CalDigit TS5 Plus - Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station

TS5 Plus

Pushing the Limits of Connectivity

Over a decade after the original Thunderbolt Station redefined what was possible via a single connection, the TS5 Plus has built on previous generations to offer the ultimate docking station experience. Powered by the latest Thunderbolt 5 technology, the TS5 Plus expands Mac and PC workflows with the most advanced port selection ever included on a Thunderbolt dock.

10 Gigabit Ethernet

At the time, the CalDigit TS4 was the first Thunderbolt 4 dock to include a 2.5GbE port, and with the TS5 Plus we are going 4x better by including a 10GbE port.*

10 Gigabit Ethernet offers 10x the performance of traditional 1GbE found in many docking stations, with a data rate of up to 10 billion bits per second.

Traditionally, if you wanted to use 10GbE with a laptop, you would have needed to buy an external Thunderbolt to 10GbE Adapter. This functionality is now built in, saving you time, and valuable desk space. Of course you can use the 10GbE port on the TS5 Plus with 5GbE, 2.5GbE, and 1GbE devices.

*Ethernet is only supported on Thunderbolt based hosts as well as USB4 hosts that support PCIe. Please contact your USB4 host manufacturers for PCIe support information.

Dual USB Controllers

The TS5 Plus is a unique device, and this is ultimately demonstrated by being the only dock with dual USB controllers*.

Traditional Thunderbolt docks feature a single USB controller that all of the USB, and Thunderbolt ports on the dock share. The TS5 Plus’ dual controllers allow the dock to provide two individual 10Gb/s controllers for increased bandwidth to connected devices. This is a great solution for anyone adding multiple high bandwidth USB devices to their dock.

*The second USB controller is only supported on Thunderbolt based hosts, as well as USB4 hosts that support PCIe. Please contact your USB4 host manufacturer for PCIe support information.

Single, Dual, or Three Displays

Single Monitor

If you’re looking to add a single monitor to the TS5 Plus you can connect it to one of the spare Thunderbolt 5 ports or to the DisplayPort connector. If you wish to connect an HDMI monitor you can use a USB-C to HDMI Adapter or Active DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter ***.

Dual Monitors

✔ macOS users on base M4, M1/M2/M3/M4 Pro, M1/M2/M3/M4 Max, M1/M2/M3 Ultra, or Intel based Macs can connect up to dual displays.

✘ M1/M2/M3 based Macs are limited to 1 external monitor by design via their Thunderbolt ports.

✔ Windows PC Thunderbolt 5 and Thunderbolt 4 users can connect up to dual displays.

Triple Monitors

✘ macOS does not support Triple monitors via a Thunderbolt Dock or Hub.

✔ Windows PC Thunderbolt 5 users can connect up to three displays on supported host computers.

✘ Windows PC Thunderbolt 4 users cannot connect three displays natively.

* Dual 5K monitors must be Thunderbolt 4 or Apple Studio Displays. Dual LG UltraFine 5K monitors are not supported. 6K monitors can be a Thunderbolt 4 monitor or an Apple Pro Display XDR. DSC (Display Stream Compression) support is required for 6K and 8K resolutions.

** Higher refresh-rates (above 60Hz) may require DSC (Display Stream Compression) support on the monitors and host GPU. The bit/color depth may vary in order to support higher refresh-rates.

*** Some M3 MacBooks such as the MacBook Air can support dual external monitors up to 5K and 6K when the laptop lid is closed (clamshell mode).

**** Currently M1/2/3/4 Macs can only support up to HDMI 2.0b over its Thunderbolt ports. As such, resolutions will be limited to 4K 60Hz when using an HDMI adapter. If a higher refresh-rate is required, please use a USB-C to USB-C or USB-C to DisplayPort or DisplayPort to DisplayPort connection. For more information about a Mac’s external display support please Apple's or CalDigit's support webpages.

***** Results may vary due to OS updates. For external display compatibility over a single Thunderbolt connection on different Windows computers, please refer to the manufacturer’s website.