StarTech.com Thunderbolt 3 Dock – Dual 4K 60Hz Monitor TB3 Laptop Docking Station with DisplayPort, HDMI & 1080p VGA – 85W Power

10 reviews for StarTech.com Thunderbolt 3 Dock – Dual 4K 60Hz Monitor TB3 Laptop Docking Station with DisplayPort, HDMI & 1080p VGA – 85W Power

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Mark Houde – 22 March 2018

   One Cable to Rule Them All! TB3 Done Right!Pretty darn impressed with this dock (TB3DOCK2DPPD). I have to say the build quality on this dock is impressive; built like a tank – heavy, solid aluminum construction. I was originally buying the pluggable TB3 Dock (Thunderbolt 3) as they are reputable TB3 docks but I’ve been trusting StarTech products for some years now and this dock has all the options I was looking for including three USB-C ports where most TB3 docks have only two, I should mention the 3rd port is USB-C (5.0Gbps) and not a TB3 port @40Gbps but as I have an external USB-C hard drive enclosure (see the end of this review for links to all products listed), this works out pretty handy without any additional adaptors needed.I’m running a 15″ 2017 MacBook Pro w/Touch Bar; One single TB3 cable plugged into my MBP that rules them all! Charges @ 85W – nice to leave my original Apple charger in my pack as I no longer needed at home when using this dock. A 1′ foot TB3 cable is included, however I purchased a “certified” 3′ TB3 cable @ 40Gbps and certified is the key here. Usually TB3 cables beyond 1′ start to degrade in bandwidth, so for example a typical 6′ TB3 cable will usually be 20Gbps, not the full 40Gbps, that’s right, half your bandwidth gone just by doubling the length of your cable – serious bandwidth passing through copper here, in fact TB3 was originally designed with optics in mind.These cables are not cheap so pay attention to bandwidth constraints and certified cables if you need more than the included 1′ cable; A USB-C cable is a different beast from a Thunderbolt 3 USB-C cable. While Apple/Intel chose to use the standard USB-C plug (shocker here, it’s about time they followed a standard), the cables may look the same, plug-in to each other’s ports the same, but the results will be vastly different.I was running two ASUS HD (1920×1080) monitors, one connected to the dock’s USB-C TB3 port, the other connected to the dock’s Display port. These were older monitors using HDMI so for adaptors I used an Apple USB-C to HDMI adaptor, while the other I ran a StarTech Display Port to HDMI adaptor (again, see below for a full list of mentioned products). This setup ran flawless with this dock but I have since upgraded to a 32″ 4K Monitor, the LG 32UD99-W, and am now running USB-C to USB-C from Dock to Monitor and so far, everything has been spot-on, not to mention the 32″ monitor is absolutely stunning.I was concerned about issues waking up the MBP from sleep and the dock not waking the monitor but fortunately, I haven’t seen any of these issues as other’s have mentioned from other TB3 docks on the market and as I almost never shut-down my MBP, but instead use sleep mode, this has been well received. However, there have been a couple of instances, one where a USB3.0 port wasn’t responding on the dock and a power cycle was necessary. I recall one of those instances happening after unplugging the TB3 cable from the MBP and later plugging it back in and another were the monitor wasn’t recognized but again, far and few – there’s a ton of bandwidth passing through this single cable. Aside from these two hiccups, this dock has been solid, reliable, & I couldn’t be happier with the performance.So here’s my setup with hardware I can acknowledge that works well with this dock:32″ 4K (3840×2160) LG Monitor: USB-C cable from dock to monitor. Display Port cable from dock to monitor also worked well.WD 1TB SSD drive connected to dock’s 3rd USB-C port (primary Storage working drive)WD 500GB drive connected to dock’s USB3.0 port (Time Machine Backups)Sony DVD external drive connected to dock’s USB3.0 port (rarely use but had the spare port)Wacom Intuos Pro Tablet (medium) via dock’s USB3.0 port.Utilizing the Dock’s 1GB Ethernet Port (WAN speed test’s out performed those from direct adapters previously plugged into the MBP by roughly 12Mbs)Utilizing the Dock’s front audio jack when using headphones, controllable from the MBP’s Menu Bar. (slight degrade in quality)Use the front USB3.0 port for quick access such as thumb drives, external drives, USB charging, etc.All this,… connected by a single cable which also charges the MBP. Pretty darn Impressive!Pro’s:This Dock offers all the key options available for today’s TB3 Dock:- Dual 4K Displays (4096 x 2160p) at 60Hz (I only have 1 4k display so I haven’t tested this but I was running 2 HD monitors at 60Hz.- 85 Watts of charging (Apple’s adaptor for the 15″ MBP is 84W).- An SD Card Reader & on the front face of the dock! Not a deal breaker but one less adapter needed and if you’re a photographer,this is nice addition.- A 3.5mm Audio Jack and USB3.0(5Gbps) charging port also on the Dock’s front face.- 3 USB-C ports. 2 are TB3 (one for host/laptop the other for monitor), and the 3rd is standard USB-C @5Gbps. More devices rolling out daily with the new standard.- 4 Additional USB3.0 (5Gbps) standard type-A ports – These come in very handy for all your existing hardware.- 1 Gigabit RJ45 Port. Out performed my USB-C to Ethernet adaptors by about 12Mbps).- Basically enough ports, power, & performance wrapped-up in a single box and a single cable. Unplug and go! Includes a 6 Foot USB-C to DisplayPort CableCon’s:- Price. A bit more cash than I was willing to spend (actually a lot more) but it also has options no other TB3 dock offered.- Power: If you’re concerned about energy, all those ports require additional power. The adaptor rates at 20V DC, 9A @ 180W.- Cable Restraints: This goes for any TB3 dock; cable length is a drawback and less is more. Included is a 1′ USB-C TB3 (40Gbps) cable and purchasing a 3′ TB3 cable @ 40Gbps will cost you another $50+.Links to all the products listed that are connected to my TB3 Dock:

