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> CalDigit TS4 Wait, that's a $379 dock? Isn't it a bit too much to pay so much just to get back about the same ports that most non-Macs still have? If I con

by cnst 1y ago

> CalDigit TS4 Wait, that's a $379 dock? Isn't it a bit too much to pay so much just to get back about the same ports that most non-Macs still have? If I connect my peripherals like SSD and mouse/kb through this dock, will they continue working during a power outage? Or do I now have to get a UPS for my laptop, too, because I can't use the native ports anymore, and have to use a dock to connect the most basic equipment? > Dell U2724DE https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-ultrasharp-27-thunderbolt-hub-monitor-u2724de/apd/210-bksj/monitors-monitor-accessories https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-ultrasharp-27-thunderbo... $599 USD for QHD 2560x1440? That's just not very competitive. I got a QHD 2560x1440 with RJ45 and a DP-Out for $149 brand new, for HP Z24m G3: https://slickdeals.net/f/17456364-23-8-hp-z24m-g3-2560x1440-90hz-ips-conferencing-monitor-150-free-shipping https://slickdeals.net/f/17456364-23-8-hp-z24m-g3-2560x1440-... So, it's basically a 4x premium for TB. --- Many monitors on the market today do come with a dock built-in, but most of the time, it's a DP MST kind of dock, so, the daisy-chaining won't work in macOS, since it has no support for DP MST. Thunderbolt is VERY rare across most monitors. It's even more rare on the models that go on sale and aren't broken in some fundamental way (IIRC, some Samsung TB monitor that was on sale, would actually have terrible reviews specifically because it still didn't work daisy-chained properly). Since you're a Dell fan, I've just casually looked over the filters at https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/computer-monitors/ar/8605 https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/computer-monitors/ar/8605, and it's got 42 for USB-C, but only 6 for Thunderbolt; that's 7 times more non-Thunderbolt monitors that Thunderbolt. If we limit the search to QHD 2560x1440, there's 11 USB-C, but only 1 Thunderbolt. You're basically paying 2x more, or $300 more, for a "free" Thunderbolt dock. Compare to DP-Out options. For example, HP Z24m G3 2560x1440 was on sale for many months throughout 2024 at $149.99 USD brand new, it does have DP-Out and RJ45, a very quality monitor. As for battery life, I'm not doing video encoding or compiling on my Mac, so, battery life is just a matter of power consumption. There are many ARM-based Chromebooks that are powered by like 5W CPUs. By definition, they're INCAPABLE of consuming their 50Wh battery in less than 10 hours; this often results in a better battery life than my MacBook Air, simply because M1 is still a 15W CPU, and can easily made to waste lots of cycles doing pointless webpage busywork that noone cares about, diminishing the battery life. Yes, they've finally fixed the regression with a second monitor come M4, but it's still missing the most basic ports and expansion features.

cosmic_cheese 1y ago
The Dell monitor goes on sale for lower prices from time to time. Those other cheaper 2560x1440 monitors aren’t really apples to apples comparisons, because they use older less capable panels (less contrast, lower brightness, no certified flicker free, no VRR, no factory calibration, capped at 60hz, etc etc) and many don’t include KVM functionality even if they do add a couple extra ports. Comparably feature rich monitors from other brands are similarly expensive. As far as port counts go, to get anything close to what a TS4 adds, you’re looking at a desktop of some kind or maybe one of those monstrous 17”+ workstation or gaming laptops (but even most of those have fewer ports).
- cnst 1y ago
  That's the thing, the brightness is actually only 350nits on Dell, but 400nits on HP and Philips I've linked; the original MSRP was the same as the Dell, it's only the sale price that ended up being really good on those. So, the only TB monitor in its class actually has worse brightness than many of the non-TB options. The HP is calibrated and has amazing colours, and it's 90Hz, too, although I keep it at 60Hz. The Philips monitor is 4k UHD and also IPS Black, same 2000:1 contrast as all IPS Black panels share, so, I'm not sure why you'd get the Dell with the lower resolution and lower brightness at a higher price. The only true benefit of Dell is 2.5GigE and 120Hz, but 350nits is actually a downside compared to 400nits of the cheaper monitors I've listed. BTW, you've never addressed the UPS issue. Do any docks at all work when the power is out? How do you take that into account when you need to connect stuff like SSD, kb and mouse? Do you suffer data loss on your SSD because your laptop lacks standard ports and dock use is required that can't be powered by the laptop anymore? Or do you get UPS for your laptop just for the dock? I just don't understand how the dock requirement is not a big deal. I got a laptop simply because it's fanless and has an integrated UPS, I didn't need it to be portable otherwise.
  - cosmic_cheese 1y ago
    4k is a detractor for my usage, no integer scaling, which is annoying not just under macOS but also Linux. 2560x1440 or 5k are preferred. I guess you’d probably need a UPS for a powered dock, I don’t know. The power is out too infrequently where I live for it to be an issue and it’s nice for the dock to be able to charge for one cable swapping between machines.

by cnst 1y ago

cosmic_cheese 1y ago

The Dell monitor goes on sale for lower prices from time to time. Those other cheaper 2560x1440 monitors aren’t really apples to apples comparisons, because they use older less capable panels (less contrast, lower brightness, no certified flicker free, no VRR, no factory calibration, capped at 60hz, etc etc) and many don’t include KVM functionality even if they do add a couple extra ports. Comparably feature rich monitors from other brands are similarly expensive. As far as port counts go, to get anything close to what a TS4 adds, you’re looking at a desktop of some kind or maybe one of those monstrous 17”+ workstation or gaming laptops (but even most of those have fewer ports).

cnst 1y ago
That's the thing, the brightness is actually only 350nits on Dell, but 400nits on HP and Philips I've linked; the original MSRP was the same as the Dell, it's only the sale price that ended up being really good on those. So, the only TB monitor in its class actually has worse brightness than many of the non-TB options. The HP is calibrated and has amazing colours, and it's 90Hz, too, although I keep it at 60Hz. The Philips monitor is 4k UHD and also IPS Black, same 2000:1 contrast as all IPS Black panels share, so, I'm not sure why you'd get the Dell with the lower resolution and lower brightness at a higher price. The only true benefit of Dell is 2.5GigE and 120Hz, but 350nits is actually a downside compared to 400nits of the cheaper monitors I've listed. BTW, you've never addressed the UPS issue. Do any docks at all work when the power is out? How do you take that into account when you need to connect stuff like SSD, kb and mouse? Do you suffer data loss on your SSD because your laptop lacks standard ports and dock use is required that can't be powered by the laptop anymore? Or do you get UPS for your laptop just for the dock? I just don't understand how the dock requirement is not a big deal. I got a laptop simply because it's fanless and has an integrated UPS, I didn't need it to be portable otherwise.
- cosmic_cheese 1y ago
  4k is a detractor for my usage, no integer scaling, which is annoying not just under macOS but also Linux. 2560x1440 or 5k are preferred. I guess you’d probably need a UPS for a powered dock, I don’t know. The power is out too infrequently where I live for it to be an issue and it’s nice for the dock to be able to charge for one cable swapping between machines.