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.
Satechi Launches Thunderbolt 4 Dock and USB-C Adapters for Apple Silicon Macs
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
It's not guaranteed, but USB4 basically = Thunderbolt 3. So the problem there is a PC with USB4 or Thunderbolt 3 doesn't fully work with the Thunderbolt 4 docks (they support daisy chain, but not hubs), so only 1 of the TB ports works with TB3 PCs (other ports should work), and presumably it will be the same for USB4. There haven't been USB4 PCs without TB support I don't think. Even odder is that Thunderbolt 3 Macs work with hub mode.
This Thunderbolt 4 dock has been available from Best Buy for a few weeks now and was available for $250 for Black Friday. I picked it up and so far so good - haven't used everything on it yet, but everything I've tried using works great so far with my M1 Pro MacBook Pro.
It's so dumb that still, almost 2022, that all these "nice" docks still don't provide more than just a gigabit of ethernet. Some docks even have VGA ports. Why can't someone just make the leap and actually use 100% modern tech?
Really, if I'm paying this kind of money for a dock for my new M1 Max 16" MBP, I'd like it to at least be able to charge the notebook at the full 140 watts the native Apple AC adapter for it supports. (Maybe it's still like it was a long time ago, where the MagSafe connector was an Apple proprietary thing and third parties couldn't offer one on anything without salvaging them off of used adapters and cables?)
I also get that people don't want to have 2 cables to disconnect every time they undock the laptop... but these solutions just don't seem like they try hard enough to get it all right?
I like what Henge Docks (now Brydge) do with sliding the laptops into them vertically. Saves a ton of desk space that way. But those don't even attempt to add any extra ports. They just extend the existing ones out the back of their dock. I'd like to see a combo of that AND the electronics in the dock to add connections just like this Satechi has.
I also get that people don't want to have 2 cables to disconnect every time they undock the laptop... but these solutions just don't seem like they try hard enough to get it all right?
I like what Henge Docks (now Brydge) do with sliding the laptops into them vertically. Saves a ton of desk space that way. But those don't even attempt to add any extra ports. They just extend the existing ones out the back of their dock. I'd like to see a combo of that AND the electronics in the dock to add connections just like this Satechi has.
This. I picked one up on Black Friday as well. I actually made a post about it a few weeks ago.
"…and up to 96W charging."
On the one hand, sure, it's only 4W to go from here to the next sensible round number. But again, it's only 4W. Why target such a specific number tied to a single generation of MacBook Pro when it's inevitably going to (and has already) become outdated? Would it have added that much to the cost to just spec this for 100W?
On the one hand, sure, it's only 4W to go from here to the next sensible round number. But again, it's only 4W. Why target such a specific number tied to a single generation of MacBook Pro when it's inevitably going to (and has already) become outdated? Would it have added that much to the cost to just spec this for 100W?
Exactly, why? I am looking for a TB4 dock and I was interested until I got to this part. I will stick with my Elagato TB3for now, hopefully they bring out a TB4 version at some stage.
I wish someone would design a new one and not just repackage the same internals. Lets not put the computer connection cord on the front. Lets give it full charging power. I'd really love a CFexpress slot for the cards my Nikon uses.
The OEMs don't talk to end users, so their designs are limited because the engineers make the decision. It's cheaper to put all the enclosure holes on one side, so they do it that way by default.
This why marketing people are needed, so engineers build stuff that makes sense to end users.
A TB4 dock with 3 more TB4, a couple display ports, and a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port would be ideal. But they always seem to bloat these things up with useless legacy ‘value add’ like legacy USB and SD slots.
For the price I want some value. I need more TB4 ports, I want faster than 1 Gbps Ethernet, and I need some way to connect my screens which can be TB3/4 or Display Port.
For the price I want some value. I need more TB4 ports, I want faster than 1 Gbps Ethernet, and I need some way to connect my screens which can be TB3/4 or Display Port.
This may be a dumb question, but is there any benefit to a dock/hub that plugs into two thunderbolt ports instead of just one? Is one port easily able to handle two displays and all sorts of peripherals? Or is it better to have all the stuff "spread out" more with a hub that plugs into two ports?
Two ports would double the bandwidth available(assuming the ports have their own PCIe lanes) but you might as well have two hubs. There isn’t a lot that can tax a TB3/4 port and if does then it is usually direct connect.
Yep, that would not surprise me. I was just curious because each manufacturer's website has conflicting info about the latest M1 compatibility. So say they do, others are unsure.
Just an FYI - I've been using the USB-C Multimedia Adapter with my M1 MacBook Air, and can confirm that it allows you to run dual-HDMI monitors as fully functional extended desktops. It doesnt use DisplayLink, but instead requires you to install SiliconMotion instaview , which so far hasn't given me any issues.
Seriously! Stop including just gigabit ports on these $300 thunderbolt docks, it feels like corner cutting.
>1 Gb internet is no longer that unique. Even Comcast over provisions their gigabit plan.
The mobile adapters are based around USB, so that is the limit on bandwidth and bus power consumption. But there are Thunderbolt docks, they are based around Thunderbolt protocol, so there is a larger amount of bandwidth available, and the docks are meant to also charge the laptop and provide their own power supply so they don't have to care about how much bus power they use. Plus being larger allows the heat to be dissipated better, as Thunderbolt devices run hotter than USB-only ones do.
And as a result of protocol differences, you typically need 2 USB ports to run all the ports at full bandwidth with USB, but you only need 1 for Thunderbolt. The Thunderbolt ones are better as they can pass more bandwidth to USB devices and displays from one cable, but it's impractical to deliver the same features in the same package with Thunderbolt on a mobile adapter that's bus-powered. So they use the two ports for more bandwidth on USB without shifting to impractical Thunderbolt.
Are there any docks that can run 3440x1440 @ 144 hz over DisplayPort? I keep seeing up to 4k@60 hz. I don’t have 4k yet nor am I worried about that. I just want one connection rather than two to my 14”.
I have a 7 port USB-A (3.1) hub from Anker, think I got it from Amazon and it works great with my Mac, but it is not a dock.. just a hub.
I need something better than mine, like an Anker or something, but yeah. Mine's an off brand I found on Amazon. My plan is to get a CalDigit T3 Plus and a CalDigit TB4 Element Hub and use them together.
I have a TS3 Plus and adding the Element hub to expand seems to be the only way to have a clean setup because I'd be able to have the Element out of sight. On one hand it would be nice to have something like the OWC TB4 dock since it has all newer ports compared to the TS3 which is definitely showing its age (shocking that it's still so expensive despite the age and not having fast USB ports), but the cable management issue is such an unforced error.
Yeah, 140W would be great but Apple's TB4/USB4 ports are limited to 100W. This is the reason why fast charging for the MBP 16" M1 Pro/Max is limited to Magsafe only in comparison to the 14" which allows fast charging over Magsafe and TB4/USB4 ports. In my experience, my MBP 16" M1 Max with this dock, I haven't seen it drain while working with Final Cut Pro (with High Power mode activated). I assume the extra 44W is just for fast charging. I could be wrong but that's just my experience with the dock's 96W output.