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Laptop Ports: Is USB-C only fine, or should I get HDMI,USB,Audio if I need them?
I'm on the market for a new laptop (with windows OS) and I've noticed quite a few laptops are USB-C ports only now.
I even saw one laptop that only had 2 USB-C ports, with 1 of them to use for charging. (Dell XPS 13 for example)
It's very important for me to connect my laptop to a monitor, and to use earbuds, be connected to ethernet, and to have a charger going, all at the same time. I have an old laptop with an HDMI output port, USB, and direct audio jack for earbuds.
I'm struggling to accept that dongles are fast enough or reliable enough. What if I get a HDMI dongle or audio dongle and the connection keeps dropping on my video calls? A direct connections feels "safer" to me than a USB-C splitter.
What do you think. Should I still look for laptops with direct HDMI/Audio/USB connections, or are USB-C only laptops still reliable enough even if you need a dozen different dongles?
- sharpshadow 2y agoLook for docks instead of dongles. Check the usb-c spec of the laptop and dock capabilities.
- WorldPeas 2y agoI second this, I'd recommend looking on ebay for used thunderbolt docks, I've had good experiences with those made by dell.
- solardev 2y agoI've tried a variety of those on various Thinkpads and Macs, and they've all had problems of one sort or another. Spent anywhere from $100 to $300 on different brands and never found one that "just works". It's a huge pain... IMO only.
- gmac 2y agoApart from a brief issue with a specific macOS version a year or two ago, I’ve found my CalDigit TS3+ to “just work” with both an Intel and an M3 Pro Mac.
- timrichard 2y agoI went for one of the cheaper Thunderbolt 3 docks (Orico), and no problems so far. It handles my Ethernet and HD webcam connections amongst other things. Intel Macbook.
- johnnybzane 2y agoForgot to mention: I have my laptop connected to a USB keyboard and USB mouse
- solardev 2y agoThose are simple and should work fine, unless you have some super special USB gaming mouse with a very high polling rate. It's really video (especially) and ethernet (especially gigabit) that are more demanding.
- josephcsible 2y agoHigh-quality dongles today are just as reliable as built-in ports. Consider the Framework laptop and its expansion slots. All of its other kind of ports are basically just USB-C dongles that are recessed into it.
- taylodl 2y agoI have a Windows laptop with a two USB-C ports - and I only use 1 - and it's connected to my monitor. My monitor acts as a dock. My monitor is powering my laptop, handling the video output, and has the keyboard, mouse, headset, and camera connected to it. All I have to do is plugin one cable and I'm done. It's a good setup. The monitor even has a monitor-to-monitor hub so if I get a second monitor, all I have to do is connect the two monitors. Still only one cable coming to my laptop.
- sam29681749 2y agoWhat monitor do you use?
- ljf 2y agoWe have exactly this set up at work and I've never had a single issue with it. One usb c cable from one monitor to my laptop, which provides power and gets me two 24 inch monitors. I take video calls all day and never have any lag across the 3 screens (including tbe laptop screen). If I wanted to I could plug my headphones (3.5mm or usb) into the monitor which is also a USB hub.
- hnbad 2y agoI have a Windows laptop with two USB-C ports and a Surface Connect port. The Surface Connect port is connected to the docking station at work or the charger when travelling (I can also charge with the USB-C ports actually). One of the USB-C ports is usually occupied by a key dongle, the other rarely sees any use. The only time I wished for more ports was when I had to juggle files between more than two external storage devices without a dock.
- RulerOf 2y agoI have two thunderbolt cables plugged into my Mac. One goes to a dock, providing most of the connectivity and charging, the other goes to two daisy-chained thunderbolt displays. I'd use a single port if it could drive four monitors.
- boricj 2y agoThe laptop I'm currently using (Acer Chromebook Spin 13) has two USB-C ports, one USB-A 3.0 port, one audio jack and one microSD slot. Additionally, I carry in the sleeve a USB-A to USB-C adapter, a USB-C to USB-A adapter and a USB-C dongle with a smattering of ports (4x USB-A, audio jack, Ethernet, SD, microSD, HDMI, VGA, USB-C). Except for one ancient HP Z24 screen whose USB-C port is infuriatingly finicky, I'm docking with one USB-C cable without issues with all of my modern equipment (plus USB-C switchers to switch between the desk PC and a mobile device). On occasions where I need the extra I/O, the added weight and volume of the adapters and the dongle inside the sleeve are negligible ; I always have them on hand and can't recall the last time I had an issue with them. If anything, it's actually cables I usually have problems with.