   StarTech.com Thunderbolt 3 Dock – with SD Card Reader – 85W Power Delivery – Dual 4K – Windows / Mac – USB C Dock – USB-C to DP Cable for Second Display

   StarTech.com USB-C External Hard Drive Enclosure – USB 3.1 Type C – Integrated USB C Cable – SATA 6Gpbs – SSD/HDD Enclosure

   [Certified] Cable Matters 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 Cable in Black Supporting 100W Charging 3.3 Feet (Not Compatible with USB-C ports without the Thunderbolt Logo)

   Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter

   StarTech.com DP2HD4KS DisplayPort to HDMI 4K Audio/Video Converter

   LG 32UD99-W 32-Inch 4K UHD IPS Monitor with HDR 10 (2017)

   Loading...
2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   AMarks – 23 August 2017

   So far so good! An all around solid product and experience!I purchased the 

   Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station – with Power Delivery (USB PD) – 85W Charging – Windows / MacBook Pro – Dual-4K – USB C Dock – Laptop Dock

    to use with my new 

   Apple MacBook Pro 15.4 Inch 256GB with Touch Bar and Magic-Mouse-2 (2.6GHz i7, 16GB RAM, AMD Radeon Pro 450) Space Gray, Late 2016

    (w/touch bar-late 2016) and couldn’t be happier…finally! At $329.99 it is pricey but worth it. I originally went with a cheaper docking station (for $179) which I had to send back because the USB failed to work within 24 hours of getting it set up.Take a look at my setup in the pictures below. I’m using a 

   ASUS PB328Q 32″ WQHD 2560×1440 4ms DisplayPort HDMI DVI Eye Care Monitor

    as my main monitor, connected via the USB-C to DisplayPort cable that came with the docking station. I’m getting 2560 x 1440 resolution in landscape mode. I’ve also got an 

   Asus LCD VP228H Gaming, 21,5” LED,1ms,DC 100mil.,HDMI,DVI,1920×1080, speakers

    display as a secondary monitor connected using an 

   gofanco ACTIVE DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter (Black) – Up to Ultra HD 4K @ 60Hz, Eyefinity Compatible, MULTIPLE SCREENS Supported for Gaming

   . I’m getting 1080 x 1920 resolution in portrait mode.I purchased a 

   Belkin Thunderbolt 3 Cable (6.5 Feet / 2 Meters) – F2CD085bt2M-BLK

    (which I got at a ridiculous price of $25 because BestBuy marked it down to the wrong price-these will normally cost you between $50-$90 depending on the brand) in order to place my laptop off to the side of my desk. The cable that came with this dock (and the previous one I purchased) were both one foot in length. If you have limited desk space, it’s worth investing in a longer cable. But make sure you’ve purchased the “right” cable. Not any USB-C to USB-C cable will work. You need to check with the manufacturer of your docking station. This one specifically required the Thunderbolt 3 cable which offers 40 Gbps speed and power delivery up to 60W (which keeps my MacBook charged just fine).To the rear USB 3.0 port, I attached an 

