Best laptop docking stations according to redditors
We found 975 Reddit comments discussing the best laptop docking stations. We ranked the 240 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 975 Reddit comments discussing the best laptop docking stations. We ranked the 240 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
Full list with links to everything shown here (and some stuff not shown). Please let me know if I've missed anything or if you have any questions.
PC Specs
Item | Make/model | Link | Price
-|-|-|-
Processor| Intel i7-8700k | Amazon | $355
Graphics Card| MSI GEFORCE GTX1080 TI GAMING X 11G| Amazon | $1,000
RAM | G.SKILL TridentZ RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) 3200 MHZ | Amazon | $90
Motherboard | ASUS ROG Strix Z370-E Gaming | Amazon | $350
SSD | Samsung SSD 960 EVO 1TB NVMe | Amazon | $300
SSD | Samsung 850 EVO 500GB | Amazon | $130
SSD | Samsung 850 EVO 500GB | Amazon | $130
AIO | Corsair H110i V2 | Amazon | $120
Case | Lian Li PC 011 Dynamic | Amazon | $130
PSU | EVGA SuperNOVA 650 G2 | Amazon | $100
Fans | Corsair LL 120 | Amazon | $220
Drawers | Ikea Alex | Ikea | $90
The rest of the stuff
Item | Make/model | Link | Price
-|-|-|-
Desk | Jarvis Bamboo Standing Desk | Jarvis | $752
Chair | Herman Miller Embody | Amazon | $1,400
Monitor | ASUS PG279Q | Amazon | $610
Monitor | ASUS PG279Q | Amazon | $610
Desk Mat | Godspeed Reverse Panda | Novelkeys | $20
Mouse | Glorious Model O Matte White | Glorious | $50
Keyboard | Tofu65 w/ Gateron Browns | KBDFans | $200
Keycaps | MT3 Godspeed | Drop | $150
Dock | Caldigit TS3 | Amazon | $280
Speakers | Audioengine A2+ | Amazon | $300
Speaker Stands | Kanto S6W | Amazon | $60
Webcam | Logitech C922x | Amazon | $83
Monitor Arm | Jarvis Dual Monitor Arm in White | Jarvis | $160
Desk Backlight | Philips Hue Light Strip | Amazon | $90
Main Lights | Nanoleaf Light Panels | Nanoleaf | $550
Headphones | Hyperx Cloud Flight | Amazon | $135
VR | Oculus Quest | Amazon | $500
Headphones | Sony WH1000XM3 | Amazon | $275
Headphones | Master & Dynamic MH40 | Amazon | $250
Wallpaper Engine Link
\ price as configured
\ Some or all items not pictured here but are part of the setup
Getting ready for back-to-school and just built a new workstation for my wife:
edit: added approximate prices and Amazon links for the setup
Includes:
2 x 22" 1080p Monitors
1 x Sony Xperia Z Ultra (Charge only)
1 x Logitech USB Keyboard
1 x Microsoft USB Mouse
1 x Amazon Basics USB-Powered Speakers
1 x 2TB External HDD on USB 3.0
1 x DVD Burner
1 x Surface Pen (duh)
1 x USB-Powered Laptop stand w/ dual cooling fans and USB 2.0 hub
1 x Gigabit Ethernet Connection
with 1 USB 3.0 and 4 USB 2.0 slots free
Single cable, everything connects and is fully functional in about 10 seconds once the cable goes in. Handles it like a champ, no lag on displays or input.
Using this docking station.
Get a laptop dock like this Plugable USB-C Triple Display Docking Station with Charging Support\Power Delivery for Specific Windows USB Type-C and Thunderbolt 3 Systems (2x HDMI and 1x DVI Outputs, 5x USB Ports, 60W USB PD) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FKTZLBS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_j3PyDb0TZM1ST
Honestly love the monitor, i have it connected to this Pluggable USB C hub from amazon so i can single wire it to my macbook and charge as well; [Here]
Anker
Unitek
Unitek 2
Doesn't use the proprietary connection, but it'll do what you're looking for.
I highly recommend the sabrent USB dock!
It's got 2x USB 3, 2x USB 2, 2x USB power, hdmi, ethernet, audio in and out... It's a damn sight cheaper than the surface product, but can't charge the surface. If you're going to get a dock to sit on your desk at home, this is the best I've come across.
My laptop draws 85W over USB-C (thunderbolt 3) while also gaining a full gigabit Ethernet connection, driving two 1440p 60Hz monitors, a DAC, keyboard, and mouse. For cables like that you’re limited to very short runs but it’s perfect for a docking station setup. I use this dock.
The fact that I can do that over just one cable is amazing, it’s a genuinely brilliant connector. Gone are the days of complex docking mechanisms, now I just sit down and plug in my one cable and I’m good to go.
That is not a docking station. A docking station would include the ethernet adapter rather than it being something you plug in. Same for video and audio.
This is what a USB docking station looks like:
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Display-Docking-Station-D3100/dp/B00O0M46KO/
And if you want a full on thunderbolt 3 docking station:
https://eshop.macsales.com/preorder/owc-thunderbolt-3-dock/
As you can see- these are powered devices and nothing at all like a dongle.
If you factor in not having to buy dongles for everything, including ethernet and mini-displayport/hdmi- it's not much more expensive and the experience is a lot better.
Weekend workspace. I'm an Oracle/SQL Server DBA and usually write some code/processes to catch up during the weekend.
Specs
-Microsoft Surface Pro 4 (i5 2.4GHz, 4GB RAM)
-(x2) Dell P2411H 24" Monitors
-Sabrent Docking Station which allows me to connect one monitor via HDMI and another via DVI. Also has 6 USB ports for my keyboard, chargers, etc. It allows you to use it as a stand for the SP4 but I prefer to use the kickstand as it's a bit lower. The dock connects to the SP4 via USB and I've had no fan/slowness issues from the monitors running as part of the extended desktop.
-HHKB Lite 2 Keyboard
-Microsoft Arc Touch Surface Mouse
-Taotronics Lamp
-iKammo XXL Gaming Mat
Full Workstation here: http://imgur.com/a/61HLn
https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Surface-Dock-Compatible-Book/dp/B0163HP38W
It's $135 on Amazon, and that includes what is otherwise an $80 charger.
https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-PD9-00003-Surface-Dock/dp/B0163HP38W?th=1
Bought one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-UD-3900-Universal-Docking-Ethernet/dp/B00ECDM78E/
Love it, Love it, Love it. Had problems with it after 4 months and emailed them for help. They sent me a brand new unit at no cost to me. Top notch customer service. Ended up being a Surface driver issue an not the hub. Go figure.
https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Universal-Docking-Station-Ethernet/dp/B00ECDM78E/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_147_bs_tr_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=ZYP77K6Y8KAM7FQKQ6PT
BAM! My wife uses this and it has been flawless thus far.
I use this and works like a charm.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00ECDM78E/ref=mp_s_a_1_10?qid=1381692421&sr=8-10&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70
Running a surface pro with a cannon AIW, two 28 inch monitors and a big USB 3.0 HDD. Runs very fluid and smooth.
From what I can tell, you could achieve this in two different ways. You can get adapters for either Mini DisplayPort or USB 3.0 that will output to multiple monitors. My guess is that your current monitor is plugged into the Mini DisplayPort of your laptop? So you could get an adapter that plugs into a USB 3.0 port such as this one. There are a few different options other than the Dell adapter to which I linked, but all are around the same $100 price point. Doesn't look like it can be done for much less than that price.
EDIT: P.S. I wouldn't worry too much about quality being shit; USB 3.0 has plenty of bandwidth to handle two video signals @ 1080p.
I picked up one of these and works really good with my dual dell u2515h monitors about the same price as the above one.
Did you read https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/wiki/newdocks ?
> All in all, the decision comes to down the aggregate video bandwidth requirement, the USB bandwidth required at the same time
So what resolution are you planning to drive over thoes HDMI outputs? If lower than 4k @ 60 then https://smile.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Multiport-Adapter-Ethernet/dp/B0746P6LPP works fine.
The CalDigit TS3+ is an amazing dock. Gives you a ton of ports, and you only attach one cable because it acts as an 85W power supply too. Link to it on Amazon $300
Maybe it's just me, but I'd rather have a 13" Laptop + a 24" screen + A Thunderbolt Dock than a 15" laptop with no accessories.
13" by itself is definitely too small for multiple windows. 15" might be barely enough.
13" + 24" though is more than enough, and you can throw in a second monitor later. The XPS series has a Thudnerbolt 3 port: take advantage of it! Hubs are awesome.
USB-C dock https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Charging-Specific-Thunderbolt-DisplayPort/dp/B0779K9DG2/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?keywords=plugable+usb+3.0+docking+station&qid=1569751354&sprefix=pluga&sr=8-6
A USB C dock.
This is what I ended up getting, but YMMV: https://www.amazon.com/CalDigit-TS3-Plus-Thunderbolt-Dock/dp/B07CZPV8DF
Hello there,
I'm personally using this one for traveling for my Blade 15:
https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Thunderbolt-Dock-Windows-DisplayPort/dp/B07BJJX47G/?tag=gearbeacon-20
I have a pretty expensive one for home, but I also have a Core x and a lot of other stuff connected to it.
https://www.amazon.com/CalDigit-TS3-Plus-Thunderbolt-Dock/dp/B07CZPV8DF/?tag=gearbeacon-20
I sadly couldn't find any Docks which could output 144hz for the monitors.
Hope I could help.
The TB16 docks were nothing but headaches for us. We've since moved to this dock and things have been flawless so far.
4 usb2, 2 usb3, Gb ethernet, powered.
https://www.anker.com/products/68ANDOCKS-BA
http://www.amazon.com/Anker-Display-Universal-Ethernet-Supports/dp/B00C631EYU
Your model has a Thunderbolt port, so you have a few options:
With whatever you choose, make sure it will output the correct resolution and is suitable for use with OSX.
Depends on the IO you want.
https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Universal-Docking-Station-Ethernet/dp/B00ECDM78E
https://www.displaylink.com/products/universal-docking-stations
Get a Pluggable USB-3 dock, a male DVI to female VGA adapter, a USB 3 sharing switcher, and a female USB 3 to male USB-C OTG cable. I promise absolutely nothing
Plugable USB 3.0 Universal Laptop Docking Station for Windows (Dual Video HDMI & DVI / VGA, Gigabit Ethernet, Audio, 6 USB Ports) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECDM78E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_30Q1Ab3BX3P9J
UGREEN USB 3.0 Sharing Switch Selector 4 Port 2 Computers Peripheral Switcher Adapter Hub for PC, Printer, Scanner, Mouse, Keyboard with One Button Swapping and 2 Pack USB Male Cable https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N6GD9JO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_53Q1AbPGC4FS6
Pluggable 3000/3900 (dual or extra display) Features two graphics ports: an HDMI port and a DVI-I port with VGA adapter for mirroring/extending your Windows desktop to external monitors, a Gigabit Ethernet port (10/100/1000 supported, full-duplex required), audio input/output, two USB 3.0 ports, and four USB 2.0 ports. ($84/$99).
And doesn't interfere with touch.
https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Universal-Docking-Station-Ethernet/dp/B00ECDM78E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1481135935&sr=8-2&keywords=plugable+docking+station
These are cheaper and just work in my experience. Never had issues with these.
The external dell docking stations that are usb-c tend to be absolute garbage. The usb 3.0 ones also are garbage.
I've had better luck with this cheap plugable branded one than anything else.
http://www.amazon.com/Plugable-UD-3900-SuperSpeed-Universal-2560x1440/dp/B00ECDM78E
Although I would recommend Microsoft's own dock with a displayport to hdmi converter instead. Any usb device is going to send video over usb which isn't ideal.
The Surface Pro 3 dock allows you to connect two external monitors and other peripherals.
This sounds pretty much exactly like what you were describing. I was tempted to grab a setup like this, but I'm waiting to see what Windows 10 and the SP4 are like before breaking my Linux-only habits.
Eh?
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/d/Microsoft-Surface-Dock/8QRH2NPZ0S0P
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Microsoft-Surface-Dock/47167967
https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-PD9-00003-Surface-Dock/dp/B0163HP38W
Or you could go with a USB 3.0 docking station.
What if an asteroid hits?
>" I have seen horrible reviews about the dock "
Where was these reviews? As I see it at 4stars.
Picked mine up on Amazon for $126 last year and have had zero issues with it.
Driving dual 2k 23" displays and two external hard drives,Novation 49-keyboard Midi,usb SD card reader,etc...
Before the XPS 13, I used 15" laptops by themselves. This time around, I wanted to try something different: something small, lightweight, and with good battery life while I'm on the go, but with a desktop-like experience when I'm at my desk. That's why I chose to buy an XPS 13 9350 and a WD15 (Dell's USB-C Dock). By plugging in a single cable into my laptop's USB-C port (laptop to dock), I connect my laptop to a 25" 1440p monitor, a mechanical keyboard, a mouse, power (USB-C can provide up to 100 watts of power), headphones, a microphone, a backup SSD, and a micro USB cable (for phone, Xbox One controller for emulation, etc). I also have a highly adjustable office chair with great back support. Then when I want to take the laptop somewhere, I unplug that one single cable, put the laptop in a perfectly sized sleeve/bag hybrid, and go. It's a rather nice setup, especially now that Dell addressed my USB-C stability issues in a recent BIOS update (version 1.4.4 that came out a few days ago).
You make a good point about charging all the time being bad for the battery, but the dock /desktop mode is a core part of my setup and there's not a way to use the dock without it charging the laptop. I suppose I could start unplugging the laptop from the dock each night before I go to bed. That won't entirely fix the problem, but it should help some while still giving me the benefits of the dock.
Dell Dock WD15 with 180W Adapter, USB Type-C https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C8PHWQY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_0aXMybDENMVT2
While I don't have the Kayby Lake XPS I do have the Skylake XPS 13 (9350) and the WD15 dock (https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Dock-WD15-Adapter-Type-C/dp/B01C8PHWQY) and am also running Fedora 25.
I've got a keyboard+mouse+monitor hooked up to the dock. While it works, it doesn't work perfectly. The largest issue I have is that I can't use HDMI, I have to use VGA. The only way HDMI works is if I have the dock connected when I boot Fedora 25. VGA works fine.
Before I bought the WD15 dock I was researching the problems others had with it. I found many people who said the dock simply didn't work, and potentially a firmware update would solve it. When I bought the dock I was still uncertain whether it would work with my configuration, but I was pleasantly surprised that it did work to this degree.
When I connect the dock to my already-running laptop, with a screen connected via HDMI, I can see the display in xrandr, but after enabling output to it, the screen doesn't come alive. I haven't pinned down if this is a hardware or driver issue.
