Whether you carry your laptop everywhere or always leave it at home, you want to have the best possible experience when your machine is sitting at your desk. With a universal base, you can connect your system to multiple monitors and a wide variety of peripherals with additional USB ports. Depending on your needs, you can find budget bases that will go to dual HD monitors via standard USB, or more expensive bases that support USB Type-C and 4K monitors that will work not only with your current laptop, but also with Its the next one. If you only need some additional ports, consider a USB type C hub. Take a look at our port guide to find out all the available ports and the ones you need.
See our USB Type-C accessory guide for more offers. Using Thunderbolt 3? Be sure to consult our explainer, as well as our ranking of the main Thunderbolt 3 docks in the market. If you need 4K content for the new monitors you are using, check our suggestions here.
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Best economic docking station – UD-3900 Dual Display universal docking station
They say get what you need to pay, but the UD-3900 from Plugable offers great performance for less than $ 100. It provides Full HD support to two monitors and has all the ports that the vast majority of users need. If you do not have a 4K monitor on your desktop or a USB Type-C port on your laptop, this will give you everything you have today at a low price.
Top Dock Overall – Connectable USB-C Triple Display Stand
The use of the plug-in USB-C triple display base (UD-ULTCD) feels a bit like living in the future. It works with all newer standards, including USB Type-C for charging and external displays, along with support for a 4K monitor. It is oriented in a vertical position, so you can not keep the dock under your laptop or monitors, but its performance and support for three screens simultaneously makes the Triple Display Dock our best option.
Humanscale M / Connect 2 is something that you are more likely to see in your office than at home. It is a large-scale ergonomic solution with USB Type-C for charging (and a USB type A adapter, if it is not yet ready for the new standard) and is compatible with dual 4K monitors. Its clamp design allows you to keep most of your cables under your desk, allowing for an orderly workspace. It starts around $ 300, although you will have to pay more for a monitor arm to join it.
Una The disadvantage of a dock is that it takes up space on your desk, but the Targus DV1K-4K docking station is easy to hide. The small, well-built dock is designed to fit under your laptop, sporting a non-slip surface to keep your system from sliding down. The dock is also small enough to fit under your monitors, if you prefer. The DV1K-4K is compatible with a 4K monitor and has a ton of USB 3.0 ports, which makes it a solid choice for advanced users.
Most companies have computers USB 3.0 laptops now, but you'll want something with USB Type-C for the future. Look no further than the new Dell D6000 Universal Dock, which has a built-in adapter to easily switch between standards, so you can connect it to almost any laptop. You can go up to 5K on a single screen or operate up to three 4K screens on USB Type-C.
Considering the other Plugable offers, we were not surprised that your Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station is excellent. It's the best we've tested so far, with a reasonable price, the ability to be used both vertically and horizontally and a DisplayPort to HDMI adapter in the box. Charge a laptop while powering up to two 4K displays or a single 5K monitor and has some additional USB 3.0 ports for legacy peripherals.
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Author Bio
Andrew E. Freedman,
Andrew joined Laptopmag.com in 2015, reviewing computers and keeping up to date with the latest news . He has an M.S. in Journalism (Digital Media) from Columbia University. Lover of everything related to games and technology, his previous work has appeared in Kotaku, PCMag and Complex, among others. Follow him on Twitter @FreedmanAE.
