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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.

Nice to have Caldigit on board here. I guess eSATA would be irrelevant if there was a product that included internal 2.5" drive bays for people using SSD (even if it was just one bay). The bays could be 7mm in height and specifically for SSD to exclude folks who would try putting spinning disks in there for example as hard drives (and PCIe NVMe sticks) could get too hot under normal operation.
 
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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.
Thanks for the reply. The two LG UltraFine 4K over one cable dream will have to wait! :p
 
Thanks for the reply. The two LG UltraFine 4K over one cable dream will have to wait! :p

That's the biggest flaw with the LG/Apple displays: only one input - so no versatility. Even other USB-C displays like the LG 27UD88 have regular DisplayPort inputs - if not HDMI as well. ...not so many third-party "true" 4k 21" screens to choose from, though.

(and DP-host-to-USB-C-display adapters seem to exist in theory but not practice - probably because only owners of the 4k LG Ultrafine would ever have a need for one).
 
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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 think this is the compromise to fit so many ports in a small box and I agree with their choice. I’ll accept it as opposed to owc’s monstrosity on my desk.
 
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Are there many:

1) "DP -to- mDP, female" adaptors?
2) "DP -to- USB-C, female" display adapters?

Couldn't find any on Amazon UK (or US).
 
I think this is the compromise to fit so many ports in a small box and I agree with their choice.

Nah - its just a design choice to not prioritise cosmetics (look at the rear of a Mac Mini, for example - all the connectors centred on one of two axes - plus vertical USB ports so they can be more closely spaced and still accept flash drives, dongles with wide-bodied plugs).

Classic Apple would have made sure the ports lined up neatly and were spaced according to the golden ratio or something - but then 2018 Apple would probably have, courageously, made it even prettier by removing everything except the USB-C port, so I'd rather keep the funcionality and forgoe the electronic feng-shui.

1) "DP -to- mDP, female" adaptors?
2) "DP -to- USB-C, female" display adapters?

For (1) https://www.amazon.co.uk/StarTech-com-DisplayPort-Video-Cable-Adapter/dp/B003N3DTKY/
 
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Are there many:

1) "DP -to- mDP, female" adaptors?
2) "DP -to- USB-C, female" display adapters?

Couldn't find any on Amazon UK (or US).

For (2)
Nothing, you're out of luck. (to be fair, not CalDigit's fault, as the underlying technology simply doesn't allow it.)

There are plenty of "USB-C -to- DP" cables (search: https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=sr_q...+to+usb-c&unfiltered=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1517783068 ), but these are seemingly all one direction only AFAICT, using USB-C's "DisplayPort Alternate Mode" functionality. So they don't work the other way, allowing a "DP -to- USB-C" display connection.

Still considering ordering, as for me on two LG 5K's it's not an issue.

I think some other makers may make new versions of their dock, but this one offers virtually everything most users would want IMO (few need Firewire, and even fewer eSATA – they're both very legacy at this stage, as people upgrade to newer equipment), so why wait further?
 
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NO.

That's precisely what I explained above...

It's one of the many adapters that only goes FROM USB-C host (computer/dock) TO DP peripheral (display). It's one way, non-reversible (unlike say the Apple TB3-TB1/2 adapters which are bidirectional adapters; obviously for a different connection job).**
Ignore the 'Reversible Design...blah blah' in the specs, as that's talking about the USB-C connector itself being reversible, not the whole adapters technical connection abilities.

And as a reminder to others here in case you were wondering: no, the "USB-C gen. 2" port on this dock does NOT support "DisplayPort Alternate Mode" over USB-C, so you can't use it for any display usage at all.

[** For example, I just tried my 10metre Corning optical Thunderbolt TB1/2 cable, in between two of those Apple TB3-TB1/2 adapters from my 15" 2016 MBP to LG 5K display –one on each end– and it works absolutely fine, instantly and without glitches!
No charging or any power to the 15" 2016 MBP, as obviously the cable is optical and has no copper inside for carrying power to charge, like the 2m active cables supplied with the display.]
 
