our full Sonnet Echo 13 Triple 4K Display Dock review How I test Thunderbolt docks A separate article goes into detail about how I test Thunderbolt docks. But here’s a short synopsis. First, I take the dock from its packaging and evaluate its construction. I measure the Thunderbolt cord length and check the dock’s physical dimensions with a ruler. I’ll then read the manual: Does the dock need any drivers? Are there links? What does the manual say about the dock’s capabilities in terms of power and speed? Next, I take a USB key or two and connect them to the available USB ports to determine if they have enough space to allow several to be connected at the same time. I then examine the display ports, find the appropriate cables, and then connect the dock to the laptop. I use a series of laptops with various generations of AMD and Intel hardware, and check to see if the experience is the same on each one. If it isn’t, I make notes. I connect the dock to two 4K displays, running at 60Hz. For Thunderbolt 5 docks, I will use two 4K displays capable of 144Hz — that’s the limit of the technology. I then measure the power output of the ports, using a USB multimeter, a smartphone, and a laptop to measure how much power the dock delivers to each. Finally, I check to see how well the dock performs under load. I use a specific test laptop for this purpose for repeatable results. I stream a 4K60 YouTube video using the Ethernet port on the dock (if it has one) and note any dropped frames. I usually check with a pre-recorded 4K60 video running from an SSD. I then run PCMark 10’s SSD storage benchmark off of a test SSD, connected to the dock. I measure the score, then measure the score again while streaming a video. I then copy a large, multi-gigabyte folder of various files from my laptop across the Thunderbolt bus and measure the time it takes to do so. I repeat the test while streaming video. Finally, I check the operation and performance of any SD card slots the dock has and listen to audio through the audio jack, to make sure it works. FAQ 1. How do I know if my laptop has Thunderbolt? The short answer: Look at the laptop’s published specifications to be sure. A Thunderbolt port may look indistinguishable from a USB-C port, since they both use the same physical USB-C connection. Put another way, all Thunderbolt ports are USB-C, but not all USB-C ports are Thunderbolt-equipped. Thunderbolt ports are supposed to have a small lightning-bolt icon to identify them. But some laptop makers use a similar lightning-bolt icon to indicate that a USB-C port can be used for charging your phone, and not for Thunderbolt. Laptop makers sometimes don’t want to clutter the clean lines of their products by adding additional logos, it seems. Fortunately, most laptops now choose to highlight their Thunderbolt capabilities, so the ports should be well-marked. In June, Intel held a technical session talking about its upcoming Lunar Lake processor. One of the big changes that it’s making is to a) cluster all of the older USB-C ports on one side of the laptop, away from the Thunderbolt and b) require the ports (including Thunderbolt) to be clearly labeled. That’s a small but important win for users and ensures everything is clearly marked. You may also see USB-C hubs marketed as “Thunderbolt compatible.” That’s true. You can plug a Thunderbolt dock into a non-Thunderbolt, generic USB-C port. But it will be limited by the available bandwidth that the port provides, so it’s somewhat deceptive in that regard.
https://www.pcworld.com/article/393714/best-thunderbolt-docks-for-a-laptop-pc.html
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