   Anker 7-Port USB 3.0 Aluminum Data Hub with 20W Power Adapter and 3 3ft Cables for Mac, PC, USB Flash Drives and Other Devices

    which I’m using to connect my 

   Logitech HD Laptop Webcam C615 with Fold-and-Go Design, 360-Degree Swivel, 1080p Camera

   ,

   Logitech Headset 981-000337 Wireless H800

   ,

   Apple Wired Keyboard with Numeric Keypad Compatible with Mac OS X v.10.6.8 & later Versions (MB110LL/B)

   , iPhone 6s Plus and keeping my 

   Apple Watch Series 1 Smartwatch 38mm, Space Gray Aluminum Case/ Black Sport Band (Newest Model) (Certified Refurbished)

    charged while sitting at the desk. I will also be plugging in my 

   Seagate Backup Plus Hub 6TB External Desktop Hard Drive Storage STEL6000100

    to the hub for my media and backup. I was originally considering a high speed (7200 RPM) Thunderbolt 3 drive, but they are really pricey (picked up the Seagate at Costco for $120) and I decided that I really didn’t need the high-speed interface. I’ve also got a pair of cheap Logitech speakers connected to the headphone jack on the back. They work great as well. No hum whatsoever. Just remember that you’ll need to select the “USB audio CODEC” as yourI also have a 

   CONMDEX USB C to Lightning Cable,Nylon Braided Typ C 3.1 Male to Lightning Data Sync&Charge Cord for New MacBook/ Chromebook Pixel/ iPhone 7/7 Plus/Samsung Galaxy S8/8 Plus (Silver,3.3ft)

    that I can use for media data transfer to my iPhone or 

   Apple iPad Pro 10.5-inch (256GB, Wi-Fi, Space Gray) 2017 Model

   . The front USB-C port on this unit makes it convenient to do that sort of thing, or plug in my 

   Guamar USB-C Super Drive Aluminum External Slot-in DVD/CD RW DVD Rom Drive Writer Burner for the latest Macbook/MacBook Pro/ASUS U306UA/ASUS/DELL Latitude (Silver)

    for ripping movies from my library or burning backups quickly. BTW, while I agree that you shouldn’t put anything on top of this unit (as the manufacturer recommends due to heat concerns) I have not found the unit to heat up much at all.Because it is in the picture, I’ll also mention the 

   HP OfficeJet Pro 8720 Wireless All-in-One Photo Printer with Mobile Printing, Instant Ink

    that I just purchased. It’s worked solidly so far. It’s a great combination of high speed and high-quality printing. I’ve got it connected via WiFi.The tech support from StarTech was great. They are available 24 hours a day and they are quick to respond. I assume these guys are outsourcing the support folks, but whomever they have answering questions has access to their knowledge-base and makes getting questions answer far easier than trying to find the answer yourself.All in all, this has been one of the better items I’ve purchased in a while, so far. It’s only been a few days. If anything happens I’ll be sure to update the post.

   Loading...
3. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   BatteryKing – 31 August 2019

   Works great for Dell XPS 15 7590I have tried this docking station with a Dell XPS 15 7590 and a Lenovo T580 so far. I have two 4k displays hooked up to it and some USB peripherals.For the Dell XPS 15 7590, this is a really nice docking station. For the most part just plug in and go. It is not all quite perfect though. For one the Dell reports it only gets 65W from the docking station where it is rated to handle up to 130W from the dedicated power wart. In reality if you are drawing more than 65W enough with this laptop for 65W to be an issue, the machine is going to die an early thermal death anyway. So really plenty fine and if not, get a liquid cooled desktop for that kind of workload. Another issue I have seen is with a KVM (keyboard video and mouse switch) between this and the peripherals, sometimes when a screen goes to sleep, it does not wake up. I fix I switch the input off of this docking station and then back to get the display back. Kind of think this is something to blame more on drivers than the docking station itself.For the Lenovo 580, it only seems to have 2 TB3 lanes hooked up on only its multi-port. The more dedicated USB-3 style plug is only USB-3. For the T590 the situation is not much better as in still only 2 lanes per port, not 4, but at least they are both Thunderbolt capable ports. This means only one 4k display can be driven off of this docking station with it. There also seems to be a problem where the mouse and keyboard hang up for a couple of seconds every few seconds, which is unbearable. Had to more directly connect the keyboard and mouse to the laptop to have a more workable situation.As the Dell seems to be fine with this docking station for the most part and the Lenovo really rather lackluster in its handling, I think it is only right to give this docking station 5 stars, thus putting the blame on issues with Lenovo and their failure to do TB3 in a reasonable fashion. Actually the T590 I originally bought to replace my older T420 got returned so I could go for the Dell XPS 15 7590 in its place.I have hit one problem in that I cannot get any of my DP to DVI cables / adapters to work. A bit frustrating as I am trying to use in one location where I have an old DVI KVM. Knocking off a star because this should be a supported feature (there are a lot of old DVI monitors and KVMs floating around still in use after all; this stuff hangs around longer than PCs) and there is just no way to go from A to B with this docking station it seems. I have found a TB3 to DVI cable that works through the TB3 port. So instead of potentially hooking up two DP displays or one DP display and daisy chaining another TB3 device, you can hook in a DP display and a DVI display.

