Choosing the most effective Thunderbolt dock merely can’t be carried out with a watch on specs alone. It’s a course of that may take time and assets, however pays off within the confidence that I’ve reached the proper resolution about which Thunderbolt docks are price shopping for.
Thunderbolt docks emerged as vital gadget through the pandemic, when many individuals discovered themselves working at dwelling and realized that their PCs lacked the proper kind or variety of ports to hook up with all of their peripherals. A USB-C dongle may very well be adequate, however a no-compromises work-from-home setup demanded a Thunderbolt dock.
Other publications could deal with Thunderbolt docks as a single product class. We acknowledge them as part of a spectrum of I/O peripherals that features the uncooked 40Gbps energy of the best Thunderbolt docking stations on one finish, and simpler, cheaper 10Gbps USB-C hubs on the opposite. In between are what are often known as DisplayLink docks that use proprietary knowledge compression from Synaptics to realize Thunderbolt capabilities at decrease costs, and a associated class of USB-C docks that use an open expertise known as DSC with HBR3.
We take a look at Thunderbolt docks and DisplayLink/DSC USB-C docks utilizing the identical strategies and embody our suggestions in the identical article. We separate USB-C dongles into their very own roundup, with their very own checks. They all share one thing in frequent, nevertheless: They’re designed to permit your laptop computer to hook up with extra peripherals and shows than you would possibly in any other case assume doable.
PCWorld’s testing standards for Thunderbolt docks
I take a look at Thunderbolt docks utilizing a set of frequent standards:
- Price, and the way it compares to opponents
- The variety of ports/particular options, such because the variety of shows it connects to
- Stability, together with whether or not peripherals unexpectedly disconnect
- Whether it delivers the promised energy to the laptop computer and the dock’s peripherals
- Performance, each in streaming and storage
All of the Thunderbolt docks we assessment are offered by the distributors after which assessed on my own or different PCWorld workers with whole editorial independence. Our selections are made by means of hands-on testing, and we’re by no means influenced by exterior events.
How I consider Thunderbolt docks on value
My course of begins with getting into the Thunderbolt dock into our database. That may appear irrelevant, nevertheless it additionally forces me to test its value and availability. Is it simply out there from the seller, or from a number of retailers? Is the worth the identical in any respect of them, or is there a sale that may make it extra engaging to a reader?
Thunderbolt docks pushed up into the $300 vary through the pandemic, and that’s usually mirrored within the MSRP pricing that accompanies our evaluations. But dock makers have pushed exhausting to cut back costs as provide chains have eased and competitors has intensified.
How I consider Thunderbolt docks on options
Price and options go hand in hand. Most Thunderbolt docks are labeled as an “X-in-1,” the place you might select from an 8-in-1 dock, or a 10-in-1 dock, or another mixture. This is usually a bit subjective. Do you, the shopper, want 30 USB-A ports? Of course not. But are seven ports higher than 5? I’ve to take a look at the worth a dock maker prices after which evaluate it to how accommodating the producer is. A pleasant guarantee is a plus, too.
It’s right here that I begin to take a look at the bodily dock itself. When I take away the dock from the packaging, I measure it to test that it matches the printed specs. While I don’t care an excessive amount of in regards to the dimension of the dock itself, the size of the Thunderbolt twine issues.
What meaning is that choosing the proper Thunderbolt dock is a dance between value, ports, and guarantees. I’m on the lookout for the most effective mixture of options on the least expensive doable value, and I’ll usually regulate my rankings merely due to a major value lower.
I truly attempt to not learn what any consumers should say on websites like Amazon, as I’d prefer to kind my very own opinions. But I do return and skim them earlier than I file my assessment, in case I’ve missed something particular that’s price additional testing or remark.
How I take a look at Thunderbolt docks for stability
Now it’s time to attach. I plug the dock on a take a look at laptop computer I’ve arrange for the aim, and test for stability: When I join the show cables, do they take a very long time to attach? Do the shows flicker or refuse to activate? Does the dock require any utility software program to be loaded? (The reply is commonly no, however DisplayLink requires a software program driver.) I then reboot and test once more.
The drawback with testing docking stations is that one take a look at laptop computer doesn’t lower it. Thunderbolt 3 docks is usually a bit glitchy, in that linked shows can flicker and even disconnect. Thunderbolt 4 docks had been designed to resolve this drawback, with an incremental however extra restrictive specification. But a superb Thunderbolt expertise relies on each the host laptop computer in addition to the dock. In flip, I join every dock to 5 take a look at laptops with totally different parts inside, together with 10th-gen to 14th-gen Intel Core chips and an AMD Ryzen 7000 pocket book. I exploit the cables and energy provide that the dock ships with.
