Maybe they updated the article since you posted but there are pictures of all 3 sides with ports. The only one I think you were missing was the side which has the 2 sd card slots.
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.
Review: Anker Prime Thunderbolt 5 Dock Pairs Compact Design With 14 Ports
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Sure,
But if the power supply wasn’t built in to the dock it wouldn’t need a fan at all
It is a pretty weird design to put a hot power supply on your desk so that you have to also build in a noisy fan to cool it down
Reviewer said the fan, while you can hear it, isn’t really noisy… barely above whisper level. I wouldn’t call that “noisy.”
Time will tell though. Already seeing some reports of issues with the Ethernet port on these, though I’d suspect a firmware update could resolve those.
Oh that's good. Except that it comes with a built in SSD, rather add my own.
But still, it's new. When I last needed such a thing I got a "WD Game Dock". It was one of two options for TB3/4 i think.
Hopefully Sonnet still has a similar offering when the WD dies...
Yep, they did update the article - there's a comment from the editor a bit further up mentioning this.
Thunderbolt 5 is not the same as "USB4 v2 mode," but it is built upon and incorporates the USB4 v2 standard, adding its own enhancements. Thunderbolt 5 utilizes the USB4 v2 specification as its foundation and then adds specific improvements on top of it . Thunderbolt 5 is a proprietary Intel technology that builds on this foundation, offering features such as "Bandwidth Boost" for up to 120 Gbps in a single direction, enhanced PCI Express (PCIe) bandwidth, and support for DisplayPort 2.1.
Shows well in thunderbolt 3 mode:
Picked up the Acasis Thunderbolt 5 external enclosure for $170 (with promo + coupon).
I work across four locations, so having a unit with independent cooling control is a game-changer. It’s noticeably faster than the dock’s built-in SSD slot, which shares bandwidth with other peripherals. This setup gives me full Thunderbolt 5 speed without compromise. Faster than internal SSD
Unfortunately, Thunderbolt 5 still doesn’t support PCIe 5.0, so we’re not getting the full potential of the latest ultra-fast SSDs just yet. There are drives out there that could go even faster—just waiting on the interface to catch up. (SAMSUNG 9100 Pro M.2)
Last edited:
Interesting point. People seemed pretty happy with Thunderbolt 3 external SSDs speed-wise; TB 5 is faster (though in the case of one product I saw a review indicating once the cache was filled transporting a very large file, speed dropped a lot). In practical use, do you notice much difference with TB5 external SSDs in practical use?
Similarly, regarding this:
What do you do that makes it noticeable? I have an M4Pro Mac Mini with TB5 ports, but no TB5 peripherals and my 2 external SSDs are 10 Gbps USB-C.
If you're working with large files, Thunderbolt 5 (80 Gbps) can be twice as fast as Thunderbolt 3 for tasks like copying or verifying data. The difference shrinks with lots of small files, but for big transfers—like my typical 100 GB copy followed by a bit-for-bit comparison—the speed boost is very noticeable.
AFAIK all of the TB5 features are part of the USB4v2 specs - but some of them are optional features of USB4v2 implementations that are mandatory for TB5 branding.
Irrelevant: Thunderbolt 3 pre-dates the licensing of TB technology to the USB-IF, and used a proprietary Intel protocol for high-speed data with DP and PCIe tunnelling. Thunderbolt 3 devices run in "Thunderbolt 3" mode.
Then Intel licensed the Thunderbolt tech to USB-IF, which they extended to produce USB4 (adding support for hubs with multiple downstream USB4/TB ports, plus USB 3.x tunnelling)
Thunderbolt 4 and 5 are just branding for Intel-certified implementations of the USB4 standards with many of the optional parts made mandatory. USB4 and TB4 devices run in USB4 mode.
Mac Studio connected to Caldigit Elements TB4 hub:
Big brands need big profits and/or mega sales. These devices offer neither so it is left to small companies to produce them. Chinese companies have much lower cost overhead, manufacturing availability and talent which is why you see them in this area.
