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Review on ⚡️ StarTech.com USB 3.0 Mini Docking Station - HDMI or VGA Adapter Dock for Universal Laptop Travel (USB3SMDOCKHV) - Black by Bob Schultz

Revainrating 5 out of 5

Works BUT sharp frame drops at full 1920x1080 resolution

I hooked it up via USB 3.0 of course and although it will power up and drive my AOC 2752 via HDMI it does so with a lot of stuttering normal Windows Animation. I mean just opening a browser window causes it to twitch. Most of the time, when you drag something, you don't see where the mouse is. Yes, I followed the instructions and downloaded the latest drivers first BEFORE plugging in the little box. It might work well at resolutions less than about 1600 pixels, but that's not my use case. Here, using a Windows 8 laptop with an Intel card onboard, I expect 1920x1080 to work at my monitor's native resolution. The driver for this device is Magic Control Technology, 09/14/2013, version 1.1.13.914. Directly from startech.com. So yes, there is no need for the "Please restart your computer and install the latest drivers" phrases here. Has it been done? So I may have to drop the dual monitor idea for my Lenovo laptop.

Pros
  • Availability
Cons
  • Upgradable