expansion dock must be a transitional product, but unfortunately we are in this transition period and will last for 2 to 5 years...
Type-c interface is becoming popular in various PCs, notebooks, tablets, mobile phones and other devices. While we ordinary users enjoy the convenience brought by new technologies, we will also be in trouble: there are too few interfaces on the computer, how to connect peripherals such as keyboards, mice, monitors and even USB flash drives. Although the world is promoting the Type-C interface, it has to be admitted that there are too many devices in daily life that are not Type-output interfaces. The docking dock has become the most mature solution at present.
Look at all the dock products on the market. Although the product performance, number of interfaces and types are varied, they can be divided into two categories: portable one-piece and split one-piece. The former does not require additional power supply, and is mainly used to expand the computer interface, but the product design takes into account portability, so the overall number and type of interfaces have been castrated; the latter requires additional power supply. In addition to expanding the types and numbers of computer interfaces, it generally also has interfaces/functions used in fixed scenarios such as reverse charging and network cables.
There is no better or worse than the two expansion docks, but they are divided according to the usage scenario. For example, I have been using a combination of laptops and external fish screen displays for a long time, so the split dock is more suitable for me. What I am currently using is the 15-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 expansion dock of Orruike , dual Thunderbolt 3 interfaces, and supports DP 8K display output. I had a little overperformance before, but based on the principle of "I can't use it, but you can't do it", the overall use of the Aurico 15-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 dock is very pleasant. To help everyone understand, let’s share it in detail below.
Unboxing and drying items: split base, convenient to line
As a brand with multiple complete product lines, ORICO has long formed its own characteristics in product packaging, which is normalization from the perspective of cost. I believe that every product person has been tortured by this word countless times. The packaging of the Aurico 15-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 Dock is mainly blue and white, with a full industrial style, and the front is still the product name and renderings. There are detailed product parameters on the back of
, the specific model is TB3-S4, and there are two colors: Space gray and Silver. The one I have is Space gray, which is consistent with the color scheme of MacBook Pro. In addition to the Aurico 15-in-1 Thunderbolt Dock, the packaging is rich in accessories, including a 51.5cm long lightning wire, a screwdriver, two dedicated screws for fixing the base and power adapter .
power adapter power is 20V/3.25A, which means that the maximum PD reverse charging is supported to 60w. In terms of size, the accessories for power rooms of the previous dock are smaller than those of the previous expansion dock, but they are still traditional power adapters, and the power interface is DC type. The Thunderbolt 3 data cable that comes with
is very well-made. The outer part of the wire is wrapped with a layer of braided rope instead of the common PVC material. The split wire design is convenient for users to store and provides conditions for users to replace the wire later. The 40Gbps logo is also printed at the connector of the Thunderbolt 3 data cable.
Unlike other docks, the Aurico 15-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 dock adopts a separate base design. Users can choose whether to install the base according to their own needs. If necessary, they can be fully assembled through randomly given screwdrivers and screws. Considering that the Aurico 15-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 Dock is an active dock with many connection lines, I personally chose to install a base for easy wiring. The curved base can just hide the wire on the back of the body to the front of the body, making the desktop simpler.
Aurico 15-in-1Thunderbolt 3 Dock overall shape is very square, the material is aluminum alloy (the base material is consistent with the body), and the three-dimensional dimension is 10.2*6*15.9cm (including the base). Aurico is confident in the heat dissipation performance of this expansion dock and adopts passive heat dissipation, which means that the body does not have an additional heat dissipation grille, which makes it more integrated.
Aurico 15-in-1Thunderbolt 3 Dock has a total of 15 interfaces, and all IOs are distributed on the front and back of the fuselage according to usage scenarios and habits. From top to bottom, the front of the body is a 3.5mm audio interface, TF card, and SD card slot, two USB3.2 GEN2-specific type-C interfaces, one USB3.2 GEN2-specific USB-A interfaces, two USB3.2 GEN1-specific USB-A interfaces and one USB2.0-specific USB-A interfaces. From top to bottom behind the machine, there is a DP interface that supports up to 8K output, 2 Thunderbolt 3 interfaces, 1 USB-A interface with USB2.0 specifications, 1 S/PDIF audio interface, 1 RJ45 gigabit network port with its own indicator light and DC power supply interface. Regardless of the number of interfaces or type of interfaces, the Aurico 15-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 Dock can almost meet all the needs of a geek user, let alone ordinary users or daily office work. It is worthy of praise here that the Aurico 15-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 dock is marked with the corresponding rate next to each data interface, and users can select the interface according to peripheral performance.
