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Comment by seanalltogether | Hacker News Reader

Can anyone recommend a good thunderbolt dock they've been using. Ideally I would like a dock that at least provides for displayport, ethernet, audio, and 1 or 2 usb-a ports. I'm fine with using the magsafe if power through the dock is not available.

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Another +1 from me for the CalDigit TS3+ dock. I've been using it for about 1 1/2 years now with dual 4K UHD @ 60Hz displays, and haven't had any issues whatsoever. I also use it for a wired network connection and several USB peripherals at the same time. I really appreciate its layout where most ports are rear-facing so that you don't have cables on your desk coming out towards you and then looping back. The additional front-facing ports are great for popping in the occasional flash drive when needed. For some people the 87W output may not be enough, but it's never been a problem for me.

I have two that I've used four 3-4 years, and both are rock solid. Very rarely do I need to unplug and replug (e.g. if a display doesn't get identified properly).

With the other TB3 docks I tried, they'd all have really annoying issues or even require reboots from time to time.

Great point about needing to unplug and replug displays back in. I had issues with that at first, but it turned out to be a result of a bad DisplayPort->HDMI adapter. Now that I'm using normal DisplayPort and Thunderbolt cables direct to the displays from the dock I haven't had any issues. And if I need to change the input on one of the displays it's all handled seamlessly and macOS flips over to recognizing only one external display.

I've been a happy user of the CalDigit TS3 Plus for a couple years: https://www.caldigit.com/ts3-plus/

Based on their reputation and my experience with them, I assume their TB4 Element Hub is a winner as well: https://www.caldigit.com/thunderbolt-4-element-hub/

I've been using the Caldigit TS3+ for the last ~year, and it's pretty good. The only real issue with it I have is the fact that it only supports DisplayPort 1.2, so I have to run another cable for my 4k 120hz display.

What version of displayport is needed to support that? I thought that 2560x1440 was the highest resolution you could run over displayport with 120hz or 144hz

Displayport 1.4 (with DSC enabled) can support 4k 144hz+ with HDR enabled

I also use the CalDigit dock, but I am annoyed that it has compatibility issues with Catalina (I am holding out from Big Sur as long as I can). Unplug the dock and, on next plug-in, macOS can no longer see the dock's USB bus. External keyboard, mouse, backup drive, etc. won't work unless you reboot macOS.

I've heard mixed reports on whether Big Sur has fixed this entirely.

FWIW I never had any issues with either Catalina or Big Sur

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