CalDigit not too long ago got here out with the TS5 Plus, which is designed to work with Apple’s Thunderbolt 5 Macs.
The TS5 Plus seems like CalDigit’s prior docks, that includes a easy rectangular form and an aluminum construct with some ridging on the prime, backside, and sides for visible curiosity and warmth dissipation.
It is a black aluminum colour that matches the House Black of the M4 MacBook Pro fashions, and it comes with a hefty 330W energy brick. Actually, the facility brick is longer than the dock itself, nevertheless it’s flat and tucks away underneath a desk pretty properly. The TS5 Plus is six inches lengthy, 5 inches extensive, and 1.8 inches thick, whereas the facility brick is seven inches lengthy, 3.5 inches extensive, and just a little underneath an inch thick.
After utilizing Anker’s Thunderbolt 5 dock with a built-in energy provide, I’m disenchanted with the massive measurement of the CalDigit energy brick. There is a energy provide cable that attaches to the facility brick, after which the facility brick has a cable that plugs into the dock. CalDigit features a high-quality 3.3ft Thunderbolt 5 cable with a braided design, and a set of rubber toes.
Although I’m complaining concerning the energy brick in comparison with the Anker Prime’s extra compact design with included energy provide, the CalDigit TS5 Plus has six extra accessible ports, quicker Ethernet, and extra charging energy for accent gadgets.
On the entrance of the dock, there is a 10Gb/s USB-A port that may present 7.5W to cost AirPods or an Apple Watch, together with two 10Gb/s USB-C ports, one which provides 7.5W and a second that provides 36W, which is sufficient to quick cost an iPhone or iPad, and even sufficient energy for a MacBook Air. The entrance additionally has an SD card slot and a microSD card reader, plus there’s an audio combo jack and a small LED that allows you to know when the dock has energy. The cardboard slots assist UHS-II switch speeds at as much as 312MB/s.
The remainder of the ports are on the again, and embody the next:
- 3 10Gb/s USB-C information ports that may present 7.5W
- 4 10Gb/s USB-A ports that may present 7.5W
- 10GbE Ethernet port
- Audio in
- Audio out
- DisplayPort 2.1
- Two downstream 80Gb/s Thunderbolt 5 ports that offer 36W
- One upstream Thunderbolt 5 port that provides 140W to the host machine (with the included TB5 cable)
- One safety slot
- DC in
There are sufficient ports to attach a ton of peripherals and a number of shows, however this is not a dock that has an HDMI port. When you want HDMI, you will get an applicable DisplayPort to HDMI adapter or simply use the Mac’s HDMI port.
I just like the port association. It has been helpful having a 36W USB-C port entrance and heart, and the SD card slot on the entrance is handy for transferring images from my digital camera. The USB-C ports cost my gadgets even when I haven’t got my MacBook related, so the TS5 Plus additionally works as a charging station.
It is helpful to have three 36W USB-C ports accessible on the TS5 Plus as a result of I can cost an iPhone, iPad Pro, Apple Watch, AirPods, and MacBook Air all on the similar time whereas nonetheless charging my MacBook Pro and powering a number of shows. I did get the complete quick charging for the 16-inch MacBook Professional, and plugging in additional gadgets did not drop the facility ranges.
The TS5 Plus has twin USB controllers inside (one for the entrance and one for the again), and there isn’t any throttling with a number of gadgets plugged in and transferring information on the similar time. I examined with the Thunderbolt 5 SSD and two extra USB-C SSDs, and I did not see any drop off in switch speeds.
Since there isn’t a fan inside, the TS5 Plus can get heat to the contact. It is not sizzling sufficient to burn, however it could heat your arms within the winter, and I would not need to put a chocolate bar on prime. The aluminum ridges do dissipate warmth, nevertheless it will not run as cool because the Anker Prime. On the plus facet, operation is silent as a result of it does not have a fan.
Thunderbolt 5 helps 80Gb/s speeds with a bandwidth increase of as much as 120Gb/s for shows, so it is twice as quick as Thunderbolt 4, which maxes out at 40Gb/s. There’s additionally extra bandwidth accessible for SSDs, which permits for quicker information transfers.