While USB4 Version 2.0 and Thunderbolt 5 may look nearly identical on paper — both boasting up to 120Gbps asymmetric bandwidth, DisplayPort 2.1 support, and PCIe tunneling — they’re not the same thing. Here’s why:
Both standards support:
• Up to 80Gbps bidirectional bandwidth, or 120Gbps in one direction (ideal for high-performance displays).
• DisplayPort 2.1 tunneling, including UHBR20 speeds.
• PCIe Gen 4 tunneling, enabling fast external SSDs and GPUs.
• USB-C connector, with backward compatibility to USB4 v1, USB 3.2, and Thunderbolt 3.
So yes — USB4 v2.0 can do what Thunderbolt 5 does. But there’s a catch.
The key difference lies in certification and implementation:
Thunderbolt 5 is essentially a premium subset of USB4 v2.0 — with stricter requirements, guaranteed feature sets, and Intel’s seal of approval. USB4 v2.0, on the other hand, gives manufacturers more flexibility, which can lead to inconsistent feature support across devices.
🖥️ DisplayPort 2.1 Support
Both standards support DisplayPort 2.1, including UHBR20 speeds (up to 80Gbps for display data). This means support for ultra-high resolution monitors (like 8K at high refresh rates) is possible — but again, Thunderbolt 5 guarantees it, while USB4 v2.0 only allows it.
If you're buying a device and need guaranteed high-speed performance, external GPU support, or multi-display setups, Thunderbolt 5 is the safer bet.
If you've recently picked up a Thunderbolt 5 dock — like Anker's this model — you might have noticed something odd: even when using a Thunderbolt 5-certified cable, the host connection still reports 80Gbps, not the full 120Gbps that TB5 promises. Stranger still, the dock’s downstream Thunderbolt ports do show 120Gbps capability. 🤷♂️
Even more confusing: when using a Thunderbolt 3 cable, the dock still reports 80Gbps (and USB 4 v2). That’s because TB3 cables (I tried only passive) can support up to 80Gbps in USB4 v2.0 mode — but not the asymmetric 120Gbps mode. So while the dock might show 80Gbps, it’s not truly operating at TB5 speeds.
Even with Intel-Certified Thunderbolt 5 Cable, Only USB4 v2 Mode Is Detected
In testing, even when using a fully Intel-certified Thunderbolt 5 cable — one that explicitly supports 120Gbps asymmetric bandwidth — the system still reports the connection as USB4 Version 2.0, not Thunderbolt 5.
This behavior raises questions about how host devices negotiate bandwidth and mode with connected docks. Despite the cable being capable of full TB5 speeds, the host defaults to USB4 v2 mode, which may cap performance or limit certain Thunderbolt-specific features.
Whether this is due to firmware, OS-level reporting, or host-side limitations remains unclear. But for users expecting full Thunderbolt 5 functionality just by swapping cables — this is a reminder that cable alone isn’t enough.
Attachments
Which is what I've been saying all along. I think you're cherry-picking my initial "USB4 v2 mode” is Thunderbolt 5" comment which could have been better expressed as "USB4 v2 mode” is Thunderbolt 5 mode" but that was all in response to your post about what connection mode System Report shows, which will be USB4v2 for a TB5 connection because the proocols used by TB5 are all part of USB4. My original post did go on to elaborate on TB4/5 being about certification and minimum specs.
USB4 is mozzarella & tomato pizza with a range of sizes and extra toppings, TB4/5 is the MegaPizza 14" Cheese Lover's 3 Cheese Special - but its the same 3-cheese pizza you'd get if you called GoEat and ordered a USB4 with extra cheddar and Swiss (...esp. as everybody gets their dough and toppings from the same 3 wholesalers, bit like USB/TB chipsets).
...because there's no "Thunderbolt 5 mode" it could report - USB4v2 is the connection protocol that all the TB5 features use. 120Gbps asymmetric is part of USB4v2 - it's just not mandatory for USB4v2 branding. System Report is just telling you what protocol is currently in use, it isn't going to provide a forensic analysis of all the specs of your connected gear!