   Loading...
4. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Dukwhan Kim – 23 June 2022

   Solid piece of tech; surprisingly smallThis dock is a surprisingly small but functional piece of tech. I have it hooked up to a MacBook Pro (Intel) and it supports an external 4K+1080p setup in addition to the laptop screen (3 screens total). Keeps the laptop charged up and I haven’t experienced any hiccups with it. Wish the Thunderbolt port was at the back with the rest of the ports, but that’s purely an aesthetic gripe. Would buy again/recommend.

   Loading...
5. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Marshall L. Smith Jr. – 13 January 2018

   Works perfectly on my 2017 MacBook ProOk I took the risk and spend the money on this, which is considerable given what it does. Now that’s I’ve been using it a few weeks I can say just wow, I love it. This is for my 2017 MacBook Pro and I was suffering from dongle overload and lack of needed ports. This solved all my problems with just one purchase. And if you consider the cost of multiple dongles to do the same job you aren’t spending that much more for this sweet little dock.Current configuration: 1 DVI monitor, All USB-3 ports in use, all USB-C ports in use, Ethernet, 2 external drives, and Audio Out.Everything functions as it should – no complaints. Some people made a big deal out of lack of SD and MicroSD slots but no bother for me — I already have a mini-dock for that which just hooks up to this one. It comes with a USB-C to HDMI cable, which I used for awhile and it worked fine. But I swapped it out for a DP to DP cable (my monitor supports both) to free up a USB-C port on this box. So I’m using all ports and couldn’t be happier.UPDATE 1/21/17After using this dock for a while longer I have a few caveats to share. First, When my machine sleeps (or powers down the monitor for sleep mode) sometimes will not wake up the screen. I have to disconnect and reconnect the DP cable. This may be related to my monitor, I can’t be sure yet. But it is an annoyance that didn’t happen when direct connected to my laptop.Second, don’t chain high-speed devices. I have a USB-3 port replicator with SD card slots attached to one of the USB-3 ports on the Startech. It didn’t like when I tried to plug in a USB-3 BluRay drive – kept timing out. But when connected directly to the Startech it worked fine. So chaining USB block devices isn’t recommended.Otherwise still working great.

   Loading...
6. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Carl – 16 August 2018

   So far so goodComing from the land of 2 year old dongles I decided to splurge on a proper dock for my new 2018 MacBook Pro. Having seen a bunch of fail in so many other reviews, this one seemed to be the most solid with the most sensible ports – 6x USB, 1x ethernet, 1x DisplayPort, 1x headphone/mic combo, 1x free Thunderbolt 3, 1x SD reader – this is the perfect modern combo, placing the correct ports on the front of the device and everything else on the back. Looks are ok, device itself is fairly compact, stays pretty cool. That said I have a few little gripes.- 85w power delivery is fine, but I would prefer as much as possible for future proof or when machines go above and beyond that. The power brick is massive, but it’s something you can cable manage away.- “Space gray” as they state on their website is off, its more halfway between the original aluminum gray and the newer space gray.- Ethernet works out of the box, kind of. I had to reboot for it to show up. Other ethernet adapters sometimes require a driver, but not here.- Can’t seem to wake machine from sleep when using USB keyboard/mouse. Since I use in “closed display” mode, its kind of annoying to run over, open the lid, then close again. Using a cheapo USB-C combo dongle I have no problem with this.Considering the issues found with many other docks, I consider this list of annoyances an OK trade off since it generally works and does it’s job.