hardware configuration: Intel JHL7440 main control
In order to facilitate parameter party to intuitively understand the overall performance of the Aurico 15-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 dock, here is an introduction to several core chips of the dock. The Aurico 15-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 expansion docking Thunderbolt 3 main control chip is Intel JHL7440. Intel JHL7440 is a member of the JHL7x40 series (three models in total). The HL7440 controller is mainly used for peripheral devices such as monitors, USB drives, mobile hard drives, etc. with USB-C interface. At the same time, is backward compatible with 's early Thunderbolt computer cables and peripheral devices. In the Aurico 15-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 dock, the Intel JHL7440 chip is mainly used to control the input/output of the two Thunderbolt 3 interfaces.
JHL7440JHL7440Controller Features:
0Gb/s and PCIe Gen 3 (same as JHL6x40 series)
Support DisplayPort 1.4
USB-C Computer Port Compatibility (optional)
(Image from @Content 100%)
Orico 15-in-1Thunderbolt 3 Dock has several USB interfaces, so two hub chips are used separately, namely VIA VIA Electronics VLI VL822-Q7 and VL817-Q7. Weifeng Electronics VL822-Q7 and VL822-Q7 are both USB3.2 Gen2 hub chips, both support 10Gbps, and all ports support USB 3.2 Gen2 (10Gbps) operation.
Network card chip is Realtek's RTL8153, supports USB3.0/2.0/1.1 specifications, and supports up to 1000M network speed.
performance test: Thunderbolt 3 performance is fully opened
In addition to the official parameters, we naturally need to test it. It is a mule or a horse. After all, you cannot listen to the official. I am using the 2021 14-inch MacBook Pro, which has a complete Thunderbolt 3 interface, which can fully utilize the performance of the Aurico 15-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 dock. The following test data is worthy of reference.
test one: Power supply test
Aurico 15-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 expansion dock The Thunderbolt 3 input interface supports PD3.0 protocol and supports up to 20V/3A 60w power supply output. Although the highest laptop currently supports 120w charging power, expansion dock is not an emergency charging device. It is enough to charge the laptop by daily basis, and it also saves external power adapter. This means that when using the expansion dock, you only need to connect an external cable to the laptop. After testing, if connected to a larger power adapter, the Thunderbolt 3 interface can support up to 100w.
and another Thunderbolt 3 interface have long known from the power adapter that it is impossible to support too high charging power, so we won't do a test here.
test 2: Data speed test
Connect the hard disk to the notebook's Thunderbolt 4 interface and the ORICO Thunderbolt 3 Dock's USB 3.1 Gen2 interface. The actual data are as follows:
left: Direct notebook Thunderbolt 4 interface speed test Right: Connect to the dock to perform speed test
From the results of a single mobile hard disk speed test, whether it is connecting the hard disk to the notebook's Thunderbolt 4 interface or the USB 3.1 Gen2 interface of the Oriko 15-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 Dock, there is no obvious difference in the data.
test 4: video output
There is no 8K&60Hz monitor on your hand, there is only one Samsung C34H890WJC, which supports up to 3440*1440 100Hz, if the laptop is directly connected to the monitor, it can reach up to 3440*1440 100Hz. After passing the Oriko 15-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 expansion dock, it can also reach up to 3440*1440 100Hz.
Scene Experience: Laptop becomes an all-around workstation in seconds
As mentioned above, because the split dock requires additional power, it is basically used in fixed scenarios. When the laptop is connected to the dock and closes the screen, a full-function desktop workstation is completed instantly, even the laptop's power adapter is saved. When we need to go out for a meeting, we only need to unplug a Thunderbolt 3 data cable, and the portable advantage that the laptop should have is instantly full of blood and resurrected.
With the Aurico 15-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 Dock, we can use 2 screens at the same time to increase productivity. One screen can be kept specifically for communicating with colleagues and customers, so that the communication software interface is always at the forefront without missing any effective information. The second screen is used to make various reports, documents, forms, send and receive emails, etc.
