Is that this the final word Home windows docking station? Meet the Accell Thunderbolt 4

Should you’ve by no means used a docking station like Accell’s Thunderbolt 4 Dock, you are lacking out. A great deal of us use a single, typically work-provided, laptop computer after we’re on the go and dealing from residence. The trouble of swapping between these two situations means we frequently discover ourselves struggling to get work carried out on a tiny laptop computer show with nothing however its built-in keyboard and touchpad. In any case, who seems like connecting and disconnecting six or seven cables a number of occasions a day to make the most of exterior screens and peripherals? 

Now, think about when you may full the entire identical hook-ups, even energy, by connecting one, single cable. On this new world of distributed work situations we now stay in, that form of comfort can revolutionize your workflow. 

Extra: Which is best, USB-C 3.1 gen 2 or Thunderbolt?

The primary, most vital factor you’ll be able to know in regards to the Accell Thunderbolt 4 Dock is its expansive port choice. This is likely one of the two major differentiators between the various Thunderbolt docks in the marketplace. We’ll cowl the opposite a bit additional down. 

Discovering the precise docking station boils all the way down to your wants, together with what peripherals you need to use, what number of of every you personal, and what connections your screens and peripherals require. This can decide if this mannequin is best for you, or if one other would higher fit your setup. To make this straightforward for you, I’ve included bulleted lists under. 

Frontside ports

• SD 4.0 UHS-II card reader slot
• USB 2.0 Kind A port
• 3.5mm audio jack
• Upstream / Supply Thunderbolt 4 port with 96W of energy supply (PD) – That is the place you will plug in your laptop computer

Bottom ports

• Energy in (from equipped energy brick, proven under)
• 2 x Thunderbolt 4 ports
• DisplayPort 1.4 port
• 3 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Kind A ports
• Gigabit Ethernet port

This does not characterize the widest port choice obtainable at this value level, nevertheless it ought to cowl the overwhelming majority of customers’ wants. That is very true if one of many shows you will be connecting helps video over Thunderbolt, as both of the included Thunderbolt 4 ports can output your PC’s video to exterior shows.

Extra: Greatest monitor 2022: Deal with your self with a stunning display screen

The 96W of supported energy supply means this tiny dock also needs to be capable to high up all however probably the most power-hungry laptop computer, so long as they assist charging by way of Thunderbolt. 

This all implies that you would join a laptop computer to a triple-monitor setup (together with the laptop computer’s personal show), with an exterior keyboard and mouse, and nonetheless have sufficient room for issues like USB-connected printers or webcams, in addition to analog audio gear…all by plugging in that single, included Thunderbolt 4 cable. 

I examined this state of affairs utilizing a late mannequin Lenovo ThinkPad and an older mannequin Alienware gaming laptop computer. All screens, peripherals, and linked gear functioned completely and took solely seconds to totally join. The setup additionally included two 4K shows, one linked by way of DisplayPort and the opposite by way of Thunderbolt cable. The Accell dock helps a single 8K (at 30Hz) show, however I did not have one helpful to check this with. 

Extra: The 5 finest 8K TVs: Future-proof your private home theater

There is a catch

Briefly, all of it “simply works,” and works effectively…so long as you are utilizing a Home windows-based PC. To be clear, every thing however show outputs labored completely effectively on Macs too. However, there is a caveat in terms of exterior screens. That is the place the second of the large concerns I would advise you to investigate when looking for a Thunderbolt dock is available in: whether or not or not it helps DisplayLink. 

You’ll be able to consider DisplayLink as a approach so as to add further exterior shows to a PC by making a software-based GPU, or video card. This virtualized {hardware} makes it potential to exceed the utmost variety of shows your PC may sometimes assist. 

This has grow to be so vital just lately due to Apple. The corporate’s M1 and M2-based MacBooks solely assist a single exterior show. Should you join the Accell Thunderbolt 4 Dock, you’ll be able to nonetheless use a single DisplayPort OR Thunderbolt 4 show. Nonetheless, making an attempt so as to add a second monitor will disable the primary. 

Extra: join a second Thunderbolt monitor to your M1 Mac Mini

This, to be clear, is a limitation of Apple’s {hardware}, not Accell’s. Nonetheless, there are comparably priced Thunderbolt docks that do provide DisplayPort and can can help you add a couple of exterior show to an M1 or M2-based MacBook. This dock, sadly, won’t. Accell itself notes this in its tech specs.

After all, Should you’re a Home windows PC person DisplayLink is much less important. Additionally, when you personal a MacBook utilizing an M1 Professional or M1 Max chip (which helps two and 4 exterior shows, respectively), it can doubtless be pointless. However, given the huge recognition of the M1 and M2 MacBook air fashions, it is one thing all Thunderbolt dock consumers ought to learn about.

Backside line

In the end, the Accell Thunderbolt 4 dock is a high-quality possibility for customers with the precise working system and desires, nevertheless it’s not one thing I can advocate for all customers, and I would advise MacBook house owners to go for one thing else. For them, cheaper, DisplayLink-equipped choices would doubtless be a better option. 

Shopping for data: If the Accell Thunderbolt 4 Dock feels like a great resolution in your state of affairs and the specifical peripherals you utilize, you should purchase it at Amazon.com for $300 proper now. 

Extra: The 13 finest laptop computer docking stations of 2022