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Browse Close Search Wirecutter For: Search.Search Wirecutter For: SearchReviews for the real world. The has the most useful array of connections we found: two Thunderbolt 3 ports, five USB-A ports, two USB-C ports (one USB 3.1 Gen 1, one USB 3.1 Gen 2) an SD card slot, a DisplayPort connector (which works with HDMI via an inexpensive adapter), Gigabit Ethernet, audio-in and -out jacks, and an S/PDIF jack for digital optical audio—the last one a rarity in these devices. And while most docks have a horizontal orientation, you can also position the TS3 Plus vertically to minimize its footprint. All current Apple laptops and desktops except the 12-inch MacBook, and the Mac Pro have Thunderbolt 3 ports, as do a lot of newer PCs, such as; check your computer’s manual. Most people don't need a Thunderbolt 3 dock, though; you can get almost all of the same functionality, minus a few USB-A ports, the audio jacks, and the second Thunderbolt 3 port, from a much cheaper.
As well as a range of I/O ports (for 5K displays, dual 4K displays, eSATA and more) the TS3 Dock will feature 85 W power — this means it can fully charge the new MacBook Pro whilst in use. The TS3 is the successor to CalDigit’s existing Thunderbolt 2 Dock. But if you don’t mind a larger footprint and don’t need eSATA support, the $200 street price of Elgato’s Thunderbolt 2 Dock includes the Thunderbolt cable that Caldigit’s $199 bundle omits.
But if you do need a the extra bandwidth of Thunderbolt 3, the CalDigit has the best combination of ports and form factor we've yet found. And are identical docks, and either is a great option if you’re looking to spend a little less and you don’t need USB-C ports. Each has the same number of USB-A ports as our pick as well as an SD-card slot, though each provides only 60 watts for laptop charging—though enough to charge a 13-inch MacBook Pro at full speed, a 15-inch Pro will charge more slowly. These docks also have to be positioned horizontally, so they take up more room on a desk. We think most people who truly need a Thunderbolt 3 dock are better off spending more for the CalDigit model’s USB-C ports, extra power, and smaller footprint, but these two are the next best options if the CalDigit is unavailable. Their prices have fluctuated, so go with whichever is cheapest. If you have a computer with a and want to connect several peripherals—displays, drives, printers, and such—a Thunderbolt dock lets you do it all with a single cable.
If you use a laptop as your main computer and regularly move that laptop to and from a desk with multiple peripherals, you can leave all of those accessories plugged into the dock so when you sit down at your desk, you can simply plug your Thunderbolt cable into the laptop to connect everything instantly.A Thunderbolt dock is also useful if your Thunderbolt-equipped computer—laptop or desktop—doesn’t have enough ports and connections, or if those connections are inconveniently located. You can run a single Thunderbolt cable from the computer to the dock and put the dock somewhere more accessible.Thunderbolt docks are ideal for creative professionals and other people who demand a lot from their computers, including the fastest possible transfer speeds and the widest port selection. Most people, however, will be just as well-served. These docks use the same connector and can do almost all the same things, but don’t support Thunderbolt 3 transfer speeds and don’t usually include the same quantity or variety of ports.
The is the best way to connect a bunch of things, including your charger, to your USB-C computer at once.If you have an older computer with Thunderbolt or Thunderbolt 2 (which each use a Mini DisplayPort connector instead of USB-C) and plan to eventually upgrade your computer, you could buy, but you should be able to use any Thunderbolt 3 dock with. Performance will be limited to Thunderbolt 2 speeds (and you won’t be able to charge a laptop or use DisplayPort displays through the adapter), but you won’t have to upgrade your dock when you upgrade the computer. Thunderbolt 3. Although USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 use the same connector, they aren’t the same thing. As, Thunderbolt 3 does everything that USB-C can do plus a few extra Thunderbolt-only features.
Specifically, Thunderbolt 3 supports faster data-transfer rates (up to 40 Gbps, versus a maximum of 5 or 10 Gbps for USB-C, depending on the device), allows data to transfer in both directions at the same time (useful when connecting a slew of devices through one cable), and can simultaneously transfer data, output video, charge your computer, and daisy-chain other Thunderbolt devices over a single cable.While having fewer different types of connectors is generally a good thing, it can get confusing when the same connector does different things depending on the computer. You won’t hurt anything by plugging a Thunderbolt 3 device into a USB-C port, but the device also won’t work like it’s supposed to, so check your manual and find out which connectors your computer has. Thunderbolt is more expensive for computer vendors to include, so you’ll find it mainly on recent Macs (except for the 12-inch MacBook) and higher-end Windows PCs such as.
