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Review: CalDigit's 'TS3 Plus' Dock Gives You 15 Ports, 85W Charging, and an SD Card Reader for $250
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I think that needs clarifying: the longer, active, cables will support the full USB functionality of the dock since its a Thunderbolt device that contains its own USB 3.1 controllers, connected to the host via Thunderbolt.
Its only if you try to re-use the active TB3 cables to connect between a USB-C/TB3 port and a non-Thunderbolt device that they'll be limited to USB2 speeds (because the 'active' bit makes the high-speed data pairs in the cable Thunderbolt only). Not an issue if you're buying a cable specifically to use with the dock (but a couple of years and upgrades down the line when you grab a USB-C cable from your spares box, you'll be cursing...)
I mention this only as a curiosity (I'm skeptical) but, on page 22 of this document they say that a USB Type-C to DisplayPort adapter cable "must be reversible, works in either direction; four lanes of DisplayPort" - which would suggest that you could get a USB-C to DP cable and string it between the dock's DP1.2 output and the USB-C input on a 4k USB-C displah ("reversible" probably just means that the USB plug must work either way up, but they say "works in either direction" as well...)
Er, yes, up to 2015 the MBP did have digital optical out (not obvious, but the headphone jack would accept an optical audio cable) - removing this was anther one of the little "worse is the new better" changes made in 2016. The mic port would also do audio in with (e.g.) a headset with microphone. DisplayPort? It had two mini DisplayPorts (doubling as TB2 ports) and HDMI. Thunderbolt 3? No, but it had TB2 and most TB3 devices will work with an adapter (and big boys don't cry about needing dongles, right?) It also had a SD-card reader - maybe not UHS-II (but since that has cropped up in the iMac Pro who's to say what an alternative-universe 2017 update of the old rMBP design might have had?)
A lot has been sacrificed for the sake of replacing 20Gbps TB2 with 40Gbps TB3 - like the ability to plug in 2 external displays, a high-speed TB2 hard drive, an external keyboard, a USB thumb drive, and SD card, a digital surround sound system and a charger without needing a hub/dock/multiport adapter.
Thanks for the link. That's been tried a few times (see the Mac Accessories sub-forum) and it doesn't seem to work unfortunately.
Sorry for the simpleton question but I was wondering if this DP will work with my original Apple 27" Cinema Display which appears to have a mini display port connector (not the newer thunderbolt but the original 27" model). If so is the adapter included or is it a fairly trivial dumb dongle I can get anywhere for cheap? I have the latest 15" MBP and would later this year upgrade my old 27 display with one of those ultra wide curved thunderbolt ones that came out this year but will need it to work with what I have for the time being.
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I think we lost dual audio ports in 2011 and since then we've been single multi purpose audio port. Sure, TB ports can be used as a DisplayPort (I always liked the mini DP ports until I used the full size ones that can have a built in lock so the cable doesn't undo itself) I have a TB2 to TB3 adapter (not a fan at 50 buck a pop but, the Apple ones are bi directional and so far hasn't failed me),
My first powerbook was around 2003 and one of the first things I learned was if you hang onto legacy ports, you're gonna have a bad time. When I upgraded to 2017 MBP I bought a handful of cables on mono price mostly usb3 to usb3-c and a TB2 to TB3 cable and a Apple dongle that I returned. All said and done, I was out 120 bucks in cables and adapters. I even bought a third party 90 watt charger for 48 bucks, so there is an upside to universal ports. We are already seeing a lot more TB3 devices than TB 1&2 had in 7 years. I'm going to call this a win, not a free win but, a win none the less.
I don't get it, why go with DisplayPort over Mini DisplayPort if this is targeted at Mac users? I feel the majority of us have Mini DisplayPort adapters for DVI, VGA, HDMI etc since that was the Apple standard for so many years. I've literally never seen anyone use or need DisplayPort, what a weird choice. Why make a dock this good with everything else and then throw in a port that I really doubt hardly anyone will use? An HDMI port would've at least made sense over DisplayPort, but a Mini DisplayPort would've at least been way more helpful for way more people.
Probably for PC users. I get what you mean, but this way the PC crowd won't skip it because it has a random Mac feature they don't like.
mini display port makes sense but no way in hell is HDMI better than any displayport (large) or mini.HDMI 2.0 is so flakey with most 4k monitors; dropping down refresh rates and what have you. With displayport (either size), you can be guaranteed to have 4k/60hz.
They do have displayport to mini adapters and HDMI if that is your thing. Cables are reversable on mini. I plug the fullsize to my Belkin and mini on the end of my Dell ultrawide.
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I have a 1st gen Caldigit I am using at work w/ USB-C to Thunderbolt adapter. Probably bring the Belkin to work and use the new TB3 Plus Caldigit at home. If it wasnt for the 1 cable charging, I'd probably still use Thunderbolt 1 first gen CalDigit Dock. It has been that good to me.
