From what I can see, none of these support multiple 4K monitors - how do people dock in situations like this? I’ve been using a USB-C eGPU with my multiple screens and Ethernet attached to that. Is there a cheaper way to do this?
Is it possible to buy two adapters and plug one monitor into each? Tedious, yes, but cheaper than eGPUs.
Show HN: I built a website to better compare USB-C hubs found on Amazon
101–110 of 280 posts
Re: Show HN: I built a website to better compare USB-C hubs found on Amazon
#102I'm in the market for a dock/hub for my 16" MBP and I'm completely baffled by the lack of decent options.
I just want the following 3 capabilities:
- 100W PD
- 4k60Hz (preferably through USB-C)
- Gigabit ethernet
I have not been able to find a _single_ docking station or hub that can check these 3 boxes :(
Re: Show HN: I built a website to better compare USB-C hubs found on Amazon
#103I'm in the market for a dock/hub for my 16" MBP and I'm completely baffled by the lack of decent options. I just want the following 3 capabilities: - 100W PD - 4k60Hz (preferably through USB-C) - Gigabit ethernet I have not been able to find a _single_ docking station or hub that can check these 3 boxes :(
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CZPV8DF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.P...
Is pretty close at 87W
Re: Show HN: I built a website to better compare USB-C hubs found on Amazon
#104For choosing the right product based on a list of spec requirements I can highly recommend the price comparison website Geizhals [1]. They offer an insane amount of filter options over a wide category of products. Want USB C hub with Power Delivery, Gigabit LAN, a card reader and at least 2 display options? Here are your options: [2]. Also works for Mainboards, TVs and a whole lot of other stuff
[1] https://geizhals.eu/?cat=nbdock [2] https://geizhals.eu/?cat=nbdock&xf=5206_2%7E5207_DisplayPort...
Re: Show HN: I built a website to better compare USB-C hubs found on Amazon
#105I'm in the market for a dock/hub for my 16" MBP and I'm completely baffled by the lack of decent options. I just want the following 3 capabilities: - 100W PD - 4k60Hz (preferably through USB-C) - Gigabit ethernet I have not been able to find a _single_ docking station or hub that can check these 3 boxes :(
4k60 + gigabit is not possible without going up to Thunderbolt 3 - there isn't enough bandwidth otherwise. The best you can do is 4k60 + USB 2.0 (so a gigabit Ethernet connection would cap out at ~300mbps in practice.) See https://www.bigmessowires.com/2019/05/19/explaining-4k-60hz-...
DisplayPort 1.4 changes this, but everything seems to be stuck on 1.2
100W is, of course, possible.
I use a CalDigit USB-C Pro Dock with my MBP: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07VL675DT - it's TB3, but it can fall back to USC-C (with reduced capabilities, of course). It uses Intel's newer Titan Ridge chipset. The older and more common Alpine Ridge chipset is TB3 only.
Re: Show HN: I built a website to better compare USB-C hubs found on Amazon
#106I'm in the market for a dock/hub for my 16" MBP and I'm completely baffled by the lack of decent options. I just want the following 3 capabilities: - 100W PD - 4k60Hz (preferably through USB-C) - Gigabit ethernet I have not been able to find a _single_ docking station or hub that can check these 3 boxes :(
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CZPV8DF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.P... Is pretty close at 87W
I would've compromised for this dock if it were cheaper. A lot cheaper.
I'd pay $300 for a dock with 100W PD, 4k60 and gigabit. But this ain't it.
Re: Show HN: I built a website to better compare USB-C hubs found on Amazon
#107I'm in the market for a dock/hub for my 16" MBP and I'm completely baffled by the lack of decent options. I just want the following 3 capabilities: - 100W PD - 4k60Hz (preferably through USB-C) - Gigabit ethernet I have not been able to find a _single_ docking station or hub that can check these 3 boxes :(
Personally I am CalDigit fan and if 85 W are good enough: https://www.caldigit.com/ts3-plus/
Re: Show HN: I built a website to better compare USB-C hubs found on Amazon
#108Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Needs to filter whether it can show HDMI 4K at 30Hz or 60Hz. And related to that, for video, it’s possible to have 2 4K 60hz through or one or none. I don't think they'd bother, because none of these docks can do it. USB-C 3.1 inherently can't support a 4k@60hz display, due to bandwidth limitations. And it certainly can't run two of them. You'd have to jump up to a Thunderbolt 3 dock for that sort of thing.