If your computer has USB-C but not Thunderbolt 3, the docks in this guide aren’t for you—. How we picked and tested. Some of the Thunderbolt docks we tested, sitting alongside their power adapters. Photo: Michael HessionA great Thunderbolt dock extends the functionality of the computer that it’s connected to by offering plenty of additional connections, each at the fastest speeds. These docks are particularly useful for computers that have a limited number and variety of ports, such as the current 13-inch with two Thunderbolt ports, but they’re also useful as a way to make connecting peripherals to a desktop or laptop computer more convenient. We looked for the following in evaluating our picks:.
Port selection: In general, more ports are better, but we were especially concerned with practical ports such as USB-A and video output. Less-common ports including FireWire and eSATA are appreciated but not necessary.
Port performance: Devices connected via the Thunderbolt 3 dock should perform almost as well as devices connected directly to the computer. (We discuss, below, our test procedure for each type of port.). Design and size: Everything else being equal, a smaller dock is better for your desk than a larger one. We also prefer docks that you can stand on end to take up even less space.Most Thunderbolt docks are designed to lie horizontally, with a majority of their ports on the back, though some models (including an earlier CalDigit dock, top) can stand on end to save desk space. Photo: Michael HessionThunderbolt docks have always been somewhat niche, so you won’t find many. We’ve tested almost every dock that has been released since June 2017.
For all models, we used a 2017 Touch Bar-equipped 13-inch MacBook Pro to test speeds, and for the models we tested in 2018 we also confirmed compatibility with a Dell XPS 13. Specifically, we ran the following tests:. USB-A: We ran speed tests using. To measure how fast each dock could charge other devices, we connected a 10.5-inch iPad Pro and read the power draw with.
Thunderbolt 3: We ran AJA System Test speed tests using. To measure charge speed, we read the results in the 13-inch MacBook Pro’s system report and verified them against the readings on a. USB-C: We ran AJA System Test using.At the time of publishing, the price was $310.is the best Thunderbolt 3 dock for most people because it offers more USB-A ports than almost all of the competition, and it provides USB-C ports and an SD card slot without sacrificing other important inputs. It’s also one of the most compact models available, so it takes up less room on your desk—especially if you stand it on its end, an option you don’t get with most docks—and the 85 watts of power it can send to a connected laptop means it’s capable of charging even a 15-inch MacBook Pro at full speed. It’s more expensive than some docks we tested, but if you truly need a Thunderbolt 3 dock rather than a USB-C one, it has the fewest compromises.The back of the CalDigit dock has two Thunderbolt 3 ports, four USB-A 3.1 Gen 1 ports, one USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 port, Gigabit Ethernet, S/PDIF audio out, and a DisplayPort connector. Photo: Michael Hession.The front of the CalDigit dock has one USB-A 3.1 Gen 1 port, one USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 port, audio in, audio out, and an SD card slot. Photo: Michael Hession.The back of the CalDigit dock has two Thunderbolt 3 ports, four USB-A 3.1 Gen 1 ports, one USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 port, Gigabit Ethernet, S/PDIF audio out, and a DisplayPort connector.
Photo: Michael Hession.The front of the CalDigit dock has one USB-A 3.1 Gen 1 port, one USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 port, audio in, audio out, and an SD card slot. Photo: Michael Hession. The TS3 Plus provides two Thunderbolt 3 ports, five traditional USB (USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A) ports, an SD card slot, a DisplayPort port, Gigabit Ethernet, separate audio-in and -out jacks, S/PDIF digital audio, and two USB-C ports, one of which (the one on the back) supports the faster USB 3.1 Gen 2 transfer speeds.In our USB-A testing with, we measured average read speeds of 340 MB/s and write speeds of 264 MB/s on four of the five ports.
Those speeds are about 20 to 30 percent slower than the results we got when we had the drive plugged into the Mac directly. However, the other docks we tested provided similar results—our test drive exhibited similarly slower speeds with every dock. The fifth port (the lowest one on the back of the CalDigit dock) produced faster speeds of 422.7 MB/s read and 383 MB/s write. The USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 read and write speeds were almost identical to those of the slower four USB-A ports, while the Gen 2 port was in line with the faster USB-A port.We also measured transfer speed with, provided by CalDigit and returned after testing. This drive is advertised as supporting read and write speeds up to 850 MB/s (compared to a max of 450 MB/s for the Samsung T3 drive). USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports can’t take advantage of this additional speed because they max out at 5 gigabits (or 625 megabytes) per second, but 10-gigabit USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports can. USB-A speeds were slightly faster with the SanDisk drive, with an average read speed of 347 MB/s and write speed of 309.7 MB/s, although that bottom USB-A port was once again noticeably faster, measuring 419.3 MB/s and 373.7 MB/s read and write, respectively.