- ActorNightly 2y agoUSB-C for audio works fine. I use a usbc to trs adapter with my wired ones. For display out, the HDMI out is generally more consistent, but nothing really wrong with Display port over usbc, it just sometimes needs plugging/replugging.
- sam29681749 2y agoI think carrying around dongles is a hassle (I know some people are very organised with their peripherals, but I'm not one of them). I like the idea of the docking stations some people have posted about, but it doesn't really account for needing the ports when you're away from your desk. It's not often, but I do find myself needing them now and then.
- shiroiushi 2y agoI have a Dell laptop with a Thunderbolt docking station. The docking station is great for staying connected to all the things you normally leave on your desk when you take the laptop somewhere: dual monitors, keyboard, mouse, ethernet connection, webcam, speakers, etc. It's not that great for plugging in, for instance, temporary USB devices like thumb drives or USB hard drives. (This docking station has some USB ports on the back, where they're hard to get to, and only a single one on the front.) So I'm very happy that this laptop, though still quite thin, actually has two USB-A ports (USB 3.0), on the sides. It's also nice sometimes to be able to plug in an HDMI monitor if I'm not at my desk/home, without needing to carry a stupid dongle.
- f1shy 2y agoI agree it is a hassle, BUT, in my use-case I use them very little. I try to get everything BT (Head-phones (-set), mouse, keyboard). And also have a docking station in places where I'm lot of time. So for example, at home and work have a docking with all cable (headset, keyboard, mouse). If I'm "outside" I will typically NOT take calls, and NOT use keyboard or other peripherals.... Last but not least, for many laptops there are "dongles" without cable, that act like a little extension of the housing of the laptop. They are pretty convenient.
- dietr1ch 2y agoThe hack is to leave a USB hub that gets you power, ethernet and monitors from a single cable. It's not truly portable, but it's a nice setup for having a desk and carrying your laptop with you to meetings and home.
- hnbad 2y agoIf you need a docking station while away from your desk you can use one through the magic of buying two of them. The Lenovo ones (USB-C/Thunderbolt) are fairly lightweight and don't take up much room in a backpack or travel bag, though I can imagine you'd want something more compact if you want to travel extremely light.
- dcminter 2y agoUSB-C will work fine for these things. I've found it very reliable. But will the dongle be a nuisance for you? If you're only going to be using them in one place (e.g. your home office) then go for a dock - it's nice to have everything connected with a single cable and a number of monitors have suitable docks built in these days. If you'll want them on the go then yes, I'd at least look for something with the audio and hdmi ports built in just for the convenience factor.
- brudgers 2y agoWhat problem with the old laptop is driving your potential purchase?
- solardev 2y agoContrary opinion: USB-C sucks for any sort of demanding use case, especially video (i.e., gaming monitors). There are so many different versions and specs that all fit into one lookalike cable/connector but which will fail in various ways, usually at some combination of refresh rate, resolution, HDR, etc. HDMI is so much more reliable (though not without its issues) and DisplayPort is even better, though that's rare to see on a laptop. If your monitor supports a USB-C input, there's a good chance it will work with your laptop (especially Windows), but the situation on Linux and Mac can be very different. If it only has a HDMI input and you don't want to waste time exploring the different USB-C video modes, a HDMI output on the laptop and good cable will make it much, much simpler. Audio is probably fine... the standards there don't change as much. Ethernet is hit-or-miss for me. On my Macbook with an expensive ($300ish) dock, the port works 90% of the time... 10% of the time it'll just randomly shut off until restart. Another USB-C ethernet dongle (with only that one port) works 100% of the time. But either is a PITA compared to a built-in ethernet port in the laptop. I don't have a choice now that I've gone to Macs, but if I were buying a Windows/Linux workstation PC, I'd absolutely get all the ports I can – ESPECIALLY HDMI and ethernet. USB-C is a nice idea with terrible real-world implementations that are usually 75% compatible but almost never 100%.