Utilizing the TS5 Plus and the Thunderbolt 5 Envoy Extremely from OWC, I used to be in a position to get most speeds of 4,647MB/s write and 5,154MB/s learn. Speeds have been just a bit slower than the SSD plugged in on to my MacBook Professional.
Thunderbolt 5 helps as much as three shows on PCs, however not on Macs. On the Mac, you are still going to max out at two shows over a single Thunderbolt 5 connection (aka run by a dock) due to GPU limitations. With the TS5 Plus, you need to use two 8K shows at 60Hz, two 6K shows at 60Hz, a 5K and a 6K show, two 4K shows at 240Hz, and several other different show mixtures relying on which Mac you will have and what it helps.
With the M4 Professional or M4 Max, you may truly run as much as 4 shows, however you will both want two Thunderbolt 5 docks for that setup, otherwise you’ll want to make use of the opposite Thunderbolt and HDMI ports you will have accessible in your machine.
For greater resolutions, the M4 Professional solely helps a single 8K show, so that is what you are restricted to with the dock. The M4 Max can assist two 8K shows at 60Hz, two 6K shows at 60Hz and one 8K show at 60Hz, or 4 shows at 6K 60Hz. CalDigit says you may run two 8K shows by the TS5 Plus, however you may take a look at bandwidth limits in case you have different gadgets like SSDs related. You’d most likely get higher efficiency plugging one 8K show into the dock after which connecting the opposite 8K show to a unique Thunderbolt 5 port or the Mac’s HDMI port
I haven’t got a twin 6K or 8K twin show setup accessible, so I wasn’t in a position to push the TS5 Plus to its limits. I usually use my MacBook Professional with only a single 5K Studio Show related over Thunderbolt, however I added a 4K 144Hz Samsung show for testing with the TS5 Plus. I did not run into any points with two shows, even with a number of SSDs and different peripherals related.
When you’ve got the same setup with a 5K show and a 4K show, or two 6K shows, you are not going to run into any issues, plus you will have the bandwidth for upgrading to greater decision shows as that type of know-how comes down in worth. There are some fine-print limitations on shows that any potential purchaser ought to take a look at. You’ll be able to’t run twin LG UltraFine 5K shows, for instance. Twin 5K screens should be Thunderbolt 4 or Apple Studio shows, and 6K screens should be the Professional Show XDR or Thunderbolt 4 shows.
I primarily examined the TS5 Plus with an M4 Professional MacBook Professional, nevertheless it’s additionally suitable with Thunderbolt 4 machines. I additionally had no points utilizing it with my M1 Max MacBook Professional, and it labored flawlessly with an M4 MacBook Air as properly. You can too connect with iPads that assist Thunderbolt, such because the M4 iPad Professional.
For older Macs with base M1, M2, or M3 chips, you may solely use one exterior show with CalDigit’s dock. When you’ve got a M1/M2/M3 Max or Professional chip, you need to use twin shows with no problem.
Backside Line
When you’ve got a Thunderbolt 5 Mac and wish the quickest information switch speeds together with the flexibility to drive excessive decision shows, you are not going to go unsuitable with the TS5 Plus. This is among the most succesful Thunderbolt 5 docks available on the market, and its extensive collection of ports are going to work for practically any configuration.
Thunderbolt 5 docks are backwards suitable with Thunderbolt 4 machines, so it may additionally be value choosing the TS5 Plus for future-proofing functions, to get 10GbE, or to get the multi-device charging energy that it gives. With three 36W USB-C ports, you can probably cost all your gadgets with the TS5 Plus, eliminating the necessity for a number of cables working out of your desk to an influence supply.
That is the dock to get if you happen to’re in search of the most effective Thunderbolt 5 efficiency, and it is the one I would advocate to be used for any skilled setup that entails excessive decision shows and the necessity for quick switch speeds. It’s dearer than another docks, together with the $400 CalDigit TS5 and the $400 Anker Prime, however the extra cash could also be value it if you happen to want the flexibleness of 20 ports.
The right way to Purchase
The TS5 Plus will be purchased from the CalDigit website or from Amazon for $500.
Be aware: CalDigit offered MacRumors with a TS5 Plus for the aim of this evaluation. No different compensation was obtained.