The more striking difference was between the two USB-C ports: The slower port, on the front of the dock, averaged 351 MB/s read and 313.3 MB/s write, whereas the rear (Gen 2) port was about twice as fast, with read speeds of 736.3 MB/s and write speeds of 605.7 MB/s. We saw even faster speeds when the drive was plugged into the dock’s open Thunderbolt 3 port with the drive’s included USB-C cable: 829.7 MB/s read and 734.3 MB/s write. All this is to say that the TS3 Plus supports fast transfer speeds when paired with the right hardware.Thunderbolt 3 read and write speeds using, a Thunderbolt 3 drive, were many times faster than USB, but—as with all the docks—still a bit slower than when the test drive was connected directly to the computer via Thunderbolt, and slower than the maximum LaCie advertises. With the drive hooked up directly to our Mac’s Thunderbolt 3 port, read speeds averaged 2,229 MB/s (17.94 GB/s); with the drive connected through the TS3 Plus, they were close, at 2,173 MB/s (17.39 GB/s). Write speeds saw a much bigger drop-off, from 953.3 MB/s (7.74 GB/s) connected directly to 704.7 MB/s (5.64 GB/s) going through the dock.
Again, these numbers are comparable with our test results across the rest of the docks, and the figures are still blazing fast next to those of most connection types. However, you shouldn’t buy this dock (or any dock, for that matter) expecting to see the same performance as you’d get with a direct connection between your computer and the fastest Thunderbolt 3 drives.SD-card transfer speeds were on par with those of every other SD-equipped dock we’ve tested: Read speeds averaged 88.7 MB/s, and write speeds averaged 77 MB/s. That’s slower than we measured with a standalone card reader for, but still respectable and in line with the speeds of the other SD-equipped Thunderbolt 3 docks we tested.Four of the CalDigit dock’s USB-A ports provide 7.5-watt charging each (1.5 amps at 5 volts), which is slower than what you’d get from but comparable to the results from other Thunderbolt docks.
The fifth port—the one closest to the end of the dock— provides slower, 2.5-watt charging (0.5 amps at 5 volts), making it better suited for transferring data than for charging phones or tablets. (Unfortunately, there’s no label to tell you the port provides less power than the others.) Both USB-C ports also support only 2.5-watt charging.Most Thunderbolt 3 docks, including this one, use DisplayPort for video output. We measured a proper 60-hertz refresh rate when the dock was connected to a 4K DisplayPort monitor.Almost every other Thunderbolt dock we tested is long and flat, meant to lie horizontally on your desk. The TS3 Plus, on the other hand, can stand vertically or sit horizontally. It measures 1.6 by 3.9 by 5.2 inches, so when it’s standing on its shortest edge, it takes up only about 6.25 square inches of desk space, compared with the 32 square inches required for the 9.1-by-3.5-inch Cable Matters dock, our runner-up. Who else likes it.
TS3 Plus reviews have been very positive, matching our findings. “Of all the Thunderbolt 3 docks I’ve tested so far, CalDigit’s TS3 Plus is my new favorite,” writes. In another review, writes, “The TS3 Plus’ diminutive design, and 15-ports in total, make CalDigit’s latest dock a very compelling option for Mac users.” And calls it “a superb choice.”Cale Hunt, who tested the TS3 Plus with a PC for, also praised its performance and versatility. “With 15 ports, great performance, and a small footprint, the TS3 Plus is about the best Thunderbolt 3 dock you can buy today,” he writes. Flaws but not dealbreakers.
A Wirecutter editor who uses the TS3 Plus with two monitors and a 2017 MacBook Pro has reported issues where one or both display won’t wake up when waking the computer from sleep mode. “The solution is usually to unplug one or both of the displays and replug. Occasionally it requires a restart.” He noted similar issues with the headphone port. We didn’t experience these problems in our testing, but we have seen issues with several Thunderbolt docks when connecting two displays directly to the dock.
Runners-up: Cable Matters Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station and Promise Technology Thunderbolt 3 Dock TD-300.At the time of publishing, the price was $255.and are identical to one another aside from their paint jobs. Each costs less than our top pick but offers the same number of USB-A ports (five) and an SD-card slot.