Mark Hachman / IDG
Mark Hachman / IDG
Mark Hachman / IDG
Thunderbolt 3/4 docking stations are alleged to reliably join to 2 4K shows working at 60Hz. Some use compression to hook up with 4 4K shows at 60Hz. Many additionally tout the power to hook up with a single 8K show at 30Hz. I’ve 4 4K shows available, one which is rated at 144Hz. I can due to this fact take a look at docks that declare that they’ll join as much as 4 4K shows, although I lack an 8K show to check that functionality. When Thunderbolt 5 arrives (three 4K shows, at 144Hz every) I’ll must spend money on extra {hardware}.
It’s then again to my on a regular basis work laptop computer for a day or two of regular use, as an extra test. I’m additionally a gamer, so I’ll change to a gaming laptop computer within the night and see the way it handles these, too. This is all within the service of stability. If the shows flicker or disconnect, that’s dangerous information.
Many docks now help as much as 2.5Gbps Ethernet. I don’t have entry to a 2.5Gbps Ethernet connection, however I can and do take a look at the Ethernet connection on my dwelling connection which runs into the a whole lot of megabits. I additionally test the dock’s headphone jack and the standard of the audio.
How I take a look at Thunderbolt docks for his or her potential to produce energy
Many fashionable docks promote their potential to cost your smartphone by way of a devoted energy brick that sends energy by means of the dock.
In fact, just about any port that provides energy will finally cost a smartphone; I’m simply on the lookout for one that may do at its rated energy stage. I exploit a USB multimeter to test how a lot energy every port provides, connecting it to a smartphone.
I do the identical for the laptop computer itself. Most laptops don’t really want as a lot energy as right now’s high-end docks present. For that, I launch an intensive 3D sport, then file the height energy the dock provides over the Thunderbolt cable.
Mark Hachman / IDG
Mark Hachman / IDG
Mark Hachman / IDG
How I take a look at Thunderbolt docks for efficiency
I complement my stability checks by testing the dock underneath a number of utilization eventualities to see if there are any sudden slowdowns because the dock transfers knowledge.
Using a take a look at laptop computer that I exploit for each dock take a look at, I stream 4K60 video from YouTube over the Ethernet connection in addition to a prerecorded video utilizing the VLC video participant. Both functions can monitor what number of, if any, frames are dropped. I stream not less than 10,000 frames on YouTube and notice the variety of dropped frames; the most effective drop underneath 10 frames, whereas poor-quality docks typically drop over 100. Dropped frames translate into stuttery, uneven video playback.
I then join a take a look at, bus-powered SSD to the dock. Using PCMark 10’s storage benchmark, I measure the SSD’s efficiency. Since I exploit the identical laptop computer and the SSD from take a look at to check, the one variable needs to be the dock itself. (Windows updates may additionally have an impact.) I notice the rating and the throughput and evaluate them to different docks I take a look at. I then repeat the take a look at whereas streaming video.
Finally, I file the time it takes to repeat a multi-gigabyte folder full of assorted recordsdata from the dock to the laptop computer over the Thunderbolt 4 bus, then repeat the take a look at whereas streaming video. This is commonly overkill, however I need to attempt to saturate the Thunderbolt bus if doable and route as a lot knowledge by means of the dock itself.
Thunderbolt docks are likely to carry out extra poorly than DisplayLink docks in these efficiency checks, although not by a lot. That’s probably as a result of compression DisplayLink docks make use of.
I don’t apply the identical rigor to any SD or microSD card slots the dock has. I run a easy storage take a look at, with the suitable card, to see if it delivers on its rated pace.
How to interpret our Thunderbolt dock ranking system
I award an Editor’s Choice award if the dock is secure, performs nicely, delivers the rated energy that it guarantees, and at a aggressive value. I’ll mark down for instability or technical glitches, or different deficiencies. In some circumstances, I’ll not subtract that a lot from the ranking of a characteristic that I don’t take into account crucial; one latest dock suffered from poor audio, nevertheless it’s a characteristic that’s discovered on just about all laptops. Our Best Picks for Thunderbolt docks will often notice docks that we’ve reviewed and don’t meet our standards, however not all the time.
An Editor’s Choice award could also be assigned to a product with 4 stars or above, however by no means beneath. In brief, I’ll solely assign an Editor’s Choice award to a dock that I’d use myself and would suggest to a buddy or member of the family.