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This is why I pre-ordered... The 3.1 Gen 2 makes a big difference with SSD raids.
 

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Isn't there an error in the CalDigit store listings:
Key Features
  • 15 Ports of Connectivity
  • Charge laptop - 85W
  • 2x Thunderbolt™ 3 Ports
  • 1x SD 4.0 Card Reader (UHS-II)
  • 4x USB 3.1 Type-A Gen. 1
  • 1x USB 3.1 Type-A Gen. 2
  • 1x USB 3.1 Type-C Gen. 1
  • 1x USB 3.1 Type-C Gen. 2
  • 1x DisplayPort
  • 1x Digital Optical Audio (S/PDIF)
  • 1x Gigabit Ethernet
  • Connect Dual 4K Monitors
  • Analog Audio In/Out
  • Compatible with Mac & Windows
In The Box
  • TS3 Plus Dock
  • Power Supply Unit (PSU)
  • Power Cord
  • Thunderbolt™ 3 Cable (0.5m)
  • 2x Rubber Feet Strips
Additional Information
  • 1 Year Warranty
  • Lifetime Phone/Email Support
**Get a Free 1 Year Warranty Extension when you buy the TS3 Plus direct from CalDigit.

Visit http://www.caldigit.com/warranty-extension/after your purchase to claim your free 1 Year Warranty Extension. T&C Apply.
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.

I think that's already fixed on the website (e.g. see the specs at the link below)

@CalDigit_UK – you may want to check your global sites, as the Asian one, for example, still lists incorrect specs:
http://shop.caldigit.com/asia/TS3Plus20
Untitled.jpg
 
Yes, I have a samsung 4k over DisplayPort. It is acting normally, no issues.

Nice! Mine is supposed to arrive Friday. Hope it works well in the setup with my 27" LG UD88 over DisplayPort or USB-C (or both in a dual monitor setup).
 
Just got mine (a day early too!), all hooked up and here's what I noticed after about half hour of use. Also, I ordered the version that shipped with the 2 metre cable.

- First thing I noticed is how incredibly small the Caldigit TS3 Plus is. The videos don't do it justice, even with the included large power brick, this thing is impressively small.

- Gigabit Ethernet performance is leaps and bounds better. Lower latency in all the speed tests & on my gigabit internet connection, the OWC couldn't sustain over 750 mbit ever since I had it from September. I've done about 10 speed tests with this one and I've been hovering sustained speeds between 875 - 920. (I mean we're splitting hairs when you hit those types of speeds anyway, but it's nice to know the processor in the Caldigit is working hard).
Upload wise, my connection is rated at 30 mbit. (1000/30 is such a swing btw). On the OWC, I always sat around 25.5 maybe 26 mbit. In all my speed tests, they've held at 30-32 mbit. Unless they changed network provisioning in my neighbourhood this week, There's a definite gain.

- You HAVE to use the included cable to get 85W. When I purchased my OWC dock, I bought a spare 2 metre cable (which was made for that dock which charges at 60W). Initially I tried that cable and only got 60W charging (according to System Report in Sierra), so I swapped it out.

- I use a Scarlet 2in2 out bus-powered USB interface for my audio- plugged into the Caldigit, and noticed some noise (not terrible, but noticeable). I'm wondering if that's to do with the wall outlet I've plugged the dock into, but I never experienced that before). I will experiment and maybe update this post.
UPDATE: Changed outlets, problem is gone.
UPDATE 2: The noise issue returned. Not as bad as it was before- but I have to investigate the power situation before I make a final ruling. It's definitely emitting more interference than the OWC dock was.
UPDATE 3 (March 5th 2018) : The customer service from Caldigit is stellar. WOW, see below.

- The front USB-C port doesn't connect to a very first-gen USB-C enclosure with a Samsung 500 GB EVO installed (to be fair, that enclosure always gave me connectivity issues). Plugging it into the back makes the enclosure come alive immediately, every time. BUT- I have an Elgato HD 60S HDMI capture device which works flawlessly via USB-C using the front & rear ports (even with the same USB-C cable, so the enclosure itself is the culprit). If you have flaky USB-C devices, know that the front 5gbit USB 3.1 Gen 1 doesn't seem very forgiving with those devices.

