Ugreen Maxidok 17-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station Evaluate

The Thunderbolt 5 docking station market has matured significantly over the previous 12 months. I’ve reviewed the Startech Thunderbolt 5 Common Docking Station and the Anker Prime TB5 Docking Station, and each signify stable, well-priced choices on the mid-range of the market. The Ugreen Maxidok 17-in-1 goes after a unique purchaser – one who wants extra ports, extra energy, and needs built-in NVMe storage with out a separate enclosure taking on desk house.

Ugreen has launched three TB5 docks as a part of the Maxidok vary. The 17-in-1 is the flagship. There are additionally two 10-in-1 choices: a general-purpose dock and one designed particularly for the Mac mini. The ten-in-1 common dock is priced at £250 RRP (early chook £200) and strips issues again significantly – dropping the USB-C ports, lowering Ethernet to 1GbE, and utilizing a smaller 140W energy adaptor. The Mac mini model provides an M.2 slot however lacks Ethernet and audio, and doesn’t present any upstream charging to the host. For customers who simply want a practical TB5 hub with out the premium function set, both 10-in-1 mannequin is value contemplating earlier than leaping to the 17-in-1.

Specs and Port Structure

The 17-in-1 mannequin covers most connectivity wants. It has 2 Thunderbolt 5 downstream ports, 1 DisplayPort, 3 USB-C (10Gbps) on the entrance, 3 USB-A (10Gbps) on the rear, 2.5GbE Ethernet, SD and microSD card readers operating at full pace, 3 audio jacks, and the M.2 NVMe slot. The facility adaptor is 240W and delivers as much as 140W to the host laptop computer – sufficient to cost a MacBook Professional at full pace, and one of many few Home windows laptops that at the moment helps 140W enter is the HP Omen Transcend 14.

The chassis is metallic, heavy, and feels constructed to final. The 2-tone design splits the dock into a gray entrance part and a copper-colored rear with a finned sample that handles passive cooling. It does get heat underneath sustained load, however by no means uncomfortable to the touch. The M.2 slot is accessed from the underside through a detachable cowl that comes with a passive heatsink – a wise design alternative given how sizzling NVMe drives can run throughout prolonged write operations.

One format grievance value flagging: all three USB-A ports are on the rear, which means you may be reaching across the again each time you need to plug in a flash drive or USB receiver. Mixing no less than one USB-A to the entrance would have been extra sensible.

M.2 NVMe Enclosure

That is the standout function and one of many main causes to decide on the 17-in-1 over cheaper alternate options. The slot helps PCIe Gen4 x4 NVMe drives as much as 8TB. For laptop computer customers who’re sometimes restricted to a single inside M.2 slot, with the ability to slot an NVMe drive immediately into the dock provides significant high-speed storage with out including one other field to the desk.

Efficiency by means of the Thunderbolt 5 interface is not going to match what a Gen4 drive achieves on a motherboard’s M.2 slot, but it surely considerably outpaces any USB 3.2 Gen 2 exterior drive. For video enhancing scratch disks, massive file transfers, or Time Machine backups, it’s a genuinely helpful addition. It is usually value noting that the CalDigit TS5 Plus – the closest premium competitor – doesn’t provide an M.2 slot in any respect. If built-in NVMe storage issues to you, the Ugreen is considered one of only a few TB5 docks that gives it.

Show Assist

The Maxidok helps a most of twin 6K at 60Hz, or a single 8K at 60Hz. Show outputs come from the one DisplayPort connector and the 2 TB5 downstream ports. In case your screens don’t help USB-C enter, you will have adapters for the TB5 ports, which provides a small further value and is a minor inconvenience in comparison with docks that supply devoted HDMI outputs.

The twin-display restrict is probably the most vital compromise on this dock. The Startech TB5 dock I reviewed helps triple 4K at 144Hz through devoted HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C outputs. The CalDigit TS5 Plus additionally handles triple 4K 144Hz on suitable Home windows techniques. For Mac customers this issues much less – macOS caps exterior shows at two by means of a single Thunderbolt connection whatever the dock – however Home windows customers who want three screens ought to look elsewhere. For almost all of setups, twin screens is ample, and plenty of Intel laptop computer CPUs don’t even help greater than two exterior shows.