Side note: I don't have a 4k monitor attached, but I do have the touchscreen/HiDPI display. This presents an issue because X doesn't handle multiple DPIs well. If you have both HiDPI displays you could probably get away with a single DPI that would work for both the internal display and external monitor. (I've gotten around this by using xrandr's scale flag
xrandr --output DP-1-3 --right-of eDP-1 --auto --scale 2x2
We use the Dell USB-C docks at my work. They're a little pricey and less portable than I'd like, but they work well.
Your laptop supports thunderbolt 3. Thunderbolt 3 can carry DisplayPort. This means you can run multiple 4K displays through one port.
A 144hz monitor will work just fine, you just need to find one with DisplayPort, and purchase a Thunderbolt 3 to DisplayPort adapter.
Alternatively, you could buy a Thunderbolt 3 dock. These can run ethernet, audio, video, power (physically charge the laptop), USB, and more through one cable. I have this dock, and use every one of the above capabilities on a daily basis. Definitely worth the purchase.
I've purchased this USB-C hub for folks in my office and have not had complaints. I personally use this USB-C docking station at work with my 2017 MBP.
If I had to guess, his current monitors do not have USB-C connectors, so not only would the company issue a new laptop, but also 3 new monitors.
EDIT: Of course, USB-C docks that support multiple monitors are available. But then I read fine print like this: "If both DisplayLink HDMI and DVI outputs are in use, both outputs will be limited to 1080P"
Or a 7th gen NUC with a USB C docking station? https://www.amazon.com/Dell-452-BCYT-D6000-Universal-Black/dp/B071YTQBXM/ref=dp_ob_title_ce
The Dell dock claims to support one 4k with two 1080p...
Total cost should be manageable. Alternately a compact ITX build with an older workstation card might be the way to go.
Since the U2515H only has Displayport 1.2 any Displayport 1.4 hub would be useless.
You are in luck because the U2515H supports Daisy Chaining.
What you can do is buy a dual Displayport 1.2 Alt Mode adapter (example here)
and then connect two U2515H to it. For the third monitor you connect it to one of the Displayport Out ports of the two other monitors.
You could even connect all three monitors via Daisy Chaining, ergo no adapter required, just one USB-C to Displayport cable. However then the third monitor would only have a resolution of 2048x1152 @ 30 Hz. So for triple 1440p @ 60 Hz you need a adapter/hub.
Do you actually want a docking station, or do you just want an ethernet port and HDMI port?
I have a Pluggable USB 3.0 docking station that I use at the office. It works well, but it isn't USB-C so I have to use an adapter along with it. I believe they have a USB-C version, but I use my docking station for a Windows laptop that only has USB 3.0 on it also.
I have a USB-C Adapter that I carry around with me that offers USB 3.0, HDMI, and pass through USB-C on it. If you look around, you can probably find one that has ethernet in it also.
For ethernet use on the go, I have a USB to Ethernet adapter.
There are lots of options out there below $100. It really depends on what you are trying to accomplish with them.
Laptop can be seen (docked) in the bottom right. The dock has two monitors connected to it, as the i5-5200U supports a max of two external monitors. The dock, through USB, connects to a universal dock, which has the other two monitors connected to it. Therefore when I dock the laptop I go straight to quad screens.
tl;dr One laptop drives them all, but a couple docks connect them all.
http://www.amazon.com/Plugable-UD-3900-Universal-Docking-Ethernet/dp/B00ECDM78E?ie=UTF8&keywords=plugable%20docking%20station&qid=1464288611&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1
This is what I have been using for 6 months or so. I don't have a Surface pro 2 but I see that it has USB 3.0 so this should kick ass. It also has GB Ethernet, Audio too. Recommend the hell out of it. Is 100$ cheap? It seems cheap to me when I look at the other options.
I prefer the Plugable version. It's also cheaper.
Since thunderbolt 3 is relatively new there are very few docks that have been released and the ones that have don't have any reviews stating if they work with certain computers. One option: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FKTZLBS/
Another option is to buy a USB 3.0 docking station. I have Dell's D3100 which work pretty well but there are also a lot of other options but most only support 2 monitors: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ECDM78E/
http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Universal-Docking-Station-DVI-Ethernet/dp/B008YT4N3E
http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Display-UltraHD-Universal-D3100/dp/B00O0M46KO/
These of course won't charge the laptop like a thunderbolt 3 dock may be able to.
Since the xps 15 does not have displayport you would not be able to daisy chain directly but would instead have to buy thunderbolt 3 to displayport cable that supports daisy chaining but I am not sure if one is out yet.
I use this with my laptop to extend my display over to two monitors:
Plugable USB 3.0 Universal Laptop Docking Station for Windows (Dual Video HDMI and DVI/VGA, Gigabit Ethernet, Audio, 6 USB Ports) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECDM78E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_U7.HDb7M1ENVC
Only requires one USB 3.0 port to run the dock off of and in my case I only run one monitor off the dock and the other monitor off my laptop's hdmi port in order to take advantage of my graphics card for games (using the dock does not allow for use of your graphics card; an explanation can be found on the company's website). If I chose to, in the future I could always add a third monitor to the mix off the dock since I still have an open port.
You can't daisy chain HDMI monitors.
Your options are to see if your laptop manufacturer has a first party docking station that has 3 outputs, or you could get a third party dock like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Universal-Docking-Station-Ethernet/dp/B00ECDM78E
The last option would be to get a couple of USB Video cards like these: https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-USB-HDMI-Adapter-External/dp/B00H91BQ7Y/
Good luck.
I agree that the OEM docks are always the best, hands down - but I recently had a surprisingly good experience with an aftermarket USB dock. Plugable makes one that's compatible with just about anything, tablets included (using an OTG cable). This wasn't on an important system else I would have gotten the OEM dock for a little bit more.
I was having trouble getting it to work, and while suggesting a BIOS update first would have been helpful, they were happy to 2-day a tested and working dock to isolate the fault, and provide free return shipping on the test unit.
Of course, you don't get the built in charging ability, which for most users is a dealbreaker because an extra cord is too much to remember and "my laptop keeps dying ever since I started using this new dock you put in."
If you have limited outputs, this might help: https://smile.amazon.com/Plugable-Universal-Docking-Station-Ethernet/dp/B00ECDM78E/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=plugable&qid=1570318092&sr=8-4
We use these plugables at our firm and at home. I have having to buy a new docking station every time I buy a new laptop. These things have saved us bucks over the last four years.
What I do to have two monitors to work with my Razer Blade (not 2016) is plugging one directly through the laptop and plugging the other one with a docking station.
Not sure if possible, but look for usb 3.0 displaylink docks.
I use similar docks in the office for all the people that have ultra thin laptops. I have a similar one for my surface pro. not sure if you can use more than 1 at the same time though.
It's the UD 3900 from Pluggable.
Have you talked to your boss? The company it self may provide a setup.
It really depends on the laptop and OS your issued. But there are a lot of options.
if the laptop has a DP (display port) and a HDMI connector you could just connect a monitor to each.
if it has USB-3 you could use something like the below
https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Universal-Docking-Station-Ethernet/dp/B00ECDM78E
> No usb video adapter is going to be going above that due to the tech needed to run that display.
And yet, they exist. They have to be doing something other than just running an uncompressed video signal over the USB data line, but I don't know the details.
> A standardized extremal facing PCI-e x8 or even x16 port would be much better due to the ease of passive adapters vs active converters.
That's pretty much what Thunderbolt is (though it only delivers 4 lanes)
It is probably overkill for what you need and a bit pricey but this is what I use.
By far one of the best USB 3.0 docks I have used.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ECDM78E/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It's made by a company called pluggable. Amazon link is here
They make another one that does 4k as well, but none of my displays run that high res so I figured I'd save $40
You will need a docking station
I use this for work (plus an additional HDMI to DVI cable since both my work monitors are DVI): https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00ECDM78E/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495686225&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65
This model is slightly cheaper but is still good quality. I highly recommend using a dock as well.
It's $50 off on amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Surface-Pro-Docking-Station/dp/B00N3J8NRW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417225399&sr=8-1&keywords=surface+pro+3+docking
http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Surface-Pro-Docking-Station/dp/B00N3J8NRW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421776250&sr=8-1&keywords=surface+pro+3+dock
Docking stations/port replicators aren't cheap. My company buys these for our laptop users.
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Display-Docking-Station-D3100/dp/B00O0M46KO
Other non-dell ones.
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Dcomputers&field-keywords=docking+station
So I looked at a bit of stuff and made sure you could get the most expensive desk on that site when I was looking at it. The monitor I have add is that isn't on the PC part picker list is for productivity. The one on the PC part picker list is Moe of a gaming monitor. I choice to got for ergonomics rather then style, but you might like how it looks too. Also added windows 10 pro to the parts list. All in all, this is what I came up with.
Mouse: https://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/mx-vertical-ergonomic-mouse $100
Keyboard: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/microsoft-sculpt-ergonomic-desktop/8xk02kz6k69w/961p?activetab=pivot:overviewtab $66
Chair: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EUU5GFK/ref=as_li_ss_tl?&linkCode=sl1&tag=republiclab01-20&linkId=292084818f345f4b4d4c476eba03a361&language=en_US $250
Desk: https://www.upliftdesk.com $2000 max
$2416 left for pc
PC: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/vWg829
Monitor: https://www.amazon.com/Designo-MX34VQ-Adaptive-Sync-Wireless-Frameless/dp/B01N4UQIGT/?ascsubtag=[]st[p]cjng4evzq00jw4myecrbfljzq[i]9Xwcjj&tag=thestrategistsite-20
Universal dock: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O0M46KO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_j06wCbETFZDP5
What about this [Dell Inspiron i7559-763BLK] (https://shopineer.com/laptops/Dell-15-6-Inch-Gaming-Laptop-i7559-763BLK)?
Intel i5-6300HQ 2.3 GHz Quad-Core, 15.6", 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M 4GB GDDR5, Windows 10, 5.67 lbs.
It also has a good cooling system, an IPS screen for wider viewing angles and a long battery life. You can quite easily upgrade RAM later on if required.
I think you can get a [docking station] (https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Display-Docking-Station-D3100/dp/B00O0M46KO/) for it if you want to connect more monitors.
For more options you can check this [list of gaming laptops] (https://shopineer.com/laptops/top-lists/best-gaming-laptops). There are several good options within budget there, depending on what you are looking for.
https://www.amazon.ca/Triple-Display-Docking-Station-D3100/dp/B00O0M46KO/ref=asc_df_B00O0M46KO/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=292982079026&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6421051337648187910&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9000712&hvtargid=pla-406164589633&psc=1
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Its the same as this one but my model is for a quad display
Dell USB 3.0 Ultra HD/4K Triple Display Docking Station (D3100) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O0M46KO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_gJCBDb7Y31K9M
I'm using this and it works really well: https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Display-Docking-Station-D3100/dp/B00O0M46KO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1482862747&sr=8-3&keywords=usb%2B3.0%2Bdock&th=1 the used deals go for about $60-70, but any 3.0 Displaylink capable dock should do the trick!
try a displaylink USB dock,
I use these with Dell, HP & toshiba laptops
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00O0M46KO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I got 3 of these for my Asus laptops and they all work great. Supports 2x HDMI monitors each on risers plus have laptop open to form visual triangle, all 3 screens work perfectly.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00O0M46KO/ref=psdcmw_778660_t1_B00ECDM78E
*forgot to add, just grab some HDMI to VGA or DVI cables or adapters as necessary.
There are external docking stations, like this one, with multiple thunderbolt ports. I use one with two monitors; one connected via HDMI and one connected via thunderbolt.
Definitely no wireless monitors
Wireless speakers over Bluetooth exist, they just have a ton of latency, and it'll eventually drive you crazy if that's what you're using to output audio for your entire computer
There are plenty of really good wireless keyboards, but as far as wireless and mechanical, I only know of one, and it's not particularly good.
Plenty of good wireless mice, like the MX master, or performance MX from Logitech
And for external storage, you'd probably want to go with a NAS or something if you wanted wireless, or one of those weird wireless external hard drives that seem super odd and do some weird Bluetooth nonsense.
My suggestion to you would be, assuming your only reason for wanting this all wireless is ease of setup, getting normal wired peripherals, and getting a thunderbolt hub. Plug all of your peripherals into the thunderbolt hub, most if not all of which will have
At least three USB
HDMI out
Audio out (3.5mm)
And probably another thunderbolt out
That way your setup time when going from portable to desktop is just plugging in your MagSafe charger, and the one thunderbolt cable, as opposed to plugging in mouse, keyboard, monitor, speakers, power, external HDD, blah blah blah
This is one of the more popular and highly recommended thunderbolt docks on this sub (sorry for ugly link, I'm on mobile atm)
Elgato Thunderbolt 2 Dock with Thunderbolt Cable https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PAPMSLE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_SmWCxbD5T921T
I don't think you even need a thunderbolt dock. Get two long DisplayPort cables (or 1 if your monitors can be daisy chained) and then a USB extension with a USB hub on the end. Plug your mouse and keyboard into the hub and plug any audio devices into your monitor. (I assume that they have audio, considering they are high end monitors)
Edit: Because I have nothing else to do, I looked into a single cable thunderbolt solution.
The idea came from this video, and it will be extremely expensive. Like is there really a good reason to not just move the PC by your monitors?
First, to use Thunderbolt, you need to actually have Thunderbolt on your computer. Luckily for you, ASUS has a PCI card to do just that. Your motherboard is not listed as supported, but your motherboard does have the Thunderbolt header that is needed by the card, and is a newer mobo from the same manufacturer, so there is a possibility it might work. Assuming it does, you would just connect the DisplayPort from your GTX 1080 to the Thunderbolt card.
The next thing you need is a long Thunderbolt cable. I don't know how far away the computer is going to be from the TB dock, but here is a 33' long Thunderbolt cable. If you need longer, you can get 100' for $600.
Next, you'll need the Thunderbolt dock. There are many out there. I have no experience with any of them Belkin and Elgato both make them.
An unfortunate thing about the Thunderbolt docks is that they only support dual display when one of the displays is a Thunderbolt display. Otherwise, you can only use one over HDMI or one over MiniDP to DP, but not both. So that would mean repeating the whole setup with 2 docks, or just going with the suggestion I made above.