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According to the B&H listing:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...t_ts3plus_us05_ts3_thunderbolt_3_docking.html
B&H does seem to be offering the $250 promotional preorder pricing after all! Now to sell this OWC Thunderbolt dock since this CalDigit seems to be about perfect for my needs...
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...t_ts3plus_us05_ts3_thunderbolt_3_docking.html
B&H does seem to be offering the $250 promotional preorder pricing after all! Now to sell this OWC Thunderbolt dock since this CalDigit seems to be about perfect for my needs...
I think you can go Amazon and search the keyword: DisplayPort to mDP, female. It works perfectly with TS3.
Ugly? Yes but who cares. No box stuffed full of cables is ever going to look pretty.
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You got it back to front. He didn't say all the ports on this box were on his old Mac. He said all the ports on his old Mac are on this (which also may or may not be true).
Nice, gonna preorder here.
If anyone is interested in a TS3 lite for $125 shipped PM me. Still in warranty till June. Cryptos accepted!
It's good to see CalDigit has responded in a big way to the criticisms of its earlier TS3 dock, and unfortunately for you, eSATA ports were apparently not high enough on the list of must-haves for many people.
Personally, I'm particularly happy about having at least one USB-C port 3.1 gen II enabled, if for no other reason than file manipulation of my two 1TB Sammy SSDs and some future proofing, considering the prices of these docks.
And as a photographer, I'm super happy about the included and UHS-II enabled SDXC card reader. I will almost certainly buy this dock, even though I wish CalDigit would have spent a little more attention to the aesthetics and fit-and-finish of the enclosure.
I kinda agree with you (as the owner of many MiniDP-to-VGA, DVI and HDMI dongles) but I think the answer is that it isn't just targetted at Mac users.
As some consolation, pretty much every decent display I've bought at home or work - other than the Apple 27" Cinema display (which is a pain) - has come with a full-sized DisplayPort cable.
However, my attitude toward dongles that stay tucked behind a dock on the desktop is considerably less negative than toward dongles that you have to carry around with a laptop...
And as for DisplayPort (generally) over HDMI - DP probably offer the widest compatibility, with adapters to HDMI, DVI and VGA available.
You're kidding, right? Look again - the port alignment is all over the place. If it works, then I guess that's all that matters for most people. But to say it's gorgeous when clearly it has design issues is to miss something important to Apple users. Imagine Apple putting something out like this - we'd think standards had slipped in the design department.
I think they should have gone with miniDP considering their entire lineup is targeted towards Mac users. I can understand why they went with full size though.
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Yep, UHS-II is huge because it's rare. I still wish they would have kept 1 eSATA and removed a USB Type A port. That's my only gripe with this dock is that there are too many Type A ports. The whole idea is to get rid of that legacy port. USB-C can do everything USB Type A can, but it can't do everything eSATA can.
For example, eSATA has SATA commands for TRIM and has proper sleep/wake.
Isn't there an error in the CalDigit store listings:
[doublepost=1517447588][/doublepost]Also, can someone at MR actually clarify (or anyone else here confirm) that buying this with the 1 or 2 metre cables from the CalDigit's store would still offer USB 3 (5 or 10 Gbit) speeds, as surely the dock itself has a controller for dealing with this, so the cable length here is irrelevant?
[doublepost=1517447954][/doublepost]Also, is this for sale in GB£ anywhere, or are all European sales only conducted in Euros? Just wondering.
...finally a dock that sounds pretty good. (at least on paper – we'll have to see actual performance before we can agree it really is, of course! ;-)
Surely all the Tyoe-A ports on this dock (according to their picture diagrams that contradict the text specs above!) state they are type-A Gen.1 (i.e. 5 Gbit)? Confusing.
[doublepost=1517447588][/doublepost]Also, can someone at MR actually clarify (or anyone else here confirm) that buying this with the 1 or 2 metre cables from the CalDigit's store would still offer USB 3 (5 or 10 Gbit) speeds, as surely the dock itself has a controller for dealing with this, so the cable length here is irrelevant?
[doublepost=1517447954][/doublepost]Also, is this for sale in GB£ anywhere, or are all European sales only conducted in Euros? Just wondering.
...finally a dock that sounds pretty good. (at least on paper – we'll have to see actual performance before we can agree it really is, of course! ;-)
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Not sure what you mean as far as USB 3. The length issues in this case are usually applicable to active 40gbit cabling from the dock to the computer.
EDIT: Ok now I know what you mean. I would assume given that it has to convert the 5 USB-A ports, DisplayPort, audio interface and more, that it would have to have some sort of USB 3.0/3.1 controller to manage it all. (Also, it will charge devices while the computer is powered off / unplugged through the USB-A ports which also gives credence to that assumption).