That's probably because the host is currently connected to the hub in bidirectional 80Gbps (2 x 40 up, 2 x 40 down) mode which is how the hub normally operates - to drive a 120Gbps device it would have to switch to asymmetrical (1x40 up, 3x40 down) mode. At the moment, I believe that 120Gbps mode is purely for super-high-end video displays, not data use. Maybe if you connected a 120Gbps-compatible TB display, system report would show the mode as 120Gbps.
What "up to" speed does it say for unused TB5 ports of your Mac?
OS-level reporting. System report isn't a TB5 certification compliance-testing tool. It's just telling you the current connection mode/protocol - and all of the TB5 features use USB4v2 protocols.
M4 Pro/Max and M3 Ultra Macs have TB5-branded ports so they must meet TB5 minimum specs. Likewise for Apple-branded TB5 cables. You might get fake TB5 cable from some dodgy source, but Apple/OWC/Anker et. al. aren't going to play that game.
Maybe, but impossible to know unless you try connecting a peripheral that actually supports 120Gbps.
I don't think there's any difference in the data-carrying part of passive TB3, TB4 and TB5 cables, and if TB3 cables can physically do 80Gbps bidirectional they can physically do 120Gbps asymmetrical (one of the 4 x 40Gbps twisted pairs is just running in the opposite direction). It just comes down to whether the host checks the cable ID and says "no - I won't turn on this feature".
One key difference between TB3 and TB4/5 cables is that, I believe, TB4/5 certification requires 240W power delivery c.f. 100W for TB3, which shouldn't affect data capabilities.
If you want a puzzle for ther ages, try and work out why this USB4v2 cable isn't sold as Thunderbolt 5 (apart from Satechi maybe noty wanting to pay Intel). Beats me!
Alright folks, I think we’ve officially grilled this topic to perfection.Which is what I've been saying all along. I think you're cherry-picking my initial "USB4 v2 mode” is Thunderbolt 5" comment which could have been better expressed as "USB4 v2 mode” is Thunderbolt 5 mode" but that was all in response to your post about what connection mode System Report shows, which will be USB4v2 for a TB5 connection because the proocols used by TB5 are all part of USB4. My original post did go on to elaborate on TB4/5 being about certification and minimum specs.
USB4 is mozzarella & tomato pizza with a range of sizes and extra toppings, TB4/5 is the MegaPizza 14" Cheese Lover's 3 Cheese Special - but its the same 3-cheese pizza you'd get if you called GoEat and ordered a USB4 with extra cheddar and Swiss (...esp. as everybody gets their dough and toppings from the same 3 wholesalers, bit like USB/TB chipsets).
...because there's no "Thunderbolt 5 mode" it could report - USB4v2 is the connection protocol that all the TB5 features use. 120Gbps asymmetric is part of USB4v2 - it's just not mandatory for USB4v2 branding. System Report is just telling you what protocol is currently in use, it isn't going to provide a forensic analysis of all the specs of your connected gear!
That's probably because the host is currently connected to the hub in bidirectional 80Gbps (2 x 40 up, 2 x 40 down) mode which is how the hub normally operates - to drive a 120Gbps device it would have to switch to asymmetrical (1x40 up, 3x40 down) mode. At the moment, I believe that 120Gbps mode is purely for super-high-end video displays, not data use. Maybe if you connected a 120Gbps-compatible TB display, system report would show the mode as 120Gbps.
What "up to" speed does it say for unused TB5 ports of your Mac?
OS-level reporting. System report isn't a TB5 certification compliance-testing tool. It's just telling you the current connection mode/protocol - and all of the TB5 features use USB4v2 protocols.
M4 Pro/Max and M3 Ultra Macs have TB5-branded ports so they must meet TB5 minimum specs. Likewise for Apple-branded TB5 cables. You might get fake TB5 cable from some dodgy source, but Apple/OWC/Anker et. al. aren't going to play that game.
