Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
CalDigit Launches New Thunderbolt 5 Docks
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I just spotted an interesting tidbit from a CalDigit page on the TS5 Plus:
"This next-generation dock is compatible with Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3, USB4 v2 or USB4 host devices.
² Functionality is dependent on host computer or tablet’s capabilities.
Note: The TS5 Plus is not compatible with Thunderbolt 3 Windows PCs."
So if any of you are also using a Windows PC with TB3, this dock won't work with that. And just below that:
"*As the TS5 Plus features powerful performance levels, USB-C (5Gb/s & 10Gb/s) host devices are not compatible. To get the maximum performance & features from the TS5 Plus an 80Gb/s Thunderbolt 5 or USB4 v2 host connection is required."
So, if you have a non-Thunderbolt computer with USB-C ports, this wouldn't work with that? I get that you wouldn't buy this dock just for that computer, but if you have an old computer (say, you're mainly a desktop user but have an old notebook), this thing can't work like a USB-C dock for it? They mention it works with a Thunderbolt iPad; wonder how many people hook iPads to these things?
"This next-generation dock is compatible with Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3, USB4 v2 or USB4 host devices.
- M1/M2/M3/M4 Pro, M1/M2/M3/M4 Max & M1/M2/M3 Ultra Mac¹
- M1/M2/M3/M4 Mac¹
- Thunderbolt 5 PC
- Thunderbolt 4 PC
- Thunderbolt 3 Mac
- USB4 & USB4 v2 PC
- Intel Thunderbolt 3 Mac¹
- Thunderbolt iPad²
² Functionality is dependent on host computer or tablet’s capabilities.
Note: The TS5 Plus is not compatible with Thunderbolt 3 Windows PCs."
So if any of you are also using a Windows PC with TB3, this dock won't work with that. And just below that:
"*As the TS5 Plus features powerful performance levels, USB-C (5Gb/s & 10Gb/s) host devices are not compatible. To get the maximum performance & features from the TS5 Plus an 80Gb/s Thunderbolt 5 or USB4 v2 host connection is required."
So, if you have a non-Thunderbolt computer with USB-C ports, this wouldn't work with that? I get that you wouldn't buy this dock just for that computer, but if you have an old computer (say, you're mainly a desktop user but have an old notebook), this thing can't work like a USB-C dock for it? They mention it works with a Thunderbolt iPad; wonder how many people hook iPads to these things?
Agreed. Instead of the TS5+ I'd rather spend an additional $90 and get a base M4 Mini with the 10gbe option. Price reflects U.S. education discount that's available to everyone here (not limited to actual students/teachers):
I have gigabit fiber as my internet connection, I would definitely notice even just for internet let alone internally if I downgraded my network to 100mbps, and I know folks with higher speed connections where 1gbps internally isnt enough anymore.
Personally internally I already have a 10gb backbone on my network and would love a dock that has 10gbe built in without needing to chain it to an additional thunderbolt 10gbe NIC like I do in a couple cases now
Interesting idea but I question how it'd play out in real world use.
1.) People considering a CalDigit TS5/TS5 Plus already have a computer, and on MacRumors, probably a Mac with Thunderbolt 5.
2.) A base M4 Mac Mini doesn't have TB 5, just 4, so kind of a moot point (unless you're hoping a bunch of TS4 series will end up used with prices driven down).
3.) The people who regularly get substantial value out of 10 gigabit ethernet capability - how many are using base M4 Mac Minis? Disclaimer: I don't know; I just associated it with higher end users, but maybe I'm wrong.
4.) Your base M4 Mac Mini has very limited port selection, so it's time to go buy a dock or hub.
You could buy a base M4 Mac Mini with a cheaper, used prior generation Thunderbolt dock, but read the fine print. I recently picked up a CalDigit TS3 Plus for $90. Yay! But you gotta read the fine print. John M. Kuchta on Medium has an article from June 2021: The secret caveats of the CalDigit TS3 Plus dock.
-----The USB-C ports (there are 2, 5 and 10-Gbps, not counting Thunderbolt) don't support DisplayPort Alt Mode; if you want to connect a display, you do it from the DisplayPort or the single Thunderbolt 3 port.
-----You don't have a net gain of TB3 ports once you connect your Mac.
-----Kuchta wrote: "Every time I tried to use most of the ports I paid for, even with a relatively mundane set of equipment (keyboard, mouse, webcam, headset, YubiKey, and card reader), some of the USB devices intermittently failed, threw errors, boot-looped or simply stopped responding."
Note: if some of you get a TS5 or 5 Plus, maybe hook up a BUNCH of USB peripherals simultaneously and let us know how that works. I figure a lot of people buy these as a one stop end-all, be-all for their port needs.
-----He indicated trying to daisy chain another hub to it can be problematic, and in his replies Greg Simon said the TS4 couldn't reliably handle USB hubs (powered/unpowered).
-----He and someone elsewhere noted the digital optical audio output doesn't let you control volume (so if outputting to a device, you'll need to use it's volume knob).
-----I ran a USB A to C cable from the front of my TS3 Plus to my iPhone 12 Pro Max; the phone's photos didn't show up in my Mac's Photos app., but when I connected that same cable to a USB-A port on my Dell U2723QE display (which has hub functionality), they did.
To be fair, the CalDigit TS3 Plus is 2 generations old and was released in early 2018, so over 7 years ago. I imagine a LOT of improvements have been made, so let's call my concern 'Paranoia meets Those Who Do Not Learn From History Are Doomed To Repeat It's Mistakes.'
