The Cable Issues Thunderbolt 5 Dock gives a extremely engineered steel type that may both be horizontal or upright, with the latter taking considerably much less desk area.
It’s designed to work with Thunderbolt 5 or 4, USB4 and USB-C, however to get the most effective expertise, Thunderbolt ports are beneficial.
What makes this design completely different from many docks is that it doesn’t have devoted ports for video, even when the expertise helps the connection of screens through it. Attaching screens requires both screens with Thunderbolt ports or Thunderbolt to DP/HDMI adapters.
Nicely-made and designed, the Cable Issues Thunderbolt 5 Dock gives a versatile dock that’s prepared for Thunderbolt 5 when that expertise turns into extra widespread.
However sadly, it is just presently being bought within the USA. Most likely the best laptop docking stations for TB5 seen up to now, however that is from a complete number of two.
Cable Issues Thunderbolt 5 Dock: Value and availability
(Picture credit score: Mark Pickavance)
How a lot does it price? $349When is it out? It’s beginning to be out there now within the USAThe place are you able to get it? Direct from Cable Issues or from Amazon
Direct from Cable Issues, the dock has an asking value of $349.99 for a single unit, however should you purchase multiple unit, the associated fee is lowered to $341.35. This firm additionally has enterprise buyer accounts, so bulk purchasers may get even higher offers by asking.
Those that need this {hardware} rapidly may get it for a similar value on Amazon.com .
Presently, Cable Issues solely ships to the USA straight, and Amazon distributes its merchandise internationally. Nevertheless, we couldn’t discover this product on a European Amazon, together with the UK.
After asking Cable Issues, I used to be instructed that this {hardware} is unique to the USA.
The one different Thunderbolt 5 dock we’ve examined was our Kensington SD5000T5 review , the primary of its sort with an MSRP of $399, although it may be discovered a bit cheaper.
A less expensive possibility exists in case you are proud of a hub and never a dock within the type of the OWC Thunderbolt 5 Hub that sells for $189.99 within the USA, and £203.49 within the UK.
Nevertheless, this solely has a restricted number of ports, and for a dock that features a LAN port, a card reader and a number of USB ports, the Cable Issues resolution is without doubt one of the most cost-effective TB5 choices.
Cable Issues Thunderbolt 5 Dock: Specs
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Compatibility
TB5, TB4, USB4, USB 3.2 (Gen 1/Gen 2) and USB-C host (MFDP)
Variety of Ports
11
Ports
1x TB5 upstream UFP 140W, 3x TB5 DFP downstream, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Sort-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Sort-A, 1x Combo Microphone & Headphone Port (entrance), 1x 2.5GbE RJ45 Ethernet port, 1x SD 4.0 Card reader,1x MicroSD 4.0 Card reader
Downstream energy
1x 60W TB5 DFP, 3x 15W TB5 DFP, 1x 7.5W USB-A
Upstream energy
140W Thunderbolt
Measurement
176 x 77 x 42 mm (W x D x H)
Weight
?1746g
Equipment
Adapter 180W 21V 8.58A, 50cm Thunderbolt 5 cable
Cable Issues Thunderbolt 5 Dock: Design
(Picture credit score: Mark Pickavance)
Nice construct high quality Twin orientation Thunderbolt Share No show outputs
Whereas I’ve no proof of this as reality, each this design and the Kensington TB5 dock have extremely comparable port alternatives, indicating that these early designs could have adopted a template created by Intel for dock makers.
I appreciated the Cable Issues dock way more than the Kensington as a result of its stable aluminium outer shell is considerably higher engineered than the competitor gadget.
If you contact this dock, it feels cool and heavy, implying that the three silver sides are in all probability related to the interior chips as a passive heatsink. Floor grooves that the designers created on two sides help this notion.
The second facet I appreciated was that it is a extra compact design; it might probably stand vertically and horizontally. This makes it nice for these, like this reviewer, who are likely to have a desk filled with muddle, because it takes up a lot much less area within the vertical mode.
To assist with stability, Cable Issues included a foot that the dock sits into snugly and utilizing it avoids any of the steel edges being involved with the desktop.
The proper vertical orientation might be to have it with the ability button on the high, which locations the ability inlet on the again, low down. Nevertheless, you might have it the opposite manner up, and that locations the cardboard reader on the high and the ability button on the backside.
At the least, not like the Kensington SD5000T5, the ability button is on the entrance, which is the place you’ll need it.
(Picture credit score: Mark Pickavance)
The entrance face has two SD card reader slots, an audio jack, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Sort-A port, and a Thunderbolt downlink. One other two Thunderbolt downlinks are on the rear, with one Thunderbolt uplink, one other USB 3.2 Gen 2 Sort-A, a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Sort-A and a single 2.5GbE LAN port.
This dock, just like the SD5000T5, gives Thunderbolt share expertise and may use the Thunderbolt downlinks to community two computer systems over Thunderbolt, which may obtain a lot larger switch speeds than 2.5GbE. Utilizing Thunderbolt as a networking expertise isn’t particularly new, however the means to wire a desktop and laptop computer to one another over the dock is new on this new incarnation of the idea, permitting way more performance.
Along with the networking operate, each techniques can entry no matter peripherals are related to the dock, together with screens, keyboards, mice and storage. The one caveats are that the computer systems have to be Home windows 11 PCs, have Thunderbolt 4 or 5 ports, and have the Thunderbolt Share software put in.