- Displayport on this dock works MUCH better than the Mini-Displayport on the OWC. Putting the display into safe mode (via a hot corner) and leaving the computer running (to encode video jobs) seems to work no problem at all. I will try full sleep, although I know this monitor is known for sleep issues in OSX so I'm not expecting much to be honest.

- Using a Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 cable to network my 2017 to my older 2012 Macbook Pro to offload some video encoding work while I work seems to work fine through the Caldigit (via the daisy-chain Thunderbolt 3 port on the back).

- UPDATE: I have a Logitech C922 Webcam connected to it and when I power down the MacBook Pro, the ring indicator (that alerts you the camera is on) blinks non stop. Super annoying (the OWC didn't behave this way). Also, my Scarlet 2 in 2 out interface doesn't turn off either. I remember in a review I saw, this dock can supply power when the computers are powered off (which my old OWC did too)- but they never behaved like this. Strange for sure.

- UPDATE (March 5th 2018): I am floored by how responsive and helpful the technical support side of things are with Caldigit. Definitely worth its weight in gold if not more. As I explained above, I was having a noise floor issue. I changed outlets, the problem went away then it reared it's ugly head again. On Friday, Leslie from their team e-mailed me & had expressed that they had acquired not only the webcam for my strange webcam flashing issue from my last update, but they even acquired the same audio interface I was using, then offered to ship me a brand new power supply and active 2m Thunderbolt 3 cable to test on my end (The 2m cable is the same length cable I ordered with my dock originally). Keep in mind I live in Canada. I received it this afternoon (they express-shipped it to me quickly without even telling me they were going to ship it, which was a wonderful surprise). After a few tests, the noise is GONE! I even plugged it back into my original outlet and the noise is STILL gone. This type of service pays for the dock. Those who complain about the price need to understand that you're not just paying for the dock, you're paying for service like this. If I wasn't impressed by this dock already, this sealed it.

I didn't hate the OWC, I just didn't need Firewire and wanted the 2 extra USB-C's and wanted to gamble on full-sized DisplayPort (which I actually seemed to have won that battle). And the small form factor is actually very impressive.

I do video encoding and editing, & having only 60W (contrary to what the internet said) didn't affect me AT ALL with the 60W charging on the OWC. Battery was always held at 100% and even charged from 5% while working with no issues with the OWC.

All in all, I'm impressed so far!
 

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Just got mine (a day early too!), all hooked up and here's what I noticed after about half hour of use. Also, I ordered the version that shipped with the 2 metre cable.

- First thing I noticed is how incredibly small the Caldigit TS3 Plus is. The videos don't do it justice, even with the included large power brick, this thing is impressively small.

- Gigabit Ethernet performance is leaps and bounds better. Lower latency in all the speed tests & on my gigabit internet connection, the OWC couldn't sustain over 750 mbit ever since I had it from September. I've done about 10 speed tests with this one and I've been hovering sustained speeds between 875 - 920. (I mean we're splitting hairs when you hit those types of speeds anyway, but it's nice to know the processor in the Caldigit is working hard).
Upload wise, my connection is rated at 30 mbit. (1000/30 is such a swing btw). On the OWC, I always sat around 25.5 maybe 26 mbit. In all my speed tests, they've held at 30-32 mbit. Unless they changed network provisioning in my neighbourhood this week, There's a definite gain.

- You HAVE to use the included cable to get 85W. When I purchased my OWC dock, I bought a spare 2 metre cable (which was made for that dock which charges at 60W). Initially I tried that cable and only got 60W charging (according to System Report in Sierra), so I swapped it out.

- I use a Scarlet 2in2 out bus-powered USB interface for my audio- plugged into the Caldigit, and noticed some noise (not terrible, but noticeable). I'm wondering if that's to do with the wall outlet I've plugged the dock into, but I never experienced that before). I will experiment and maybe update this post.