   Loading...
7. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Anonymouss – 29 October 2018

   Great product, but if you have problems, read this first! I made a mistake with the original review!Update: 4/5/19.I am upping this product from 1 star to 4 stars. It would normally be 5 stars, but my problem was not explained in the instructions.Are you experiencing a problem with kernel_task consuming an excessive amount of power while this is plugged in? Is your laptop so incredibly slow that it eventually shuts off? Maybe you can’t get Ethernet to work either? Scroll to the last sentence to fix your problem if this is TL;DR.You probably double-checked and noted that you purchased the “Laptop Charging” feature, and it does state that it’s supposed to be able to do it. However, the battery slowly drains even though it shows the power charging. Eventually, your macbook restarts.The reason that’s happening is that this dock cannot provide enough power on the WRONG USB-C port (the one with one “Lightning” icon and nothing else) to charge a Macbook while also providing all of the features it promises in the description, such as dual 4K @ 60Hz, Ethernet, USB, USB-C and others. Even with a short 40Gb/s USB-C cable, it cannot work. So it just slowly drains your battery while providing everything EXCEPT Ethernet and charging.The reason is that you’re plugging the power cord into the wrong slot like me (D’oh!).Make sure you’re plugging in the USB-C power cord into the USB-C outlet with the Laptop icon! There are two power icons, and one with power and a laptop. Use the one with power and a laptop. That will also fix your Ethernet problem. A true PEBKAC error that could’ve been avoided with better instructions and/or design.

   Loading...
8. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   physicusman – 29 March 2018

   Works great with my 15″ MacBook Pro 2017- Be careful of monitor choiceI recently purchased a 2017 15″ MacBook Pro with Touchbar. I previously had an Elgato Thunderbolt 2 dock with my old Late 2013 15″ Retina MacBook Pro so I wanted to try another brand. I also wanted Power Delivery for the new Mac as well. This seemed to fit the bill just fine. Has just about all of the ports you could need for a dock. I wish it had more USB ports, but I have a Pluggable USB 3.0 7 port hub to take care of any legacy devices I have (external drives, Snowball Blue Mic, Flash drives etc.)I connected my Dell 4K monitor to the dock with my existing Displayport to MiniDisplay port cable. Went from the Mini Displayport on back of my Dell monitor to the Displayport on the dock. On my old MacBook, I connected it the opposite way. (Displayport on the monitor to Mini Displayport on the MacBook). Upon connection to the dock, my monitor started flickering constantly. I did some digging on their website and found out my monitor (Dell P2715Q 4K) isn’t compatible with 4K @ 60hz. Only 30hz. They mention it towards the bottom of their product page at Startech.–Certain monitors may be limited to 4K at 30Hz when connecting through DisplayPort. These monitors include the following models: Dell P2715Q, Viewsonic VX2475Smhl-4K, Philips 288P6LJEB, LG 31MU97C-B, Asus PB287Q (these models will need to be set to 4K at 30Hz).So at the moment, I am using the provided Displayport to USB-C cable they had in the box. Otherwise, I would need to order one outside of this. Power Delivery works awesome. Getting full 85W charging just like the original. Very nice to have only one cord now plugged in. I may consider going with another monitor going forward, but for now, everything works. It seems like similar models from Belkin and a few others have similar results with this particular Dell Monitor.

   Loading...
9. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Veasna – 26 April 2022

   Pricey, but solidI’m an attorney who works mostly from home, and I wanted a solution to plug in my three external monitors and other peripherals with a single cable. This dock certainly does the trick, and I haven’t had any problems.I recently bought the new Galaxy Book 2 Pro (non-touch screen), which is Thunderbolt 4-ready out of the box. It’s worked seamlessly with the dock.

   Loading...
10. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Slvrscoobie – 27 October 2018

    it WORKS (dual display – Displayport + Apple Thunderbolt display) + PD 85WSo I looked around for a while after getting the new 2018 MBP 15″ thunderbolt 3 x4 for a dock that would mimick my one stop setup like my HengeDock did. Drop it in and its got everything. But it was being problematic. Lots could give me displayport. or hdmi. not many would give me thunderbolt 3 + Displayport out. This was the ONLY one I see that gives those two AND 85W power delivery. Plus I dont need to use a USBC port to Charge it, it has its OWN. Yea, its expensive. Maybe plugging in the upcoming hedgedock plus their displayport+PD and the TB3 to TB2 adapter would be good enough, but I will still be in the $200+ range, so really this isnt too far off and its got tons of USB3 ports. I only got it maybe 20 minutes ago but I plugged it all in and Viola! My ONLY drawback is the audio out (which i need to use as the Displayport monitors sound has no system adjustable volume, and the thunderbolt display ONLY has weak speakers) is facing Outward. maybe on 2.0 they can put a switchable pair on each side so speakers out in the back, headphone out in the front. Its nice and beefy, feels like its got something to it. good color, similar to the stand of the TBdisplay. Comes with all the cables: USBC to displayport, TB3 to TB3 with PD, a 220V power supply cable, so i can even bring it when i travel!Update: Still working great! Works perfectly as expected.

    Loading...