USB, Ethernet, and Energy

All six USB ports run at 10Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen 2), which is enough for the overwhelming majority of peripherals and exterior drives. In testing, you may anticipate round 900 to 1000 MB/s from a related SSD. Like most docking stations, all six ports share a single USB controller, so saturating a number of ports concurrently with high-speed storage will scale back per-port throughput. The CalDigit TS5 Plus addresses this with a dual-controller design, although it prices significantly extra.

The two.5GbE Ethernet performs as anticipated, with real-world throughput round 2.3 to 2.4 Gbps as soon as USB overhead is factored in. For house and workplace use, and notably for customers with a 2.5GbE swap and NAS on their community, it is a stable step up from the gigabit Ethernet discovered on cheaper docks. The CalDigit TS5 Plus does provide 10GbE, which is 4 instances sooner on wired networking and significant for video editors or anybody doing common massive transfers over an area community, but it surely prices £470 in comparison with the Ugreen’s £420 RRP.

Energy supply is nicely dealt with. The 240W adaptor gives 140W to the host and leaves 100W for downstream units. Two of the USB-C ports can ship as much as 60W every, and the TB5 downstream ports present 15W every – sufficient for transportable screens however not for fast-charging telephones or demanding bus-powered peripherals. The CalDigit gives 36W per TB5 port, which is a significant distinction should you depend on TB5-connected equipment. The facility brick itself is massive, as you’ll anticipate from a 240W unit. The Startech TB5 dock manages the identical 140W host charging from a smaller 180W adaptor by providing fewer downstream charging choices, so there’s a actual trade-off right here relying in your priorities.

Pricing and Options

The Maxidok 17-in-1 has an RRP of £420, with an early chook pre-order value of £357 together with a TB5 cable. On the discounted value it sits in an affordable place for the function set on provide. At full RRP it begins to really feel tougher to justify, notably given the competitors.

The Startech TB5 dock is out there for round £238 and consists of triple show help, which is a notable benefit. It lacks the M.2 slot, the additional USB-C ports, and multi-gig Ethernet, however for customers who don’t want these options, the £120 saving is critical. The Anker Prime TB5 Docking Station has dropped from its authentic £400 to round £300 and is a stable dock, however it’s broadly in the identical practical tier because the Startech with out providing the Ugreen’s differentiating options. The Wavelink TB5 dock and Kensington SD5000T5 EQ are each round £300 and nicely reviewed. The CalDigit TS5 Plus at £470 affords 10GbE and triple show help however prices extra and lacks the NVMe slot.

The Ugreen Revodok Max TB5 dock launched at £380 and has since dropped to round £280. Consumer opinions for that mannequin have been notably unfavorable, which is uncommon for Ugreen – each different Ugreen dock I’ve examined has carried out nicely.

Verdict

The Maxidok 17-in-1 is a well-built, feature-rich Thunderbolt 5 dock that earns a powerful suggestion for the proper person. The M.2 NVMe slot is a real differentiator, the port rely is beneficiant, the 140W host charging covers even probably the most demanding laptops, and construct high quality is great all through.

The twin-display restrict is an actual constraint and the one space the place the Maxidok trails its competitors. The two.5GbE Ethernet is enough however not distinctive, the 15W TB5 downstream charging is modest, and the absence of any HDMI output means adapter purchases are doubtless. None of those are dealbreakers, however they’re value understanding earlier than committing.

In case you have paid a premium for a Thunderbolt 5 laptop computer and wish most expandability – notably if the built-in NVMe enclosure matches your workflow – the Maxidok 17-in-1 is likely one of the most succesful TB5 docks accessible. If triple show help or 10GbE networking is a precedence, the CalDigit TS5 Plus or Startech are higher matches relying in your price range.