Docking Station Recommendation

LJumpinJack012 on 18/11/2020 - 21:46
Last edited 19/11/2020 - 00:58

Hi, I am looking for a docking station recommendation as I want to connect 2 monitors for my laptop. One of my monitors is FHD at 144 Hz while the other is 1440p at 75Hz, so I want the dock to be compatible with both monitors and to be able to display 1440p at 75Hz. Both my monitors have HDMI and DP, while my laptops only have HDMI - I'm looking for a mix of HDMI and DP inputs for the dock.

I have an old laptop at home which only has USB 3.0 and the work laptop has USB-C, so looking for docking stations with both USB-C and USB 3.0 (I am not fussed if I need to plug my laptop into a power point). Finally, I need a few USB ports to plug in the mouse and keyboard.

I did some research and came up with the Dell Universal Dock - D6000 - https://www.dell.com/en-au/work/shop/dell-universal-dock-d60… Would something like this be compatible with my requirements? I was unsure about whether my home laptop would be compatible - presumably one cable connects the laptop via USB 3.0 to the dock's USB 3.0 and then connect the laptop to a power outlet?

Also, this Dell dock costs $270. Is this about the level I should be paying for my needs, or are there docks out there that costs less but does the same job?

Edit Doing more research on this, will I need a thunderbolt dock if I want to a monitor to display 1440p at 75Hz? Will a TB dock work with my laptop that only has USB 3.0? Otherwise, something like D6000 would limit me to 1440p at 60Hz?

Computing

Comments

  • Davo1111 on 18/11/2020 - 23:09

    My experience with docks is that they cant handle the bandwidth of multiple monitors. ymmv

    • JumpinJack012 on 18/11/2020 - 23:52

      Thanks, are there any other solutions apart from docks? My older laptop only has 1 HDMI port so it seems I have to use a dock to connect 2 monitors.

    • xuqi on 19/11/2020 - 00:06

      This particular Dell dock uses the latest DisplayLink D6000 chipset, which uses compression to drive 2x UHD 60Hz screens using the USB3 bandwidth.

      Dell have been slow to update their drivers pages, so anyone using one should download the latest from the chipset manufacturer:

      https://www.displaylink.com/

  • kaleidoscope on 18/11/2020 - 23:19

    if u want single dock that supports both usb-c and usb-a then you got to go with something like that unfortunately. keep in mind usb-c 5Gbps has limitations on display resolutions for multiple display out. you might be limited to 1080p

    alternatively, why not look into use hdmi on both monitors for one pc and other port with other second pc.

    • JumpinJack012 on 18/11/2020 - 23:51

      I'm not sure if I follow your last sentence "alternatively, why not look into use hdmi on both monitors for one pc and other port with other second pc"? Can you explain further?

  • w37hsyea on 19/11/2020 - 00:19

    how are you intending to dock the laptop with only usb-a (no d/p or hdmi?)

    • JumpinJack012 on 19/11/2020 - 00:55

      For my laptop with usb 3.0 only, I was thinking usb cable from laptop to dock, then hdmi cable from dock to monitor. I assume the dock, laptop and the monitor will all need to be connected to a power outlet.

      • netbies on 19/11/2020 - 06:39

        With the D6000 and if you have a laptop support PD, e.g. like Dell xps, you wont need power to the laptop. You will only need power to the dock and the dock will provide power to the the laptop thru the usb-c port at the same time.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join