ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Kensington’s new SD5000T5 EQ Docking Station goes on sale on September 21 for $400.
- It is likely one of the first units to assist the Thunderbolt 5 normal, that means it helps charging speeds of as much as 140W and might ship a video sign out to a few 4K shows.
- The gadget’s bulk and excessive price might flip individuals away.
Again in September 2023, Intel introduced the subsequent era of the Thunderbolt connectivity normal: the aptly named Thunderbolt 5. The corporate promised that up to date {hardware} would assist fast information switch speeds and lightning-fast energy supply.
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It has been a 12 months since then, and we’re lastly beginning to see units supporting the usual. Probably the greatest devices out there’s Kensington’s new SD5000TS Thunderbolt 5 Triple 4K Docking Station. It is a mouthful of a reputation, however the moniker matches — the machine can do quite a bit. It is a docking station with all of the {hardware} and software program options to show a laptop computer into a correct desktop PC setup.
The very first thing I observed once I took the gadget out of the field was how massive it was. It measures 8.9 x 3.8 x 1.6 inches. Folks with small desks might have a tough time discovering a spot for it. The second factor I observed was the ridges on the top. These fins do extra than simply look cool. They enhance the floor quantity for efficient warmth dissipation. Docking stations can get fairly heat particularly since they sometimes sit on the middle of a pc setup. Decrease temperatures guarantee higher efficiency.
On the back and front are 12 particular person ports which embrace the Thunderbolt 5 inputs, a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port, and a headphone jack. Solely one of many Thunderbolt 5 ports provides 140W energy supply. It is the enter with the laptop computer and lightning bolt icons above it.
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You plug your laptop computer into this enter to entry the quick charging function. To check its charging speeds, I plugged in a lifeless laptop computer to see how briskly it may possibly cost. The outcomes have been very constructive. The battery went as much as 50 % in about 45 minutes. The others are downstream ports meant for transferring information. They’ll nonetheless cost laptops albeit extra slowly.
One other main function is the docking station’s capacity to ship a video sign out to a few 4K shows. I solely personal two high-res screens, however on the very least, I can verify that Kensington’s gadget helps these ultra-high resolutions. Utilizing my laptop computer as a supply, I performed a 4K YouTube livestream on one display screen and a 4K film on one other. The picture high quality on each shows was equally good.
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For quick file transfers, you will need to make the most of the 2 USB-A ports on the again as a result of they’ll attain speeds as much as 10Gbps. I despatched a ten GB Google Takeout file from the laptop computer to my predominant desktop by way of the dock. The method took a number of seconds. It was tremendous quick. The ethernet port does supply 25Gbps, nevertheless, chances are you’ll into admin points as I did.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
Kensington’s SD5000TS goes on sale on September 21 for $399.99. It’s somewhat costly though I argue it’s definitely worth the worth. The docking station could be very helpful for individuals who choose utilizing a laptop computer. One thing to remember is the mannequin solely works on a restricted variety of units. Your laptop should both be operating Home windows 11 or macOS 14.5. Older MacBooks can not assist the machine, sadly.
If that is a dealbreaker, we additionally advocate the CalDigit TS4. It runs the older Thunderbolt 4 normal however the docking station comes extremely beneficial. CalDigit’s mannequin continues to be costly. An important low-cost choice is the Baseus 10-in-1 Docking Station.