Caldigit TS3 Lite Review

[nicklmg]

Buy Caldigit TS3 Lite on Amazon: http://geni.us/Y1mTHY

 

The TS3 Lite from Caldigit is a massive Thunderbolt 3 dock that claims to help remove the need for an abundance of dongles... but does it really server that purpose?

 

 

[RevoltTrain]

Thanks Nick!

[YedZed]

Cool!

[Granular]

A dongle that will cost you as much as a cheapo laptop to make your expensive laptop useful.

The future is now.

[spellmanuk]

meh ill wait for the belkin one its got more USB ports and an audio jack on the front and it charges your laptop (upto 85w) sooooooo its better in every single way, imo there all still super over prices but i guess its to do with all the licensing costs i mean there licencing thunderbolt, usb and DisplayPort but $200 is alot just put that money towards one of those lg monitors and youll have one in no time 

[nicklmg]

Had to pull the video down... someone accidentally set it to unlisted which totally killed the view momentum. It'll be back momentarily...

[iggybo]

13 minutes ago, nicklmg said:

Had to pull the video down... someone accidentally set it to unlisted which totally killed the view momentum. It'll be back momentarily...

"Someone..."

Yea, right.

Dennis...

[iggybo]

Also there is a mistake in the second line of the description.

It should say "serve that purpose" instead of "server that purpose"

[nicklmg]

44 minutes ago, iggybo said:

It should say "serve that purpose" instead of "server that purpose"

Maybe it's just a pun... kappa.
 

Thx fixed I'm a dumdum bai.

[SpaceGhostC2C]

Quote

A cool solution looking for a problem

That was a great summary

 

Latest and greatest ports are fine, but sometimes it makes sense to give you a handful of older USB ports, even if they are limited to 2.0, because you are going to use them for mouse, keyboard, and other things that will run fine on a little bandwidth. I can survive with one video output (Who cares about 4K at whatever hertz? Oh, wait: yes, people spending $200 on a dongle probably do use that kind of monitors), but at that price the "one cord solution" claim shouldn't have "buts"...

 

I don't know, Thunderbolt 3 must be expensive, but I can't help the feeling that all these are preying on the folks locked into few "ahead of its time" ports. I'd rather have a laptop thick enough to accommodate an RJ45 (doesn't need to be much heavier if you don't fill its volume with additional battery), and therefore other ports as well, preferably USB type A, a card reader... and then a standard USB 3.1 dongle or monitor-with-hub could easily cover  the remaining needs. It's not one cord either, but it's cheaper, and saves you carrying your $200 dongle or giving up connectivity when travelling. A few add-ons are fine, but a laptop should preserve its core functionality on the go in my opinion.

[Razor512]

One thing that I would like to see on these devices, is how they handle being saturated. For example some multi function hubs with functions like Ethernet, will prioritize some ports, e.g., preventing a USB device from starving the Ethernet port, while others would not prioritize things so when you connect multiple high bandwidth devices, will start to simply cause devices to randomly disconnect or do other strange things.

[Friis]

I have wondered how an alike device would function with "8 gamers 1 CPU" like project.
You before used a wireless HDMI to "beam" the connection to another location but had a noticeable latency.
How would this work with a long optical thunderbolt?

[Doramius]

NOT REALLY WORTH IT! It's not a bad dongle, but 2 monitors?... REALLY?! I need an actual dock that can handle a minimum of 3 monitors @ 1920x1080 60Hz; provide charging power to the laptop; gigabit ethernet; audio outputs.

I would prefer 2 additional Type-C ports, besides theport used to charge the computer, AND 2x Type-A 3.1.  However, the Dell TB16 comes pretty close. Only thing I feel the TB16 is lacking are more Type-C ports. Having 3x 3.1 and 2x 2.0 Type-A ports are acceptable. If comparing the 2, my money is going to the TB16. TS3 Lite is just 'that'... "lite"... when compared to the TB16.

[HelplmChoking]

Honestly, I'd way rather handle everything through a monitor. When I do my next PC upgrade, I'm really hoping for a WQHD, 75Hz IPS Freesync monitor with USB-C input. That way, I can connect a single cable to my PC, then have peripherals attached to the monitor. That would also be awesome for a laptop setup (something I may need if a new work arrangement eventuates) since the whole desk is set up super minimal, and just a single cable to connect/charge.

[iPolymer]

I got the juiced system, with the Ethernet port and I love it all!