USB-C 2.0 can support 4K60 (see deep dive above) so you can drive one good monitor if you don't need fast network or storage.
did you mean USB-C at USB 2.0 speeds?
there is no standard by that name and Rev 2.0 does not mention video
Re: Show HN: I built a website to better compare USB-C hubs found on Amazon
#109Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Needs to filter whether it can show HDMI 4K at 30Hz or 60Hz. And related to that, for video, it’s possible to have 2 4K 60hz through or one or none. I don't think they'd bother, because none of these docks can do it. USB-C 3.1 inherently can't support a 4k@60hz display, due to bandwidth limitations. And it certainly can't run two of them. You'd have to jump up to a Thunderbolt 3 dock for that sort of thing.
The Thunderbolt capable docks on Amazon are still listed as USB-C because consumers seem to think it’s all about cable shape. That said, there are plenty of dual USB-C connector, dual HDMI 4K@60hz port, dongles designed for Mac on Amazon. I think this is the most recent addition: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RH9HF4R/ ”Satechi Aluminum Type-C Dual HDMI Adapter 4K 60Hz with USB-C PD Charging — Stunning dual H…
Two 4k @ 60 Hz is either Thunderbolt (which is fine for Macs but has a price and I would rather buy like https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=38575 or https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=31261 instead of a noname company) or DisplayLink which is to be avoided at all costs. This hub is Thunderbolt as can be deciphered from "Does not support MacBook models with single USB-C port" (see https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201736#usbc ) but the fact I need to decipher what it is a second strike against it. It seems lately Intel has loosened its iron grip on Thunderbolt 3 (after all, it handed the standard over to USB IF) so now everything goes (we see empty M.2 to TB3 enclosures and chaining eGPU boxes both of which were forbidden by Intel prior) but the fact they didn't include the trademarked name makes me go hm.
Finally, it could be a DP 1.4 MST hub but that is very rare (the first USB C to DP 1.4 MST I am aware of was announced at CES 2020 https://plugable.com/2020/01/07/plugables-new-docking-statio... and didn't ship yet) and figuring out support will be _very_ interesting. All Intel 14nm laptop CPUs are stuck with DisplayPort 1.2 and then researching which laptops with Radeon / nVidia GPUs run their USB C through those GPUs to provide DP 1.4 will be fun.
Let's put 4k @ 60 (and then 4k @ 30) into the bandwidth calculator: https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/729232-guide-to-display... you can see you need more than what DP 1.2 can provide so everything I said above applies.
Oh and of course if it's for a Mac, in general, you could just use two USB C plugs, I suspect that's what the 4k @ 60 + 4k @ 30 is: one plug is used in DP alt mode, the other is used in MFDP mode.
Re: Show HN: I built a website to better compare USB-C hubs found on Amazon
#110Nice work. I miss the ability to filter by video support. I got this one [1] without reading the fine print, and it only supports 4K at 30Hz, not 60Hz. I'm actually still looking for a hub that will do 4K/60Hz HDMI/DP and power delivery (and preferably 1-2 extra USB-C ports), so that I can power my MacBook Pro with it, and have it deliver video to my external display, all while only having one cable going into the Ma…
To work around macOS' awful monitor restrictions (i.e. lack of general MST support), we bit the bullet and got a Dell WB19TB [1] (Thunderbolt dock). It sucks from a wiring perspective but it works. [1] https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-thunderbolt-dock-w... (To those that go down this route, be aware: you cannot use both DP ports on this dock as-is -- again, macOS lacks MST support. One monitor must be connec…
I wouldn't trust Dell with this. I have a Dell monitor that I bought because it has a USB-C port that supported both PD and video. But it turns out it doesn't work well with MacBooks (constantly loses connection, and messes with the MacBook's sleep). Dell acknowledged the issue and released a patch that fixed it ... for Windows machines. They refuse to fix it for MacBooks because they don't want to support a competitor's product. So I would be highly skeptical of a Thunderbolt dock from Dell working well with MacBooks.
Addendum: That monitor is also a dud in many other ways, notably that the PIP and PBP feature sucks and it has horrific ghosting. All a real shame as Dell used to have high standards for their monitors.