Interesting. I have always had reserves when it comes to this dock being powerful enough to transfer all this data at the same time and with no latency. Honestly I think I would just go with a mac studio if I didn’t need a laptop as there are at least 4 usbc ports and you would have probably no issues with your setup.
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Caldigit TS4 Dock
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I really considered it but (as I wrote in this post: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/the-new-mac-studio-and-why-i-am-skipping-it.2337228/) my circumstances dictated a laptop.
So far the setup with the MBP and the TS4 is working out just fine and I have no regrets.
Tried this now. If I enable this the ethernet connection stops working entirely. The plot thickens...
Don't know if this is part of the infamous issues with the dock and 2.5G? As you can tell I never noticed as I had no need but certainly interesting to have discovered another flaw with the dock hehe.
It is crazy. Anyone else on this thread with 2 Gbps connections and more who had issues with the TS4?
I gave up on the TS4 a while ago.
Why bother with this faulty product and an apparantly understaffed team of R&D? They got their chance and failed miserably. Isn't time money (and more important nerves)?
Btw. the TS3+ still seems to be available. Best option atm imho.
Why bother with this faulty product and an apparantly understaffed team of R&D? They got their chance and failed miserably. Isn't time money (and more important nerves)?
Btw. the TS3+ still seems to be available. Best option atm imho.
Agreed but the TS3 does not have a 2.5G Ethernet unfortunately
Also the TS4 audio port only outputs 32 Ohms which is inferior compared to a recent MacBook
Get any other dock and stick in a USB-C to 2.5G or 10G adapter in an available port. Best of both worlds.Agreed but the TS3 does not have a 2.5G Ethernet unfortunately
Also the TS4 audio port only outputs 32 Ohms which is inferior compared to a recent MacBook
The issue is that there is inherent latency in such adapters versus a PCIe chipset or a typical card.
The same as overall Thunderbolt (PCI) latency if you use a Thunderbolt to 10Gbit network adapter for example or any other PCI device in a Thunderbolt chassis. None.
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Are you sure? How can there be no added latency since there are so many middle pieces (Intel controller, then the TS3 main board/logic board/Thunderbolt outlet/USBC cable etc) in between the ethernet cable and your Mac logicboard?
I disagree. A new 2021/2022 Macbook is able to power headphones that have impedances of up to 300/350 Ohms with no problem hence eliminating the need for a DAC/amplifier to a pretty large extent and which I would call "semi professional". That's a pretty big gap from what the TS4 can do.
You could try AmorphousDiskMark.app with a network file share. My Gigabit connection shows 117/87 MB/s read/write.
Thanks Joe. Do you use the TS4 by the way?
On an unrelated note, a factory reset of the mac fixed the monitor recognition issue I had (including black bars / refresh rate issues).
What latency are you expeting? It's PCI > TB > PCI in the end.
Works pretty well for eGPU's...
Also what are your network latency problems in the first place?
About audio:
It's not only about impedance. It's about the built-in audio components quality, drivers (huge factor). Do you really think Apple invests more than they have to for the cheap mass production? Any decent audio controller (not talking TS4 here) blows the Macbook out of the water. There's more to this than just headphone impedance.
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The PCI > TB > PCI surely has embedded lag into it. It's not fiber optics and the conversion/reconversion of data must create some type of delay versus plugging your Ethernet cable straight into a PCI card. I am currently using a Belkin Gigabit USBC to Ethernet adapter and there is around 1.2ms of latency on average to my router. I am sure the TS4 would do better than this but I am not sure it's on par with the average internal network card.
Impedance is important to drive higher Ohm headphones. Lots of audiophiles forum threads out there praise the new Macbook audio cards which apparently do a similar job to any sub $100 controllers.
No. I have Thunderbolt 3 docks and Thunderbolt 3 PCIe/NVMe enclosures. For Thunderbolt 4, I have a CalDigit Element Hub. I don't like how the TS4 replaces a Thunderbolt port with a DisplayPort port. I like the inclusion of a PCIe based 2.5 GbE port but am worried about reports of problems with that. I would have to buy a lot of new equipment to replace my GbE switches with 2.5 GbE switches. I don't think I need the extra speed. The current speed is about 25% of USB 3.0.
What would you recommend to someone who has a 2Gbps connection? Best to use the TS3+ instead of the TS4 because of all the issues? Or should I just buy an external USBC dock (with a PD passthrough maybe) and buy a Ethernet adapter (one with no added lag as the Belkin I currently have do have some latency)
I don't know how these compare:
1) Thunderbolt->PCIe->2.5GbE
2) USB->2.5GbE
3) USB->hub->2.5GbE (definitely not as good as #2 but is it perceptible?)
And I don't know if anyone makes a better or worse USB to 2.5GbE adapter than Belkin since they probably all use the same chip.
Anyone here use the CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 Element Hub? I hear it has overheating issues, but I don't know in what context. Is it because people are charging their MacBook Pros off it? I'm thinking the CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 Element Hub would pair well with a Mac mini (which doesn't need charging), but if it still would overheat even with a Mac mini, then that would be a hard pass.
Also, neither the TS4 nor the Element Hub are sold in Canada, so they'd have to be imported from the US. Given that Apple Canada sells the TS3 Plus for less in Canada than what the pricing is in the US, it makes it much more attractive than the Element Hub which costs almost as much after currency exchange.
Pricing after taxes and shipping:
~CA$625 - TS4 (BH Photo shipped to Canada)
~CA$385 - Element Hub (BH Photo shipped to Canada)
CA$395 - TS3 Plus (Apple Canada)
For the record, I don't need one right now, but may need something like it if I buy an M2 Mac mini when it comes out, as I suspect the M2 Mac mini will be short on ports just like its older brother, the M1 Mac mini.
Also, neither the TS4 nor the Element Hub are sold in Canada, so they'd have to be imported from the US. Given that Apple Canada sells the TS3 Plus for less in Canada than what the pricing is in the US, it makes it much more attractive than the Element Hub which costs almost as much after currency exchange.
Pricing after taxes and shipping:
~CA$625 - TS4 (BH Photo shipped to Canada)
~CA$385 - Element Hub (BH Photo shipped to Canada)
CA$395 - TS3 Plus (Apple Canada)
For the record, I don't need one right now, but may need something like it if I buy an M2 Mac mini when it comes out, as I suspect the M2 Mac mini will be short on ports just like its older brother, the M1 Mac mini.
I've never had issues with the CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 Element Hub but I don't use it very often. I last used it to get DisplayPort output from a CAC-1336 HDMI 2.1 to USB-C adapter.
I wouldn't invest much money in 2,5GbE. It's a somehow crippled standard. Why not getting a full TB3 > 10GbE or even better get a TB3 > 40GbE (fiber). Look for Mellanox. You can flash some of their 10GbE cards to 40GbE. That's futureproof.
Also there's hope
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I wouldn't invest much money in 2,5GbE. It's a somehow crippled standard. Why not getting a full TB3 > 10GbE or even better get a TB3 > 40GbE (fiber). Look for Mellanox. You can flash some of their 10GbE cards to 40GbE. That's futureproof.
Also there's hope
Mellanox does not make switches or hubs right, only pci/ network cards?
Thx. After some searching around, it seems a common denominator for overheating issues are those who are powering MacBook Pros off the dock.
That’s unfortunate, but I suppose those with the most recent machines can mitigate this by using the MagSafe charger. It wouldn’t help those with the M1 Air or older Mac laptops though. In my case though it’s probably going to be with a desktop anyway so it wouldn’t be drawing power for charging.
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