USB-C/Thunderbolt Dock Megathread

No, I did not even know it existed up until now

early report from FW16

On the first attempt, I was unable to get the Dell WD19TB (technically the upgraded version to TB4, which is the same as the WD22TB) to output video via the TB ports.

dual screen via the dock (the two DP ports) worked without issue so far, but triple display out via the dock will require some troubleshooting.

The workaround I used at first was to plug the HDMI for the 3rd monitor directly into the laptop, not the dock.

More to come.

I have the ANKER PowerExpan 13-in-1 USB-C Dock, listed as approved. I am not able to get the Ethernet passthrough or HDMI to work. I have Windows 11 and Ubuntu installed on a AMD Ryzen Framework 13. Any help or suggestions appreciated. I did update the drivers from Framework for the Ryzen.

I noticed that “CADUAL4KDOCK” is marked as “Unsupported” because, the laptop is not being charged - this docking station does NOT support PowerDelivery and will not charge any laptop.

Quick question: In my office I have this StarTech USB-C docking station which supports up to three 4k@60Hz monitors.
I preordered the Framework 16 (7840HS + gpu) and I am planning to use it with Artix Linux (Arch Linux w/o systemd) as my daily driver for gaming and (private) productivity. In the long run, I would like to swap my three monitors with one DQHD display (5120px1440p).

Now to my problem: DisplayLink drivers are a bit of a struggle with Artix. Theoretically speaking, will I be able to use one DQHD display via the docking station at >=60 Hz without drivers over DP-alt mode? I am not that savvy with displays and related hardware, but DQHD are fewer pixels as 4k which the docking station supports. So it should work out of the box, am I right?

Of course, I could just plug in the monitor directly into the laptop. However, I use my setup also to work with another laptop (Windows) my company provides and would like to just have to unplug/plug in one USB-C cable instead of several two times a day. But if I would have to buy another pricy docking station, I will stick with plugging multiple cables.

Thanks in advance!

Displaylink on linux is no fun but even on windows I’d avoid it if at all possible.

If the thing passes through one clean unmolested DP1.4 link you have more than enough bandwidth for that even without dsc or chroma sub-sampling.

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Thanks for your reply :slight_smile:

Yeah. Sadly, I learned that after I had got the docking station and used it for a while when beginning to work nearly 100% from home.
I managed to get all three displays running on Debian with this script displaylink-debian. But with Artix + OpenRC I didn’t get lucky, yet. This is partially the reason, why I want to switch to fewer but bigger monitors.

Well, it says it supports DP 1.4. The first DP/HDMI port supports HDR as well. I hope it does not molest the DP1.4. :smiley: But good to know that it should theoretically work.

Maybe there is a DQHD in my company’s office on which I could test that. Some of my colleagues even use small 4k TV as monitors…

Then there is the mess that is hdmi XD, though you can get active dp1.4(with dsc) to 4k120 hdmi2.1 adapters cause even most native hdmi2.1 ports can’t do that.

I’m lucky my Display has a built-in KVM. That helps a lot working from 2 computers. But then again, I take a 32" 4K screen instead of 2x27" 2K screens.

I’d do the opposite but displays are definitely a matter of taste, and thanks to mst you can easily do both over one cable.

I agree. I however started 100% homeoffice 15 years ago, and all that shiny new tech stuff didn’t work back then. The KVM idea though, did :slight_smile:

Can you add what lapotp is used in the table? Would like to know how well the CalDigit TS4 is working for the FW16 as well as ther FW13 AMD. On the table, is that experience with the Intel (and what gen?) or the AMD?

Based on the date, is this only for the FW13 11th gen Intel?

Any updated table on the CalDigit TS4 and the AMD FW machines?

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Update on the tbt-udz plugable thunderbolt 3 dock

I confirmed last night it works with the Framework 16 7940HS as well. It didn’t charge from the dock, but all other features are okay (displayport still not tested)

Monitors at 4K60Hz over HDMI worked great

I’m able to get 3x monitors working on the Dell WDTB19 (upgraded to TB4, technically), including the max resolutions for each monitor via the dock.

However the resolution and hertz is often lower than expected, depending on the connection order or scenario.

What is the best way to troubleshoot or identify the bottleneck? Some screen in windows? A separate applet or program?

And isn’t TB3 supposed to be entirely supported by FW16’s USB4 implementation?

For every monitor, prepare what Video Timings it uses for how you want to drive it.

VmmDpTool64 from Microsoft Store is the official diagnostic utility for all Synaptics VMM MST-Hubs / Chips. It can create an IO report that shows connection speeds of every connection, bandwidth allocation within MST for each connection that uses MST and for direct outputs it will even show whether DSC decompression is active and what compression ratio it is using. This allows you to identify bottlenecks for all directly connected displays. The VMM53xx series is the most popular MST hub for large docks with its 3 outputs (different chip-variants form 3 DP to 2DP-1 native HDMI), it is in HP, Lenovo, Dell docks and also in many third-party docks with 3 outputs (Anker TB4 dock for example).

Yes, but why? You just wrote that you upgraded your WDTB19 to TB4. So your host would make a USB4 connection no TB3 connection. Either way does not matter. While TB3 is technically ever so slightly faster in raw bandwidth, the Titan Ridge TB3 controller in the WD19TB has exactly the same (or lack thereof) limitations when it comes to DP tunnels as Intel’s TB4 controller. Only difference is in how USB2 & 3 are handled and the additional features of USB4.