- bestham 2y agoUSB-C IS DisplayPort (among other things). You can get from USB-C to DP "passively", just by signalling the right thing to the USB-C port. The mode is called Alt-Mode and gives you DisplayPort and USB2 or USB3 speeds as a side channel (depending on the amount of bandwidth consumed by the DisplayPort stream). Barring that, some USB-C docks rely on a USB data stream (DisplayLink) and not a DisplayPort stream. Avoid these.
- deafpolygon 2y agoDongle sucks, but USB-C will be fine. A good hub will set you up for life.
- notorandit 2y agoUSB-C is a form factor. USB 3.2 and USB4 are ... protocol standards. Thundetbolt 3 and 4 are other things (only supported with Intel tech). Be more specific, as USB4 w/ TB4 support can be ok for almost anything.
- bald 2y agoThere's now AMD laptops certified for Thunderbolt 4 coming to the market, such as the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 [1], so it's no longer this clear cut. [1] https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/coming-soon/lenovo-thinkpad-t14s-gen-6-14-inch-amd-laptop/len101t0109 https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/coming-soon/lenovo-thinkpad-t...
- arichard123 2y agoI'm using the AMD version of the framework 13" laptop with a usb dock which cost £30. The dock has power display port usb A and c ports ethernet headphone jack and card readers. It all plugs into the framework laptop with one cable and it all works well. It's small and light. It gets warm to the touch.
- walthamstow 2y agoI use USBC everywhere including my home office dock. The ease of plugging one cable to dock is great, it keeps the desk tidy and has excellent spousal approval factor. Most dongles are absolute crap, though. Caldigit is the only brand I trust.
- falcolas 2y agoI'd put a vote in for J5 Create as another good brand. I've had some of these adapters for a decade now, replacing them only as the technology they're built on (VGA, Lightning, etc) go obsolete. Specific to the OP, my work laptop is plugged into one dock that manages power, ethernet, USB-A adapters, and 4k 30FPS HDMI. It also has an unused VGA, SD & Micro SD. It's a nice amount of functionality for only consuming one Thunderbolt-capable USB-C port.
- f1shy 2y ago>> I even saw one laptop that only had 2 USB-C ports, with 1 of them to use for charging. (Dell XPS 13 for example) There are dongles with e.g. HDMI + Eth + USB-C, so you gain 2 ports, and still have the USB-C for charging.
- unkoman 2y agoI run USB-C with one cable to a Thunderbolt4 dock station (ThinkPad Hybrid USB-C with USB-A Dock) running two high-res screens from my Macbook Air M2 + all other accessories. Plug in one cable and I'm done. Note: Most docking hubs only support a feature of DisplayPort called MST to run two monitors off a single connection. The USB-C connection to the hub is using something called Alt Mode to carry the video signal using DisplayPort protocol. MacOS only supports MST in mirror mode over USB. It needs to be Thunderbolt for full MST support with dual, unique displays.
- rtchau 2y agoI survived with a 12" Macbook and a solitary USB-C port. The one difference is that I did have an audio jack as well. I found a monitor that had a USB-C connection with charging, a USB hub, ethernet etc. (of which there were very few back in 2015). When I was somewhere other than my own desk, the Apple HDMI dongle was more than good enough. The only "this sucks" scenario was when I had the opportunity to use multiple external models, but couldn't. Aside from that, I don't regret getting that laptop.
- pachico 2y agoOne of the many beauties of Framework laptops is that you don't have to take that decision and can mount the ports you want at anytime. Check them out. It's probably the best decision I have taken in terms of technology in years.
- coreyh14444 2y agoSecond this! Why lock yourself in!?
- zamadatix 2y agoIt's worth mentioning these modules are themselves also USB C dongles. The difference is in whether or not the dongle mounts internally or externally.
- pastage 2y agoIt is the future when it works, but I still need those extra Jacks. I have one device with only USB C and it really is hit and miss, unless you have a dongle I do not want to carry that. Works at office and home, but everywhere else it is just a bother.
