Thunderbolt Dock Vs Usb C Dock

These are the all-time Thunderbolt docks for your laptop in 2022

Thunderbolt is finally catching upward equally more and more laptops are now offer the super-fast port. Thunderbolt 4 replaced Thunderbolt 3 back in 2020, and while it isn't faster, at that place are upgrades in several other areas. The latest version defines new specifications to support total speeds of 40Gbps with cables of up to 2m in length, support for two 4K displays instead of one (or 1 8K display), support at to the lowest degree one port for 100W power for laptop charging, allow all docks to support wake from sleep, and provide DMA protection against Thunderspy attacks. Thunderbolt 4 likewise doubles the PCIe bandwidth to 32Gb/south which means more robust support for external GPUs.
1 of the best use cases of Thunderbolt is that you can aggrandize the I/O connectivity options on your desktop or laptop using a simple dock. This allows you to connect multiple devices including 4K displays, USB drives, audio devices, retention cards, and more. So here are some of the best Thunderbolt docks that you tin buy. We've selected a mix of Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt four and so you lot tin choose depending on your requirements.

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Thunderbolt iv Docks
Thunderbolt iii Docks

Thunderbolt 4 Docks

CalDigit Element Hub

The CalDigit Chemical element Hub is one of the few Thunderbolt iv docks available today that helps in expanding the number of Thunderbolt and USB Type-A ports on your laptop, Mac, or desktop PC. Information technology'due south backward uniform with Thunderbolt 3, USB-C, and USB 4, and offers back up for dual-4K or a single 8K monitor and power commitment of 60W to charge various devices including laptops, smartphones, etc. Information technology'due south adequately compact and suitable for users who primarily need multiple fast USB ports.

Kensington SD5700T Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station

Kensington is known for its device security solutions but it likewise makes docks and hubs. Their latest offering is the SD5700T Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station. The dock offers a total of 11 ports including an SD card reader, four Thunderbolt iv ports, four USB-A ports (one 5V/i.5A charging port on the front end, and three Gen2 10Gbps ports on the rear), a Gigabit Ethernet port, and a 3.5mm audio combo jack. The dock too supports 90W power delivery which means you can charge any Thunderbolt 4 or Thunderbolt 3-enabled Windows or Mac-based notebook. You need to note there are no DisplayPort or HDMI ports on this dock, so you tin only connect a monitor that supports USB-C, or you will take to add together another adapter.

CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt iv Dock

This Thunderbolt four dock from CalDigit has eighteen ports that volition help you make the almost out of your laptop. These include a congenital-in DisplayPort ane.iv connector, 8x USB ports with full 10Gb/s performance, SD & microSD 4.0 UHS-II Carte Readers, 3x Thunderbolt iv (40Gb/s) ports, 3x Sound ports, 2.5GbE, and a security slot. And thanks to 98W power delivery support, y'all volition be able to quickly charge your uniform laptop.

Anker PowerExpand 5-in-1 Thunderbolt 4 Mini Dock

Anker is a well-known and reliable brand when it comes to charging accessories and USB hubs. The company offers the PowerExpand 5-in-1 Thunderbolt four Mini Dock which, every bit the proper noun suggests, is a pocket-size Thunderbolt 4 dock capable of expanding your connectivity. It features an 85W Thunderbolt 4 upstream port, 3 Thunderbolt 4 downstream ports, and 1 USB-A port. The Thunderbolt four downstream ports support 15W Power Delivery and a unmarried 8K monitor at 30Hz, or dual monitors up to 4K at 60Hz.

Razer Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma

A Thunderbolt dock with RGB? Why not? Razer is known for its high-quality gaming peripherals and the company has come upwards with its own Thunderbolt four dock. Apart from the swanky RGB lighting, the dock offers an SD carte reader, a three.5mm sound jack, iii Thunderbolt 4 downstream ports, a Thunderbolt iv upstream port, Gigabit Ethernet, and 3 USB-A 3.ii Gen 2 ports. This is pretty much the same as the Kensington SD5700T, in fact, even the placement of the ports is similar. Again, at that place are no DisplayPort or HDMI ports, however y'all tin can plug dual 4K monitors using the boosted Thunderbolt ports.

