Benefits
- 16 high ports
- 2.5 Gb Ethernet
- Helps as much as 4 shows (Home windows)
- Devoted HDMI & DisplayPorts
- 96W PD
cons
- Video ports imply no downstream TB4 ports
- Few charging ports for units
- Macs restricted to 2 shows
Our verdict
Filled with ports for quick information transfers and beneficiant video choices, this Thunderbolt 4 dock provides lots if you need as much as 4 exterior 4K shows at 60Hz, however lacks powered USB and TB4 downsteam ports.
Value at evaluate
$349.99
Finest Costs At this time: Satechi Thunderbolt 4 Multimedia Professional Dock
This Thunderbolt 4 docking station from Satechi is geared toward customers who need a number of exterior shows and essentially the most choices.
Home windows laptops will be related to as much as 4 displays utilizing the built-in DisplayPort and HDMI ports. MacBooks are restricted to 2 shows, however you may select between the video ports as you want.
The design is versatile, because the dock will be positioned horizontally or vertically within the included stand. It is taller than the stocky compact Caldigit TS4, however shorter than many of the horizontal docks we have examined.
We like the ability button, which is a rarity on docking stations, regardless of the recommendation to not preserve a laptop computer’s battery charged on a regular basis. An influence button means you may not less than let that battery relaxation in a single day.
Foundry
Specs and Options
- One upstream Thunderbolt 4 port (40 Gbps, 96 W)
- 2x HDMI 2.1 video ports
- 2x DisplayPort 1.4 video ports
- Three USB-A ports (10 Gbps, 5.5 W)
- Two USB-A ports (5 Gbps, 5.5 W)
- One USB-A port (480 Mbps, 7.5 W)
- One USB-C port (10 Gbps, 7.5 W)
- 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet
- UHS-II SD card reader (320MBps)
- UHS-II MicroSD card reader (320 MBps)
- 3.5mm combo audio jack (entrance)
- 135W energy provide
Satechi
It is all about impressions
The Satechi Thunderbolt 4 Multimedia Professional Dock is massive on shows – with 4 built-in video ports – and USB-A, however much less so on Thunderbolt 4 and USB-C ports.
The truth is, it is the one one among the Thunderbolt 4 docks we have examined as a result of there aren’t any downstream Thunderbolt 4 ports in any respect.
Thunderbolt 4 (TB4) docks have one upstream connection to the host (often a laptop computer) and as much as three downstream ports for different units (TB4, TB3, or USB-C). Some TB4 docks specify one or two downstream ports to incorporate one or two video ports, understanding that almost all customers will use not less than one to attach one or two exterior shows.
In case you have a devoted video port, you do not want a particular adapter to attach the TB4 port to your monitor, though Thunderbolt on a USB-C monitor is ok.
Going all the best way, the Satechi Professional Dock provides two of every premium DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.1 ports, permitting for as much as 4 exterior shows. In fact, if all these screens are HDMI, you will nonetheless want a few adapters.
Each HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 are excessive efficiency video applied sciences and are main enhancements over docks that solely provide HDMI 2.0 or DisplayPort 1.2. With these two video requirements you get extra displays with greater resolutions.
A single related show will be as much as 8K (7680-x-4320) at 30 Hz. Be certain the cable additionally helps 8K. Two 4K screens can run at 60 Hz.
Certainly, all 4 shows will be at 4K 60 Hz in the event you join a Home windows laptop.
Sadly, Macs are restricted to solely two exterior shows except you put in DisplayLink software program drivers.
Home windows helps Multi-Stream Transport (MST), permitting as much as 4 screens in prolonged mode. The macOS helps Single Stream Transport (SST), so can output video in prolonged mode to solely two screens, however it could possibly mirror the opposite two, i.e. show the identical display screen because the laptop computer.
As a result of there are docks which are extra appropriate for 2 exterior shows, we don’t suggest the Satechi Thunderbolt 4 Multimedia Professional Dock for Mac customers. It is definitely a versatile resolution, giving Mac customers the selection between HDMI and DisplayPort, however two of the ports will stay empty and we might somewhat have one or two extra Thunderbolt 4 ports as a substitute.
For Home windows customers, the assist for as much as 4 shows makes this dock a pretty resolution, particularly with its different quick USB, SD and Ethernet ports.
Foundry
Thunderbolt and USB weak point
Whereas the video ports are high notch, the unfold of USB and Thunderbolt is weaker.
In the beginning, the shortage of Thunderbolt 4 docks means you may’t even plug in a Thunderbolt 4 hub to make up for the shortage of 40Gbps connections.