- The front USB-C port doesn't connect to a very first-gen USB-C enclosure with a Samsung 500 GB EVO installed (to be fair, that enclosure always gave me connectivity issues). Plugging it into the back makes the enclosure come alive immediately, every time. BUT- I have an Elgato HD 60S HDMI capture device which works flawlessly via USB-C using the front & rear ports (even with the same USB-C cable, so the enclosure itself is the culprit). If you have flaky USB-C devices, know that the front 5gbit USB 3.1 Gen 1 doesn't seem very forgiving with those devices.

- Displayport on this dock works MUCH better than the Mini-Displayport on the OWC. Putting the display into safe mode (via a hot corner) and leaving the computer running (to encode video jobs) seems to work no problem at all. I will try full sleep, although I know this monitor is known for sleep issues in OSX so I'm not expecting much to be honest.

- Using a Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 cable to network my 2017 to my older 2012 Macbook Pro to offload some video encoding work while I work seems to work fine through the Caldigit (via the daisy-chain Thunderbolt 3 port on the back).

- UPDATE: I have a Logitech C922 Webcam connected to it and when I power down the MacBook Pro, the ring indicator (that alerts you the camera is on) blinks non stop. Super annoying (the OWC didn't behave this way). Also, my Scarlet 2 in 2 out interface doesn't turn off either. I remember in a review I saw, this dock can supply power when the computers are powered off (which my old OWC did too)- but they never behaved like this. Strange for sure.

I didn't hate the OWC, I just didn't need Firewire and wanted the 2 extra USB-C's and wanted to gamble on full-sized DisplayPort (which I actually seemed to have won that battle). And the small form factor is actually very impressive.

I do video encoding and editing, & having only 60W (contrary to what the internet said) didn't affect me AT ALL with the 60W charging on the OWC. Battery was always held at 100% and even charged from 5% while working with no issues with the OWC.

All in all, I'm impressed so far!

Hi djbuddha. Many thanks for the review. Would you be interested in providing us with a user Testimonial for our website on how you use the TS3 Plus and your impressions? If you would let me know and I can send you an email with some info. Thanks!
 
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Hi djbuddha. Many thanks for the review. Would you be interested in providing us with a user Testimonial for our website on how you use the TS3 Plus and your impressions? If you would let me know and I can send you an email with some info. Thanks!

Sure! Can I ask, while I have your attention, why my Logitech C922 webcam is doing this when my computer is powered off?

 
This may be more a thunderbolt 3 question than dock question, but will the TS3 Plus drive a dual monitor setup that uses both the LG Ultrafine 5K and a separate 4K display such as the BenQ PD3200U? I'm using a 2017 MBP 15" which has the Radeon Pro 560 4GB. Presumably the LG would use the thunderbolt 3 port and the BenQ the displayport.
 
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This may be more a thunderbolt 3 question than dock question, but will the TS3 Plus drive a dual monitor setup that uses both the LG Ultrafine 5K and a separate 4K display such as the BenQ PD3200U? I'm using a 2017 MBP 15" which has the Radeon Pro 560 4GB. Presumably the LG would use the thunderbolt 3 port and the BenQ the displayport.

I hope you can (because that'd be NUTS) ... but the LG Ultrafine 5K dual setup needs 2 Thunderbolt 3 cables. To do 1 5K & 1 4K you may be past the bandwidth limits of Thunderbolt 3. Not to mention driving all the other ports on the dock. You may have to sacrifice another MacBook Port.

BUT.... if I were in your situation, I'd throw the 5K on its own port and throw some Aukey USB-C to USB 3.0 adapters on the rear USB-C ports (to maximize all your bandwidth from the one Thunderbolt port that's attached to the monitor):

https://www.amazon.com/AUKEY-Adapte...519504537&sr=1-3&keywords=AUKEY+USB+C+Adapter

THEN I'd use Displayport for your BenQ on the dock and leave the Thunderbolt 3 port open so you can daisy chain to another Thunderbolt 3 device later (maybe a RAID or a super fast SSD). ;)
 
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