Something like these will work:
https://www.amazon.com/OWC-Port-Thunderbolt-Cable-Included/dp/B00UUCZPTO/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1524401575&sr=8-5&keywords=thunderbolt+2+dock&dpID=21NCcAbMyZL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
https://www.amazon.com/Elgato-Thunderbolt-support-Ethernet-aluminum/dp/B00PAPMSLE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1524401575&sr=8-3&keywords=thunderbolt+2+dock&dpID=31zT2jJYLkL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
https://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Thunderbolt-Transfer-Compatible-F4U085tt/dp/B00NAWCU7G/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1524401575&sr=8-7&keywords=thunderbolt+2+dock&dpID=31JGHAdmu5L&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
https://www.amazon.com/Thunderbolt-Compatible-DisplayPort-TB2DOCK4K2DP-StarTech-com/dp/B018M8RF0O/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1524401575&sr=8-9&keywords=thunderbolt+2+dock
Yeah, some company makes them now, but they're still too expensive. My biggest complaint is that I wouldn't mind a hub/dock that could give me USB 3 through Thunderbolt. But they're like 300 dollars, are you serious?
maybe something like this could work
https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Triple-Display-Docking-Station/dp/B012VKW900/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1500475217&sr=8-3&keywords=usb%2Bdocking%2Bstation%2Bdisplayport&th=1
You can simply leave it on the desk and only have to switch the usb cable from the other dock to the laptop
I bought this one and an happy with it so far:. Sabrent Universal Docking Station... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013WQWCEA?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf
I have the same monitor setup- one hdmi and one vga, and I wanted to keep it that way. I have an ideapad 720s. I also plugged in a usb port to the dock for a couple extra usb slots.
Not saying it's better or worse than any other, but it works for me so far. The Intel chip actually can do three monitors (2 external plus the laptop, open).
Better link
https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-Universal-Docking-supports-DS-RICA/dp/B013WQWCEA
This is just Amazon affiliate linkspam and has nothing to do with eGPU. Also, it's regular price, it's not on sale at all: https://camelcamelcamel.com/Sabrent-Universal-Notebooks-Supports-DS-RICA/product/B013WQWCEA
You can add this to any USB-Hub.
https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-External-Multi-Monitor-Graphics-USB32HDEH/dp/B00C2AS5C6, but it's only the HDMI, and it's already $80.
Since $129 for the Surface Dock is "criminal", I'm not sure what's "acceptable". I recommended this USB-to-HDMI because it's 4k; going forward you don't want to have to replace an entire dock just to get higher def.. Also you want portability, so a small compact USB3 hub would go well. You wouldn't need to pull out the HDMI port unless you needed, making the hub you buy smaller, and cheaper.
EDIT: Note: sending display over USB will eat battery and also not perform very well for rapid programs. It's not terrible, but will slow down depending on what else you send through USB.
https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-PD9-00003-Surface-Dock/dp/B0163HP38W/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1510897172&sr=1-4&keywords=surface+dock&dpID=31TvMHc217L&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
The current version of the Surface Dock does indeed work with the Book 2. This is the current version:
https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-PD9-00003-Surface-Dock/dp/B0163HP38W/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1511801382&sr=8-3&keywords=surface+dock
(This version looks like a brick covered in ports, and connects to the Surface via a cable. Older versions directly held the Surface (Pro) inside of the dock).
This is exactly what I have on my desk. The Surface Dock goes to my Surface Book 2, and DisplayPort-to-DVI cables go to my monitors.
There is a Surface Dock
The dock has two DP ports, no HDMI. You can see all the ports in the pics on the Amazon product page here. If you need HDMI to Mini-DP converter, you can get the one I use here. I prefer surface dock because I love how easy it is to connect the Surface connect port to my computer and then just have charging, displays, and all my USB-stuff just work. If you get a USB-C dock, even if it does charging, I can't guarantee that it will charge it well. The SP7 seems to charge slower on USB-C than on Surface Connect port. If you plan on plugging in but then also having a port to run your dock, you should look at this USB-C dock. But again, I love that the Surface Dock does everything in one connection, and then my USB-C port is still available if I need to connect anything that way.
I use the Dell WD15 Monitor Dock. I like it heavyduty Dex Station.
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Monitor-Adapter-450-AEUO-4W2HW/dp/B01C8PHWQY
Dell Dock with 180W Adapter (4W2HW) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C8PHWQY/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_2xDtxb2WFQ5QJ
I have a 2017 MBP 13 and use a dell universal USB-C dock to project onto 2 monitors for a total of 3 displays. It says it's capable of projecting onto 3 external displays but the MBP might limit that. It also seems to charge my laptop as fast if not faster than the included charger Apple bundled.
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-452-BCYT-D6000-Universal-Black/dp/B071YTQBXM/
There are probably options that are a bit cheaper and include a little less but this works fine with a MBP once you install the Displaylink drivers.
Edit: I originally linked to the d3100 dock but turns out I'm using the D6000.
Setup:
Dell P2217H x2
Dell WD15 Monitor Dock
Happy Hacking Professional 2
Mizux Wireless USB Mini Numpad
Logitech MX Master 2S
http://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-dock-wd15-with-180w-adapter/apd/450-aeuo/pc-accessories
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Dock-WD15-Adapter-Type-C/dp/B01C8PHWQY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487101395&sr=8-1&keywords=wd15+dell
Don't mind the low review score on Dell's website. If you are not running the latest bios for your system any dock will give you issues. I have already 5 deployed at my office and they work great.
*Edit Based on what you said you have 3 monitors this dock will only do 2+ laptop screen. You really should find a thunderbolt dock which has the ability to push a lot more bandwidth. Unfortunately my experience with Dell's offering was bad.
Currently $156 on Amazon
I just received mine Saturday and it is really really nice. Awesome build quality, huge rubber grip on the bottom, and it keeps your XPS 15 charging too (make sure you get the 180W version). I haven't had a chance to try yet, but I'm hoping the Mini Displayport out will be able to use my 2010 27" iMac as a display. USB C is just such a cool connector too.
Besides wattage, what's the difference between this and the WD15?
Based on what you're describing, what you're looking for is probably less of a hub and more of a USB-C/Thunderbolt dock.
 
I have this CalDigit USB-C Dock which I use with my Blade 14". The build quality is very nice and sturdy and it tends to work fairly well. Though your mileage may vary.
It doesn't charge the blade 14" though b/c you can't push 165W of power through USB-C, but it should be able to charge the stealth just fine. There are also other USB-C/Thunderbolt docks such as Dell's WD15 Dock and Pluggable's USB-C Dock. Though most USB-C/Thunderbolt docks tend to have a mixed bag of reviews, so make sure to do your research before selecting one.
 
Though as for the "Affordable" part, that depends on what you consider affordable. Most of the docks tend to cost around $150
A hub, which is normally unpowered (No external supply besides the usb connection), would probably have similar ports and be cheaper, but likely would not charge the computer
For when I'm on-the-go I usually just leave these two things in my bag:
Aukey (30W) charger for my rMB 2016. Great for the 29W requirement of the rMB, but I don't think it will charge the current MBPtb as fast as the included Apple charger. There are certainly similar alternatives available on Amazon that are better suited for the power requirement of the MBPtb though.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LX063QN/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Cable Matters USB-C Cable
Only for charging. Data transfer with this cable is at USB 2.0 speeds (like the Apple cable included in the box). I prefer this to the apple cable because the adapter is at a right angle, and thus sends the cable directly backwards instead of off to the side. This is far less obtrusive/annoying when I'm sitting at my desk at work.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N41JUI4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1for charging
When I'm at home I use the Dell WD-15 as a dock. This charges my rMB at full speed in addition to being a source of USB 3.0 ports, 3.5mm audio out, and my HDMI/VGA/Mini-displayport monitor connection with a single USB-C input. This dock will definitely charge your MBPtb, but it will do so at a slower speed because it only uses around 60W(?) for charging. I believe Dell makes another dock that has a greater power output if slower charging speed is a big issue for you.
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Dock-WD15-Adapter-Type-C/dp/B01C8PHWQY/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1501694857&sr=1-1&keywords=dell+wd15
I'm currently using Dell's type c hub for my Blade 14. Works just as intended. I plug it in when ever I'm at my desk to connect two external monitors, a mouse, a keyboard, ethernet, speakers, and an external hard drive.
I actually got it from Amazon. Ordered it last Friday and quickly noticed that it was pulled. Not sure if it's a inventory problem, because the device certainly works. I'm on day 2 without a single issue.
Alternatively, they have a single display version for users that won't ever need more than the standard extended display.
I would recommend the Plugable brand docks. I've tried several and these have worked the most consistently.
https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Charging-Delivery-Specific-Thunderbolt/dp/B01FKTZLBS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1487180798&sr=8-3&keywords=plugable+usb+c
https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-non-Touchbar-Chromebook-Thunderbolt-Supported/dp/B01FKMN1BW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1487180798&sr=8-4&keywords=plugable+usb+c
Are you looking for a multiport adapter or a USB dock? I think most adapters you'll find will work, but the key to finding a dock, as far as I'm aware, is DisplayLink (pluggable) not DisplayPort-alt (WD15) if you want multiple displays.
Sidenote, if anybody knows where to find a cheap HP Elite USB-C Docking Station let me know.
Here you go! https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-USB-C-Docking-Station-Delivery/dp/B01FKMN1BW
You could try the Dell WD15 - no thunderbolt ports but they have HDMI ports.
There's also this one which I've seen recommended around the sub as a replacement to the TB 15.
There are Thunderbolt 3 graphics docks that use the DisplayLink 6000-series chipset with two DisplayPort 1.2 outputs and multiple USB 3.0 ports. However, compatibility with Macs is spotty.
I have a Thunderbolt 3 to 2 x DisplayPort 1.2 adapter and it works like a charm. There are some splitters that also include gigabit Ethernet (that doesn't matter to you because Mac Minis still have Ethernet, thankfully). However, there's no USB output.
I'm pretty sure your laptop has a USB Type-C port though, and the video pass through is part of the USB Type-C spec. So this should still work, or you can look at this one, it just means that instead of being able to hook up 2 4K panels and a bunch of peripherals, you might be able to hook up only 1 4K panel or 1440p panel and a bunch of peripherals due to the bandwidth differences between USB Type-C and TB3.
Worse comes to worst, you can simply return it for a refund, so it costs you nothing to try.
I'm using this Plugable USB-C Triple Display Docking Station for $180, but I'm sure there are cheaper options if you don't need all these ports.
here is a dock that should do everything.
https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Display-Docking-Charging-Delivery/dp/B01FKTZLBS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478484255&sr=8-1&keywords=pluggable+usb+c+docking+station
For anyone who might be in the same boat I purchased this dock which came with a USB C to C cable:
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B01FKTZLBS/ref=ppx_yo_mob_b_track_package_o0_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1
And then I purchased this USB A to C cable to connect my Lenovo to the dock:
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B01GGKYR2O/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1
This setup works perfectly for both my thinkpad and my chromebook.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FKTZLBS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Assuming you want to use the two TVs in extended video mode (not mirrored), then you'll need to have them connected to separate Thunderbolt ports.
One option is what u/wamj said, where you get an adapter that has an HDMI out port as well as a USB-C power input to the laptop. This will be to connect one of the TVs. The 2nd TV will need a USB-C to HDMI adapter plugged into the second Thunderbolt port on the laptop.
Second option is to get a Thunderbolt hub. The hub needs to have an HDMI out port as well as a Thunderbolt pass-through port. One TV will be connected to the HDMI port, the second TV will need to have a USB-C to HDMI adapter plugged into the Thunderbolt pass-through port. This is a more expensive option. I am using this Thinkpad Thunderbolt 3 dock in this kind of configuration with a 2018 Mac Mini and 2 HDMI monitors.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071NWZDJB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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This should meet all of your criteria. I'm waiting for mine to come in. And as for the pass through charging I wouldn't worry about it, Its only going to deliver power if it recognizes your device as having TB3 charging.
We found that with Dell these USB-C docks are rock solid. We run dual displays and don't have any issues. https://www.amazon.com/Dell-452-BCYT-D6000-Universal-Black/dp/B071YTQBXM/ref=dp_ob_title_ce
The are quite a few. Docks aren't brand-specific.
Here's one.
I found it was compatible by googling "Yoga 920 dock" and finding this.
I've got one of these. They gave me one at work and it worked well enough that I bought one for personal use. Please note though:
You can use a USB-C dock that has 2 DisplayPorts, a couple of USB ports, and power passthrough, like this. Then use 2 DisplayPort to DVI cables. Then EVERYTHING on your desk will go through 1 cable.
Lenovo's TB3 dock should? work.
Alternately, https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-DisplayPort-Thunderbolt-Compatible/dp/B0746NKVBN/ref=sr_1_20?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1522865723&sr=1-20&keywords=dual+cable+matters cheap docks like that work for a lot of things.
If you don't mind using both usb-c ports at the same time, just get a simple DPP adapter for each.
Whatever you need! for 2x Screens, DP Alternate over USB-C can only really drive 2x DP @ 1440P 60hz before it runs out of bandwidth - Dual 4K @ 30Hz is possible but I don't consider that usable for normal work. Also you'll have to give up Gigabit Ethernet and USB 3 because of bandwidth limitations.
Something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Multiport-DisplayPort-Ethernet/dp/B0746NKVBN?ref_=w_bl_hsx_s_hi_web_13705622011
But it may fit your needs, Keyboard/Mouse/PD Passthrough and 2xFHD.
Otherwise you will have to go TB3 which is much more $$. If you want eGPU Lenovo has the TB3 Graphic dock w/ the 1050, however also be aware most eGPU Docks may have flaky compatibility with certain mice/keyboard, basically bandwidth allocation issues. It usually rears it's head when you have load on the GPU portion, seeing as the T480s only has twin lane, you could run into bandwidth issues under heavy load where USB connections may drop intermittently however this is a general issue with pretty much all current TI83 TB3 implementations which almost all eGPUs use.
Is this it? https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Multiport-DisplayPort-Ethernet/dp/B0746NKVBN
This one has been great for my use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0746NKVBN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05__o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Using a single USB-C would be the best solution, but I am not sure about the available bandwidth. These are the gadgets that must work simultaneously:
I want to use a LattePanda Alpha 864s as the brain of the system, and I am not sure if the built-in USB-C connector is capable of covering all of the mentioned things.
Thunderbolt 3 is capable of driving a 4K display at 120Hz which is the equivalent (more or less) of four FHD displays at 120Hz. From that perspective you're covered, the problem is finding an adapter with two DisplayPort outputs or HDMI 2.0 outputs. I'd recommend the official Lenovo Thunderbolt 3 dock but I don't know if it supports 120Hz. One review of the Plugable dock mentions it supports 120Hz and the Yoga 920, but it only has one DisplayPort output. OWC Thunderbolt 3 dock supports 120Hz too, but it too only has one DP output.
I use this mainly for its dual monitor support. It only gives you one USB-C which I use for one of the displays. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075M1XHCK?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Get this. Seriously. https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Thunderbolt-Charging-Specific-DisplayPort/dp/B075M1XHCK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1537204805&sr=8-1&keywords=plugable+thunderbolt+3
Pluggable finally released a new product that works great. The amazon link is: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B075M1XHCK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I bought it and have zero problems in the first few days. It's so nice not to have three things I need to plug in every time I take my laptop with me. One cord now does it all and it powers two external 23" monitors via HDMI and USB-C.
As for the dual 4K support, this is the one I found, they explictly state it drives the second monitor with a DisplayLink DL-6950, DisplayLink explictly states they support Ubuntu.