- acchow 2y agoThe USB-C to your monitor will carry the 4K video signal, charge your laptop, and include a usb hub within the monitor itself so that you can attach an Ethernet adaptor to it. You could also attach a USB audio DAC for headphones which might be handy since non-Apple laptop DACs aren’t very good.
- maxidorius 2y agoI recently bought a Tuxedo InfinityBook Pro 15 [1] which has 2 USB-C ports with one being USB 4 (equivalent to Thunderbolt4), 3 USB-A, 1 Ethernet, 1 HDMI, 1 audio jack and 1 SD card reader. I'm very much happy with the laptop and its build quality. But most of all, I love the flexibility to not be stuck with just 2 USB-C and needing dongles/docks. I can have them if I want to, but I don't need to rely on them. I think you don't need to compromise: laptops do exist that can have everything. [1] https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/en/TUXEDO-InfinityBook-Pro-15-Gen9-AMD.tuxedo https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/en/TUXEDO-InfinityBook-Pro-1... - Laptop is fully configurable, you can choose to have Windows as the primary OS and can choose between AMD or Intel CPU (my link is for the AMD one)
- hnbad 2y agoIf you're going to connect to a monitor most of the time, the ports don't matter as long as you can connect a docking station. If you're going for Windows that probably means USB-C with Tunderbolt 3, or Surface Connect (the proprietary connector used by the Surface line of devices and laptops). If you need to work in more than one place frequently enough that you want monitors there, buy two docking stations. Compared to the laptop itself they're extremely cheap. Docking stations allow the one cable going to your laptop to act as your power cable, your HDMI cables, your audio cable, your ethernet cable, your USB cables to your external camera etc, and so on, all at the same time. Another benefit of docking stations is that you only need to handle a single cable when unplugging or connecting your laptop. This may save you a few minutes but more importantly it will also reduce the hassle by reducing the number of things that can go wrong and that you have to pay attention to. If there's no docking station from your laptop's manufacturer just make sure it supports Thunderbolt 3 and get a docking station compatible with that, e.g. the ones from Lenovo. They also almost always come with multiple video ports. Yes, there are scenarios where you might not want to lug around an entire docking station but still would like to be able to connect something to your laptop other than a power cable, e.g. when giving a presentation externally, but in those cases just bring a USB-C dongle for whatever you need. You're probably not going to need to set up an entire workstation for that and if you do need a second cable (e.g. HDMI for presentation, ethernet for Internet access) that's literally still a battery-powered device we're talking about.
- callamdelaney 2y agoEven the GPD Pocket 3 (a tiny laptop with an 8 inch screen) has usbc, audio, hdmi, ethernet, 2x usb3, plus you can add a module with another usb3-a port, kvm or serial. Great little device.
- asplake 2y agoI went from MacBook Air to Pro mainly for the sake of a dedicated, dongle-free HDMI port. Your mileage may vary, but I found USB just too unreliable when going from place to place for speaking and training engagements, to the point that it became a source of stress.
- microflash 2y agoWith the right dongle and monitor combination, you can definitely get by USB-C (I’ve a BenQ DesignVue which has built in support for USB-C altmode and works nicely with HDR). However, for better compatibility, I’d definitely go for an HDMI port as well (All my machines have HDMI port). Dongles are a hassle and I avoid them as much as I can.
- AndrewDucker 2y agoCurrently using a single cable from my laptop to a daisy-chained pair of monitors, with my keyboard, mouse and headphones plugged into one of the monitors. Works absolutely perfectly.
- more_corn 2y agoI have a machine that’s all usbc. My keyboard and mouse are usb-a. I bought a usbc monitor and run everything from there to the computer with one cable (power, video, keyboard). It’s fine I guess but I still carry a charger when I’m out, an hdmi adapter (most monitors you meet in the world are still hdmi) and a usb an adapter. (Printers). I used to carry an Ethernet adapter, but I only really used it for networking scanning and I don’t really take those contracts anymore. All things being equal I’d choose the additional ports, but the primary reason to get rid of them is form factor. You can make the machine a lot smaller by removing ports. I don’t really give a crap about that since I carry the other stuff anyway but your mileage may vary. I like the framework idea I may switch to that next time. Then again you’ll be running windows on it so the computer is ruined anyway so it doesn’t matter what you choose or what you spend.