The new Elgato Thunderbolt 2 Dock is quite a lot smaller than my three-year-old Belkin, which is 23.7cm wide and 12cm deep (Belkin’s aforementioned newer model is smaller too, at 20.9cm x 9cm this costs NZ$479.95). It supports 4K video on a secondary monitor – but note that this is a function of Thunderbolt 2 and not specifically a dock-specific feature the capability gets passed on through the dock. My older version also has the all-important Ethernet port (it’s way faster and more reliable than wifi, and many modern Apple laptops need a Thunderbolt to Ethernet adapter to use wired internet anyway), 2 Thunderbolt ports (so you get two for the one you have to use for the dock), a headphone jack/audio-out and an audio-in (both stereo minipin), 3xUSB 2 ports and the 12v/6amp power input. (The Belkin, beneath, has a cable channel underneath four routing two or three cables from two back).

The Elgato is compact, and has three ports on the front for easy access. The division of ports between front and back is useful, since things plugged into the back tend to be there more permanently whereas the front ports are things you’d most likely use in a more transitory way. The Elgato Thunderbolt 2 Dock has 1xHDMI, 2xThunderbolt 2, 2xUSB3 and 1x Ethernet on the back, and 1xUSB3 on the front, plus the two audio jacks: 9 in total. I currently use a Belkin Thunderbolt Dock – it has since been superseded by a Thunderbolt 2 version which has most of the ports on the back plus a couple on the front. They’re super convenient since they plug into the power, then into your Mac with one cable (usually supplied) via a Thunderbolt port. … plugging things in and out to swap one for another is no fun, believe me – I’d rather just have everything plugged in at once. When I’m home at my desk, I have a Thunderbolt backup drive, a USB 2 external hard drive with my music on it, an additional display, a USB audio interface, a wireless mouse that needs a USB transmitter, a wired extended keyboard (my favourite Apple keyboard) also needs a USB connection, I have a USB mic for Skype interviews, a USB keyboard and I like to plug my iPhone and iPad in sometimes too, for updates and faster syncing. My MacBook Pro does not have enough ports for me. My mid-2012 MacBook Pro has an HDMI and USB2 on the right hand side and 1 audio, 1xUSB2, 2xThunderbolt 2 and power on the left. No Macintosh laptop has more than two USB ports. The MacBook Air has a few – only one Thunderbolt port and no HDMI port (there’s one on the MacBook Pro with Retina Display). The idea of a MacBook having only a single port gives me the willies. I love loads of ports, and not just in a storm.

Elgato thunderbolt 2 dock used with pc