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Review: Anker Prime Thunderbolt 5 Dock Pairs Compact Design With 14 Ports

Another noise source. Wouldn't even consider. Apple can make inaudible devices with fans (iMacs, Studio Display), which sit right on the desk and/or fanless devices, so there are no excuses for Anker, except being cheap.
 
537635 said:
Another noise source. Wouldn't even consider. Apple can make inaudible devices with fans (iMacs, Studio Display), which sit right on the desk and/or fanless devices, so there are no excuses for Anker, except being cheap.
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Cheap at $400? I could buy a dual DisplayPort (and then some) Thunderbolt dock for half that price.
 
adib said:
Cheap at $400? I could buy a dual DisplayPort (and then some) Thunderbolt dock for half that price.
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TBH I didn't even look at the price. I didn't mean that the price was cheap, but that the design and manufacturing feels cheap.

For this money you could get a decent MacMini. Same size, ports, internal power supply. Oh... and it's a whole computer.
 
jclo said:
I try not to buy anything that uses USB-A, but there are still a few things lurking around my house with it. Makes sense to have a port or two for those legacy things, but I sure do wish manufacturers would be quicker at phasing it out. At least it's better than microUSB, which some things still use.
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I still have a micro-usb device - sadly.
 
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"Compact design" and it's the size of two Mac mini M4s stacked on each other. And ugly.
 
MacRumors said:
The Anker Prime TB5 Docking Station is probably my favorite dock I've used to date thanks to the design. It's surprisingly compact for a 14-port dock, with a square shape that spreads the ports across three of the sides.
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Am I missing something?
  • There are ports on 3 sides of the unit being reviewed.
  • The whole purpose of this accessory is to provide ports.
  • There are 6 photos of the unit in this review.
  • 5 photos show the ports on the front, 1 shows the ports on the back.
  • Zero photos show the ports on the side? Yes?
  • They are photos of a device that provides ports and they don't show all the ports?
ETA: Ah, I see now the article has been updated, to have 8 photos including one that shows the previously missing side.
 
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Good with headphones

One of the comments on the product page claims this Anker Thunderbolt 5 hub has a DAC/amp built-in (KTMicro KT02F20 chip in a QFN36 package) to drive headphones for better-than-CD-quality (if you have such music available, like a subscription to Apple Music or Tidal). The sound is reportedly "CRISP and LOUD and surprisingly lacking in noise/distortion".
 
Price is on the higher side. But looks like a good dock. Would have liked the design to be better. This one is quite big.
 
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537635 said:
Another noise source. Wouldn't even consider. Apple can make inaudible devices with fans (iMacs, Studio Display), which sit right on the desk and/or fanless devices, so there are no excuses for Anker, except being cheap.
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It’s completely silent — I don’t think I’ve ever heard it spin up. Might not have even turned on once. I use it 12 hours a day, charging the whole time.
 
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My main concern is that my MacBook Pro M4 Max connects to the device in USB4 v2 mode instead of Thunderbolt 5. While the connection speed is indeed 80 Gbps, which is impressive, it achieves this using a Thunderbolt 3 cable too — and that’s what I find confusing. I expected Thunderbolt 5 negotiation, especially given the hardware capabilities. Has anyone experienced something similar or found a workaround to force TB5 mode?
 
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frownface said:
If the 232w power supply (which is pretty hefty) is built into the dock, then that dock is going to run pretty hot, no?

Sounds like a bit of a design flaw.
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Mine runs cool — I’ve never heard the fan turn on. It’s an M4 Max MacBook Pro, and I’m using it with two 4K 60Hz monitors, an external audio interface, and an external SSD, all while charging.
 
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From the Article: Docks are useful because they expand the available number of ports that you can use at one time, and add legacy ports like USB-A that Apple has discontinued.
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While these are good uses, it misses the main reason for buying a dock, which is to be able to have a fixed set of peripherals and an adapter sitting at a desk and not need to plug / unplug several cables to use it and go mobile.
 
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Tagrav said:
My main concern is that my MacBook Pro M4 Max connects to the device in USB4 v2 mode instead of Thunderbolt 5.
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“USB4 v2 mode” is Thunderbolt 5. TB4/5 is just an Intel branding/certification scheme for USB4/v2 with some of the optional bits of USB4/USB-C/USB 3.2/USB PD made compulsory. AFAIK there’s nothing in TB5 that isn’t part of the USB specs - and all System Report is telling you is that it’s using the 80Gbps protocol.

Interesting, but not particularly surprising, that the TB3 cable supports 80Gbps. The cable differences only start to kick in with the longer “active” cables and/or ones supporting the higher USB power delivery modes required by Thunderbolt.

My Caldigit TB4 hub with appropriate TB4 cable shows up as USB4 in system report.
 
As soon as I saw that thing I thought it looked huge and yet I kept reading about “compact design”

I guess the massive size is the result of having the power supply in the case

Much prefer the sonnet et al form factor
 
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JohnC1959 said:
The most important thing I have in a USB-A port is my logitech dongle for my keyboard and mouse. Maybe the newer ones have USB-C (hopefully) but not mine.
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YMMV, of course.

This is the list of devices that are either hard-wired USB-A or which have USB-B ports that are currently permanently connected to my desktop workstation:
  • Mechanical keyboard
  • Wireless Mouse Receiver
  • Webcam
  • Label Printers
  • Stream Deck
  • UPS
Out of the above devices, this is the list of devices that have outlived their useful life or are projected to do so within the next 5-10 years or would significantly benefit from an upgrade to USB-C:
 
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frownface said:
If the 232w power supply (which is pretty hefty) is built into the dock, then that dock is going to run pretty hot, no?

Sounds like a bit of a design flaw.
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This dock does have built in heat dispersion. There is fan inside and the heat comes out the side vents. I've had this for three weeks and can say this little guy is just as cool as the M4 Mac Mini. Never once felt warm or hot when pushing my M4 Pro or M3 Max MBP.
 
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