[Chadders86]

Linus: From my point of view the issue is the manufacturers have done away with proper docking ports! in my office we have HP Zbook17's and they have all gone to thunderbolt! all though the dock (HP thunderbolt 3) is well supplied with IO on it but it needs additional software and drivers just to make it work and for our standard users who don't get local admin rights. they cannot connect their zbook17 to anything but their own thunderbolt 3 dock as it needs admin rights to authenticate the connection. oh and the HP thunderbolt 3 cable is clever but too short to create a tidy desk setup and personal i feel should be on the front or side of the dock not the rear! http://www8.hp.com/us/en/workstations/zbook-dock.html

 

 

From my office point of view, this TS3 is a good starting point to making office docking stations universal. purely on the no additional drivers needed stand.

 

 

The Ideal Thunderbolt dock should have ideally to power & charge your laptop, Rj45, x4USB 3, x2 display ports, USB C x2 (1 out for the LT + 1 spare) ( i would say loose the headphone/mic jack as most offices that require headsets (skype for business) use USB headsets).

[Gahu]

I am interested in it to connect my blade late 2016 to my desk setup. But can it run a 1080p 144hz monitor (through the Display port) as well as a gaming mouse and keyboard without any input lag?

Main purpose: Playing Overwatch competitively

[Freeman]

It doesn´t have USB2, it´s way too big, costs a whole lot. Yep, I don´t think this one is for me, I like me I/O to be ON the laptop, I even gate powerbricks, I´d love a laptop w/ integrated PSU.

[Qwweb]

I still am hoping for a return to docking stations (like the one I have, pictured below).

It has 

2x USB 2.0-A

3x SuperSpeed USB 3.0-A

4x USB 2.0-A (on monitor)

1x DP 1.2

1x VGA

1x DVI-D

1x eSATA/Hi-Speed USB 3.0-A

1x 9-pin Micro D (if I am not mistaken)

1x 12V DC power

Audio in and out 

 

 

 

[Doramius]

1 hour ago, Qwweb said:

I still am hoping for a return to docking stations (like the one I have, pictured below).

It has 

2x USB 2.0-A

3x SuperSpeed USB 3.0-A

4x USB 2.0-A (on monitor)

1x DP 1.2

1x VGA

1x DVI-D

1x eSATA/Hi-Speed USB 3.0-A

1x 9-pin Micro D (if I am not mistaken)

1x 12V DC power

Audio in and out 

 

That is a Dell E-Port dock.  They are great, but they have a few issues; beside the fact that the dock connectors are notorious for wearing out or getting damaged from incorrect docking.  This happens frequently in enterprise environments with users getting lazy when docking, or new users not knowing how to dock the laptop properly (I replace these daily because of ID-ten-T occurrences, and they are not cheap).

-The docking port takes up a lot of mainboard space.  That real estate is incredibly valuable.  Since the bandwidth that the port handles can also be handled through Type-C with a much smaller footprint, the Type-C docks are the direction Dell is moving to.  If I remember correctly, the E-Port dock will be discontinued soon, and the newer generations of Dell laptops will not have docking ports.

 

-Consumer grade laptops and devices are now finding themselves in environments where docks are becoming a necessity.  Type-A 3.0 docks are becoming more popular.  However, Type-A ports also cost valuable real estate on a mainboard.  Companies like Dell and HP can create a standardized dock and compete with their product to be used with any other Type-C device.  

-Type-C can handle all the same function in a more compact form factor, and with a small manageable connector.  A laptop can have multiple Type-C ports and on both sides and back of the laptop, meaning that people can then adjust their laptop position and equipment more closely around their environment, rather than adapt the environment to the dock layout.

[grinsnsmiles]

I am using Dell WD15 dock, it doesnt have usb-c out but can power 2 monitors at FHD, and it charges my laptop all over 1 thunderbolt cable, and it was only 169$.
If you need 3 monitors, and type c out, Dell TB16 does the same thing, and still is less.

I can't see anything special with Caldigit's dock, it is just really overpriced dongle. 
 

[Doramius]

Agreed.  The TB16 is an amazing dock (as stated previously), and follows in answer to the shortcomings of its predecessor, the WD15.  The WD15 is a really good dock, too.  With the pretty decent pricing of these docks, the Caldigit is less than special for the price.  Offer it for less than $60-$70, then I'd feel a little more impressed.