Just understand that if you get such a dock, the video card is USB, if you're using it for excel or something it's probably fine, but it's reasonable to assume most 3D stuff won't work, and even some videos may be questionable (likely not able to play 4k video) these cards are usually really slow.
This is a good dock. I have someone using a elitebook 1040 using this dock 24/7 and it works well including power delivery. StarTech.com Dual Monitor USB C Dock - for Windows Laptops - 4K MST - with 60W Power Delivery (USB PD) - Laptop Docking Station https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078MPQ36T/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_O8OIBbHZHGB4S
Also pluggable - Plugable USB-C 4K Triple Display Docking Station with Charging Support for Specific Windows USB Type-C/Thunderbolt 3 Systems (1x HDMI & 2x DisplayPort++ Outputs, 60W USB PD) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0779K9DG2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_6.OIBbJ5X90EB
The HP usb C docks I’m not a real fan of, they haven’t been updated for a bit. You can pretty much use any USB C dock with PD (power delivery) so it’s just a single cable. That’s what you’ll want to search. I like the star tech one above. I also have a bunch of the small travel ones for my elitebooks that I use for dual monitor when I’m on business which work fine but if your using it full time stick with one that’s powered like above. For displays it’s thunderbolt C port is pretty capable, most of the docks use display link technology which is going to have a max resolution and monitor count depending on price.
Couple options depending on ports needed, thunderbolt 3 docks will also not have embedded cables
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078J7FSWM
Or
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KY51P6S
I got this one a few months back and I really like it. I only wish I had gotten a different model that supports two external displays since this model only supports one. Otherwise, it works great. I have a monitor, keyboard, speakers and a usb-a drive connected to it and I haven't experienced any issues whatsoever. It connects all of that stuff and charges my Pixelbook through a single usb-c cable.
There is plenty of smaller cheaper docks than this one but what I liked about this one is 1. it requires no drivers, 2. does everything you need it to, 3. comes with a detachable (and relatively long) cable, and 4. comes with a mount so you can put it on the back of your monitor/ under your desk.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078J7FSWM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_7QiWBbMTF1F1K
I've been using this: https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Charging-Compatible-Thunderbolt-MacBooks/dp/B078J7FSWM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1539279240&sr=8-4&keywords=plugable+usb-c for work and its fantastic. Works consistently and I have my external HDD attached for automatic backups whenever I dock my matebook.
On this dock it works for me; however, you have to wake the chromebook from sleep to get it to "connect" to the chromebook and start charging it. The Devices off the USBs charge no matter if the chromebook is attached or not.
The rear ports on my pluggable dock only work while the device is connected. So it just leaves you with one usb to charge other devices (on the front). This will connect and charge the chromebook while it is asleep.
So..... it depends....
been available on amazon for about a week now
I’ve made this comment before on another post here, but 5 stars goes to the CalDigit TS3 Plus dock. It’s expensive - around $300 - but it does what you’re asking, and more. Through a single thunderbolt 3 port, I have power delivery, two external monitors, an external hard drive, audio, external webcam, and more ports to spare still. I’m not sure I’ve ever been happier with a peripheral purchase.
CalDigit TS3 Plus Thunderbolt 3... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CZPV8DF?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Another good option is CalDigit TS3 Plus Thunderbolt 3 Dock which should give you one some good connectivity options. Hope that fits your budget. You would also have to get a USB-C to DP cable or some thing similar..
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CZPV8DF/
I'm really liking it! It just came in on Thursday. It's great to only have 1 wire going to the MBP, since it's kind of in my face now.
Correct. It's this one https://www.amazon.com/CalDigit-TS3-Plus-Thunderbolt-Dock/dp/B07CZPV8DF
I hear the CalDigit TS3 Plus is the gold standard for docks, but it is a little pricey at $300.
https://www.amazon.com/CalDigit-TS3-Plus-Thunderbolt-Dock/dp/B07CZPV8DF/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1550169829&sr=1-1&keywords=caldigit+ts3+plus
Edit: This is the one I plan to buy for my MBP soon.
>when I started looking at usb-c docks
Please note there is a BIG difference between a usb-c dock/dongle/hub and a thunderbolt dock.
>they usually seem to have only 3. I want 4 damnit! (1 media hard disk, 1 time machine, 1 receiver for the keyboard and mouse, and 1 charger for said keyboard and mouse,
You have a usb-c receiver for your keyboard? All of these devices need a usb C port? Not USB Type A? Because most thunderbolt docks have at least 3-5 USB A ports.
>I want to get to my desk, plug 1 usb-c cable into my shiny new mac, and have everything connected like magic.
Get the CalDigit TS3 Plus and call it a day.
I assume Thunderbolt 3/USB-C? Wirecutter has a good breakdown. Basically it’s the Caldigit TS3 Plus. It is a bit pricey.
I got the Caldigit TB3 dock about a month ago and it's been great. I really did my research and I just wanted the best one. I'm running 2 HD monitors and tons of peripherals. I WFH so I wanted the most useful ports + reliability + not a million bucks. Highly recommend.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CZPV8DF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_5U6XCbN4D2P5A
Monitor: lg 32uk550
Keyboard: Vortex Race 3
Dock: CalDigit TS3 Plus
I've been using this one since I got my 2018 MBP and it works great. It's also pretty pricey though.
... and I guess it's DisplayPort and not HDMI. I'm a useless failure. :(
Not much help from me I'm afraid.
​
After a lot of research it seems all the 'good' options are way too expensive right now. I ended up going with a cheap 3rd party dock and I'll be sticking with my 1440 regular monitor until a reasonable option to run an ultrawide at 60Hz or more from a laptop with USB-C power delivery comes out.
​
So far as I can tell you're basically just looking at thunderbolt docks when it comes to higher res at a reasonable refresh rate. Built-in USB-C docks on monitors were all lacking in some way. Even Lenovo's official ThinkPad docks either won't run anything above 1080 at 60Hz, or have strange problems when powering higher res displays (like the gen 2 thunderbolt dock powering off / overheating randomly).
​
I ended up with the following as a solution for now, plugged into a x280 ThinkPad. It works ok but having a non-detachable short cord kind of sucks. Also I don't think this would power an ultrawide at 60Hz+ either, but a 2560x1440 is fine. All in all I'm dissapointed but will probably look into future docks offered by Lenovo in about a year. The current offering _should_ work but so many people seem to have issues that it's just a non-starter for me right now. I did find a list of docks offered by Lenovo and their supported resolutions / refresh rates, but it's lacking in some information.
​
Good luck!
https://www.amazon.ca/Cable-Matters-Multiport-DisplayPort-Ethernet/dp/B0746NKVBN/ref=sr_1_4?crid=26HOCB0T8SLL7&keywords=cablematters+usb+c&qid=1575069335&sprefix=cablematters+%2Caps%2C174&sr=8-4
https://support.lenovo.com/gt/en/solutions/pd029622
this is the best USB-C based product on the market because besides 4K @60Hz it also allows charging, network and USB 2.0 devices.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0746NKVBN/ref=emc_b_5_mob_t
If you need dual 4K @60Hz you can either hook up two of these or buy a far more expensive TB3 dock
I've elaborated all the basics here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/MatebookXPro/comments/auafyh/overview_connect_your_matebook_to_an_external/
I highly recommend the Cable Matters Thunderbolt/USB-C docks. These are the only ones we use, anymore - we ditched all of our Lenovo docks for them. Primarily, we buy the DisplayPort version, but I do have a pair of the HDMI ones floating around for when we need to hook up to a flatscreen at a conference or a projector or something. They don't need firmware updates, they're tiny (smaller than some external drives), and they just work. I have never had to troubleshoot one. And they cost a fraction of what Lenovo docks do. Love them.
Get one of the two below, and update the firmware from their site:
Be sure to download and apply the update from CableMatters' site. The 201055 update works for both versions, use the same procedure.
Generally all Intel-based Chromebooks support MST. I don't know about ARM-based ones.
I like the cablematters docks. There's a dual DP one that has charge-through, as well as a USB hub and ethernet.
There's also a dual HDMI version that works just as well.
I bought this one https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0746P6LPP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_lH25BbHH1D1SC
I use it with a laptop running ubuntu
I haven't looked into the Pixelbook lineup but I've been using an Asus C302 for front-end development and I honestly can't see myself going back to windows right now.
The only downside with the C302 is it's limited to Crouton. Apparently the kernel is too old for Crostini, but I haven't run into a problem that requires Crostini.
With Crouton I run a Xenial chroot and open Linux Apps through the xiwi extension. I've run into a few issues with Xiwi, mainly authentication. Some apps require me to authenticate in the browser (Postman & Spotify), but they don't have the ability to access the native ChromeOS browser. To solve this I had to add a desktop environment to my chroot and authenticate in that desktop's browser. Luckily, I only have to do this once, so if you're limited on storage you can just remove the desktop environment after.
The other issue with running Linux apps through xiwi is you lose access to the media keys. Crouton has a flag named keyboard that should fix this but it doesn't seem to work with my chromebook. This isn't that big of a deal for background apps, like Spotify, but when I run VSCode I would get tired of having to leave the app to turn down the audio or turn up the brightness.
I did some research and found code-server. It was built to allow developers to access VSCode remotely through their browser, but I use it to run VSCode on http://localhost:3000. I created a shortcut for this port and checked "run as window" so it takes up the whole screen.
The only downside with code-server is that it doesn't have access to all the extensions in the VSCode Marketplace. Apparently the code-server team maintains their own collection of extensions and optimize them individually. Simple extensions like themes and icons get added automatically but more complex extensions like live-server and live-share have yet to be supported.
Also, I bought this USB Hub from Cable Matters. After it shipped, I was informed by Cable Matters that my dual 1080p setup would not be supported, but not only did my C302 extend to both, it kept the original display available so now I have a nice triple monitor setup!
Would you mind sharing a link of which displayport adapter you went with?
I am looking for a dock/hub that will do dual HDMI, Ethernet, and still have USB-C power through. Currently looking at this cable matters hub but seems like it may not support two separate extended monitors on chromebook.
(https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0746P6LPP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
​
The laptop stand is an [AmazonBasics Ventilated Adjustable Laptop Stand] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WRDS8H0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_juNgz9ZFcAZtz) with a custom built wooden riser underneath.
The dock is the D3100 but honestly isn't that great. I got to use a TB 16 during my internship this summer and it was far better.
I'm currently running 1920x1080@75 Hz (lower) and 1600x900@60Hz (upper) from HDMI and DisplayPort respectively.
Edit: FWIW the docking station I want is this one: Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Dock with Charging Compatible with MacBook Pro 2019 2018 2017 and Specific Windows Laptops (Supports DisplayPort or HDMI up to 4K 60, Gigabit Ethernet, Audio, 5 USB 3.0 Ports). It's just a little too expensive to justify.
https://smile.amazon.com/Plugable-Thunderbolt-Charging-Compatible-DisplayPort/dp/B075M1XHCK/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=plugable+tb3&qid=1554833103&s=gateway&sr=8-4 works well for me, but you'll need to connect 2 of the 3 monitors using tb3 passthrough somehow. Also, it only supplies 65w of power, so you'll still need your power brick. This model simply avoids a lot of the reliability issues with dell docks
I have this one and love it. Doesn’t have everything you need but not likely to find everything in one.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B075M1XHCK/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1
My home setup I still have an l-shaped glass and steel desk (I prefer glass for how cold to the touch it is and clean it looks), triple monitor, desktop pc on the centerpiece, and an older 32 inch lcd tv with a setup for my laptop or projects on the other desk to my right. If I were to do it over again, I would get one of these:
https://www.amazon.com/VIVO-Workstation-Ergonomic-Adjustable-DESK-V102E/dp/B071KGDGNK/
And go to home depot and get a big 24x48x2 piece of wood, sand it, stain it till it's good, do a thin polyurethane top coat, etc...
https://www.amazon.com/ECHOGEAR-Triple-Monitor-Mount-Screens/dp/B079NNC2YQ/
And use this for my 3 monitors at home, instead of the stand I currently have. Fixed mounts with a curve, all the way. For value if I were doing a new build, I would get 3 of these as my monitors:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1102898-REG/dell_s2715h_27_1920x1080_led_monitor.html
I prefer 1080p as it's still the end-user style often used.
https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Charging-Specific-Thunderbolt-DisplayPort/dp/B0779K9DG2/
This is the dock I would use for the triple monitor setup. Displayport-to-hdmi cables are all over the place, adapters too. Cheap. This dock does some modest charging, but these Plugable ones have been super solid in our workplace so far.
No stickers on the individual boxes, and no packing label showing my actual order. The shipping label, on a 16" square box, has my address with a shipping weight of 1 lb. My Amazon app shows the items (a total of 6 USB cables) were delivered in one shipment.
Inside the box is three of these
This dock is exactly what you need and much better than the Surface Dock: Plugable USB-C 4K Triple Display... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0779K9DG2?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
I bought this one for work to use with my T480 and I'm quite happy. As the network administrator, I've noticed no issues with it except that I can't do a hyper-V switch using its network interface. It does drive three 1080p monitors quite nicely too.
If you decide you want the convince of just plugging in one usb-c I would suggest this if your Mac or pc is powered off of the usb-c it’s all taken care of with in one cord.
This Plugable dock
Yeah I tried your method before, I couldn't get it to work either, I think USB C technology still needs some time to mature.
You might wanna also look at this one too? (Find another site that's in stock)
Not sure if 85 Watts would handle it, I know the Surface Dock is 65 Watts. (Could be wrong)
Edit: Nevermind, the Surface Book 2 is only 90 Watts, need at least 100 then.
I seemed to have good luck with this Plugable: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B078J7FSWM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Not bad. You can supposedly play GTA V on it without a hitch on low settings at 720p. For video, it can push a 4k display.
I personally have done molecular graphics on the UHD 620 and its been fine. If you need the GPU Though, you could get an X1 with a thunderbolt 3 port and then get an eGPU dock. Lenovo even has one https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-G0A10170UL-Thunderbolt-Graphics-Dock/dp/B079JFW3YT .
I'm pretty sure I've seen something on this sub where somebody had connected the Lenovo Thunderbolt 3 graphics dock to a regular dock that their laptop was connected to
Edit: Actually this is what I was thinking of, see Sir Hammerfest's review here: https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-G0A10170UL-Thunderbolt-Graphics-Dock/dp/B079JFW3YT#aw-udpv3-customer-reviews_feature_div
So yes you can daisy-chain docks it seems
Shouldn’t you consider this? TB3 dock with eGPU inside!
Lenovo G0A10170UL Thunderbolt 3 Graphics Dock https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079JFW3YT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Ub41Ab272G036
There are many chassis options. I prefer chassis that can be upgraded and that can fit a full-size desktop GPU. I also don't desire ports (usb, ethernet, etc) on my eGPU (they sap the bandwidth available).
Here is the eGPU I have:
https://www.amazon.com/Akitio-Node-Thunderbolt3-Windows-Compatible/dp/B06XKKSNTS/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1523741348&sr=1-3&keywords=egpu
I have a 1070 in mine.
