CalDigit TS5 Plus Dock Review: Maximum Ports, Maximum Power

CalDigit precocious came retired with the TS5 Plus, which is designed to enactment with Apple's Thunderbolt 5 Macs.


The TS5 Plus looks similar CalDigit's anterior docks, featuring a elemental rectangular signifier and an aluminum physique with immoderate ridging astatine the top, bottom, and sides for ocular involvement and vigor dissipation.

It's a achromatic aluminum colour that matches the Space Black of the M4 MacBook Pro models, and it comes with a hefty 330W powerfulness brick. In fact, the powerfulness ceramic is longer than the dock itself, but it's level and tucks distant nether a table reasonably well. The TS5 Plus is six inches long, 5 inches wide, and 1.8 inches thick, portion the powerfulness ceramic is 7 inches long, 3.5 inches wide, and a small nether an inch thick.


After utilizing Anker's Thunderbolt 5 dock with a built-in powerfulness supply, I americium disappointed with the ample size of the CalDigit powerfulness brick. There's a powerfulness proviso cablegram that attaches to the powerfulness brick, and past the powerfulness ceramic has a cablegram that plugs into the dock. CalDigit includes a high-quality 3.3ft Thunderbolt 5 cablegram with a braided design, and a acceptable of rubber feet.


Though I americium complaining astir the powerfulness ceramic compared to the Anker Prime's much compact plan with included powerfulness supply, the CalDigit TS5 Plus has six much disposable ports, faster Ethernet, and much charging powerfulness for accessory devices.


At the beforehand of the dock, there's a 10Gb/s USB-A larboard that tin supply 7.5W to complaint AirPods oregon an Apple Watch, on with 2 10Gb/s USB-C ports, 1 that supplies 7.5W and a 2nd that supplies 36W, which is capable to accelerated complaint an iPhone oregon iPad, and adjacent capable powerfulness for a MacBook Air. The beforehand besides has an SD paper slot and a microSD paper reader, positive there's an audio combo jack and a tiny LED that lets you cognize erstwhile the dock has power. The paper slots enactment UHS-II transportation speeds astatine up to 312MB/s.


The remainder of the ports are connected the back, and see the following:

• 3 10Gb/s USB-C information ports that tin supply 7.5W


• 4 10Gb/s USB-A ports that tin supply 7.5W


• 10GbE Ethernet port


• Audio in


• Audio out


• DisplayPort 2.1


• Two downstream 80Gb/s Thunderbolt 5 ports that proviso 36W


• One upstream Thunderbolt 5 larboard that supplies 140W to the big instrumentality (with the included TB5 cable)


• One information slot


• DC in

There are capable ports to link a ton of peripherals and aggregate displays, but this isn't a dock that has an HDMI port. If you request HDMI, you tin get an due DisplayPort to HDMI adapter oregon conscionable usage the Mac's HDMI port.

I similar the larboard arrangement. It's been utile having a 36W USB-C larboard beforehand and center, and the SD paper slot connected the beforehand is convenient for transferring photos from my camera. The USB-C ports complaint my devices adjacent erstwhile I don't person my MacBook connected, truthful the TS5 Plus besides works arsenic a charging station.


It's utile to person 3 36W USB-C ports disposable connected the TS5 Plus due to the fact that I tin complaint an ‌iPhone‌, iPad Pro, Apple Watch, AirPods, and ‌MacBook Air‌ each astatine the aforesaid clip portion inactive charging my MacBook Pro and powering aggregate displays. I did get the afloat accelerated charging for the 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌, and plugging successful much devices didn't driblet the powerfulness levels.

The TS5 Plus has dual USB controllers wrong (one for the beforehand and 1 for the back), and there's nary throttling with aggregate devices plugged successful and transferring information astatine the aforesaid time. I tested with the Thunderbolt 5 SSD and 2 further USB-C SSDs, and I didn't spot immoderate driblet disconnected successful transportation speeds.


Since determination is nary instrumentality inside, the TS5 Plus tin get lukewarm to the touch. It's not blistery capable to burn, but it would lukewarm your hands successful the winter, and I wouldn't privation to enactment a cocoa barroom connected top. The aluminum ridges bash dissipate heat, but it won't tally arsenic chill arsenic the Anker Prime. On the positive side, cognition is soundless due to the fact that it doesn't person a fan.

Thunderbolt 5 supports 80Gb/s speeds with a bandwidth boost of up to 120Gb/s for displays, truthful it's doubly arsenic accelerated arsenic Thunderbolt 4, which maxes retired astatine 40Gb/s. There's besides much bandwidth disposable for SSDs, which allows for faster information transfers.

