But its other weaknesses, basic plastic construction and redundant ports undermine the relatively lower cost of ownership.
Therefore, that they made a Thunderbolt 3 docking station shouldnt be a huge surprise.
For a better deal, go to the bigger online retailers.
It can be found onAmazon.com for only$244.41and Amazon.co.uk for204.99, definitely savings worth having.
Why a considerable discrepancy exists between the direct cost and the online retailers is hard to rationalise.
The StarTech Thunderbolt 3 Dock is no exception, being a two-tone gunmetal and black box with chamfered corners.
This feels less substantial and is obviously much less resilient than anything made of metal.
In terms of the layout, there is little radical to see here.
It should also be noted that there is no power button.
The dock is on once it is connected to the PSU if that is attached to the mains.
It’s not ideal, but StarTech isnt the only maker that does this.
Overall, the StarTech Thunderbolt 3 Dock doesnt have the industrial construction weve seen from many dock makers.
When does a 12-port dock not have that many ports?
While the dock supports Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C connections, the focus is very much on USB.
Both these are also Gen 2 (10Gbps), making them ideal for attaching storage.
But importantly, some M1 and M2 MacBooks dont support dual monitors other than to mirror the one output.
StarTech Thunderbolt 3 Dock: Report card
Should you buy a StarTech Thunderbolt 3 Dock?
Its not the best made or featured, but it is cheap.
This feature omission effectively reduces this to being a USB-C dock.
You have an older MacBook M1It’s not a StarTech issue but an Apple one.
These docks dont work well with the original Apple MacBook M1 machines that use USB-C and not Thunderbolt.
Check out ourCalDigit Thunderbolt Station 4 (TS4)review