Another option in the same category:
https://www.amazon.com/Sonnet-Breakaway-Thunderbolt-Expansion-GPU-350W-TB3Z/dp/B072L9QTZT/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1523741348&sr=1-2&keywords=egpu
Alternatively you could look for something compact and non-upgradable:
https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-G0A10170UL-Thunderbolt-Graphics-Dock/dp/B079JFW3YT/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1523741535&sr=1-1&keywords=graphics+dock
In terms of ram you're probably alright if you stick to a good name brand such as kingston or G skill. Just make sure it's 260pin SODIMM when your order it.
I don't have a lot of experience with docking stations, as I have a powerful tower that sits at home. But I know lenovo has a dock that has a nvidia 1050 inside to help performance with 4k screens or multiple monitors. It runs by tb3 x4 and has 2 display ports and an hdmi port. I've never used it, but I can imagine that would be very helpful for high resolution or high refreshrates, video/photo editing, and of course gaming. https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-G0A10170UL-Thunderbolt-Graphics-Dock/dp/B079JFW3YT
It's fairly pricey, but very interesting nontheless.
> but its also a lot more expensive
AORUS RX580 box is 390$ after rebate.
The Lenovo Graphics dock is 368$.
If the size of the AORUS is acceptable, this really is a no brainer. the RX580 is far more powerful than the GTX1050 and to top it all off, the Lenovo dock cannot be upgraded, while the AORUS Gaming Box, even if limited to ITX cards, can be.
I play WoW on medium settings. On battery temps are around 65-68c and the fans are pretty loud, although I got this coming from an old Sony Vaio Flip 15 which was 10x louder when doing hardly anything... so the MXP's fans are not too loud for me.
If gaming while charging it adds another 3-6 degrees. This laptop is hotter while charging which is my only real gripe. But while playing wow they keyboard does get hot but not "too" hot to handle. More demanding games I can totally see it getting too hot unfortunately.
I must note as well that I have Undervolted and Overclocked as well, which helps a lot and I recommend, but the numbers above are based on that... so if you don't do this it will be even hotter. Probably another 5c or so.
I am planning on getting this to help for gaming: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079JFW3YT/?coliid=I1VYO4B83RSIUJ&colid=1ON11UAPA6MN&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
When not gaming this thing is cool and quite though... even with a lot of multitasking.
CalDigit TS3 Dock
More of a Docking station than a dongle but this should work.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CZPV8DF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_G0NyDbTJX17CQ
this is pretty good if youre willing to drop some cash money
Why can't you just plug the USB-C to USB-A dock into one of the monitors ? (do the Monitors only have 1 USB-C port ?)
What you're asking for really isn't a "thing". (there's no such thing as a "USB-C splitter". USB-C doesn't really work that way.
I mean.. that type of thing DOES exist. It''s called a USB-C Docking Station. But they're pretty pricy. (like this CalDigit one for $300: https://www.amazon.com/CalDigit-TS3-Plus-Thunderbolt-Dock/dp/B07CZPV8DF/ref=asc_df_B07CZPV8DF/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309777534894&hvpos=1o12&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9003396814657743267&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9028893&hvtargid=pla-557493787111&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=58425267301&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=309777534894&hvpos=1o12&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9003396814657743267&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9028893&hvtargid=pla-557493787111 )
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CZPV8DF
can charge laptop at 85w
Is this the one you have? I'll do it if nothing else works, but that was more than I thought I'd have to spend!
If anyone has something simpler/ cheaper that works, I'd love to know about it.
I've got the Caldigit TS3 Plus (https://www.amazon.com/CalDigit-TS3-Plus-Thunderbolt-Dock/dp/B07CZPV8DF) and I like it a lot. However, I don't think it has HDMI/VGA.
Hi! Your setup looks pretty great, and we were curious if we could use this photo on our Facebook page.
Additionally, if you're interested in more ports as well as 85W charging and the ability to connect to dual extended displays, I'd suggest taking a look at our TS3 Plus (also available on Amazon).
Caldigit TS3 will be perfect for you
https://smile.amazon.com/CalDigit-TS3-Plus-Thunderbolt-Dock/dp/B07CZPV8DF
Running one of these: CalDigit TS3 Plus Thunderbolt 3 Dock
It's pretty legit and works very well with Arch. A couple times where when I sleep my machine and unplug while it's slept, it will be upset on waking up, but otherwise it works 100% every time.
This one is super solid for me: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CZPV8DF
Lots of ports, full charging speed, video out, etc...
Ok.. here's my final update. I found another monitor it's more expensive but it is 4k and better on my eyes for coding. I am not coding at UHD resolution though - I'm coding at the 1920x1080 so I can read the text lol.
However for video or such i can switch it back to UHD and enjoy an amazing picture..
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XPJYVF2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
And then the doc for my office I am using ( one monitor on usb-c and one on display port)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CZPV8DF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The mini doc i use for traveling around which has my usb adapter for my travel mouse and connects to the hdmi monitor at home is :
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074J79WWJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
All are working great!
I just picked up one of these guys and a Razer Core X. Since it allows for daisy chaining I'll report back my findings... Hoping it will work as a single cord setup. Chances are the 85w will not be enough power for my laptop (Thinkpad X1 Extreme) so I will still need to go for a 2-wire setup.
Edit: Looks like it does charge the laptop! and at a decent rate, too.
https://www.amazon.com/Anker-AK-68ANDOCKS-BEA-Display-Universal-Docking/dp/B00C631EYU/
I've been using this for about 3 years.
just 1 windows laptop with two 23" monitors
this docking station comes with a power adapter and MUST connect to your laptop via USB-A. you might need a dongle to connect to your macbook air.
I needed a driver to get it to work with windows and the instructions didn't say anything about drivers. I thought the unit was defective until I went browsing on the anker website.
anker claims the dock outputs to 2 monitors (1x DVI, 1x HDMI), but I've never been able to get 2 monitors to run smoothly via the dock at the same time. instead, I use:
Similar/Identical to the USB dock that /u/blackjesus posted, I have the anker one: http://www.amazon.com/Anker-Display-Universal-Ethernet-Supports/dp/B00C631EYU
Absolutely love it. Highly recommend.
Edit: I've been using it with a Surface Book, but I'm quite sure it would work with an SP2 - really anything with DisplayLink would do the trick.
No worries man. Just in case you were curious. [This] (http://www.amazon.com/Display-Universal-Docking-Ethernet-included/dp/B00C631EYU/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1395981774&sr=1-3&keywords=USB+Docking+station) is what I was talking about.
I had 2 HDMI's running from 1 Thunderbolt with this, but one with HDMI and another one with VGA. Returned it and purchased this. To this ANKER dock connected both monitors, the mouse and Ethernet. I disable Wireless since I find non-sense having two Networking sources at the same time, however over WiFi I got no problems at all. The dock is permanently close to my MacBook.
You will need a USB dock.. something along the lines of this: https://www.amazon.com/Anker-AK-68ANDOCKS-BEA-Display-Universal-Docking/dp/B00C631EYU/
​
There are cheaper and more expensive options, just gotta google for 'em. (I'm currently at work using that exact Anker dock for the last 2+ years)
A majority of our classrooms have this:
https://smile.amazon.com/Lenovo-Replicator-Digital-Video-0A33942/dp/B004Y46J1W/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1494075849&sr=8-10&keywords=lenovo+port+replicator
I didnt pay that price for it, but since they dont make it anymore, the price is higher.
I've been getting these lately, but it's not mac friendly:
https://smile.amazon.com/Plugable-Universal-Docking-Station-Ethernet/dp/B00ECDM78E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1494076008&sr=8-2&keywords=usb+3.0+port+replicator
and I've tried this one:
https://smile.amazon.com/Anker-Display-Universal-Docking-Station/dp/B00C631EYU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1494076155&sr=8-4&keywords=usb+3.0+port+replicator
Thanks for the advice. I couldn't find a thunderbolt docking station that supported multiple monitors, so I ended up purchasing this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C631EYU/ref=od_aui_detailpages01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Picked this up for my SP3 the other day, works pretty well for me!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C631EYU?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00
If I remember right you have two options.
1.) use a USB to HDMI adapter which is like $10 on ebay.
2.) Use a USB Docking Station like this one. However this is like $94 USD.
I think you should try the USB to HDMI adapter first.
We've gone all-in on Plugable USB 3.0 docks with our Surface Pro 4's and new Dell Latitude 3390 2-in-1 machines. They've been damn near flawless. This is after a year of suffering with SP4/Surface Docks.
Downside is it seems like a lot of the rendering is done on the CPU, so dragging windows across the external monitors can cause CPU usage to spike, but we haven't had any issues from it. Just something to note. All machines are specced with i5 CPUs at a minimum, wouldn't recommend anything lower with it.
Plugable support has been very friendly and helpful in the two times I've contacted them. They also offer discounts when you buy a "case" of docks (a case is 12). You have to e-mail support for that.
Maybe this would work for you
https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-UD-3900-Universal-Docking-Ethernet/dp/B00ECDM78E
leave everything hooked up, just plug the USB 3.0 cable up to which ever computer you want to use.
EDIT: I'm not advocating that universal dock, just providing it as an example.
In my opinion your best bet for dual monitor support is just to get a dual display dock that works over USB 3.0 - many people are having issues with the Microsoft one so perhaps get something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Plugable-UD-3900-Universal-Docking-Ethernet/dp/B00ECDM78E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1465082911&sr=8-1&keywords=pluggable+usb+3.0+dock+dual+monitor
That dock already has the correct connections for both of your monitors, which is a bonus.
Most of these docks going through USB 3.0 have more than enough bandwidth for watching videos etc. so latency shouldn't be a concern but it will used ~5-10% CPU during watching videos for the dock itself just FYI.
Good luck!
I'm running a surface pro 4 for work and have a slightly different setup, but I'm running 3 monitors without issue. I'm using this via USB to connect the third display.
I'm also wondering how he's able to deliver at such a low price. The third monitor is not possible at this price range because it needs it's own video output. I mean my friend asked me to buy http://www.amazon.com/Plugable-UD-3900-Universal-Docking-Ethernet/dp/B00ECDM78E for him just so that he can use his third monitor.
I'm not trying to advertise or anything but I've been using http://www.duetdisplay.com/ with my Macbook and I'm very satisfied. I bought a used iPad Air just solely for this purpose, meaning I'm willing to spend money for a decent portable monitor.
The customer comments on the docking station you linked look pretty bad.
> The not so good:
> - There is still noticeable lag in the mouse and keyboard actions
> - Dragging things like Windows around your desktop also cause lag, along with tearing of the image. A big bump in CPU use is also noted when this happens
> - Youtube drops many, many frames in 720p, and there is compression applied
Are you seeing any performance impacts from it?
I use a Surface Pro original for programming with Visual Studio 2013 Pro and it's great. It can drive up to 3 external displays with the correct setup. The 128 GB version is fine, I have Office 2013 and VS2013 installed plus a heap of developer utils (git, tortoisegit, beyond compare, etc...).
You can easily get one external monitor with the built-in displaylink and this mini-displaylink to HDMI/DVI/VGA adapter. I also recommend this little USB 3.0 hub + ethernet adapter. Both of those products together with the Surface Pro make for a nice portable workstation (sans external display).
To run 2 external displays, you need to get this Plugable UD-3900 which adds 4 USB 3.0 ports, ethernet, HDMI and DVI. I have one - it works great for office stuff (haven't tried any video games with it except SNES emulators which work great too.)
Does your laptop have a Thunderbolt port? Then you could use this dock or something similar:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECDM78E/ref=psdc_778660_t2_B075M1XHCK
I have one and it works okay. The display colour output from the Dock HDMI is off though and I have the same issues with X1C, X250 and T460. And given that it is on USB 3.0, it can't power the laptop. So, you are gonna need 2 power cables - 1 for the dock and 1 for your laptop.
I thought there is some cheaper alternatives out there. For example
https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Universal-Docking-Station-Ethernet/dp/B00ECDM78E
what about this one?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECDM78E/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I2D1MJUF3CJZRU&colid=2OA5WZVV44WMR
will this one work for gaming if it's just medium-level games?
Plugable USB 3.0 Universal Laptop Docking Station for Windows (Dual Video HDMI & DVI/VGA, Gigabit Ethernet, Audio, 6 USB Ports) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECDM78E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_o2CCCb05ASVT5
Hey,
You can use your laptop like usual while the lid is closed, I think it is something you can adjust on monitor settings on the laptop. That is what I do. Then, you can get a docking station like this one with a lot of ports. You can then connect a monitor, keyboard, mouse, whatever you need.
This was a hard spend at almost $100 but it was totally worth it. It saved me from having to plug in 2 monitors as well as all my other peripherals every time I brought my laptop to my desk. All it uses is a single USB 3.0 port.
https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Universal-Docking-Station-Ethernet/dp/B00ECDM78E/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1498572280&sr=8-10&keywords=plugable+usb+hub
USB-B? That's never come on a laptop as far as I know. Does it happen to look like this? If so, that's a mini DisplayPort which would be a perfect solution for another display output. If you have USB-C, there's certainly a chance that you could do display out that way. You'd have to look at the specs for your machine to see what it supports. You'd just be able to use a dongle like this to make that work out.
Worst case scenario, you could get something like this dock here. That display out is done at a software level, so once you connect via USB 3.0 you'd have your display out and some extra USB ports to plug other things into (and since you'd need at least one extra port to plug your Rift since the dock would take up 1/3 of your USB ports, this would work out). I'm not entirely sure just how much CPU resources that would use, so keep that in mind if the CPU on your laptop is on the lower end, but it is another option to keep in your back pocket at least.
He's wack. You don't need a TB3 port to connect a docking station. You can use a USB version but its best to only use it if you have a perm work station since you'd have a bunch of wires coming from it. This is the cheapest one with the best reviews: https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Universal-Docking-Station-Ethernet/dp/B00ECDM78E/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1550788223&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=docking+station&psc=1
​
​
I would look at the plugable docking stations. I've used that before and it works great. Pretty much just need to load the respective drivers on each computer and that's pretty much it. Obviously you'll need an adapter for the MacBook. The only thing I didn't like was that the blue light was bright as hell. And it doesn't charge your devices like with device specific docks. But I didn't have any problems switching back and forth between Mac and Windows.
This is the one I used, but I see they make new USB-c versions now which is cool:
Plugable USB 3.0 Universal Laptop Docking Station for Windows (Dual Video HDMI & DVI / VGA, Gigabit Ethernet, Audio, 6 USB Ports) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECDM78E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_DNqDzbZ60F4GZ
If you want something a bit more docking stationesque, check out the Pluggable 3.0 docking station. You could connect both of your monitors to it and then USB 3.0 to your docking station. With this set up you could actually do 3 monitors + 1 surface screen. 2 into the pluggable (1 hdmi, 1 dvi) and 1 into the mini display port in the dock. Haven't tried it yet but it is on the Youtube.
http://www.amazon.com/Plugable-UD-3900-SuperSpeed-Universal-2560x1440/dp/B00ECDM78E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415278472&sr=8-1&keywords=pluggable+USB+3.0+docking+station
I would go with Acer Aspire 5. It has discrete graphics card MX150, 8th gen i5 processor. (it's under $598 on Amazon).