Thunderbolt three Docks

CalDigit TS3 Plus

The CalDigit TS3 Plus is a highly recommended Thunderbolt 3 dock, as it offers a wide range of I/O and the ability to connect not one, but two laptops at the same fourth dimension. In fact, we've likewise recommended it as i of the all-time docks for the new Surface Laptop 4. Information technology comes with two Thunderbolt ports, five USB 3.2 Type-A, a USB three.ii Blazon-C, a USB iii.two Gen two Type-C, DisplayPort 1.ii, iii.5mm audio in, 3.5mm sound out, Gigabit Ethernet, optical audio, UHS-II SD card slot, and back up for 87W Ability Delivery.

Elgato Thunderbolt 3 Pro Dock

'Ane cable. No compromises' is what Elgato says about its Thunderbolt iii Pro Dock. It looks sleek and comes with a solid set of I/O ports including two USB 3.ane Gen 1 Type-A ports, a 3.5mm audio combo port, an SD card slot, and a microSD carte du jour slot on the front. At the back, it offers gigabit ethernet, a iii.5mm headphone jack, 2 USB 3.1 Gen two Type-A ports, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, and a DisplayPort. The company claims that you can connect a 4K brandish using the DisplayPort and attach a second 4K monitor using one of the Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Dell Thunderbolt Dock WD19TBS

Dell's very own Thunderbolt dock is swell for expanding your connectivity options. The dock notably doesn't come with any audio ports, nor does it accept any memory card readers. At the front, there'southward a USB iii.i Gen 1 Blazon-A port, and a USB 3.1 Gen 2 Blazon-C port. At the back of the dock, in that location are two DisplayPort i.4, one HDMI, a USB-C port with DisplayPort support, two USB three.i Gen 1 Blazon-A ports, Gigabit Ethernet, and Thunderbolt 3. According to Dell, the dock offers back up for upward to three displays, including a single 5K and dual 4K monitors and up to 130W Power Delivery.

Dell Thunderbolt Dock WD19TBS

The unique thing about Dell'southward Thunderbolt 3 dock is that it offers upwards to 130W of Power Commitment which means you can easily charge a laptop and all the same have it upward and running without any issues.

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Plugable 14-in-1 USB-C and Thunderbolt iii Dock

This Thunderbolt 3 dock is loaded! Information technology offers a total of 14 ports making it one of the best connectivity solutions. It offers five USB three.2 Blazon-A ports, one USB 3.two Gen 2 Type-A, one USB iii.2 Gen 2 Type-C, i Thunderbolt, two HDMI, two DisplayPort, a 3.5mm combo audio, Gigabit Ethernet, and support for 96W Power Delivery. Information technology can as well arrange a microSD or a full-size SD card, which is useful if you're into photography. The dock can too back up upwardly to ii 4K 60Hz displays via Thunderbolt 3 or two 1080p 60Hz displays via USB-C.

UtechSmart Thunderbolt iii Docking Station

This 12-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 docking station from UtechSmart includes one 4K HDMI 1, one HDMI ii, one VGA, two USB 2.0, ane RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet (ten/100/m), one USB-C for Charging, one USB-C for Data Transfers, one SD/TF, and two USB 3.0 ports. Information technology's compatible with both Macs and Windows PCs and has a reasonable price tag.

OWC xiv-Port Thunderbolt 3 Dock

This Thunderbolt iii dock from OWC comes with 14 ports — USB 3.1 Gen 2 / Gen 1, Thunderbolt 3, microSD Reader, SD Reader, mini DisplayPort, Gigabit Ethernet, S/PDIF, and Combo Audio I/O. Information technology supports up to two 4K or a unmarried 5K display, so y'all can hook it upward to the big screen. And thank you to multi-platform compatibility, you tin can utilize information technology with both Macs and Windows PCs. That's non to mention that information technology supports powering and charging a notebook at up to 85W.

With more Thunderbolt 4 laptops creeping into the marketplace, we're expecting more brands to come upwards with docking solutions in the coming months. Brand certain you also go through our list of some of the best laptops that you should purchase in 2022, and if you're into gaming, here's our recommendation of the best gaming laptops.