However, unlike our top pick, these models lack USB-C ports and S/PDIF output, won’t charge larger laptops like the 15-inch MacBook Pro as quickly as our pick, and use combined audio in/out jacks instead of separate jacks; they also have HDMI 2.0 video output instead of DisplayPort. It’s difficult, but not impossible, to get a Mac to output 4K resolution at 60 Hz over HDMI. Mac owners who plan to use a 4K monitor should connect a USB-C to DisplayPort adapter to the dock's Thunderbolt port instead. We recommend picking whichever dock is less expensive when you’re ready to buy.In our tests, the USB-A (USB 3.1 Gen 1) ports on the Cable Matters and Promise docks performed as well as the USB-A ports on the TS3 Plus. Their Thunderbolt ports support the faster USB 3.1 Gen 2 speeds, but because these docks don’t have a dedicated USB-C port, you’re limited in how many higher-speed devices you can connect.
These models also support only 60-watt charging, compared with 85 watts for our top pick—60 watts is enough to charge a 13-inch MacBook Pro at full speed, but these docks will charge larger laptops (such as the 15-inch MacBook Pro) at less than full speed.On the front, it has two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, an SD card slot, and a combined audio input/output jack. Photo: Michael Hession.On the back, the Cable Matters Thunderbolt 3 dock has two Thunderbolt 3 ports, an HDMI port, three USB 3.0 Type-A ports, and Gigabit Ethernet. Photo: Michael Hession.On the front, it has two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, an SD card slot, and a combined audio input/output jack. Photo: Michael Hession.On the back, the Cable Matters Thunderbolt 3 dock has two Thunderbolt 3 ports, an HDMI port, three USB 3.0 Type-A ports, and Gigabit Ethernet.
Photo: Michael Hession.The back of the HP dock has two USB-A ports, Gigabit Ethernet, VGA, a USB-C port, two DisplayPort Connectors, and a Thunderbolt 3 port. Photo: Sarah Kobos.The front of the HP dock has one USB-C port and one difficult-to-replace Thunderbolt 3 cable. On the side, there’s a combined audio in and out port, one USB-A port, and a Kensington lock slot. Photo: Sarah Kobos.The back of the HP dock has two USB-A ports, Gigabit Ethernet, VGA, a USB-C port, two DisplayPort Connectors, and a Thunderbolt 3 port. Photo: Sarah Kobos.The front of the HP dock has one USB-C port and one difficult-to-replace Thunderbolt 3 cable.
On the side, there’s a combined audio in and out port, one USB-A port, and a Kensington lock slot. Photo: Sarah Kobos. The Thunderbolt Dock 120W G2 has three USB-A ports, two USB-C, VGA, Ethernet, Thunderbolt 3, two DisplayPorts, combined audio, 100 W charging, and a Kensington lock slot. It’s the second USB-C port that sets this dock apart from the rest, as it’s the only model we’ve seen to include a second one of those ports at a reasonable price. The HP’s ports were actually a little bit faster than the CalDigit’s, with the USB-A ports averaging 339.3 MB/s write and 419 MB/s read speeds, and the USB-C ports right in line with those results. The second DisplayPort connector is noteworthy because it’s pretty rare, and allows you to hook up to two displays at the same time without a The Thunderbolt Dock 120W G2 (left), and the Thunderbolt Dock 120W G2 with Audio.
![Cal Digit Thunderbolt 2 Esata Use Cal Digit Thunderbolt 2 Esata Use](http://www.caldigit.com/thunderbolt-3-dock/dock-selector/images/Title.png)
They’re identical except for the speaker module, which you can also buy separately. Sarah KobosMuch like the CalDigit dock, the HP model takes up relatively little desk space. The 3.9-by-3.9-inch square with rounded corners will fit pretty much anywhere, unlike the Cable Matters and Promise docks. The only considerable downside is the Thunderbolt cable to your computer, which is a hassle to replace.
If something happens to the cable, you’ll have to buy the replacement cable and kit from HP and take off the bottom plate to access the port, but at about 2 feet long, it should be long enough for most setups.The Thunderbolt Dock 120W G2 is also available in. It gets louder than the MacBook Pro’s speaker, but the audio quality is a bit muddier; it’s better suited for conference calls—the manual references Skype for Business and Lync 2013.
You can also purchase that separately and install it if you decide you want it later. The competition. Like our pick from HP, has two USB-C ports, and adds SD and microSD card slots. But it has only two USB-A ports and one DisplayPort, in a wider design, for a much higher price.has the same ports as our top pick from CalDigit, plus a microSD card slot. It performed just as well as our pick across our tests, but the OWC takes up much more desk space. The two docks cost about the same, so you should stick with the more compact CalDigit model unless you value a card reader above desk space.The looks the same as our runner-up picks, and has the same ports that all work at the same speeds, but it provides 87 W of power instead of just 60 W.
