There’s nothing like switching from a desktop PC to a gaming laptop to remind you just how many peripherals and accessories need plugging in. Solving a cable crisis isn’t as easy as it would be with a work laptop, either. Office-friendly docking stations rarely play nicely with high refresh rate gaming monitors or low-latency mice and keyboards. The Razer USB4 Dock is the exception, and has (almost) simplified my setup down to a single cable.
The deceptively small dock has 14 different connections, including both HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 inputs. That means it’ll spit out a 4K resolution, 120Hz display signal – and still have enough bandwidth for a second screen running at 60Hz. On top of whatever other gadgets and gear you have hooked up to the rest of its ports.
You’ll find (deep breath) two USB-Cs, a 3.5mm headphone port, SD and microSD card readers, and a single USB-A at the front; three USB-As and Ethernet at the rear next to the display inputs and USB4 output; and an extra USB type-A at the side which is meant to swallow your wireless mouse or keyboard’s 2.4GHz wireless dongle. Razer has set it up to provide a lower input latency than most docks can deliver, so your gaming doesn’t suffer. Everywhere else, the rapid USB3.2 Gen 2 data transfer speeds have been great for plugging in an external SSD.
I’ve got a wireless mouse, keyboard and headset, USB webcam, dongle for a game controller and a Logitech Creative Console all plugged in, which is twice the amount of kit I’d be able to wire up to my gaming laptop normally. There’s zero lag or stutter, and all my inputs register with no noticeable delay. And while I’m not rocking a dual screen setup right now, this dock is making me think I should change that ASAP.
The USB4 connection provides 100W of upstream power, which is higher than many docks that tap out at 90W. There’s also 20W power delivery from one of the front USB-Cs for simultaneously charging your other gadgets. Admittedly this still isn’t enough juice to keep a full-fat gaming laptop fuelled, but my work-supplied MacBook Air has basically become a one-cable workstation.
The dock itself is no bigger than a portable power bank and about as heavy, with a rugged CNC-milled aluminium case. Naturally you can get one in Razer’s trademark black, but the Mercury silver version I was sent would fit right in with a MacOS setup. I’m almost impressed Razer resisted adding RGB lighting – you’ll need the Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma for that, although it’s more expensive, and can’t match the USB4 Dock for 120Hz monitor support.
A thick rubber base stops the Dock sliding around on your desk, and the separate power brick helps keep its dimensions in check – though it’s practically as big as the Dock itself, so will need stashing out of sight if you’re trying to keep cables at bay. It’s something I struggled with in general, though my monitor’s stand and the way my desk is bolted to the wall were equally to blame. I ended up stashing the Dock behind my monitor, where I could still reach the card reader and spare unoccupied USBs easily enough.
At $230/£230 it’s not cheap, and only just undercuts the Anker Prime docking station I was using previously. Anker’s effort adds a flashy front display, more powers and a higher power delivery over USB-C, but it can’t do 120Hz video over HDMI, has no displayPort connections at all, and is considerably chunkier. For its gaming credentials and easily hidden dimensions, I’m sticking with the Razer.
It’s available directly from the Razer web store right now.