Pros:
Specifications:
More Details
And this is a good docking station on Amazon the price is $89.
I think something along the lines of a "tech HD" screen protector.
Carrying cases are eh from what i have seen. However I know USB hubs are great. You can also get a cheap 2.0 usb hub for like 10 bucks.
However, if you want to get super fancy:
http://www.amazon.com/Plugable-UD-3900-Universal-2048x1152-Ethernet/dp/B00ECDM78E/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1381347622&sr=8-8&keywords=universal+docking+station
or
http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Universal-Docking-Ethernet-USB3SDOCKHD/dp/B008YT59Q4/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1381347622&sr=8-11&keywords=universal+docking+station
I re-read your original post, and I think I understand better what you're looking for.
You need a docking station on your laptop that will give you multiple outputs. We use these at work and they work pretty well: https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Universal-Docking-Station-Ethernet/dp/B00ECDM78E/
From there, you could use the KVM switch to move the monitor, keyboard and mouse between devices, or your multiple inputs on the monitors to switch back and forth.
I was in a similar situation recently but my laptop only had 1 hdmi port despite having a gtx 1060.
Since you have 2 ports on both laptops, you could buy 2 hdmi and 2 hdmi to type c converters on amazon (make sure it works with your laptop). Anytime you and your gf want to switch however, it will be a hassle to change the respective connections on the laptops and monitors (Not a big deal, but frequent switching could get annoying).
The solution that helped me (and would help you too imo) would be to get a docking station (~$100) . This would be slightly more expensive than buying all the connections, but would be much less of a hassle since it only requires a usb to be swapped between laptops for quick and easy switching.
Docking station:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECDM78E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_6LxLDb41BVWHV
Edit: just realized there are better options than the one I linked for type c to hdmi, a little bit of research and you can find them.
I've used one of these, so has my dad and it works great, assuming you have a USB3.0 (blue) port.
https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Universal-Docking-Station-Ethernet/dp/B00ECDM78E/ref=sr_1_16?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1503969000&sr=1-16&keywords=port+hub+usb+3.0
No way is that needed lol. There are cheaper options. You basically want a USB 3.0 or Type - C Dock. Amazon has plenty of choices.
This is what I have for my work setup, and works flawlessly: https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Universal-Docking-Station-Ethernet/dp/B00ECDM78E/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1519918342&sr=8-3&keywords=usb+3.0+dock
Link to my temporary setup:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/5FMzfMsYV7T5r5kJzrE1MkNuvrYduETlyElgwfueg4sh1OMd6iiUaKkjIxwSILWpCYbwx8hmjxCC2IOKbbkf=w1817-h749
I know my wiring management is terrible atm, but the hub I'm using works great with dual monitors.
You need something like this. https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Universal-Docking-Station-Ethernet/dp/B00ECDM78E/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1503521807&sr=8-13&keywords=dual+monitor+adapter
Thanks. The docking stations look good, but atm would be a bit much to spend. There's a USB 3.0 one for $90, and a USB-C for $180. Would there be a significant difference between these two as USB-C is faster, or is USB 3.0 plenty fast enough for this?
So I could probably just let them use without for the while, and in the future add the docking station. A few of the docking stations I found on Amazon actually just have a power LED though, it's not actually a power button they have, so the power button would still be absent from more direct access. Like these:
https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Universal-Docking-Station-Ethernet/dp/B00ECDM78E/
https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Charging-Support-Power-Delivery-Thunderbolt/dp/B01FKTZLBS/
If you are using pc's then this is what you need Plugable USB 3.0 Universal Laptop Docking Station for Windows (Dual Video HDMI & DVI / VGA, Gigabit Ethernet, Audio, 6 USB Ports) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECDM78E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Q8LQzbN8C4ZZX
For mac's or pc's use this one Wavlink USB 3.0 Universal Docking Station, Dual Video Monitor Display DVI & HDMI & VGA with Gigabit Ethernet, Audio, 6 USB Ports for Laptop, Ultrabook and PCs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019XOJ874/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_BcMQzbHPN44WE
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECDM78E/
But there are also smaller ones like this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A2E1MQA/
Very happy with the Plugable UD-3900
http://www.amazon.com/Plugable-UD-3900-Universal-2048x1152-Ethernet/dp/B00ECDM78E
http://www.amazon.com/Plugable-UD-3900-SuperSpeed-Universal-2560x1440/dp/B00ECDM78E
> Surface RT, Mac OS X, and Linux/Unix are not supported.
The extra bandwidth would also be helpful for USB docking stations such as this:
http://www.amazon.com/Plugable-UD-3900-SuperSpeed-Universal-2560x1440/dp/B00ECDM78E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425926929&sr=8-1&keywords=usb+docking+station
Here's what I use and it works very well.
http://www.amazon.com/Plugable-UD-3900-SuperSpeed-Universal-2560x1440/dp/B00ECDM78E/ref=cm_sw_em_r_awdcod_aXdevb1W37CEN_tt
I use something similar to this at my office. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FKTZLBS/ref=s9_dcacsd_bhz_bw_c_x_2_w
That one seems to be a newer version as it offers USB Type-C. Mine is this one:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ECDM78E/ref=s9_dcacsd_bhz_bw_c_x_1_w
I use a Plugable USB3 "docking station" http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ECDM78E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Running a total of 4 screens counting the Surface itself... Here's my desk as of a couple months ago (broken screen has been replaced since then) http://i.imgur.com/bAnUn0g.jpg
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00ECDM78E?psc=1
OK, what about this
It's cheaper, but isn't USB-C. I'm assuming that means things like the video quality will be low/laggy? I am going to want to play FFXIV so I'm assuming I should go with the link you provided? Thank you.
Here is my device amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00ECDM78E/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/188-4984970-4227354
Is this valid for the older Surface Pro Docking Station? This one:
https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Docking-Station-Surface-3Q9-00001/dp/B00N3J8NRW
Amazon is selling the dock for $160: http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Surface-Pro-Docking-Station/dp/B00N3J8NRW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427141378&sr=8-1&keywords=surface+pro+3+docking+station
My docking station has been priceless.
My dock is hooked to my TV. I use my Surface as an XBMC machine, I read comics on a very large screen (I have a wireless dongle for turning pages) and as a charger that is always plugged in (the one that came with it is always in my bag).
For me, I removed a media center pc, an iPad and an eReader and combined them into one device. The dock was the keystone for the whole transition.
Pretty sure it is for the Surface Pro 3: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B00N3J8NRW/ref=mp_s_a_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1479146689&sr=8-11&pi=AC_SX280_SY350_QL65&keywords=surface+dock
I'm not saying they have feature parity I'm saying that as a device it has existed I'm more excited for the pcie capabilities. You guys fill in the gaps with what i'm saying and assume i don't know anything
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Display-Docking-Station-D3100/dp/B00O0M46KO
one port. and yes i know it's only a single 4k monitor. The whole bandwidth issue.
I know all about the power output of 3.1, the capability to use external graphics, etc etc. I, honestly, cannot wait for it to become ubiquitous. It's glorious. But let's not kid ourselves here.
I would highly recommend getting one that is Thunderbolt 3 capable. I rather buy one used than get a USB-C, nonthunderbolt dock. All of the USB-C docks will drive the dispaly outputs using a software chip. The thunderbolt 3 docks can use a display port signal directly on the laptop, which works much better.
Looks like the Thinkpad thunderbolt 3 docking station will cost you $160.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B071NWZDJB/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all
Here is a dell one that sells for $96 used, and $130 new.
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Display-Docking-Station-D3100/dp/B00O0M46KO/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1510008363&sr=1-5&keywords=Thunderbolt+3+docking+station
Going back to question 1:
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Display-Docking-Station-D3100/dp/B00O0M46KO
This was an alternative proposed by a coworker... but I'm not sure about using a USB 3 to get: internet, 4 usb devices, and 2 monitors..
> I was thinking about this one: Dell USB 3.0 Ultra HD/4K Triple Display Docking Station (D3100) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O0M46KO/
No, page 3 of the manual: https://cc.cnetcontent.com/inlinecontent/mediaserver/all/57c/f74/57cf746b219747cae924fad5f9de6815/original.pdf
But the newer Dell D6000 looks like it can do up to 2x 4k60 and 1x 4k30, and 2x 1440p60 and 1x 1080p60 uses less data than that: https://www.amazon.com/Dell-452-BCYT-D6000-Universal-Black/dp/B071YTQBXM/
Ah crap that’s what I was afraid of. Any good suggestions of docks that can handle 1 1440 and 2 1080 monitors?
I was thinking about this one: Dell USB 3.0 Ultra HD/4K Triple Display Docking Station (D3100) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O0M46KO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ozCEDb2F6DJQ7
There are ways for instance I have a dell M6700 so all I'd have to do is set in it's docking station.
I don't think they made a dedicated docking station for the Inspiron model though.
There is a "Dell USB 3.0 Ultra HD/4K Triple Display Docking Station (D3100)"
That compatible with alot inspirons as well as many other models so you could try that.
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Display-Docking-Station-D3100/dp/B00O0M46KO
Something like this should work
Dell USB 3.0 Ultra HD/4K Triple Display Docking Station (D3100) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O0M46KO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_9xl.BbB77FH2K
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O0M46KO/ref=psdc_778660_t1_B071YTQBXM
This one should work as well.
We have 4 laptop users with similar requirements. Last year I bought a few USB 3 docks to provide additional HDMI and USB capabilities.
Of all the USB docks we tested, the Dell D3100 was able to provide the best performance and supported 2 HDMI monitors with the fewest problems.
I bought one for myself to test at home first to make sure it did everything we needed, and so I could better support it if they had problems. Tested with Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Acer laptops & desktops.
Not a single support call since we set them up.
Relatively inexpensive considering what it does, and have used them for over a year with no issues.
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Display-Docking-Station-D3100/dp/B00O0M46KO
Great thanks for the info. What sort of adapter should I be looking to get to be able to do this? Would something like this suffice? Or would this docking station work?
I am currently using the Dell D3100 Docking Station https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O0M46KO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_b.4QCb7RD8VPD
A laptop dock would likely work well.
Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00O0M46KO/
Different ones have different ports and features.
I think this Dock is a better value?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O0M46KO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Because of PrimeDay its 90.... but the other displayer adapters are like 60-90 even the usb 2.0 is 40 ... not sure if I should get this dock or the Surface Dock at this point
​
|Item|Detail|Amount Paid (Pre Tax)|
|:-|:-|:-|
|Laptop|Inspiron 13 7000; [email protected], 16GB 2400MHz RAM, 512 GB M.2 PCI-E NVMe SSD|$940.79|
|Monitors|2 of Samsung IT LC27F398FWNXZA Samsung C27F398 27-Inch Curved Monitor (Super Slim Design)|$435.98|
|Keyboard|Corsair CH-9101021-NA Gaming Mechanical Keyboard, Backlit LED|$103.99|
|Mouse|VicTsing Wireless Gaming Mouse with Unique Silent Click, Breathing Backlit, 2 Programmable Side Buttons, 2400 DPI, Ergonomic Grips, 7-Button Design- Red|$19.99|
|Dock|Dell USB 3.0 Ultra HD/4K Triple Display Docking Station (D3100)|$108|
|Laptop Stand|Vertical Laptop Stand [Adjustable Size], OMOTON Desktop Aluminum MacBook Stand with Adjustable Dock Size, Fits All MacBook, Surface, Chromebook and Gaming Laptops (up to 17.3 inch), Silver|$25.99|
|UPS|APC UPS 600VA Battery Backup & Surge Protector with USB Charging Port, APC UPS BackUPS (BE600M1)|$54.99|
|Headphones|COWIN E7 Active Noise Cancelling Headphones Bluetooth Headphones with Mic Deep Bass Wireless Headphones Over Ear, Comfortable Protein Earpads, 30H Playtime for Travel Work TV PC Cellphone - Black|$62.99|
|Back LED|Megulla Color Bias Lighting for TV and Monitor - Small (39inch), RF Remote and Dimmer -USB LED Backlight RGB Adhesive Strips for HDTV, Desktop Monitors and More -2Pack|$19.99|
|Webcam|Logitech C270 Widescreen HD Webcam and 3 MP designed for HD Video Calling and Recording|$21.99|
|Wireless Phone Charger|Seneo Wireless Charger, Qi Certified Wireless Charging Stand Compatible iPhone Xs MAX/XR/XS/X/8/8 Plus, 10W Galaxy Note 9/S9/S9 Plus/Note 8/S8, 5W All Qi-Enabled Phones(No AC Adapter)|$19.99|
|Flag|Official United States Flag, Flown over U.S. Capitol Building in 2008 (Thanks, Chuck Schumer!)|$0.00|
|Backup Harddrive|WD 2TB Black My Passport Portable External Hard Drive - USB 3.0 - WDBS4B0020BBK-WESN|$79.99|
|Total||$1,894.68|
​
Thanks for the responses, I decided to go for a USB 3.0 dock: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O0M46KO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
The only way I know how would be to get one of those thunderbolt docking stations. This is one of the more popular ones. This will take your Thunderbolt port and replicate it across 2 monitors, but ONE of those monitors MUST be a thunderbolt monitor (according to the specs on the dock). This is the same across every other Thunderbolt dock I have seen.
This is a huge restriction on the older Macbook Pros, as they really haven't really cared about multi-monitor displays that aren't thunderbolt displays.
The adapter you are using will simply not do what you want, unfortunately. You might be able to get something similar that will DUPLICATE the display to two monitors, but it definitely won't allow you to have extended displays.
Now, one other option (this might sound odd), is that you could actually get an apple TV and connect it up to one of your monitors, and connect the other monitor with that adapter you posted above.
In El Capitan, Mac OS will allow you to EXTEND your desktop wirelessly to the Apple TV. Then, in theory, you could use your cabled monitor to extend on the other one. Read here for more. This may be the best solution if you don't want to go out and purchase a $200 dock AND return one of your monitors for a more expensive Thunderbolt Monitor, since an Apple TV only runs $150. I'm not sure if the 3rd Gen (at $70) supports it, but the 4th Gen will.
Good Luck!!
http://www.amazon.com/Elgato-Thunderbolt-Dock-Cable/dp/B00PAPMSLE
I have the El Gato version. I call it El Diablo. It works perfectly, it's just kit you hope you never have to use because it creates a mess. Maybe on a desk where you can manage it, but in the field El Diablo means I'm going to have wires going in all directions. And someone is going to plug their phone in sooner or later.
