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The StarTech Thunderbolt 4 Dock provides ten ports to your Mac by way of a single cable with three downstream Thunderbolt ports at a excessive worth.
Laptop docks are available many sizes and styles, so selecting the best one is dependent upon your workflow. The StarTech Thunderbolt 4 Dock is an efficient start line for constructing out your complicated workstation.
There is not a lot selection to the ports on this dock, however that’s due to the three downstream Thunderbolt 4 ports. The StarTech Thunderbolt 4 Dock allows you to daisy chain extra hubs from the Thunderbolt ports, so different ports like Show Port and HDMI aren’t completely needed.
Most customers will have the ability to get away with the port choice obtainable on this dock with out different hubs and docks hooked up. We have been capable of change two hubs with the StarTech Thunderbolt 4 Dock, due to its obtainable USB ports and Ethernet port.
StarTech Thunderbolt 4 Dock: specs
| Port | Amount | Specification | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderbolt to Mac | 1 | Thunderbolt 4 | Join the dock to your Mac by way of a single Thunderbolt 4 cable with the additional benefit of 96W Energy Supply. |
| Thunderbolt downstream | 3 | Thunderbolt 4 | Join Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4 peripherals with 15W Energy Supply. |
| USB-A | 3 | USB 3.2 Gen 2 | Join USB-A peripherals like a mouse, keyboard, and SSD with as much as 10Gb/s knowledge switch. |
| USB-A | 1 | USB 2.0 | Cost gadgets with as much as 7.5W of energy. |
| Ethernet | 1 | Gigabit | Hook up with your own home community with Gigabit velocity. |
| SD card slot | 1 | UHS-II | Entry information out of your high-speed SD, SDHC, SDXC playing cards. |
| Audio Jack | 1 | 3.5 TRRS | A typical headphone jack in your headset, headphones, or microphone. |
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The StarTech Thunderbolt 4 Dock helps as much as a single 8K 30Hz/6K 60Hz/5K 60Hz monitor or twin displays at 4K 60Hz on Thunderbolt 4. A single 4K/5K/6K 60Hz monitor is supported on M1 MacBooks. Twin 4K 60Hz/Single 5K/6K displays are supported on TB3 Intel/TB4 M1 Professional/Max MacBooks.
Utilizing the StarTech Thunderbolt 4 Dock
We’re not a fan of seen cables or docks, so the StarTech Thunderbolt 4 Dock is at present hooked up to the underside of the desk. It performs precisely as a dock ought to — you do not have to consider it.
There have not been any points with the dock, nor have any equipment stopped responding throughout use. The keyboard and trackpad carry out with out lag and are linked by way of the obtainable USB-A ports. The USB 2.0 port gave us a terrific spot to connect a charging cable for our AirPods Max.
The Studio Show is linked by means of this Thunderbolt dock and performs as anticipated. It runs at 5K 60Hz, and you’ll’t inform the distinction between connecting it by means of the hub or on to the MacBook Professional.
Past some preliminary testing, we do not make the most of the SD card slot or headphone jack because the dock is nicely out of our approach. The 2 further Thunderbolt 4 ports additionally give us choices for future growth by way of one other hub or exterior Thunderbolt storage.
Beforehand, we utilized the CalDigit Component hub, however its lack of Ethernet port left us wanting. This was solved by connecting a Twelve South StayGo hub downstream, however it wasn’t very best.
Now, the StarTech Thunderbolt 4 Dock performs all of the features we’d like in a single gadget. Although, we’re not thrilled by the massive 135W energy provide. Different Thunderbolt docks have this drawback too, however newer fashions are fixing it with GaN know-how.
Do you have to purchase the StarTech Thunderbolt 4 Dock?
After connecting a mouse, trackpad, exterior SSD, charging cable for headphones, and the Studio Show, we have been left with two Thunderbolt Ports for additional growth. Whereas the dock could also be overkill for customers not making the most of these further ports, we recognize having the choice of increasing our use of Thunderbolt gadgets down the road.
For instance, throughout our evaluation of a Monoprice 4K monitor, the spare ports got here in useful for connecting the second show. The dock carried out as anticipated with one 5K and one 4K monitor hooked up with no points.
This dock does come at a excessive worth, and different merchandise within the worth vary supply extra port selection. Nevertheless, we might argue that reliability is included within the excessive markup, and the StarTech Thunderbolt 4 Dock has confirmed to be dependable.
Professionals
- Three downstream Thunderbolt 4 ports
- Included Ethernet port
- Simply sufficient ports for basic use
Cons
- Excessive worth
- Rivals have extra port selection for the value
- Large exterior energy provide
Ranking: 4.0 out of 5
The place to purchase
- In inventory on StarTech’s web site for $439.99.
- Obtainable on Amazon for $439.99 as soon as inventory is replenished.
Evaluation