Certain names in USB-C and Thunderbolt docks and hubs carry a lot of weight, like CalDigit and Satechi — both well-respected brands. But in today’s M2 MacBook Air setup, a discussion broke out over the user’s exceptional experience with a CalDigit Thunderbolt dock and a commenter’s woes over a Satechi Thunderbolt dock. Read some of the commentary and learn more about the gear below.
M2 MacBook Air user relies on CalDigit TS3+ Thunderbolt dock
Redditor scotty_dsntknw showcased the compact setup in a post entitled, “My Mac Setup.” His M2 MacBook Air drives a 34-inch Samsung ultra-wide 1440p display through a CalDigit TS3+ Thunderbolt Dock. Atop the monitor sits a Quntis light bar (the third and best model he’s tried: “Since the Samsung has a curved/bulged back, this light bar stayed in the best and didn’t move every time I pressed a button.”) He enters data through a Keychron K4 mechanical keyboard and a Magic Mouse. His Sanyun Bookshelf Speakers provide the setup’s soundtrack.
“I think a monitor arm should help,” suggested a commenter.
“I thought about a monitor arm but because of the pegboard, I can’t mount the arm on the desk,” Scotty replied. And he added the wallpaper is called “Angled Waves,” but couldn’t recall where he got it.
Hooray for CalDigit Thuderbolt dock, not so much for Satechi
“How do you like the CalDigit? I’m looking for a new dock because mine disconnects often,” a commenter said. “It’s not so much while I’m working, but if I leave my MacBook plugged in, I come back to it tons of messages about disconnecting it the wrong way.”
“The CalDigit has been great! Which dock do u have now? Is it a Thunderbolt dock or USB-C dock?”
“It’s Satechi’s Thunderbolt 4 dock,” the commenter replied. “It’s normally considered a great Mac-friendly brand, but this one is annoying. They’re so expensive, I want to make sure the next one is a good one.”
Unhelpful support
“Satechi had always been a good brand,” Scotty noted, and we couldn’t agree more. “Did tech support offer any help? I have had my CalDigit for awhile now and it has been awesome. I bought one for home and another for the office, so I have two. Since I have an Air, i still can’t do two externals, but happy with the ultra-wide. Are the error messages related to Thunderbolt or USB-C? You might want to check if there is a firmware update on the Satechi.”
“Support was not really helpful. Suggested restarting Mac or trying a different cable,” the commenter replied. “Restarting helps when my external disks completely disappear, but most of the time it’s just a flash — goes out and comes right back. In any case, I’d like a dock with some different features — like better handling of the dual monitors. The CalDigit TS4 checks all my boxes, but it is the most expensive of the three docks I’m looking at.”
“I’m on TB3 with my unit. I’m not really doing anything that will give me a speed advantage with TB4. You might be able to pickup a used TS3+ for less than $100 if you didn’t need the TB4 xfer speeds?”
Closer look at CalDigit TS3 Plus Thunderbolt 3 Dock
Photo: CalDigit
The latest and greatest dock from CalDigit is a Thunderbolt 4 station. Check out our guide about Thunderbolt versus USB-C connectivity. The TS4 dock’s 98-watt power delivery is ideal for any Thunderbolt or USB-C host device, including larger-screen laptops that require plenty of power. A single cable will charge your laptop and connect 18 devices at once.
For those who don’t need so much speed and power — and for those who want to spend less — the CalDigit TS3 Plus Thunderbolt 3 dock is a great device.
So the dock, which provides 87W charging, bristles with 15 ports. Port include two Thunderbolt 3 (40Gb/s), one DisplayPort 1.2, five USB-A and one USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 (5Gb/s), and one USB-C 3.1 Gen2 (10Gb/s data only). The dock also features Gigabit Ethernet, UHS-II SD graphics card slot (SD 4.0), optical audio (S/PDIF), and 3.5mm stereo audio. The dock’s sturdy aluminum construction provides a heat sink without a fan.
And you can connect up to two 4K@60Hz (4096 x 2160 30-bit color) monitors via DisplayPort and Thunderbolt 3/USB-C port. Or you can connect a single 5K@60Hz display via the Thunderbolt 3 port. (Note that M1 Macs cannot support dual display over Thunderbolt.)
You can nab CalDigit’s Thunderbolt 3 dock for $210 on Amazon, down from a regular price of $240.
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If you would like to see your setup featured on Cult of Mac, send some high-res pictures to [email protected] (iPhone pics usually suffice). Please provide a detailed list of your equipment. Tell us what you like or dislike about your setup, and fill us in on any special touches, challenges and plans for new additions.