I am also wondering if using a Thunderbolt HUB would be a viable option. This one for instance has USB3.0 ports and HDMI, with it's own power source. An optical thunderbolt cable from the PC to this with only a set of short HDMI and USB cables between the HUB and the Vive Hub thingy...http://www.amazon.com/Elgato-Thunderbolt-Dock-Cable/dp/B00PAPMSLE
Bloody expensive solution, but may be the only solution...
> Surface Connect predates both TB3 and USB-C and was an innovative docking solution at the time.
You do realize that Thunderbolt has been around since 2012. If you look at the 1st generation Retina MBP, it comes with Thunderbolt 1 using the MiniDP connector.
TB1 has a bandwidth of 10 Gbps which is twice the bandwidth of USB 3.0/3.1 Gen 1 or equal to that of USB 3.1 Gen 2.
Thunderbolt 2 has twice the bandwidth at 20 Gbps and also uses MiniDP (at least on the Mac). And TB3, 40 Gbps.
Even back in 2012, there were Thunderbolt dock like this one from Belkin:
https://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Thunderbolt-Compatible-Technology-Separately/dp/B00BQHD4B8
Thunderbolt 2 (20 Gbps) came out late 2013 (when Apple released the 2nd Gen rMBP). And there were docks like this one from Elgato:
https://www.amazon.com/Elgato-Thunderbolt-Dock-Ethernet-aluminum/dp/B00PAPMSLE
All version of Thunderbolt uses the same protocol: 4 x PCIe and DisplayPort. The difference is in the revision ie PCIe 2.0 to 3.0/DP 1.1 to 2.2 (and doubling the number of stream).
And finally, Thunderbolt is the result of the collaboration between Intel and Apple who was looking to replace FireWire (which was also initiated by Apple with the help of Sony and Panasonic).
I ordered one of these https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PAPMSLE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and it works perfect. Just two cords (charger and hub) going into the MBP.
Could I use this Elgato dock? One HDMI port on the MBPr to first monitor, then the TB --> Dock --> HDMI out to second monitor?
If you have the one with a Thunderbolt 3 port, you should be able to use a Thunderbolt 3 dock like this maybe
https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Display-Docking-Station-Universal/dp/B012VKW900
You'd have to get 2 displayport to HDMI cables, and 1 HDMI to HDMI.
https://www.amazon.ca/StarTech-com-Triple-Display-Docking-Station/dp/B012VKW900/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536878820&sr=8-1&keywords=startech+triple+display+dock
Acer Predator Helios 300 would be a good pick and a third party docking station such as the StarTech Docking station
The specs are wonderful for the price which provides a good gaming performance. Under excessive load the laptop can run warmer than you want but not enough to hinder performance
Detailed Review
The one I have for work plugs in USB to my laptop and then has all kinds of outputs you can use, works for me with triple screens but not sure on gaming performance like frame rates though..
This is the one I use, didn't realize how pricey it was since I didn't pay for it myself.
StarTech.com Triple Monitor USB 3.0 Laptop Docking Station - 4K HDMI, 2X DisplayPort - Universal USB Dock for Windows & Mac OS (USB3DOCKH2DP) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B012VKW900/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Luv3DbPGF8861
I have used this one and been very happy with it: https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Triple-Monitor-Docking-Station/dp/B012VKW900/ref=sr_1_10?keywords=startech+usbc+4k&qid=1571935735&sr=8-10
I have purchased it and will return it if it doesn't work for me. I'm trying to one of the display ports at 144hz but purchased a cable for the other one to run as hdmi at 60hz. Here's a link to the dock
I use and can highly recommend this dock from Sabrent:
Sabrent USB 3.0 Universal Docking Station with Stand for Tablets and Laptops supports Windows & Mac (DS-RICA) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B013WQWCEA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_rZCuDbMMK7NAY
It seems like you have a few Ikea items - usually, within an IKEA series, accessories provide good value/$ IMO for improving existing items:
Productivity wise, I would also suggest:
For that wall space facing the desk - I would recommend against shelves and opt for a wall mount cabinet with doors instead. Again, you can store more stuff and hides clutter.
Mount it on the wall,then hanging lights on the bottom of it for lighting.
Ty !
Well atm it will be either the D1000 from Dell or this one :
https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-DS-RICA-daccueil-ordinateurs-portables/dp/B013WQWCEA/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1486647122&sr=1-1&keywords=Sabrent+DS-RICA#
I still dont know which one is better and how.
I bought this POS, everything but the displays worked. Bought one of these, and it works beautifully.
You could assume the rumors about a spring release for SP5 are true and wait a little or you could [buy it now for $120] (https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Surface-Dock-Compatible-Book/dp/B0163HP38W/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1484305593&sr=1-1&keywords=surface+dock) and sell it with the SP4 when you upgrade. You probably won't lose too much value if you sell everything as a package.
Selling this for $140, brand new - unopened. In-laws bought it and never used it.
Microsoft Surface Docking station for Surface 3/4
https://www.amazon.ca/Microsoft-PD9-00003-Surface-Dock-1-18-Inch/dp/B0163HP38W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1518727321&sr=8-2&keywords=microsoft+surface+dock
For anyone asking what kind of docking station he's using, I'm going to go ahead and say the same one I use for my Surface Book: https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Surface-Dock-Compatible-Book/dp/B0163HP38W
Amazon has it at ~$125 right now if you're looking for a deal on one.
Buy the Surface dock, which has two mini display port connections. You’ll need also VGA-Mini Display port adapters. https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-PD9-00003-Surface-Dock/dp/B0163HP38W/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?adgrpid=65409672654&gclid=Cj0KCQjwjYHpBRC4ARIsAI-3GkGPUcL81xl1_EbaqnyO4knxC92Se-4fkXxXbQpDg8IN2byf-1WCrFIaAvrGEALw_wcB&hvadid=330846416153&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9061285&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=b&hvrand=3823495653090634006&hvtargid=kwd-599252746314&hydadcr=20073_9664001&keywords=docking+station+for+surface+pro+6&qid=1562467082&s=gateway&sr=8-3
I don't think usb ports will be a problem. If you need more for a particular task you can always get a usb hub or surface hub.
https://www.amazon.ca/Microsoft-PD9-00003-Surface-Dock-1-18-Inch/dp/B0163HP38W/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=surface+laptop+2+dock&qid=1558050159&s=electronics&sr=1-2
​
You should seriously consider getting a model with more storage, 256GB minimum, 512gb preferably.
You'll want a Microsoft Surface Dock. Don't mess with cheaper USB docks: they don't provide a single wire connection, and only support emulated (rather than native) video. Performance and convenience will be a lot better with the real thing.
https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-PD9-00003-Surface-Dock/dp/B0163HP38W
If you buy the Surface Dock, make sure to update it to the latest firmware: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/surface-dock-updater
You can use either USB or Bluetooth keyboards and mice with your Surface. I like the Microsoft Surface keyboard and mouse, but any will work fine.
Re. displays: stick to displays that support DisplayPort connections if possible, and use a good quality miniDP to DP cable. If your display has only HDMI connections, you'll want a compatible active miniDP to HDMI adapter.
When you dock your Surface you'll have a choice of how to configure your display output: mirrored, extended desktop, or use the external display exclusively. Most people either extend their desktop or just use the external display. Either way, Windows 10 will automatically switch resolution and scaling.
If you want avoid the minor inconvenience of having to log off / on when docking / undocking (to fix scaling issues with older apps), then consider a 23-24" 4k display. At this size, you can run the display at the same scaling level as the Surface Book display (200%) to have a comfortable desktop. Since both displays are scaled the same, no compatibility issues are created for software.
Good luck.
The surface laptops have a special docking connector called SurfaceConnect ,which is supposed to have more bandwidth than USB 3.1, but I couldn't find a number in my quick google search. It seems like only microsoft has a decent dock with that connector but maybe look around. Could that dock replace the functions of the Aten dock that you linked?
Also what exactly do you need the blackjack dock for? SSDs? SD cards?In any case, I'm sure we can find something comparable. I quickly found this device, the Lexar Professional Workflow HR2. It's not cheap as you need to buy the card readers separately but it supports daisy chaining and should have enough bandwidth to not bottleneck even professional SD cards, I think. If you tell me exactly what kind of storage media you use, then we might be able to find a better solution. Edit: The amazon link isn't very informative about the device, this video is more helpful.
Well this is the post that describes everything you need to make a dock. You can see the prices for everything. While it is marked up a bit but it's not by much considering the manufacturing cost... heres the price for a window surface dock for comparison
/u/SurfaceDocGuy beat me to it!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078N7TB44/
You also need the Surface Dock hardware itself for this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0163HP38W/
While you're at it order a Mini-DisplayPort to DisplayPort cord.
I'm using the Dell WD15 dock. I'm connected to a 1440p monitor, 3 usb devices, external speakers, and charging the laptop all over 1 cable. Works great. It also has an Ethernet port that I have not tested.
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Dock-WD15-Adapter-Type-C/dp/B01C8PHWQY
thanks, I had seen that unit. but I would like to make it USB-C, so the WD15 is indeed the way to go. could you look up the $80 one? I looked for it but can only find a few 130 and higher. I live in the Netherlands but if it is that cheap then it's cheaper to just ship them. Here they are almost allways 200 euros and higher.
Edit:
Never mind I found it, do you know what the difference is between the $147 one and the $79?
Out of interest: have you tried the D3100 dock with 3 external monitors (+ thinkpad screen = 4 displays in total)?
So you have the usb-3 version (ie: with the standard usb-a connector). 3 displays, but can't power your laptop as well. Right?
Looking at the amazon page for this, it looks like there are 2 variants.
The usb-3 one, which you have, and a usb-c one. That tops out at 2 external displays, but it ought to (according to one of the Q&A answers on the page) also supply power to the thinkpad.
Would that one do the trick?
My personal recommendation would be to go this route: https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Dock-180W-Adapter-4W2HW/dp/B01C8PHWQY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1465386172&sr=8-1&keywords=WD15
I had all sorts of issues with my Apple LED display via USB-C to Mini Displayport adapter, but since adding this dock, all has been well.
Thanks for the verification. I found them on Amazon for a little less a unit (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C8PHWQY/ref=psdc_778660_t2_B01FKTZLBS?th=1)
I'm just a little hesitant since I saw dozens of comments here about these docks having issues with USB peripherals and blinking monitors. Have the drive issues been cleared up yet since most of these comments were from around 2 months ago?
I use this dock as well. Does the job and price isn't too bad (all docks are expensive). Dell WD15
Right now I just have my mouse/keyboard/webcam hooked up to it and it drives my single LG Ultrawide at 3440x1440 without a hiccup.
With that much shit plugged into your laptop you'd probably still want one of these even if it had a classic port layout
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Dock-WD15-Adapter-Type-C/dp/B01C8PHWQY
I have this for travel:
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B073GW52L6?psc=1&ref=yo_pop_mb_yo_pop_mb_pd_t2
And this at work:
https://www.amazon.ca/Dell-Monitor-Adapter-450-AEUO-4W2HW/dp/B01C8PHWQY
Both work perfectly without any issues.
I've using this keyboard:
https://www.amazon.ca/Logitech-K380-Bluetooth-Keyboard-Dark/dp/B0148NPH9I
And this mouse:
https://www.amazon.ca/Logitech%C2%AE-Anywhere-Wireless-Mouse-910-005152/dp/B071S7KDWS
From Dec my usual use is remote desktop to VM on my work server, or basic MS office work/presentations.
With Linux I will be doing QC on QGIS projects Python scripts.
So far so good for me.
The best one I know of is the
Dell Inspiron 15-7559Dell's USB-C to HDMI/VGA/Ethernet/USB.They also make one wiuth more I/O and enough power to charge your device while connected.
So, your formatting is a bit sloppy up there. To clarify, you're looking for a hub with 3 USB3 port, HDMI, and Ethernet. Sound right?
To get what you seem to be looking for, try searching for USB-C "Docks" instead of "hubs". This one from Dell seems to be the most popular on amazon. There are a great number of options available though.
I kind of wanted more ports so you do you think the WD15 Dell dock would be good?
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Dock-WD15-Adapter-Type-C/dp/B01C8PHWQY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502680701&sr=8-1&keywords=WD15
This [dell]https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Monitor-Adapter-450-AEUO-4W2HW/dp/B01C8PHWQY/ one has been reported to work perfectly with SB2.
I bought and have been using this one on my Razer blade on Linux. If you don't have type C the non type C usb3.0 version should work just as well.
This is what I was originally looking at. So does this really just connect over USB 3.0? That doesn't seem right...how can it drive 3 displays or a 4k display plus ethernet and USB and sound over USB 3...
EDIT: This is the one I was actually looking at. The USB C one https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01C8PHWQY/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2L77EE7U53NWQ
Thanks for the clarification on thunderbolt.
Huh, maybe quality control ... XPS 9550 (15") and the WD-15 on launch as well. It was unusable before the firmware update or drivers or both, can't remember what exactly fixed it. It would drop video randomly requiring a reset. USB devices would drop, even mice/keyboards requiring a reset. XPS would complain the power adapter was only a 60w. I'm using it now and it's fairly reliable, not 100%. I have to reset it every few days because it goes wonky, mouse is really choppy, sound is distorted, stuff like that. The video dropping doesn't happen anymore and no more complaints about the charger.
I wasn't the only one with issues. Amazon reviews full of similar issues.
BUT, it is a LOT better than the TB dock :)
If you go to the "view all reviews" section, there's a search box.. type in Linux and there are plenty of reviews that mention linux. I do this with most hardware.. it's a good tool to find info about linux compatibility for products with lots of reviews.
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Dock-WD15-Adapter-Type-C/product-reviews/B01C8PHWQY/
Quickly glancing, it seems there were issues early on, but it got better with firmware updates
Is passthrough charging possible at all while also acting as a USB host (like for a flash drive or gamepad)? I see this done all the time on USB-C laptops, but I can't find any accessories that support this on the 6P or 5X.
Some examples:
Basically, no matter what accessory I use, the "lsusb" terminal command returns nothing when my phone is charging. I've tried both stock Android and Cyanogenmod 13, but not the Nougat preview.
I'll believe it when I see it.
In the mean time, I purchased Plugable's dock which has worked PERFECTLY. Couldn't recommend it enough,
https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-USB-C-Docking-Station-Delivery/dp/B01FKMN1BW
There are docking stations combining functions:
https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-USB-C-Docking-Station-Delivery/dp/B01FKMN1BW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1475180989&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=usb-c+docking+station&psc=1
It sounds to me you're talking about a docking station.
Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Specific-Chromebook-Thunderbolt-Supported/dp/B01FKMN1BW
(Just an example. You should research and find one you like).
It takes USB-C in from your laptop, and outputs HDMI, old USB, audio, etc., to your I/O devices, and will power your laptop while you are hooked up.
