MBP Docking Solutions

shine · 24 Jul 2018 at 15:27

Now that I have my 2018 MBP I'm looking at a dock so that I only have to plug one cable into the MBP when I get home. I would need Ethernet, DP/mDP with some USB (A & C) ports as a minimum.

I don't mind if it's a Thunderbolt 3 or USB-C dock as long as it has the above.

What is everyone using?

bloodiedathame · 24 Jul 2018 at 15:29

I've heard good things about Hengedocks.

MacRS4 · 24 Jul 2018 at 17:02

Yes, I used to have one. I now plug it in to an LG5K monitor, and have the Ethernet out of the back of that. There's also a Thunderbolt dock from it - that won't power the MBP. Well the one I have doesn't anyway.

GeX · 24 Jul 2018 at 19:21

I have an external GPU enclosure for mine; https://mymantiz.com/products/mz-02-venus

Has USB, Ethernet, space for a graphics card and can charge the Macbook with 87w. Single cable docking \o/

shine · 25 Jul 2018 at 10:05

bloodiedathame said:
I've heard good things about Hengedocks.

Thanks, Stone looks good.

MacRS4 said:
Yes, I used to have one. I now plug it in to an LG5K monitor, and have the Ethernet out of the back of that. There's also a Thunderbolt dock from it - that won't power the MBP. Well the one I have doesn't anyway.

I'd love to get the LG5K but I can't think of how I would justify it to the wife!

GeX said:
I have an external GPU enclosure for mine; https://mymantiz.com/products/mz-02-venus

Has USB, Ethernet, space for a graphics card and can charge the Macbook with 87w. Single cable docking \o/

That's way more than I need but the Mantiz Titan looks impressive. However, it's not available yet.

deFiniLoGy · 25 Jul 2018 at 21:44

I'm using the Belkin one. Pretty good build quality.

crinkleshoes · 25 Jul 2018 at 21:50

I have 2 of these... very happy with it

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B079M3BLXB/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

shine · 26 Jul 2018 at 10:14

Thanks for all the suggestions I've ordered the CalDigit TS3 Plus.

It has all the ports I need (and more) plus it'll charge the MBP so a true one cable solution.

Hades · 27 Jul 2018 at 10:28

If you're spending £250 on a CallDigit TS3 Plus then would it be better to spend a little more on one of the eGPU cases which has a hub included? e.g. Razer Core 2.

shine · 27 Jul 2018 at 10:57

I have no need for an eGPU so it makes no sense to spend more.

arty · 27 Jul 2018 at 19:55

shine said:
Thanks for all the suggestions I've ordered the CalDigit TS3 Plus.

It has all the ports I need (and more) plus it'll charge the MBP so a true one cable solution.

I'm interested in one of these, too. Would you be able to post a short review when you get it?

shine · 28 Jul 2018 at 19:46

CallDigit TS3 is the perfect solution for me - I've connected all my cables to it and I just need to connect/disconnect 1 cable to/from the MBP when I'm at home. It's solidly made and can be either on it's side or upright. It's neatly slotted away and does not look out of place (see below).

In addiiton, multiple independent testing revealed it's currently the fastest dock available. There is a 10Gbps USB 3.1 Gen 2 standard port on the back and rest of the USB ports are 5 Gbps USB 3.1 Gen 1. I used the 10Gb port with my Samsung T3 and I was able to quickly transfer my large collection of VM's very quickly.

It's too early to comment on reliability but so far I'm happy with my purchase.

arty · 28 Jul 2018 at 20:42

Cool, thanks for that write-up. Thunderbolt docks seem like a bit of a minefield, so any genuine reviews (as opposed to dodgy Amazon ones, for instance) are worthwhile

shine · 28 Jul 2018 at 23:43

I understand, I spent a lot time reading many reviews. If you have any more questions let me know.

Phemo · 12 Aug 2018 at 21:03

GeX said:
I have an external GPU enclosure for mine; https://mymantiz.com/products/mz-02-venus

Has USB, Ethernet, space for a graphics card and can charge the Macbook with 87w. Single cable docking \o/

Apologies OP for the slight thread hijack here, but @GeX, would you mind sharing what GPU you've got in there? Do you use it with Windows at all or just macOS?

GeX · 12 Aug 2018 at 21:18

Phemo said:
Apologies OP for the slight thread hijack here, but @GeX, would you mind sharing what GPU you've got in there? Do you use it with Windows at all or just macOS?

It had a Vega64 in it, I used it mainly on macOS but it did work in Windows too. I've since moved the Vega into my 1905x PC and am on the lookout for a 480/580 to put in the dock.

Phemo · 12 Aug 2018 at 21:32

Awesome, I've got a spare GeForce 1080 at the moment so quite tempted to pick one of the enclosures up after I get a new MBP (still undecided on 13" or 15") as it would be quite nice to be able to play some games on it when I feel the need to.

b0rn2sk8 · 12 Aug 2018 at 23:21

I thought you had to use an AMD card and they didn’t currently work in windows.

Correct me if I am wrong on both counts.

arty · 19 Aug 2018 at 11:44

According to https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208544, only AMD cards are currently officially supported.

arty · 19 Aug 2018 at 11:46

Double post, delete