Transfer over, Thunderbolt: How DisplayLink USB-C docks can supercharge your laptop computer

Till now, you’ve had two choices to develop the port capabilities of your laptop computer: an affordable USB-C dongle or a extra highly effective, dear Thunderbolt dock. A 3rd possibility is quietly rising, making an attempt to separate the distinction. A DisplayLink dock (typically known as a USB-C dock) makes use of knowledge compression to supply the capabilities of a Thunderbolt dock over an ordinary USB-C cable.

USB-C hubs, Thunderbolt docks, and now DisplayLink docks have emerged due to two components: the rising ubiquity of do-anything USB-C ports, and the conclusion by laptop computer makers that they’ll use these ports to remove all of the devoted HDMI, microUSB, SD card slots, and USB-A ports that may muddle up their pocket book PCs.

Conventional USB-C hubs and Thunderbolt docks differ in each value, dimension, and accessible bandwidth. The latter issue has historically been the differentiator between the 2 merchandise. A 10Gbits/s USB-C port merely doesn’t provide as a lot bandwidth as a 40Gbits/s Thunderbolt port, and the extra bandwidth could be dedicated to extra shows, ports, and so forth.

However the knowledge compression provided by DisplayLink over the USB-C port places lesser-equipped laptops on a extra equal footing. Principally, they let you add many capabilities of a contemporary Thunderbolt-equipped laptop computer even for those who personal an older laptop computer with out Thunderbolt ports.

DisplayLink USB-C docks: execs and cons

DisplayLink docks subsequently present a number of the native features of a Thunderbolt dock, particularly the power to drive a number of high-resolution shows. Due to the inherent bandwidth limitations, they’re a sensible choice for workplace employees, who can use these further shows for static purposes like e-mail, chat, spreadsheets, or workplace work.

They do, nonetheless, have some basic limitations. For one, DisplayLink docks aren’t designed for gaming or driving exterior GPUs. USB-C docks and Thunderbolt docks alike are additionally typically plug-and-play proper out of the field. A DisplayLink dock requires software program drivers to allow knowledge compression, so that you’ll have to obtain the suitable DisplayLink software program from the dock producer. Sadly, how DisplayLink interacts together with your PC and GPU implies that your Home windows PC will typically encounter glitches, equivalent to the shortcoming for gadgets like KVM switches and powerline adapters to work correctly.

The very best USB-C hubs and dongles usually price between $25 and $40. Whereas a journey Thunderbolt dock can price about $170, the perfect Thunderbolt docks often price between $250 to $300 or so. That’s additionally the value vary of latest DisplayLink docks just like the Plugable UD-ULTC4K, although, which retails for $279. We haven’t examined any low cost USB-C hubs that supply DisplayLink compression inside, although we’ll level you to some later on this story.

Looking for a DisplayLink dock is usually a bit complicated, too, because the time period “DisplayLink dock” isn’t actually in vogue. As an alternative, distributors will typically use “USB-C dock” as an alternative. We usually take into account a USB-C hub as a part of the exploding variety of dongles linked by a USB-C cable to the host PC. These dongles usually embody just a few USB-A ports, a USB-C port for charging or additional enlargement, and sometimes an HDMI port or Ethernet port. We take into account a USB-C dock to be a bigger gadget, presumably powered, with much more enlargement choices. However these bigger docks might not have the DisplayLink capabilities known as out within the specs, and even provide them. You’ll want to buy rigorously.

DisplayLink dock efficiency, examined

Plugable despatched us one among their UD-ULTC4K USB-C docks for assessment. Technically, it’s a refresh of the corporate’s current USB-C Triple 4K Show Docking Station (which has since been up to date on Amazon’s web page), particularly providing the selection of both DisplayPort 1.2 or HDMI 2.0 ports for every show — an opulent possibility. It ships with an ordinary 10Gbps USB-C cable and a 135W energy adapter that may provide as much as 95W to the host PC or 19.8W to a cellphone through the front-mounted USB-C port. On the entrance of the UD-ULTC4K you’ll additionally discover an SD card and mic and headphone jacks. On the rear, Plugable contains 4 5Gbps USB-A ports, the USB-C connection to the host PC, the ability cable, and an Ethernet jack.

