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Intel’s 10th-gen and 11th-gen Core chips launched in the early days of Thunderbolt, and company representatives say that you can depend on them for 32Gbps of data, not a full 40Gbps. (A Dell support page, for example, details its four-lane and two-lane laptops.) Essentially, a 20Gbps connection should be enough for a single 4K monitor running at 60Hz, with a bit of extra bandwidth for other data transfers among connected peripherals.) (This is really only for external gaming-class SSDs.) And while the vast majority of Thunderbolt 3-equipped laptops are designed with four PCIe lanes for a total of 40Gbps, some laptops only ship with two PCIe lanes for a total of 20Gbps. A new USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 spec can pair two 10Gbps channels together, creating an aggregate 20Gbps hub. There are some exceptions, which you can largely ignore. Intel is expected to unveil an 80Gbps version of Thunderbolt this year, called Thunderbolt 5, meaning that you’ll see even Thunderbolt docks with even more capabilities when devices release in 2024. Thunderbolt 4 differs very slightly in that it supports a theoretical maximum of 32Gbps for external storage devices, but you probably won’t notice the difference. Thunderbolt 3 and 4 ports, the most common standard, transfer data at up to 40Gbps. Most USB-C ports are built on the second-generation USB 3.1 data-transfer standard, which transfers data at 10Gbps. But it will be limited by the available bandwidth that the port provides, so it’s somewhat deceptive in that regard. You can plug a Thunderbolt dock into a non-Thunderbolt, generic USB-C port. You may also see USB-C hubs marketed as “Thunderbolt compatible.” That’s true. Laptop makers sometimes don’t want to clutter the clean lines of their products by adding additional logos, it seems. Fortunately, most laptops now choose to highlight their Thunderbolt capabilities, so the ports should be well-marked. But some laptop makers use a similar lightning-bolt icon to indicate that a USB-C port can be used for charging your phone, and not for Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt ports are supposed to have a small lightning-bolt icon to identify them. Put another way, all Thunderbolt ports are USB-C, but not all USB-C ports are Thunderbolt-equipped. A Thunderbolt port may look indistinguishable from a USB-C port, since they both use the same physical USB-C connection. The short answer: Look at the laptop’s published specifications to be sure. Kensington Thunderbolt 4 Dual 4K Dock (SD5780T) review However, this dock didn’t present any performance or thermal issues, and if you understand that one of the Thunderbolt ports can be used for charging your smartphone, you’ll find this dock delivers virtually everything you’ll need. Kensington’s dock was also worryingly expensive when we first reviewed it, but price cuts have brought the price way down from $399 to about $260 or so. If flexibility is what you want, we’d recommend our runner-up pick, the Plugable TBT3-UDZ, instead. It’s not perfect this dock only includes support for one display port, requiring you to buy a converter cable or dongle. Kensington Thunderbolt 4 Dual 4K Dock (SD5780T) is the winner. We then thought that the Plugable UD-4VPD would fit the bill, but an intensive gaming session caused the dock to overheat and shut down. We originally thought our best pick would be the Kensington SD5760T, a dock that featured an ideal mix of ports on paper but also some performance issues.

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We’ll explain the differences in the FAQ that follows our recommendations, clarifying the terminology to help you understand what to buy and how to save some money, too. Our best USB-C hubs and dongles are covered in a separate story. We’ll close by recommending our favorite DisplayLink USB-C docks-simpler, cheaper solutions that have recently emerged. This roundup begins with the very best Thunderbolt docks, including budget options. Good Thunderbolt docks, whether Thunderbolt 4 or 5, can also charge your smartphone. Thunderbolt 5 won’t be available until 2024, but will support three 4K displays, at 144Hz each. Thunderbolt 4, with its 40Gbps, allows for two 4K displays at 60Hz apiece. A 10Gbps USB-C hub can only power a single 4K display at 30Hz. (Look for the “lightning bolt” logo to distinguish them.) But displays, especially 4K displays, consume gobs of bandwidth. Thunderbolt docks use the same USB-C connector.

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The best USB-C hubs and dongles provide legacy ports (USB-A, microSD, and others) for connecting PC peripherals like mice, printers, external hard drives, and more. Why buy a Thunderbolt dock? Because of the bandwidth it provides.

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