![Cal Cal](https://o.aolcdn.com/images/dims?quality=85&image_uri=http%3A%2F%2Fo.aolcdn.com%2Fhss%2Fstorage%2Fmidas%2F1f4f048fa4dda8dbbbbf65509f40e842%2F201276242%2FCDThud2.jpeg&client=amp-blogside-v2&signature=4499b443e4dcd54ffdd4d2aa23f9487edc72bc79)
That may be important if you want to be sure that your 15-inch MacBook Pro will stay fully charged while it’s plugged into the dock, but in most circumstances it’s a significant cost difference for very little benefit. The same money would be better spent on our top pick, with its smaller footprint and additional ports.was previously our top pick, but costs around the same price as our current runner-up and doesn’t have an SD card slot or USB-C ports. The only extra feature you get for your money is a DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapter, but that if you were to buy it separately; we think most people will find the extra ports and card reader of our picks to be more important.has an identical port layout to, usually sells for a few dollars less, and doesn’t come with a cable.
Though we didn’t test it, every other dock we’ve tested with the same design has exhibited the same performance. But Monoprice charges shipping fees, mostly negating that price difference, and more than closes that gap. Additionally, we’ve experienced too many stock issues with the company’s products over the past few years to recommend this dock for the long-term.(the non-Plus version) was a great option in the early days of Thunderbolt 3 docks—it was our first top pick in the category. It has only three USB-A ports but an otherwise standard collection of inputs and a small body. It’s not as well equipped as our current picks, but it’s worth considering if you’re on a budget.provides 85 W charging but has only three USB-A ports and no SD card slot; it’s more expensive than our runners-up; and you can’t position it vertically, so it takes up more desk space.has only three USB-A ports and costs more than more-full-featured docks.and have identical ports—USB-C, DisplayPort, Ethernet, and audio, but only two USB-A—in the same layout, but no high-speed laptop charging. They’re not worth the price considering more-full-featured docks are available in the same price range.has the same inputs and outputs as the TS3 Lite, StarTech, and Iogear, but unlike those models, it supports 85-watt charging. It also includes a Kensington lock slot for security and can mount to the back of a monitor with a separate.
However, it has only two USB-A ports and lacks an SD card slot, making it not a great value.We didn’t test, since it is larger than our top pick, costs more, and doesn’t include an SD card slot. This dock has the same design and ports as, but it supports 85-watt charging and it comes with a USB-C–to–DisplayPort cable in addition to its Thunderbolt 3 cable. We don’t think the included cable makes it worth buying.We also didn’t test the, because we don’t think it’s the right choice for most people based on its niche specs and high price. It’s the only dock we’ve seen that has a CFast card slot, which some video professionals may appreciate. Similarly, it’s the only model we know of with a 10 Gbps Ethernet connection, but most people’s networks aren’t fast enough to use that speed; it’s better suited for pro video peripherals.
Neither of those features is bad to have, but they come at the expense of lower power output (60 W) and fewer USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports (three), for a higher price than most of the competition.
December 19th, 2014 by Lyle SmithCalDigit Thunderbolt Station 2 AnnouncedCalDigit has announced the Thunderbolt Station 2, their successor to the original Thunderbolt Station, which now features dual Thunderbolt 2 ports, dual eSATA 6G ports, HDMI, three USB 3.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, and Audio in/out. The Thunderbolt Station 2 also has the unique ability to be in either a horizontal or vertical position, which is ideal for people who have to manage with limited desk space.The Thunderbolt Station 2 allows users to connect all their devices through a single Thunderbolt cable. In addition, its dual Thunderbolt 2 ports enable 4K workflow integration, giving users the ability to connect a high-resolution 4K monitor to the HDMI port.
Professional users who need to connect multiple 4K displays to their computers will find this particularly useful.The Thunderbolt Station 2 is also equipped with three SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ports, with the front facing connector featuring Stand-Alone Charging. This allows users to charge their devices without the Thunderbolt Station 2 being connected to a computer. Additionally, the new CalDigit device now has dual eSATA 6G interfaces for connecting eSATA devices, including RAID storage. Thunderbolt Station 2 also has a Gigabit Ethernet port so users can connect to a more stable internet connection and its Audio In and Out ports make it convenient to disconnect these devices with just a single Thunderbolt cable.
All of these new features make it useful for professional users who need to have the convenience of multiple interfaces.Price and AvailabilityThe Thunderbolt Station 2 is now available for pre-order at a special discounted pre-order price (until January 25th, 2015) for $169.99. After January 25th, 2015, the Thunderbolt Station 2 returns to its normal price tag of $199.99. All units will ship on January 26th, 2015.