For most home users, 1GBPS is good enough because they only use the ethernet for Internet access.
But many other people will have devices on their local networks such as file servers or a Synology NAS. Or maybe just remote access to a headless server. I have all of the above, and so I paid the extra $100 to 10GBPS on my Mac Mini and now all of those networked devices are 10X faster.
I'm still rocking my TS3 enclosure but I'd have to jump to the Plus model because while the TS5 has 2 USB-A ports, what this article doesn't specify is the reason why I squinted my eyes and cocked my head to the side...it's one USB 3 port and one USB 2 port. Why CalDigit? WHY isn't it two USB 3 ports?
Valid points, especially the lack of TB5 on the Mini. I already have the TS3+ and M4 Pro MBP with TB5. I have a separate $150 10gbe adapter hooked up to my TS3+.
While a TS5+ brings 10gbe and can be used with different devices, I'd still rather have a 10gbe M4 Mini and keep my TS3+ setup if I'm going to spend in the $500 range.
Last edited:
Not all USB-A devices require 5.0+Gbps. Common examples are wired or wireless keyboard/mouse or headsets.
I have both the normal CalDigit TS4 as well as the TS4 Plus as sold by the Apple Store (cheaper for some, yet unknown, reason). One at the office, the other at the home office. High prices for a dock however I tried many others, the CalDigit is by far the best I have used. The TS5 doesn't seem to have any added value for me.
The lack of support for their products. Ask anyone who was running their RAID arrays. Personally, I always ran mine as JOBD and used CCC and that turned out to be a wise choice because anyone who ran a 1 or 0 striped array could not retrieve their data. I suppose a hub is not mission critical but caveat emptor
One of the confusing aspects of researching a brand is the competing reports. From the critical The secret caveats of the CalDigit TS3 Plus dock, John Kuchta noted "First thing’s first. CalDigit support reps are responsive, friendly, and capable. CalDigit’s doing something right in the support department and other peripheral makers would do well to follow CalDigit’s example. I really wish all email support was as straightforward, helpful and reasonable as CalDigit’s."
Your RAID-related link was to a thread 4-years ago. I wonder what led to things going the way they did?
IIRC, CalDigit and OWC are 2 vendors who have had staff post on MacRumors and engage with users, which impresses me a bit since it opens them to the risk of public ire from disgruntled customers.
People talking about what a value the TS5 Plus is considering the inclusion of 10 gigabit ethernet made me take another look at the Sonnet Echo™ 13 Thunderbolt™ 5 SSD Dock, the 4-terabyte version of which is very modestly more expensive than OW's standalone 4-terabyte Thunderbolt 5 external SSD, IIRC. Very interesting!
I wonder if people considering the OWC TB5 4-TB SSD ought to really think about the Echo 13 TB 5 SSD dock? Sounds like a LOT of extra value for not much more money.
Totally agree I don’t have any usb A thing since many years that use Dailey and so dose many of my friend / colleagues around me. Of course inhale som old items but maybe I connect hem a few time a year so I can mange to have a adapter also there is cable usb c
Exactly that's what I was saying in a different thread. If you get a MacMini M4 Pro, for $2200 and then a CalDigit for $500, that's $2700. The Studio has MORE native ports (i.e. bussed) that you can kinda get by with, BUT you can get a MAX chip! So:
Mini @pro M4 (64GB) + Dock ≠ Studio @Max M4 (64GB)
I think the bargain is towards the Studio.
BUT there are some things that are in the favor of the Mini, SIZE &?...
BUT I sometimes like bussed ports not ports thru one PCIe bus, but, the TS5 does have double the USB bus... LOL
Choose wisely!
I'd imagine there are both hardware and marketing reasons.
I am still looking around to see if I can get away with buying (non-Apple, of course) Thunderbolt displays for my connectivity instead of docks like these so that especially with dual monitors, I have more A ports in addition to a reasonable number of 10Gb C ports. It does mean paying essentially the same Apple Basic Real-Life Productivity Connectivity For People Who Don't Arrange Their Desktops For Social Media Sharing Tax, but it might end up being tidier. In the end I will probably need at least one of these types of docks just for the storage I/O if nothing else.
Last edited:
I need one of these 10gbs first and Mac with 10gb so i can drop the slow wifi 7...lol
https://www.fs.com/c/10g-enterprise-switches-3256
Make my system fly for file transfers.
Now the slow SSD would be the bottle neck..
https://www.fs.com/c/10g-enterprise-switches-3256
Make my system fly for file transfers.
Now the slow SSD would be the bottle neck..
Last edited:
Correct, that was 4 years ago and I have not purchased a CalDigit product since. I was a customer who spent probably a good $8K w/them over the years, so yeah they lost me.
My issue wasn't the tech-support staff per se, rather I soured on the corporate decision which came out of nowhere and left many people in the lurch. God forbid you updated to Big Sur and couldn't roll back your OS, because otherwise you would have lost access to all your data. I don't believe there was any warning about this from CalDigit either, like 'don't upgrade to Big Sur otherwise your drive will be dead in the water'. Boycott is pretty much the only power consumers have and every now and then, I exercise it.
Got a notification email it was available. Clicked on it instantly and took me to a page that says out of stock until June.
I think this is vaporware
I think this is vaporware
