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Review on πŸ”Œ Cable Matters Aluminum Thunderbolt 3 Dock: DisplayPort, 85W Laptop Charging for Windows PC & MacBook Pro, Not Compatible with USB-C Ports Without The Thunderbolt Logo by Hugo Caywood

Revainrating 4 out of 5

This is a good dock/port replicator for MacBook Pro

- update 20th October 2019 so it's been a little while since I've used this dock almost every day and it has worked flawlessly and done its job perfectly. I had a 2016 MBP when I bought this dock and after a few months I replaced it with a 2018 MBP and the dock works the same. I am very happy with this purchase. Previous Review September 2018 I purchased this Thunderbolt 3 Dock for my 2016 MacBook Pro to use with two external monitors: an HP 24" 1920 x 1200 monitor and an HP 23" 1600 x 1200 monitor. The dock works as advertised and I haven't had any issues since purchase other than the defective TB3 cable that came with it, but the seller promptly sent a replacement cable which fixed the issue. Here's a summary of the pros and cons: Pros: The box supports dual 4K monitors, which I haven't been able to test with a 4K monitor, but my dual HD monitors work fine. A monitor is connected directly to the display port of one of the monitors via the display port of the docking station. The second monitor is connected using a TB3 to DP cable that connects to the TB3 downstream port on the docking station and the DP port on the monitor. Configuration is seamless. Just plug and play, then go to System Preferences->Display on your Mac to customize how you want to use external displays. I use it as an extended desktop, but you can also set it up in a mirror configuration. I am using two external screens plus MBP mapping together as the 3 head configuration - 1GB ethernet port - seems to run on 1GB ethernet and my MBP auto-detects the connection. The docking station connects to the MBP via a TB3 port and also receives power from the docking station. The dock supports 85W power for the MBP, which also constantly charges the battery to 100%. Thus, there is no mess with the cable; just a TB3 cable and all USB ports: There are 3 USB ports and they all work fine and also charge my iPhone or Air Pods when plugged in. I haven't tested the USB speed, but it seems fine - quiet and cool. So there are no fans and it doesn't really heat up. It can get a little warm, but most of the time it's very cool everywhere. Cons: - It's a bit bigger compared to some other options, but that's not a problem at all. It's small enough for me to fit right under my screen - the TB3 cable that came with the dock is short. For some settings this may not be sufficient. Instead, I want the TB3 cable to be 3 feet long. In particular, the host connector is near the center of the box, making the short TB3 cable even shorter. I wish the TB3 host port was on the back or side of the box, or better yet, a slightly longer TB3 cable would be great. I had to rearrange the screens and MBP to connect everything without having to buy a new cable - the USB 3 ports interfere with the 2.4GHz wireless signal. My Logitech Unified Transceiver was not working properly when connected directly to the docking station. I used the USB port on the back to connect the monitor and connected a Logitech transceiver to the monitor's USB port, which solved the interference problem and also gave me additional USB ports as my monitor has two Has USB downstream ports - the number of USB ports is often wrong, but it wasn't a problem for me since my monitor has two USB ports and my external drive for Time Machine backup also has two extra USB ports and a mini SD card port which works very well for my needs and the two USB ports on the front of the dock are still available for quick access - 3.5mm audio jacks for microphone and headphones/speakers which is very handy but they are located in the center of the back panel, next to the other ports that allow access for them very inconvenient. I wish the audio jacks were on the front, which would be very handy for plugging/unplugging headphones or an external mic. On the other hand, if you need it for an external speaker, having it on the back is fine, but I'd happily use it for headphones or a headset when it's facing the front - no power and/or link lights are lit on the Box. I mean the lack of backlighting of the box. It would have been nice if the box had LEDs for power and connection but that's not a big deal, overall this dock seems like a good buy. It's only been a few weeks and my observations are a little premature, but so far everything is working fine. I'll get back to you in a few months

Pros
  • Thunderbolt 3 Dock adds 2 USB 3.0 ports with charging capability, USB-C data port, Gigabit Ethernet network connectivity, and audio headphone and microphone ports through a single Thunderbolt 3 port added
Cons
  • factor kit