StarTech Unveils 15-in-1 Thunderbolt 4/USB4 Dock with Quad Display Support
by Anton Shilov on March 18, 2024 12:30 PM EST- Posted in
- Docking Stations
- Thunderbolt
- StarTech
- USB4
- Thunderbolt 4
StarTech.com has introduced its latest Thunderbolt 4/USB4 docking station, which has a plethora of ports and supports four display outputs. This makes it suitable for 4Kp60 quad-monitor setups often used for professional applications. The Thunderbolt 4 Quad Display Docking Station can also deliver up to 98W of power to the host, which is enough to feed a high-end laptop, such as Apple's MacBook Pro 16.
StarTech's 15-in-1 docking (132N-TB4USB4DOCK) has pretty much everything that one comes to expect from a dock engineered explicitly for demanding professionals, such as those involved in photography, content creation, video production, and computer-aided design. The unit comes with one Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 port with a 98W power delivery capability to connect to the host, a 2.5 GbE adapter, six USB Type-A ports (three supporting 10 Gbps, two supporting 5 Gbps, and one being USB 2.0 for up to 7.5W charging), one USB Type-C connector (at 10 Gbps), four display outputs (two DP 1.4, two HDMI 2.1), an SD Card reader with UHS-II, a microSD card reader with UHS-II, and a 3.5-mm audio jack.
The dock's main selling feature is, its support for up to four displays. Of course, this is a valuable capability, but it has a couple of catches. The device can support four 4Kp60 displays when connected to a laptop featuring Intel's 12th or 14th Generation Core processor using a Thunderbolt 4 or USB 4 connector and with DSC enabled. With AMD Ryzen 6000 and Intel's 11th Gen Core-based systems, only three 4Kp60 displays are supported. Meanwhile, with MacBooks, users must get on with two 5Kp60 or one 6Kp60 display. The good news is that the Thunderbolt 4 Quad Display Docking Station requires no drivers and works seamlessly with MacOS, Windows, and ChromeOS.
The docking station has a 180W power supply, so it can simultaneously charge a laptop and power on all the remaining ports.
Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4 docks with rich capabilities are not cheap as they have to pack loads of quite expensive controllers, and StarTech's 15-in-1 docking station is no exception, as it costs $330.99.
The StarTech.com Thunderbolt 4 Quad Display Docking Station is available for purchase directly from the company and through various IT resellers and distributors such as CDW, Amazon, Ingram Micro, TD SYNNEX, and D&H.
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Reflex - Monday, March 18, 2024 - link
If this was truly for content creation professionals it would have CFExpress as most of the newer enthusiast and pro cameras have moved to that standard over the past five years or so. I have no clue why devices like this, which have TB and thus PCIe lanes, have not added CFE slots. Replydanbob999 - Monday, March 18, 2024 - link
It's already $330 USD. How much would CFE add?Also I bet most people getting this won't even use the SD slot. They just want 4 monitors for whatever reason. Reply
Reflex - Monday, March 18, 2024 - link
Sure, but the point is that it's not so useful for content creators without it. If I have to buy this *and* an $80 Prograde CFe reader then it's not all in one, especially since that will take yet another USB-C port. Should be integrated. ReplyFL Guy - Monday, March 18, 2024 - link
I see your point, however it seems to me that then the manufacturer would either have to offer both Type A (Sony users) _and_ Type B (everyone else) versions, or pick one version, leaving some group of users unsatisfied no matter what version they they choose.I agree about the cost though - creators definitely will want CFE reader of one form or another which adds to the total cost. Of course many of us already have a USB version of reader at least. Reply
Reflex - Tuesday, March 19, 2024 - link
FL Guy - Sony shooters are only around a third of the market. Type B at least catches most of the market. Ideally it would do both as well as UHS-II, but skipping Type A is reasonable. Replydanbob999 - Monday, March 18, 2024 - link
First, there are a lot of "content creators" who are not pro photographers.Second, photographers may not be their target sector. By looking at the picture, stock traders might be a more important sector for such a product.
Third, bandwidth might be limited. Most people would rather have an extra USB-C port than a CFE slot. Some other people would want 10 GigE. You can't have it all. The main purpose of this box is for those who wants 4 monitors with a single cable to a computer (usually a laptop). Reply
SDLeary@mac.com - Monday, March 18, 2024 - link
OWC produces something close to the spec out you just provided ReplyReflex - Tuesday, March 19, 2024 - link
Unclear what you mean dan. Content creators are mostly considered to be photographers and videographers. Stock traders are creating content and there are cheaper ways to add additional displays.And yes, bandwidth is limited, it's just a TB connection ultimately regardless of how many devices you put on there. Typically a user isn't maxing out all functions at once, however, so it's not a big deal. Regardless, putting two sdcard slots and no CFe makes this a unserious attempt at the creator market they are claimed to be going for. Reply
richardnpaul - Wednesday, March 20, 2024 - link
Streamers and other types of YouTube content creators aren't likely to need CFe, similarly animators, VFx, other visual or audio artists etc. are content creators and yet likely don't need CFe. Content creation is not one narrow band of meaning, it means different things to different people. ReplyReflex - Wednesday, March 20, 2024 - link
Most of the functions of this dock are basically useless for a streamer, honestly. There are better purpose built devices for that. I am aware there are other types but I'm also pointing out that this is essentially not that useful to one of the largest groups, which is basically anyone who owns a modern camera. Kinda a big miss there. Keeps ProGrade happy though. Reply