10Gbps information switch could also be all you want, and the Multimedia Professional Dock has 4 of them, however three of them are old style USB-A. There’s just one 10 Gbps Sort-C port, which appears a bit old style.
if you need extra Thunderbolt ports, learn our roundup of one of the best Thunderbolt 4 hubs and docking stations.
Provided that the dock primarily provides nice direct video choices, we should not stick an excessive amount of with USB and Thunderbolt, however the lack of Sort-C ports is a compromise that must be acknowledged.
Charging restricted
Charging to the laptop computer is spectacular at 96W, which is sufficient for even massive laptops.
However solely the entrance USB-A (2.0) port and the rear USB-C port can present sufficient energy to a related machine apart from the laptop computer. And each are restricted to 7.5W, which is ok for charging a cellphone and holding a trip going, however not a lot else.
If there was a Thunderbolt port you would be getting not less than 15W from the dock, however most included USB ports are restricted to a reasonably weak 5.5W.
You can also’t use the dock to quick cost a cellphone. To be trustworthy, if you wish to cost your cellphone, overlook about utilizing the dock and select a devoted USB-C charger or USB-C cellphone charger.
The dock comes with a 135W energy provide, so there’s not less than some extra energy, even when the laptop computer sucks virtually 100W from it. Nonetheless, the dock itself may require 25W, so a extra highly effective energy provide can be wanted if Satechi made the ports extra device-friendly.
For the last word in machine charging energy, you may’t beat Caldigit’s TS4, which comes with a 230W energy provide and a full vary of USB ports able to charging as much as 20W.
The dearth of charging ports solely impacts connected drives that want to attract energy from the dock so if this is not a significant factor for you then this charging limitation ought to steer you away from the Satechi Multimedia Professional Dock which has different advantages that outweigh this .
Satechi
Superfast Ethernet
The newest era of Thunderbolt 4 docking stations strikes past Gigabit Ethernet’s present dominance in wired community entry.
The Satechi Thunderbolt 4 Multimedia Professional Dock—just like the latest one Sonnet Echo 20Plugable Thunderbolt 4 & USB4 Quad Show Docking Station and Caldigit TS4—Contains a 2.5Gb Ethernet port, which may present as much as 2.5x quicker information switch when related to a supported community.
The principle level right here is that you’re going to nonetheless get Gigabit Ethernet speeds except you are on a 2.5Gb or 10Gb community, and that is not quite common proper now, however it’s appreciated as skilled future-proofing and utterly backwards appropriate.
Moveable storage
As soon as reserved for photographers, reminiscence playing cards are actually a really reasonably priced manner so as to add first rate storage capability to your laptop computer/dock setup.
Producers cost some huge cash to put in a high-capacity SSD of their laptops, so shopping for moveable storage is a good way to economize and develop the performance of your system.
A 512GB MicroSD card will be discovered for round $75/£75, though the value of reminiscence playing cards is sort of risky.
Satechi has added the quickest UHS-II variations of each SD and MicroSD reminiscence card readers, with some docks solely having the bigger SD selection and generally UHS-I. UHS-II is 3 times quicker (312MBps) than UHS-I (104MBps).
Having each codecs is helpful in the event you continuously swap out playing cards of both format, however SD alone is ok, as frequent adapters enable MicroSD to suit into SD readers.
MicroSD will not be solely smaller, but in addition typically cheaper at greater capacities.
Value
The Satechi Thunderbolt 4 Multimedia Professional Dock prices $349.99, which is cheaper than the $399.99 Caldigit TS4 and near Kensington’s SD5700T ($369.99).
On the time of writing, it is not obtainable outdoors the US, however worldwide variations are deliberate.
Nonetheless, it isn’t right to check these docks. The Satechi TB4 dock is geared toward a distinct market: Home windows professionals who want three or 4 displays, somewhat than these with a number of Thunderbolt ports.
The TS4 does have one DisplayPort, so it really works properly with a single or, with one of many TB4 ports, a second 4K show, however if you need extra displays, the Satechi Multimedia Professional Dock is a extra versatile resolution.
Pronunciation
If you would like downstream Thunderbolt 4 ports, this is not the dock for you, because the Satechi Thunderbolt 4 Multimedia Professional Dock is an answer for contemporary Home windows-based professionals who want a multi-monitor setup. Help for 4 4K shows at 60Hz is spectacular, and 4 high-quality video ports allow you to plug proper in with out adapters.