Using the TS5 Plus and the Thunderbolt 5 Envoy Ultra from OWC, I was capable to get maximum speeds of 4,647MB/s constitute and 5,154MB/s read. Speeds were conscionable a small slower than the SSD plugged successful straight to my ‌MacBook Pro‌.

Thunderbolt 5 supports up to 3 displays connected PCs, but not connected Macs. On the Mac, you're inactive going to max retired astatine 2 displays implicit a azygous Thunderbolt 5 transportation (aka tally done a dock) due to the fact that of GPU limitations. With the TS5 Plus, you tin usage 2 8K displays astatine 60Hz, 2 6K displays astatine 60Hz, a 5K and a 6K display, 2 4K displays astatine 240Hz, and respective different show combinations depending connected which Mac you person and what it supports.

With the M4 Pro oregon M4 Max, you tin really tally up to 4 displays, but you'll either request 2 Thunderbolt 5 docks for that setup, oregon you'll request to usage the different Thunderbolt and HDMI ports you person disposable connected your machine.

For higher resolutions, the M4 Pro lone supports a azygous 8K display, truthful that's what you're constricted to with the dock. The M4 Max tin enactment 2 8K displays astatine 60Hz, 2 6K displays astatine 60Hz and 1 8K show astatine 60Hz, oregon 4 displays astatine 6K 60Hz. CalDigit says you tin tally 2 8K displays done the TS5 Plus, but you mightiness trial bandwidth limits if you person different devices similar SSDs connected. You'd astir apt get amended show plugging 1 8K show into the dock and past connecting the different 8K show to a antithetic Thunderbolt 5 larboard oregon the Mac's HDMI port

I don't person a dual 6K oregon 8K dual show setup available, truthful I wasn't capable to propulsion the TS5 Plus to its limits. I usually usage my ‌MacBook Pro‌ with conscionable a azygous 5K Studio Display connected implicit Thunderbolt, but I added a 4K 144Hz Samsung show for investigating with the TS5 Plus. I didn't tally into immoderate issues with 2 displays, adjacent with aggregate SSDs and different peripherals connected.


If you person a akin setup with a 5K show and a 4K display, oregon 2 6K displays, you're not going to tally into immoderate problems, positive you'll person the bandwidth for upgrading to higher solution displays arsenic that benignant of exertion comes down successful price. There are immoderate fine-print limitations connected displays that immoderate imaginable purchaser should cheque out. You can't tally dual LG UltraFine 5K displays, for example. Dual 5K monitors request to beryllium Thunderbolt 4 oregon Apple Studio displays, and 6K monitors request to beryllium the Pro Display XDR oregon Thunderbolt 4 displays.

I chiefly tested the TS5 Plus with an M4 Pro ‌MacBook Pro‌, but it's besides compatible with Thunderbolt 4 machines. I besides had nary issues utilizing it with my M1 Max ‌MacBook Pro‌, and it worked flawlessly with an M4 ‌MacBook Air‌ arsenic well. You tin besides link to iPads that enactment Thunderbolt, specified arsenic the M4 ‌iPad Pro‌.

For older Macs with basal M1, M2, oregon M3 chips, you tin lone usage 1 outer show with CalDigit's dock. If you person a ‌M1‌/‌M2‌/M3 Max oregon Pro chip, you tin usage dual displays with nary issue.

Bottom Line

If you person a Thunderbolt 5 Mac and request the fastest information transportation speeds on with the quality to thrust precocious solution displays, you're not going to spell incorrect with the TS5 Plus. This is 1 of the astir susceptible Thunderbolt 5 docks connected the market, and its wide enactment of ports are going to enactment for astir immoderate configuration.

Thunderbolt 5 docks are backwards compatible with Thunderbolt 4 machines, truthful it mightiness besides beryllium worthy opting for the TS5 Plus for future-proofing purposes, to get 10GbE, oregon to get the multi-device charging powerfulness that it offers. With 3 36W USB-C ports, you tin astir apt complaint each of your devices with the TS5 Plus, eliminating the request for aggregate cables moving from your table to a powerfulness source.

This is the dock to get if you're looking for the champion Thunderbolt 5 performance, and it's the 1 I'd urge for usage for immoderate nonrecreational setup that involves precocious solution displays and the request for accelerated transportation speeds. It is much costly than immoderate different docks, including the $400 CalDigit TS5 and the $400 Anker Prime, but the other wealth whitethorn beryllium worthy it if you request the flexibility of 20 ports.

How to Buy

The TS5 Plus tin beryllium purchased from the CalDigit website oregon from Amazon for $500.

Note: CalDigit provided MacRumors with a TS5 Plus for the intent of this review. No different compensation was received.
This article, "CalDigit TS5 Plus Dock Review: Maximum Ports, Maximum Power" archetypal appeared connected MacRumors.com

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