The one elephant on this design train, and the identical problem is on the SD5000T5, is that there aren’t any typical monitor connections with DisplayPort or HDMI. To this point, the logic utilized to those Thunderbolt 5 docks is that as a substitute of locking bandwidth right into a operate that the proprietor may not use, the whole lot is saved versatile by offering three Thunderbolt downlinks. This does imply that further expense shall be wanted should you don’t have Thunderbolt screens, HDMI or DP adapters, as none are included with this dock.
Provided that these units, when in comparison with Thunderbolt 4 docks, are on the costly aspect already, they could take a dock plus adapters over a fiscal threshold.
Total, I appreciated this dock because it has a well-considered format and is gorgeously engineered.
Cable Issues Thunderbolt 5 Dock: Options
Bandwidth administration Energy administration
With USB and Thunderbolt docks, it was as soon as the problem that you just couldn’t plug one thing into each port as a result of the expertise had inadequate bandwidth to help all these issues at full velocity.
Thunderbolt 5 might need extra bandwidth, 80 Gbps for knowledge and doubtlessly 120 Gbps should you separate video channels, however as a result of every port can deal with bigger bandwidth utilizing units, it’s largely treading water.
What this dock gives, and is critical to maintain knowledge flowing easily by means of a well-utilised dock, is a bandwidth administration logic that may distribute bandwidth based mostly on want and use in real-time. It’s nonetheless potential to cramp the fashion of a related storage gadget, but it surely’s a lot much less seemingly to do that in a manner that it begins to error or corrupt a file switch.
I’ve talked about this in my Kensington SD5000T5 evaluate in higher element, so in case you are interested in how 80 Gbps will get sliced up if you’ve related 100 Gbps of bandwidth calls for to it, then read that .
Nevertheless it isn’t all about bandwidth oversubscription nowadays; extra lately, we’ve seen energy needing to be rationed in the identical manner.
(Picture credit score: Mark Pickavance)
It will probably’t be a coincidence, however the Cable Issues TB5 dock has precisely the identical capability PSU because the SD5000T5, a 180W output unit that delivers 21V at 8.58A. It claims to cost 140W with a related laptop computer.
For these curious, when powered however idle, the dock consumes about 3.5W, and that elevated to eight.5W when it was related to a mini PC (no charging). Every of the downlink Thunderbolt ports can ship 15W to the peripheral related to it, which suggests if all three are getting used, there may be inadequate energy to drive the gadget and provides 140W to a charging laptop computer. What occurs is that the loser right here is the laptop computer, because it has essentially the most to surrender. For those who solely cost at 96W or 100W, this gained’t be a problem, but it surely’s one thing to think about when you have a cellular workstation that wants a lot of energy to cost.
Fortunately, most cellular workstations don’t use USB-C connectors for charging, as a hefty barrel connector is a more sensible choice for the ability wanted to each cost and run these platforms on the similar time.
(Picture credit score: Mark Pickavance)
Cable Issues Thunderbolt 5 Dock: Efficiency
TB5 availability USB4 compatibility
Because of the availability of Thunderbolt 5 machines and peripherals, I made a decision to check how this dock may carry out if related to Thunderbolt 4 and USB4. That situation is more likely for almost all of docks that Cable Issues is presently transport.
Beforehand, I’d skilled the Kensington SD5000T5 drop the efficiency of a USB4 SSD to USB 2.0 ranges when related through a USB4 port on an AMD Ryzen Mini PC.
On the Cable Issues dock, issues are higher, however they aren’t completely fastened.
I skilled the efficiency as if the USB4 SSD, a Essential EX400U, was a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 drive, delivering about 1700MB/s learn and write. If the dock was related utilizing a Thunderbolt 4 port on an Intel Mini PC, the identical drive delivered its full efficiency of 4000MB/s reads.
Whereas these outcomes are higher than the opposite TB5 dock I’ve examined, Intel nonetheless has some work to do relating to USB4 compatibility, and we will solely hope that is handed on in a firmware replace sooner or later.
Presently, should you don’t have Thunderbolt 5 ports, and few have, then the following neatest thing is Thunderbolt 4, with USB4 being the poor cousin on this household.
Cable Issues Thunderbolt 5 Dock: Remaining verdict I appreciated this dock, even when, for nearly all sensible functions, it’s an answer looking for an issue. In case you are fortunate sufficient to have a machine with Thunderbolt 5 and a few peripherals that may make use of the additional bandwidth, then that is the dock to have.
Nevertheless, for almost all of laptop customers, 2025 is almost definitely to be the 12 months that USB4 turns into standard, and docks that help that expertise are less expensive than this one.
Whereas the Cable Issues TB5 dock is fantastically made and delivers loads of options and suppleness, the truth that it is just being bought presently within the USA strongly hints that it’s a considerably area of interest gadget.
Hopefully, Cable Issues will shift sufficient of them that it then involves Europe, because the choices for TB5 are skinny on the bottom globally.
Cable Issues Thunderbolt 5 Dock: Report card
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Worth
Lower than the Kensington, however not low cost
4 / 5
Design
OTough development and chic profile
4.5 / 5
Options
Chooses TB downlinks over devoted video ports
4 / 5
Efficiency
Nice for TB5 and TB4, not good for USB4
4 / 5
Total
Of restricted use with out TB5, however a beautiful Dock
4 / 5
Must you purchase a Cable Issues Thunderbolt 5 Dock?
(Picture credit score: Cable Issues)
Purchase it if…
Do not buy it if…
Additionally take into account 
