What do you mean? The exhaust is now totally free as opposed to very close to the table. If anything cooling is better.
I donāt have the physics to prove it, but since I put my laptop there the fan starts less often 
Sorry I should have phrased it a bit better. Since the fan exhausts the hot air out onto the screen, instead of the back of the laptop, wouldnāt it be bad for the laptop to have the screen closed while working on it? I understand that the intake (bottom of the laptop) is free to pull in more air, but itās now harder for it to exhaust the hot air.
@Rodrigo_Luzuriaga the exhaust is facing out of the edge ātowardsā the screen but itās more accurate to say itās pointing at the screen hinge. The L shape of the screen/screen hinge means that where the exhaust is pushing air out ends up being pushed towards the laptopās bottom when the lid is closed. The concern would be is the gap smaller than when the laptop is open, and eyeballing it to me it looks close enough to be non-issue. The other concern would be if where the laptop is exhausting air into is too enclosed, but as long as there is some level of openness around it the hot air should escape via convection as well as the laptopās fan just moving more air into the space and pushing the āoldā hot air out.
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I have a CalDigit TS3 Plus which Iām using with my DIY edition running Ubuntu. Most everything works including audio-- except that two of the ports, one USB-A and one USB-C on the back, keep losing functionality. Itās always the same ports. lsusb shows nothing when a device is connected to those ports.
The maddening thing is, CalDigit support says Linux isnāt supported and wants me to connect it to a Mac or Windows machine to test itā¦ and when I connect it to a Mac, the ports work. Then I switch back to the Framework and the ports still work (yay) but after awhile they stop working again. Has anyone seen an issue like this with a dock in Linux?
@Nicholas_Weininger youāre describing the exact problem I had with a TS3+. At the time, they didnāt have a firmware updater for Windows for it, so I just returned it to Amazon and swore off it. If I used Macs, maybe, but even their Windows support is lacking and just not worth the headache in my opinion.
So a bit of an update on the little dock no one but me seems to care about. 
I got a new 2K monitor today with an HDMI input. It turns out this dock CAN run two external displays.
With one connected itās 2K @ 75 Hz, the highest the new monitor is capable of. With 2 displays, theyāre both 2048x1152@60Hz, so not quite 2K. The specs say 4K@30Hz for 2, so I guess thatās the highest it can do at ~2K?
Setting it was touch-and-go, maybe Linux support is still a little dodgy.
Anyway Iām happy, itās more than I was hoping for.
Iāll update the first post.
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I went ahead and added my experience with my Sonnet Breakaway box and fixed the formatting of the table.
However, it seems like I donāt have permission to mention more than 10 people so I had to break some mentions. If someone else would like to fix those mentions, please go ahead.
Dell WD19TBS seems to be working better w/ Framework Beta BIOS and Drivers, along with Disabling USB Selective Suspend. Not enough time to call supported yet.
Update on Dell WD19TBS, had to reboot the Dock again this morning. Seemed to behave yesterday for the most part.
Iām getting the cheaper CPU, with 1*16 GB ram, and will be running linux. Specific distro is not too important, but Iād rather not require being limited to a specific distro. Iād like to set myself up to have the option of pushing pixels for 3*1440p monitors at 60Hz, or an pixel-pushing with fewer screens (ultra wide, large UHD, etc), ideally while using my laptop screen as well.
Would the Dell 452 be a good choice, or can anyone think of one more suitable/better value?
Just got my batch 4 framework in last week and want to share my setup. Iāve only used this setup for a day or two but it seems like it is going to work well! Note Iāve only tested this with PopOS.
TL;DR: with just a single thunderbolt cable Iām charging the framework, getting ethernet + 3 USB A ports, connecting to a 2K monitor (usb c) and a 4k monitor (hdmi)! All for < $250! This will be so great when moving around the coworking space Iām at.
So while researching all the thunderbolt dock options I came across https://plugable.com/ and eventually their thunderbolt 4 hub: Plugable Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 Hub ā Plugable Technologies
Notably they donāt have a thunderbolt 4 ādockā - instead, they have this hub that serves as the base to build out a more custom dock. The hub itself supports 60W PD and comes with a USB C ā HDMI adapter! I think they could advertise this better, I didnāt realize how this worked until I watched the video: Meet the Plugable Family of Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 Products - YouTube
I paired the hub with this combo ethernet + 3 port USB A adapter: Plugable USB 3.0 3-Port Bus Powered Hub with Gigabit Ethernet ā Plugable Technologies
Ethernet and USB has been super solid but Iāve had a little trouble with the 4k monitor (but this is likely software not hardware/thunderbolt related). Sometimes Iāve had to power cycle the 4k monitor before it displays anything, the display is detected but just wonāt show anything. I also had issues using the 2 displays while fractional scaling was turned on but Iām fine using the native resolution so it isnāt a prob for me!
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Are you still happy with the Anker Apex dock? I want to start with a Thunderbolt 4 dock if possible. I am running Windows 11.
Personally Iām quite happy with my Anker dock, everything works well. Note that Iām only using one monitor.
I looked at HB4 docks but there arenāt so many to choose from, and the reviews I read werenāt stellar.
On top of everything working well (obviously) I care a lot about noise. Any noise is a non starter.
If you try a TB4 dock let us know how it goes
Thanks for the info. I ordered one of the Anker Apex docks. I will be using dual monitors (hopefully). Will let you know how it goes.
Ordered 1 Anker Apex to test myself as well.
We have a few HP USB-C Dock G5 (5TW10UT#ABA) in our office and my initial testing shows that it works without issue.
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I have an older USB DisplayLink dock that was not even branded with a maker or model number. I bought it in 2014 from CableWholesale.com and the part number was 90U3-10100 on their site. It is no longer available, but after loading the DisplayLink drivers for Ubuntu, I did get it to function for video on Ubuntu 21.10. The resolution was basically unusable so I tested almost nothing else. Iām only adding these details in case someone else is looking to buy and wants to know what works/doesnāt ahead of time. I am going to be purchasing one of the docks listed in the links above.
I received my Anker Apex docking station and it seems to be doing well so far with 2 monitors. I did not like the look of having my speakers plug into the front of the dock so I purchased a Creative Sound Blaster Play 3 USB audio card. From an aesthetic perspective I do like how it looks better. I am thinking of buying a USB hub for the other USB-C/Thunderbolt port on the front of the dock with a few USB 3.0 ports and a USB-C port. I do not know if such an animal exists but I will be looking for one tomorrow.
I only have one problem that I have not been able to solve yet. I would like for the docking station to turn on/off my laptop from the dockās power button. Anybody get that to work yet?
Yes, thatās an easy one. Just enable āPower on on AC Powerā on the BIOS, thatās all there is to it.
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Do you know if the on/off switch on dock works to turn on Framework?