Mark Hachman / IDG

It’s the three HDMI/DisplayPort connections which might be price listening to. (DisplayPort, one of many show requirements used to connect with a show, has nothing to do with DisplayLink, by the way.) Two of the three units of HDMI/DP ports on the UD-ULTC4K use DisplayLink compression, and are indicated as such. The third takes benefit of a laptop computer function known as DisplayPort Alt Mode to offer a greater, direct connection between your laptop computer and the show itself. (Sadly, the trade has performed a fully horrendous job explaining which USB-C-equipped laptops assist DP Alt Mode and which don’t; chances are high, nonetheless, yours does.)

So why does this matter? As a result of right here, the DP Alt Mode port is the “good port,” and can connect with an exterior 4K show at 60Hz, which is extra snug in your eyes. I linked a second 4K show over the DisplayLink port (utilizing HDMI) and will solely join at 30Hz — positive for a secondary monitor, however the slower refresh price can fatigue your eyes. Sadly I didn’t have a 3rd 4K show readily available, and linked the dock to a 1080p (at 60Hz) show as an alternative through the DisplayLink/HDMI port. That labored simply positive.

The difficulty, because it at all times is, is out there bandwidth. Whereas Thunderbolt gives 40Gbits/s of bandwidth, DisplayLink should finesse itself by 10Gbits/s. In sure instances, that issues; in others, it completely doesn’t.

PCWorld assessments dongles, docks and hubs partially utilizing a 4K, 60Hz take a look at video streamed from YouTube. However YouTube doesn’t at all times ship what you request, based mostly on its data of your {hardware} and the way nicely it performs again video. YouTube solely performed again the “4K” video at 1440p, upscaled to near-4K high quality. Alternatively, it solely dropped 35 frames out of 10,000. In real-world phrases, YouTube delivered good high quality video with hardly any stutter.

That modified after I tried copying a big set of information from an exterior arduous drive over the identical bus. Immediately, YouTube dropped frames like loopy — 1,223 out of 10,000 — and needed to pause the video whereas it caught up. The video high quality defaulted to 1440p within the settings menu, and delivered lower than that. There was some noticeable stuttering — nothing too dramatic, however there. Protected content material performed again through Netflix, nonetheless.

We had been explicitly informed to not recreation on the UD-ULTC4K, however tried it out anyway. We found what you may count on: largely staticly rendered video games like Cities: Skylines performed with completely no noticeable drop in body price in any respect, even at 4K. Whole Struggle: Shogun 2 performed equally. We didn’t take a look at the newest first-person shooter on our finances pocket book, however in any other case the UD-ULTC4K carried out significantly better than anticipated.

You might even see some opinions of DisplayLink USB-C docks that point out that DisplayLink doesn’t play good with discrete GPUs. That could be the case, however utilizing two laptops — one with a discrete GPU (a Microsoft Floor Laptop computer Studio), and one with built-in graphics (a Microsoft Floor Laptop computer Go 2) — we noticed no distinction in efficiency. Nor did we see any change in utilizing the included, normal USB-C cable versus swapping it for a devoted Thunderbolt cable, both.

Do you have to purchase a DisplayLink USB-C dock?

Not all DisplayLink docks are created equal. One of many troubling points with extra superior DisplayLink docks just like the Plugable UD-ULTC4K is that it gives a really tough equal to a Thunderbolt dock, but for the value of a full-fledged dock itself. What we’d hope for, nonetheless, is a value that’s someplace in between that of a generic USB-C dongle and a full-fledged Thunderbolt dock.

Whereas we haven’t examined both the $89 GIQ USB-C Hub or the $89 IVIIN USB-C Hub, each of those DisplayLink hubs hit that candy spot, price-wise. However the specs fall a bit quick: the GIQ dock helps as much as two 2048×1152 shows, whereas the IVIIN claims that one show will assist 4K60, whereas the opposite will assist 2048×1152. That helps justify the value of Plugable’s dock.

So what to do? If you happen to’re an fanatic who enjoys poring by specs and accepting the likelihood that one thing may not work, DisplayLink does provide an opportunity to develop your PC’s I/O capabilities, even with {hardware} that doesn’t assist Thunderbolt. If you happen to aren’t, be happy to return to the relative security of a both a generic USB-C dongle or a robust Thunderbolt dock: each provide simplicity and a identified expertise.