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iDB's video review:
Caldigit's own comparison / feature video:
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I kinda agree with you, BUT that's only a couple ports on the back that have slightly off alignment. If you have ever used a docking station, you would probably plug in Ethernet, Thunderbolt, DisplayPort and most USB ports on day one, then leave them there for few years. You wont care about how messy the cables are behind the dock; they would be very messy anyway, and that's the whole purpose of using dock where you can route all the cables to the dock and use only one cable to your laptop from the dock. It's not like an iPhone, you have to use it, feel it, and look at it every day. The Dock is meant to be installed on your desk and forget it.
The ports I use a lot is the front USB ports, not the back
so I care more about the appearance on the front, not the back; TS3 Plus and TS3 have sleek design on the front, and I can understand why they have to put that many ports on the back and jam them together, after all, we need more missing ports back, the more the better I would give an A+ for the feature, a TS3 Plus can provide; A- for the off-alignment design on the back panel unfortunately, and A++ for the pricing they offer.
Hello. We do have our previous dock called the TS3 which has two eSATA ports. It's on sale for $199.99 at the moment on our website.
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http://www.caldigit.com/thunderbolt-3-dock/thunderbolt-station-3/
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The USB-C ports on the TS3 Plus are for data only. To connect dual 4K monitors you would need to connect one to the DisplayPort connector and then use a USB-C Video Adapter on the spare Thunderbolt 3 port.
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We do have our previous Thunderbolt 3 dock, the TS3, which features two eSATA ports still available. It is currently on sale. http://www.caldigit.com/thunderbolt-3-dock/thunderbolt-station-3/
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Hello. We have gone with DisplayPort because of its versatility. If someone would like to use a HDMI monitor they can just use a DisplayPort to HDMI cable. A lot of modern 4K monitor feature full size DisplayPort connectors.
I think that's already fixed on the website (e.g. see the specs at the link below)
http://shop.caldigit.com/uk/
99% sure that was a red herring in the original review (unless the TS3+ is some weird Thunderbolt/USB hybrid, which is unlikely).
Passive TB3 cables are universal cables that can work as USB 3.1 or USB-C DisplayPort etc. as well as TB3, but if they're over 0.5m they can't carry full-speed 40Gbps (2x20) Thunderbolt.
Active TB3 cables can carry 40Gbps TB3 over longer distances, but are (essentially) only Thunderbolt cables. You can't use them to connect USB3 or DisplayPort devices directly to the host.
...but a Thunderbolt dock isn't a USB or DisplayPort device - its a Thunderbolt device and contains USB/Ethernet/etc. controllers that connect to the host via Thunderbolt. That's the advantage over a regular USB-C dock which can only share out the single 5Gbps USB3 connection (or slow old USB2 if you want 4k Displayport as well) between its ports.
The cable distinction is something you'll curse down the line when you've got a drawer full of superficially identical USB-C cables with half-a-dozen different permutations of features - or if you're on the hel(p)desk trying to explain it to users who are shaky on the difference between Windows and Word - but while your shiny new devices are still paired up with the shiny new cables you bought with them it will be OK.
No, you're being too kind here... (as OCD, and largely irrelivant this is!). It's more than a couple of ports on the back that are off. And the front also has issues too.I kinda agree with you, BUT that's only a couple ports on the back that have slightly off alignment. If you have ever used a docking station, you would probably plug in Ethernet, Thunderbolt, DisplayPort and most USB ports on day one, then leave them there for few years. You wont care about how messy the cables are behind the dock; they would be very messy anyway, and that's the whole purpose of using dock where you can route all the cables to the dock and use only one cable to your laptop from the dock. It's not like an iPhone, you have to use it, feel it, and look at it every day. The Dock is meant to be installed on your desk and forget it.
The ports I use a lot is the front USB ports, not the back
I would give an A+ for the feature, a TS3 Plus can provide; A- for the off-alignment design on the back panel unfortunately, and A++ for the pricing they offer.
When I bought my OWC dock, I grabbed an OWC Active 1 metre Thunderbolt 3 cable with the logo on the butt of the connector. You'd think it'd specify 40gbit vs 20 gbit though.
I have this habit of buying labelled cable wraps now for such distinctions.
The only thing I love that's unique on my OWC dock is FireWire. BUT, I've recently copied the contents of my 7 year old 2 TB FireWire drive to a newer USB 3.0 drive, so there goes needing that port. Glad I decommissioned that drive, that would have been brutal if it died. On that note, remember that hard drives don't last forever. And if you have important content on an eSATA drive, you might as well use this as an opportunity to move the contents of your older drives to newer drives- that's at the very least USB 3.0 or USB-C to avoid loss. Upgrade pain sucks, I know.
On a seperate note, maybe I'll just keep both the OWC and the new TS3 Plus and run all my monitors off all the displayports between both docks
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