Hi, I’m in batch 4 for the AMD 13" and am looking for some dock reccomendations before it arrives. The world of USB is a bit confusing rn so I would want something that definitely will work.
I need the ability to output to two Display port monitors simultaneously (1080p60Hz is fine) as well as USB-PD passthrough. I will also be running Linux, so I need something that will work with Linux drivers (proprietary or otherwise).
Happy to look on the second hand market as well if I can figure out exactly what protocols I need to look for. Cheers!
I don’t really see the point of TB4 docks unless you need the dock to be portable, since for a similar price, you can get an exposed eGPU dock with a low-end GPU that gives you 4 display outs.
A new TB4 dock costs around 200-300 euros An eGPU dock costs 120(base)+50(PSU)+70(GPU)
And you can slap on a normal usb3 hub, so now u got all the IO of a tb4 dock, too. The only downside is that this is not portable, and u have exposed cables everywhere.
If you want to cheap out, then just buy a hdmi to DP adaptor, together with a USB 3 hub with an HDMI port and PD delivery, plus a usb c to DP adaptor, that will get you 2 display ports for under 40 euros [HDMI to DP (15 euros), usb3 hub with hdmi and PD (20 euros), usb c to DP (5 euros)].
I have an Anker TB4 dock (which is stationsry - maybe you’re thinking of a hub?) One-cable docking is 100% worth it to me. I’ve got 2 monitors and a whole bunch of USB peripherals connected to it. Let’s me cable manage and keep my desk neat, and it reduces the hassle of using my laptop at my desk. Not to mention 100W charging, which would be yet another cable otherwise.
My point was cost per IO over asthetics,
If one doesn’t mind a PSU cable ball on their desk, an eGPU dock like the TH3P4G3 offers a 65W PD port/TB4 port, a full size PCIE device slot, 1 TB4 data only port and a usb A port. Which allows connecting a much cheaper nonal usb hub for more IO along with a full-size PCIE (only at PCIE3.0x2 speeds) for whatever you need compared to a TB4 dock. It is still hassle free with a single cable to the laptop, but with a much more cluttered background.
If one wants a clean desk, a TB4 docks, like the anker ones, do simplify and cleans up the desk a lot, but they are kinda expensive for the IO ports they offer.
Since i dont mind seeing a cable mess behind my monitors, i was suggesting that as an option.