Plugable Thunderbolt 4 (TBT4-UDZ) dock evaluation: A bit off the tempo

Worth When Reviewed

$299

Greatest Costs At the moment: Plugable Thunderbolt 4 & USB4 Quad Show Docking Station (TBT4-UDZ)

Plugable’s Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 Quad Docking Station (TBT4-UDZ) provides the huge port choice and a number of display-port choices I’d count on in a premium dock. But it surely doesn’t fairly ship the place it counts, with stability proving to be a problem.

Plugable’s TBT4-UDZ is the Thunderbolt 4 model of the Plugable TBT3-UDZ, what I known as the “Cadillac of Thunderbolt docks” on the time due to the plentiful port association. It nonetheless tops our list of the best Thunderbolt docks. However there are very related opponents now, as effectively.

On paper, Plugable’s Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 Quad Show Docking Station (TBT4-UDZ) is similar to the Kensington Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 Quad Video Docking Station (SD5800T): related names, related options — however not related in value. (Our sister website, TechAdvisor, has its own review of the Plugable Thunderbolt 4 & USB4 Quad Show Docking Station, too.) Kensington’s dock is priced at about $20 extra on Amazon, however different retailers value Kensington’s dock considerably increased. Plugable’s dock can be remarkably just like the Satechi Thunderbolt 4 Multimedia Pro Dock, a dock we beloved which additionally instructions a $299 price ticket.

Plugable’s TBT4-UDZ has one strike in opposition to it: Due to the similarities between Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4, you would possibly wish to contemplate the older iteration, as a substitute. At about $200, Plugable’s TBT3-UDZ is about $100 cheaper than the newer TBT4-UDZ.

Because the identify suggests, you should utilize this dock with both an AMD Ryzen laptop computer, usually geared up with USB4 ports, or the Thunderbolt 4 ports that accompany and Intel-based laptop computer. (You are able to do this with nearly any rival dock, too; Plugable simply calls it out.)

Plugable’s TBT4-UDZ provides gobs of ports

Plugable’s TBT4-UDZ mixes up the port association in comparison with its predecessor, although. On the entrance remains to be a microSD/SD card slot — although each slots at the moment are rated for 312MB/s UHS-II efficiency; on the TBT3-UDZ, solely the full-sized SD card slot is. Each a 10Gbps USB-A in addition to a 480Mbps USB-A port seem on the entrance of the dock, with the latter rated for 7.5W to cost exterior gadgets. A headphone jack, the Thunderbolt 4 port and an influence button spherical out the entrance, plus a small yellow LED to sign energy.

Plugable has pushed a second charging port (a 10Gbps USB-C port able to 7.5W of USB Energy Supply) to the rear of the dock, which I’m not a fan of. Attempting to fish across the again of the dock to insert a charging cable is tougher than doing it on the entrance, and most telephones cost with USB-C.

In any other case, there are 4 USB-A ports on the rear of the TBT4-UDZ, two every for 5Gbps and 10Gbps — once more an enchancment. They’re tightly spaced, however USB keys and cables juuuust match. There are additionally two DisplayPort 1.2 ports and two HDMI 2.0 ports, plus the facility port and a 2.5Gbps Ethernet connection.

Supplied that you simply’ve linked the dock to the correct {hardware}, the dock can connect with 4 4K shows (utilizing all 4 ports) at 60Hz.

Bodily, the TBT4-UDZ measures 7.7 x 4.1 x 1.4 inches., and a rated 22.7 ounces (646g). Like its predecessor, Plugable tosses in a vertical stand, which does wonders for minimizing the desk house it takes up. The stand can be completely secure from my expertise, even absolutely loaded with numerous cables.

Talking of cables, the TBT4-UDZ’s Thunderbolt 4 cable stretches a somewhat luxurious 3.25 ft or so, passing a rated 98W to the host — about 0.5 foot longer than the sooner dock, which handed a rated 96W. That’s in regards to the most the present cables will permit.

Plugable TBT4-UDZ efficiency: Stability is a query

Supplied that you simply’ve linked the dock to the correct {hardware}, the dock can connect with 4 4K shows (utilizing all 4 ports) at 60Hz. The dock does so through the use of a mix of the Thunderbolt port, plus combining DisplayPort 1.4 HBR3 (Excessive Bit Price 3) with DSC (Show Stream Compression). In case your laptop computer helps these, it ought to connect with 4 shows; in any other case, it may connect with the usual two 4K shows supported by Thunderbolt 4. (Observe that you simply in all probability gained’t be capable to use your laptop computer’s show for those who join 4 exterior shows, and also you’ll want to regulate your laptop computer’s settings so it stays on and absolutely operational when closed.)

I wouldn’t be stunned to find that the rival Kensington SD5800T was manufactured by the identical vendor. The port alignment is actually similar, and the efficiency throughout a number of shows is simply too. The Kensington’s front-mounted USB-A charging port was speculated to ship about 7.5W of energy. It doesn’t. And neither does the Plugable TBT4-UDZ! Although rated at 7.5W, the Plugable TBT4-UDZ’s USB-A port delivers 3.8W, the identical as the opposite USB-A ports.

Solely the rear-mounted USB-C port delivers 7.0W, because it ought to. The dock itself delivers 86W to the laptop computer, which is fairly near its rated energy.

From a stability standpoint, I observed the dock disconnect from each screens twice in succession, simply performing regular workplace work. Whereas taking part in a sport of Diablo IV, the dock disconnected from each screens in addition to the community, booting me from the sport. Whether or not you’re working, chatting with a colleague, or gaming, that sort of factor is disruptive and a bit stunning.

Neither disconnection occurred on my regular testing laptops, although the glitches did happen with a Microsoft Floor Laptop computer Studio 2, which incorporates two Thunderbolt 4 ports. In any other case, I spent shut to 3 days working with this dock, and skilled no different points. (Simply make sure to have your laptop computer updated, because the dock didn’t ship full 4K decision with a laptop computer which wanted to be up to date.)

The efficiency of the dock was a bit lower than I anticipated, throughout the board. In our streaming check, the dock dropped 30 frames out of 12,098 — a bit low however nonetheless common, and our 4K60 check stream was clean. Whereas operating the PCMark storage benchmark, the dock dropped 38 frames — about double the Kensington SD5800T. The dock’s efficiency within the storage benchmark was decrease than I’d like, too — 120MB/s versus 127MB/s. Is that an enormous distinction? Not likely, no. But it surely’s nonetheless a bit slower.

The check I run the place I copy a multi-gigabyte folder stuffed full of assorted information accomplished in 1 minute, 10 seconds, each whereas streaming and by itself. Once more, the dock completed a pair seconds slower than the competitors.

I didn’t have any issues with the Ethernet jack, the mic/headset cable, or the SD card slots.

Do you have to purchase the Plugable TBT4-UDZ?

I’ve reviewed a number of Plugable docks, and the corporate has a well-founded status for high quality. (A one-year restricted guarantee is included.) On this case, it falls a bit quick.

I nonetheless suppose the Thunderbolt 3 (Plugable TBT3-UDZ) model of the dock is superior, due to the $100 or so low cost. However I’m completely satisfied sticking with the Kensington docks as my recommended Thunderbolt 4 docking stations. I really like the pliability — who wouldn’t? However with opponents providing nearly the identical factor, I’d go for another.

Greatest Costs At the moment: Plugable Thunderbolt 4 & USB4 Quad Show Docking Station (TBT4-UDZ)

Author: Mark Hachman, Senior Editor