Maybe, but impossible to know unless you try connecting a peripheral that actually supports 120Gbps.
I don't think there's any difference in the data-carrying part of passive TB3, TB4 and TB5 cables, and if TB3 cables can physically do 80Gbps bidirectional they can physically do 120Gbps asymmetrical (one of the 4 x 40Gbps twisted pairs is just running in the opposite direction). It just comes down to whether the host checks the cable ID and says "no - I won't turn on this feature".
One key difference between TB3 and TB4/5 cables is that, I believe, TB4/5 certification requires 240W power delivery c.f. 100W for TB3, which shouldn't affect data capabilities.
If you want a puzzle for ther ages, try and work out why this USB4v2 cable isn't sold as Thunderbolt 5 (apart from Satechi maybe noty wanting to pay Intel). Beats me!
Between USB4 v2.0, Thunderbolt 5, asymmetric bandwidth, and cable politics, we’ve sliced this protocol pizza into more pieces than it probably deserves.
If anyone’s still confused, don’t worry — the System Report is too. 😄
One related general topic, since the potential for bandwidth higher than 80 Gbps with Thunderbolt 5, up to 120 Gbps, for driving a display with Thunderbolt 5 is sometimes mentioned.
With modern computers, we often have a choice between USB-C (DisplayPort Alt. Mode), HDMI, DisplayPort and sometimes (with higher end displays) Thunderbolt.
With HDMI, it's basically a one way 'asynchronous' data path from computer to display, and if the display has hub functionality, the other ports don't work.
If you have USB-C or Thunderbolt, the display functions and its hub ports, if any, work, because the computer and display send data to each other. I'm guessing DisplayPort can do that, too, but I don't remember.
Now here's where things get tricky, as display resolution (e.g.: 6K, people hoping for 8K) and/or refresh rates (e.g.: 120-Hz to much faster) come into play. It's my understanding with Thunderbolt 5, you get asynchronous data transfer from computer to display, which sounds like HDMI.
So here's the question...let's say someone has this dock (or just a Mac TB5 port) hooked to some future Thunderbolt display that needs 100 Gbps to drive its combo. of resolution and refresh rate. By using asynchronous data transfer, your TB5 M4Pro or Max series Mac should be able to do that. But what about the 'extra' 20 Gbps not in use?
Basically, I want to know what happens when a Thunderbolt 5 connection to a display requires over 80 Gbps but less than 120 Gbs. Does the shift to asynchronous basically turn off the ability of the display to send data to the Mac? If you have the choice between a very recent HDMI or DisplayPort version and Thunderbolt 5 for such a display, does Thunderbolt 5 give you any advantage?
Except it’s not, and you’re not helping the confusion. System Report is correctly reporting the actual protocol being used, not whether the manufacturers have licensed Thunderbolt 5 branding from Intel.
For one last time, 120Gbps mode, full DP 2.1 support etc. are all USB4v2 protocols - they’re just optional in a USB4v2 branded host port and required in a TB5 branded one. It’s all USB4v2. You’re not missing out on anything because SR is saying USB4v2 mode.
Asymmetric/bidirectional/unidirectional are the more relevant terms here ( not asynchronous/synchronous). I.e. whether the bandwidth is the same in both directions.
HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C/USB4/TB all have 3-4 high speed data lanes. In HDMI/DP, all 3/4 lanes are used to send data from the host to the display - unidirectional. (I’m glossing over lots of details here, feel free to pick nits)
TB5/USB4v2 has 4 up-to-40Gbps data lanes, normally allocated as 2 upstream and 2 Downstream giving you 80Gbps each way (symmetrical). 120Gbps mode uses 3 lanes downstream (to the display) giving 120Gps in one direction and 40Gbps in the other- i.e. asymmetrical.
So, yes, potentially a high-bandwidth Thunderbolt Display that didn’t use all 120Gbps could have a hub, there would still be a 40Gbps path back to the host, and data and display packets can share the 120Gbps path to the display.