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Thanks @Ray519

I downloaded the app and am poking around. Funny in that it sees the correct (maximum resolution and hz) info but the laptop doesn’t handshake into it with 100% accuracy.

the HBR rate looks incorrect for multiple monitors, fwiw.

Is there a guide or FAQ to ensure better usage of the app?

And regarding TB3/USB4: I ask because of fallback and not personally having a full understanding of what TB4/USB4 features are supposed to be working on the FW16. If TB3 compatibility should roll up completely into USB4 (which I think is accurate), then at minimum I should expect TB3 features and bandwidth from the dock (which I’m not getting reliably. I only obtain it after toggling or un/replugging.

As a takeaway for anyone else reading: I do have 3x monitors working (1x4k60, 1xQHD60, 1xFHD60) on the WD22TB4. It can be done.

Show me the report and tell me which monitors. Also, that combination of monitors is low bandwidth overall. The WD19TB can natively run 3x 4K60 and that is not even the limit of its bandwidth, but the limit of amount of main ports and just a common resolution (I have run very much more than that on my 12th gen FW with mine).

AMD has never explicitly spoken on the count of DP tunnels they support and USB4 only requires a single one (vs. the 2 TB4 requires). Basically all other features have long been confirmed / present in AMD’s iGPU generations before.
But there are (very few, but they do exist) people reporting even getting the 2nd DP tunnel from the 7040 CPUs (when I could not find a 2nd DP tunnel on a 6000/Rembrandt-CPU). While I still wonder what AMD is hiding by not giving any sensible specs, it seems AMD has essentially feature parity with Intel’s CPU-integrated TB4 implementation.

And the Dell WD docks run all of the main ports of the first DP tunnel anyway, so as long as you are not connecting displays to the TB-outs, it only uses a single DP tunnel, which AMD supports at the same speeds as Intel. Anything else should be software compatibility issues with DSC not working or AMDs drivers not liking the MST hub. This is a huge problem under Linux, where no matter if Intel or AMD, DSC does not seem to work at all with that family of MST hubs and even MST is buggy as hell, even though it works quite reliably for me under Windows (+Intel).

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Thanks for the offer - will do. What log or dump do I grab?

Dell U2720Q via USB C off the TB ports
Dell S2716DG via HDMI
Uperfect M156F22 via DP

Connection and handshake continues to be finnicky on every boot/connection.

Button is on the right and labelled “I/O Timing Info”. And essentially all the contents of the main text box that will fill with that report.

Reliability of connections is most likely not much you can do about other than trying to switch out the parts that give you the trouble once you narrowed it down. Or try to get the information on which combo is being problematic to the companies involved hoping they’ll fix it with updates.

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Thanks Ray, I have a gut feeling this is an AMD teething issue that an upcoming driver update for the FW16 will fix. Anything look amiss?

Summary

RX: MST 2lane HBR3 mode, EFM enabled, Lock sts: 00100030
Symbol error recently: 8000 8000 0000 0000, in 1s: 8000 8000 0000 0000

RFRM0: 0x0@4.96Hz RGB 6bpc, pixel clock: 0.0MHz, Audio disabled, state 1
HT: 0, VT: 0, HA: 0, VA: 0, HS: 0, VS: 0, HSW: 0, VSW: 0, HPOL: 0, VPOL: 0

TX0: HPD signal is low

RFRM1: 1920x1080@59.82Hz RGB 8bpc, pixel clock: 148.1MHz, Audio enabled, state 8
Audio: 2 channel 48.0KHz 16bits LPCM audio
HT: 2200, VT: 1125, HA: 1920, VA: 1080, HS: 192, VS: 41, HSW: 44, VSW: 5, HPOL: 0, VPOL: 0

TX1: 4lane RBR mode, EFM enabled, SSC disabled, output enabled
1920x1080@59.82Hz RGB 8bpc, pixel clock: 148.1MHz, Audio enabled
HT: 2200, VT: 1125, HA: 1920, VA: 1080, HS: 192, VS: 41, HSW: 44, VSW: 5, HPOL: 0, VPOL: 0
DPCD 202~205h: 77 77 81 03, symbol error recently: 8000 8000 8000 8000, in 1s: 8000 8000 8000 8000

RFRM2: 2560x1440@59.83Hz RGB 8bpc, pixel clock: 241.0MHz, Audio enabled, state 8
Audio: 2 channel 48.0KHz 16bits LPCM audio
HT: 2720, VT: 1481, HA: 2560, VA: 1440, HS: 112, VS: 38, HSW: 32, VSW: 5, HPOL: 0, VPOL: 1

TX2: HPD ON, HDMI output, output enabled
2560x1440@59.82Hz RGB 8bpc, pixel clock: 241.0MHz, Audio enabled
HT: 2720, VT: 1481, HA: 2560, VA: 1440, HS: 112, VS: 38, HSW: 32, VSW: 5, HPOL: 0, VPOL: 1

RX VC slot info (FF means unused):
FF 02 02 02 02 02 02 02 02 02 02 02 02 02 02 02
02 02 02 02 02 02 02 02 02 02 02 02 02 02 01 01
01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01
FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
RFRM VCID list: 00 01 02 00

TX0 VC slot info (FF means unused):
FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
TX0 VCID list: 00-00

TX1 VC slot info (FF means unused):
FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
TX1 VCID list: 00-00

TX2 VC slot info (FF means unused):
FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
TX2 VCID list: 00-00