I'm going to put it here in public. I have not ordered it yet, but everything I have seen shows it is TB3 with PD compatible while also opening up another TB3 port. I think I am going to use this to put the Node on the floor so I can keep my desktop clean and have my 3D printer, etc.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01FKMN1BW/ref=ox_sc_act_image_2?smid=A3HIHADV23VGU1&psc=1
I use this Pluggable brand USB-C docking station with my Acer 14 for Work and am typing this on my external keyboard and mouse while driving to two HDMI monitors on my desk. It has worked flawlessly. It also charges PD 4 20V at 3 amps. That also including several USB drives, attached and it also has a 2nd usb-c to charge and attach a phone too. https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Charging-Delivery-Specific-Thunderbolt/dp/B01FKTZLBS/ref=sr_1_1
https://github.com/system76/docs/blob/docking-station/_articles/use-docking-station.md
I see you tested this model.
Any luck with the next version ?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FKTZLBS/ref=psdc_778660_t1_B00ECDM78E
How about these?
Between the two, you get one more USB port and one extra display on the Plugable product, but aesthetics-wise I think the StarTech's one will look sleeker and thus better. Both requires their own barrel-type power plug though, so unfortunately you cannot reuse the existing USB-C chargers to power them to in turn power the laptop.
Disclaimer: Not affiliated with either brands, have not tested both myself. Please do more research on the respective user reviews to see if there are any caveats especially for the multi-display output...
KK This one has up to triple monitor support.
https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Display-Docking-Charging-Delivery/dp/B01FKTZLBS
> Thunderbolt 3 docking station
I am not an expert on those, but this looks like a great fit
You won't find anything quality under $100. You'll buy something cheap, it will be crap, then you'll get what you should have gotten in the first place.
I've used TB16 extensively and I have few of the Plugable USB-C docks that I wanted to try out:
https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Charging-Delivery-Specific-Thunderbolt/dp/B01FKTZLBS
TB16 is still superior in my mind, but they both work well. The plugable one isn't built as sturdy and easily gets knocked around. It also doesn't supply enough power through the USB-C, so you have to connect power directly to the laptop anyway (maybe not a problem for you, I want my users to just have to connect one cable when moving around).
It sounds like you have a nice setup right now, I wouldn't cheap out on the dock just to save $100
I used this on my 2017 MBP that I ran bootcamp on.
After looking at the listing, it says it's not compatible with 10.13.4 or later, which surprised me. According to their support site, functionality may have been restored by Mojave
I believe there are monitors that are capable of forming a daisy chain like you've described, but not for under your budget and they won't provide power deliver to your computer. Splitters from USB C to multiple displays are easy enough to find, but they also won't provide power.
If you really want to charge your unit and run 3 displays all in a single cable, you'll need a hub to control it all. It will take a chunk out of your budget, leaving you with cheaper display options: https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Charging-Delivery-Specific-Thunderbolt/dp/B01FKTZLBS
You're paying a premium for the "single cable solution" that's been marketed so heavily by the industry, but your tastes are your own.
Wow. Not sure I'm up for getting new monitors.
I have two fairly new HDMI monitors now with the current laptop acting as a third monitor while I use a BT keyboard and mouse to work.
I'm hoping that there is a solution that allows me to run a USB C cable to a docking hub that the two monitors can be plugged in to. This might mean that I need to use some sort of USB C to HDMI or USB 3 adapter but I'm still looking.
EDIT: Something like this, for example.
https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Charging-Delivery-Specific-Thunderbolt/dp/B01FKTZLBS/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1503170854&sr=1-2-spons&keywords=usb+c+dock&psc=1
If it is Macbook 2017 this is your best chance however Sierra build is currently unstable
If it is Macbook Pro 16/17, get Caldigit
When you say pd upstream to the laptop, do you mean you want the dock to be a pd upstream facing port (sinking current from the laptop) or do you want a dock that is a pd downstream facing port to source current to the laptop ( charging the laptop)?
Something like this sounds close. https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Charging-Delivery-Specific-Thunderbolt/dp/B01FKTZLBS. It has a detachable cable, can charge a laptop up to 60W and has Ethernet. Obviously has a lot more than you need, but I'm not sure you will find exactly what you're looking for.
Your best bet would be to go with a powered docking station which would connect to your stealth via one usb c cable. Certain docking stations like the one linked below provide up to 60w power which would work for the stealth which can charge via usb c and only requires 45w of power. From the docking station you can connect a monitor, keyboard, mouse or whatever other accessories you may want.
I currently have this docking station for my Razer blade and love it.
I Don't have the 16 inch, but I have the 15 inch 2017 model. I have 3 27 inch 2k monitors and use them and the built in screen everyday.
I use this dock to connect all the monitors and peripherals and have one cable going to my MacBook.
https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Charging-Support-Power-Delivery-Thunderbolt/dp/B01FKTZLBS/ref=asc_df_B01FKTZLBS/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309707619534&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7739158159097921200&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033594&hvtargid=pla-461427470761&psc=1
For a while I had issues with this dock under Mavericks, but Plugable updated their driver and have had no problems since. Been using one of these at home and one at the office, and I love it. Everyone in a while the dock will get confused and only show on one screen when I plug in my computer, but restarting the dock fixes this.
I also have used these docks for triple monitors on a MacBook Pro 13, MacBook 12, a Dell 13, and my daughters boyfriend comes over and plugs in his Windows laptop and it works great. Hell even my iPad Pro likes it, but the iPad only supports 1 external screen, so only one of the monitors will work then.
​
Edit; I should mention that I've been using these docks for 2 years without issue, and have bought 4 more for various users around the office, so my experience with them have been great.
I got this for my stealth.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FKTZLBS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I'm not sure why it's not available currently but I absolutely love it. It's approved and works with the Stealth, can drive 3 monitors, charges the laptop so I can keep my charger in my bag, has an additional USB-C port, plenty of other ports. I've had it for a month and absolutely love it.
I'm looking at this one https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FKTZLBS/
I don't think I care hdmi vs display port. Should I care?
The Lenovo Thinkpad Thunderbolt 3 ( https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Thinkpad-Thunderbolt-Dock-40AC0135US/dp/B071NWZDJB/ref=sr_1_3?crid=11G7AQ40ENIZM&keywords=lenovo+thinkpad+thunderbolt+3+dock&qid=1558001859&s=gateway&sprefix=lenovo+thinkpad+thunder%2Caps%2C241&sr=8-3 ) is the only one I found. But I'm not sure, if this really fits what I'm looking for
I have borrowed a Lenovo Thinkpad Thunderbolt 3 Dock
https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Thinkpad-Thunderbolt-Dock-40AC0135US/dp/B071NWZDJB
Connecting it to the usb-c doesent seem to work. Do you guys have a solution for connecting two monitors to my surface book 2. I have a surface dock........but god damn it sucks. everytime i start the surface up, It doesent find my monitors, or fucks up the scaling. It's different allmost every time I start it up. So therefore I tried the Lenovo dock. But it doesent find the monitors. Is the any way that this dock could work, any setup I am missing?
Is that this one? https://amazon.com/Lenovo-Thinkpad-Thunderbolt-Dock-40AC0135US/dp/B071NWZDJB/
There are so many off putting reviews that I was scared away from even considering it. No problems for you?
I have this one https://smile.amazon.com/Dell-452-BCYT-D6000-Universal-Black/dp/B071YTQBXM/ and so far it has worked flawlessly with various laptops (Lenovo, Huawei, Dell, Pixelbook) but I sold my MBP before I bought it so I can't confirm that in particular (but comments say it works fine). The best part is that it can also charge the laptop (limited to 65w) while you're using it without having to use a separate power adapter.
I recently graduated law school and built a home office setup for around $600 (my law firm has a good work from home policy). Details below:
​
Desk - DlandHome L-Shaped Desk - $130
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0798JW7FD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The L-shaped desk contains plenty of space for my dual monitor setup and has plenty of extra space on the sides. It was very easy to assemble (unlike some IKEA desks) and ships in a manageable flat box. I keep it in the corner of my room and it is very sturdy and doesn't shake.
​
Chair - AmazonBasics Office Chair -$50
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01D7P5BFS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Cheap and comfortable.
​
Monitors - 2x HP 23.8 in Monitors - 2x $110
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072M34RQC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
These can rotate both horizontally and vertically, which makes them perfect for work. Also VESA compatible. The quality of these are pretty good, but I only use them for word processing and web browsing. Not sure how good they are for movies or gaming.
​
Laptop Dock - Dell Universal Dock - $130
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071YTQBXM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Compatible with any laptop with a USB-C port. It charges the laptop as well while plugged in. It works with my work laptop without installing any additional drivers. Supports 2x DP and 1x HDMI. You might need to buy additional DisplayPort to HDMI cables depending on the monitors you use.
​
Accessories
Logitech K840 Mechanical Keyboard - $60
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071VHYZ62/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Anker Wireless Charger - $15
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DBXZZN3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
​
If anyone requests, I can upload a picture when I get home tonight. Also feel free to ask any questions.
Do note, you probably want PowerDelivery 2, not just 20v - it's the proper power signaling so it'll get up to charge. And your other charger will charge some - the laptop will just use more than it's getting if it's on, but if you turn it off it'll recharge.
​
I can personally confirm the following three all charge more than the laptop uses - but these are US devices:
​
https://store.google.com/product/45w_usb_c_power_adapter
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MZ61PRW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s01
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071YTQBXM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00
Nothing is quite perfect! The Philips does look nice but doesn't have a VESA mount which is on my list of requirements.
This hub seems like it does everything I would want: https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Multiport-DisplayPort-Ethernet/dp/B0746NKVBN 4k DisplayPort @60Hz, USB ports, and power delivery.
The fast ethernet seems hilariously out of date and I'll still need to get an extra 60W USB-C charger to enable the power delivery.
Still going to hang on for Prime Day to see if there's some price movement on any of these options.
there are two major approaches here:
a usb-c breakout with two display ports and a laptop which supports display-port alt mode on the usb-c port (not a mac which will just mirror both displays)
https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Multiport-DisplayPort-Ethernet/dp/B0746NKVBN/ref=sr_1_4?crid=ZXQ1CHEPCU3J&keywords=usb-c+dual+displayport+dock&qid=1564062042&s=gateway&sprefix=usb-c+dual+display%2Caps%2C130&sr=8-4
a tb3 monitor with a downstream port anda second tb3 monitor, plug the laptop into the first monitor and the first monitor into the second.
https://www.samsung.com/ca/monitors/c34j79/
You can buy a usbc to displayport/minidisplayport adapter, then connect a mst hub to connect 2 or 3 monitors all at once either directly to two port adapter, or buy an additional mst hub.
e.g. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0746NKVBN/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1523723617&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=usb+c+alternate+mode&dpPl=1&dpID=310B5ayd2oL&ref=plSrch
or
https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-TB32DP2-Thunderbolt-DisplayPort-Adapter/dp/B01ANR4CYE
or get these displaylink solution
e.g. https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-DisplayPort-3840x2160-Thunderbolt-Compatible/dp/B074743NHP
or two hdmi version
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07476R6BP/ref=psdcmw_3230976011_t1_B074743NHP
Cable matters makes nice usb-c hubs that do everything you need and support dual monitors. They are cheaper than the official docks and work with or without thunderbolt. Cable Matters Dual Monitor USB C Hub (USB C Dock) with 2X 4K DP, 2X USB 2.0, Ethernet, and 60W Charging for Windows - Thunderbolt 3 Port Compatible
I have this one: https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Multiport-DisplayPort-Ethernet/dp/B0746NKVBN/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=201055-BLK&qid=1555607877&s=gateway&sr=8-1 and it works even on linux with 2 displays (only tried 1080p but supposedly it should work even with 2 4k monitors).
It's a really nice device and I've had no issues with it, but I can't help but feel underwhelmed given how much it costs. Keyboard feels good, screen is nice (if not just a little less sharp than 4k offerings, but this helps battery life), and the build quality is as good as it gets. And I love the minimalist, flat slab look to it.
But there are several other competitive options available now that offer more for less, like the Spectre x360, Yoga C940, and of course XPS 13. Those have their compromises as well (usually in QC), but they're also hundreds of dollars less for better specs, better port selection, and a 2-in-1 design.
I don't mind paying a premium, but the SL3 just doesn't feel future proof enough for me to do so. I actually just bought an X1 Carbon Gen 7 yesterday because they're heavily discounted for BF. With my work discount, the i7/16GB/1TB/4k model was just $1584. It's not as flashy as the other laptops I listed, but blows all of them out the water otherwise. If I hadn't got that, I probably would have looked at the Spectre next rather than the XPS.
And I only have two of my 1440p monitors hooked up to the SL3 for now, daisy chained via a single usb-c to display port cable. Haven't had any issues. Looks like I could have got the third hooked up with an adapter like this or the official surface dock.
no, all the issues also happen the same on Windows, as mentioned in the video, do you think all the Amazon reviewers all run Linux, too? https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/reviews/B0163HP38W/ref=cm_cr_dp_mb_top?ie=UTF8
Cable Matters Dual Monitor USB C Hub (USB C Dock) with 2X 4K DP, 2X USB 2.0, Ethernet, and 60W Charging for Windows - Thunderbolt 3 Port Compatible - Support One External Display with MacBook Pro
I use this guy cause I’m strapped to two DP monitors. Gets the job done but doesn’t support two monitors on Mac only PC. I switch between the two.
The ideal would be to daisy chain thunderbolt displays, but that'll get pricey.
Your best bet is to get an eGPU and run them off of that. You only get one display port per Thunderbolt port (USB-C might or might not have it depending on the specs), so you're limited by what that can output.
USB alone probably won't cut it for 3 displays, but I might be wrong and it might cope at 1080.
This is an option if you want to stay on brand, and not too pricey compared to other TB3 docks: https://www.lenovo.com/gb/en/accessories-and-monitors/docking/universal-cable-docks-thunderbolt/Thunderbolt-Dock-Gen-2-UK/p/40AN0135UK
Or this one had a mobile GTX 1050 inside it, but costs as much as a bigger eGPU: https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-G0A10170UL-Thunderbolt-Graphics-Dock/dp/B079JFW3YT
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=lenovo+graphics+dock
https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-G0A10170UL-Thunderbolt-Graphics-Dock/dp/B079JFW3YT
I have the xps 13 9360 running for almost two years on Ubuntu. This article is garbage. The author didn't do his research and/or doesn't know what he's doing.
(https://www.amazon.com/CalDigit-TS3-Plus-Thunderbolt-Dock/dp/B07CZPV8DF/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=CalDigit+TS3+Plus+Thunderbolt+3+Dock+-+85W+Charging%2C&qid=1562862028&s=electronics&sr=1-1) with zero issues in Ubuntu.
I switched to Pluggable's and have fewer issues now, almost zero issues.
https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Universal-Docking-Station-Ethernet/dp/B00ECDM78E/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1502301580&sr=1-1&keywords=pluggable+usb+3.0+docking+station