CalDigit TS3 Plus Thunderbolt 3 dock review – how to connect dual monitor?

Should I buy the CalDigit Thunderbolt Station 3 Plus (TS3 Plus)? Find details in CalDigit TS3 Plus Thunderbolt 3 Dock Review.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Ports a plenty
• 85W charging
• Thunderbolt 3 ports more powerful than USB-C

Cons

• An adapter required to run dual displays

CalDigit Thunderbolt Station 3 Plus (TS3 Plus): Specs

• Charge laptop – 85W
• 2x Thunderbolt 3 Ports
• 1 x SD 4.0 Card Reader (UHS-II)
• 5 x USB 3.1 Type-A Gen. 1
• 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C Gen. 1
• 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C Gen. 2
• 1 x DisplayPort
• 1 x Digital Optical Audio (S/PDIF)
• 1 x Gigabit Ethernet
• Connect Dual 4K Monitors
• Analog Audio In/Out

CalDigit TS3 Plus Thunderbolt 3 Dock Review

More powerful than an easy USB-C dock, the CalDigit TS3 Plus features the superior (but otherwise physically indistinguishable) 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 connectors which will run two external displays in Extended mode (via one cable to the laptop) and charge at 87W so makes an excellent companion to Apple’s 15in MacBook Pro.

The CalDigit Thunderbolt Station 3 Plus (TS3 Plus) may be a long name for alittle box, but it’s a tethered dock that boasts tons of ports and connections.

It features two superior 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 ports, two USB-C ports (one at 5Gbps and therefore the other Gen2 port at 10Gbps), five old-style USB-A (3.1) ports, a DisplayPort 1.2, an SD Card Reader, Digital Optical Audio (S/PDIF), Analog Audio In (Stereo) and Analog Audio Out (Stereo), plus a Gigabit Ethernet port.

This is the foremost ports we’ve seen on a comparable USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 dock. What no HDMI? See later for CalDigit’s reasoning for DisplayPort over HDMI.

It can charge at up to 87W so is ideal for Apple’s 15in MacBook Pro, and ranks as our #1 best docking station for the MacBook Pro – creating a simple dock that you simply can connect your laptop to and from in seconds, and have a totally functioning desktop-like setup ready for action as soon as you arrive back at base. Indeed, why not buy two? One for home and one for the office.

(Caldigit recently updated the dock’s firmware to require it from 85W to 87W, also as improve support for USB-C monitors.)

CalDigit TS3 Plus price

The Thunderbolt Station 3 Plus dock costs £264.99 within the UK and $309.99 within the US, direct from Caldigit, and is additionally available from Amazon UK (£255 at the time of writing) and Amazon.com. To run dual displays you’ll got to add an extra adapter, and CalDigit sells a DisplayPort 1.2 to HDMI 2.0 adapter for £24.99 or $19.99. A USB-C to HDMI or DisplayPort adapter is typically under £20/$20.

Apple has now started selling the TS3 even cheaper at just £229.95 or $249.95 within the US or $399.99 in Australia.

MacBook Pro owners are going to be pleased that the TS3 Plus is out there in either Silver or Space Gray.

The TS3 is one among our greatest accessories for the MacBook Pro, and is simply as useful for the MacBook Air (2018 and later).

What’s the difference between USB-C and Thunderbolt 3?

A quick note on Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C. Because they appear an equivalent , it’s easy to forget that there’s a difference. the 2 are interchangeable but Thunderbolt 3 has 40Gbps bandwidth and USB-C has 10Gbps. This becomes important once you want to attach a dual display to your MacBook Pro.

A Thunderbolt 3 laptop (like most up-to-date MacBooks) can use a USB-C dock, but will lose its bandwidth advantage. But a USB-C laptop (like the older 12in MacBook) won’t work with a Thunderbolt 3 dock, like this one.

There are, however, newer docks on the market that employment with both T3 at full 40Gbps speed and USB-C at 5Gbps. These include one, the USB-C Pro Dock, from the maker of the TS3 Plus.

Connecting dual displays to a MacBook

Thunderbolt 3 docks and USB-C docks are both capable of running two monitors through a dock. USB-C docks can display at a maximum resolution of 4K (30Hz). With 40Gbps bandwidth, Thunderbolt 3 docks are capable of dual 4K (60Hz) displays, which is best for gaming and using Apple’s Pro apps.

The TS3 Plus, for instance , does require an adapter to attach a second monitor because it only has one video port (DisplayPort) built-in.

To connect the second monitor, you would like to attach a USB-C Video Adapter to the spare Thunderbolt 3 port on the TS3 Plus.

Apple throws during a further complication, which isn’t the fault of dock manufacturers. Slower USB-C docks on Mac are capable of making only dual “Mirrored” displays instead of the more useful “Extended” displays where two monitors combine to make a way larger screen.

This is because the macOS doesn’t feature MST (Multi Stream Transport), which suggests dual extended displays aren’t possible via USB-C on Mac, only Windows.

However, Thunderbolt 3 docks can work with dual extended displays because they’re using the newer, faster technology.

We did get two (extended) displays to escape the USB-C Stone dock (by Henge Docks), but it required a second adapter plugged into the laptop. The CalDigit TS3 Plus required adapters to the dock (for HDMI) but needed just the only Thunderbolt 3 connection to the laptop. But you want to use the Thunderbolt 3 cable, not a USB-C one albeit they appear identical.

CalDigit Thunderbolt Station 3 Plus

Why no HDMI on the TS3 Plus? CalDigit uses DisplayPort (DP) over HDMI because DP is native to the Thunderbolt design. Thunderbolt technology is predicated on PCIe and DisplayPort technology. Therefore, it’s easier to implement DP on a Thunderbolt device.

Also, DisplayPort is more versatile than HDMI, because – with use of an adapter – you’ll convert to any monitor you would like like HDMI, DVI or VGA. Modern mid- to high-end monitors now include both HDMI and DisplayPort connectivity. For monitors with only HDMI, you would like to feature a “DisplayPort to HDMI” adapter. For more details, see our feature on the difference between DisplayPort and HDMI.

The TS3 Plus features an all-aluminium body that’s better for warmth dissipation.

CalDigit also sells a non-Thunderbolt USB-C Dock, which may charge at 60W (compared to the TS3 Plus at 87W) so is a smaller amount suitable for the 15in MacBook Pro or other higher-power USB-C laptops, but fine for the 12in MacBook.

Also, see above, the TS3 Plus can connect dual 4K 60Hz monitors (Mirrored or Extended), while the USB-C Dock can connect dual 4K 30Hz monitors (Mirrored only) when using just the one-cable connection to the laptop.

Pro audio ports

The TS3 Plus also beats most other docking stations with its audio features. it’s separate Audio In and Out ports on its front, and also a professional-level Digital Optical Audio (S/PDIF) port at the rear .

Verdict

It’s small but full of ports, and being a Thunderbolt 3 device this dock is more powerful and capable than an easier USB-C dock. you’ll connect two displays to a MacBook Pro in Extended mode with only one cable going into the laptop, which may even be charged at 87W.

If you’re trying to find a more-than-able multi-port dock for your MacBook, the CalDigit TS3 Plus looks hard to beat (CalDigit TS3 Plus Thunderbolt 3 Dock Review).

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