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CalDigit TS5 Plus vs Microsoft Surface Dock 2: Comparison

CalDigit TS5 Plus and Microsoft Surface Dock 2 separate most on total ports: CalDigit TS5 Plus at 20, Microsoft Surface Dock 2 at 7, 65% in favour of CalDigit TS5 Plus. Power Delivery splits them by another 14%, again favouring CalDigit TS5 Plus. They match on 5 other specifications, including ethernet, bus powered and displaylink driver required.

CalDigit TS5 Plus (Thunderbolt 5 / 20 Ports / 140W Host Charging / Dual 8K@60Hz / 10GbE / ~$500)
CalDigitCalDigit TS5 Plus
Microsoft Surface Dock 2 (USB4/USB-C / 6 Ports / 100W Host Charging / Dual 4K@60Hz / Windows / ~$220)
MicrosoftMicrosoft Surface Dock 2

Specs

Specification
CalDigit TS5 Plus (Thunderbolt 5 / 20 Ports / 140W Host Charging / Dual 8K@60Hz / 10GbE / ~$500)
CalDigit TS5 Plus
Microsoft Surface Dock 2 (USB4/USB-C / 6 Ports / 100W Host Charging / Dual 4K@60Hz / Windows / ~$220)
Microsoft Surface Dock 2
Connection TypeThunderbolt 5Surface Connect
Port Configuration1x TB5 host, 2x TB5 downstream (80Gbps), 5x USB-C 10Gbps, 5x USB-A 10Gbps, DisplayPort 2.1, 10GbE, SD/microSD UHS-II, front/rear 3.5mm audio1x Surface Connect host cable, 2x front USB-C 10Gbps (15W), 2x rear USB-C 10Gbps with DP 1.4 Alt Mode, 2x USB-A 10Gbps, 1x GbE, 1x 3.5mm combo audio
Thunderbolt Version5None
Max Display SupportQuad 4KDual 4K
Max Display ResolutionSingle 8K (DSC); dual 6K@120Hz; quad 4K@144HzDual 4K@60Hz
Host Cable Length1 m0.8 m
Total Ports207-65%
Power Delivery140 W120 W-14%
Host Power Delivery140 W120 W-14%
EthernetYesYes
External PSU Wattage330 W199 W
Bus PoweredNoNo
Video PathThunderbolt NativeDisplayPort Alt Mode
DisplayLink Driver RequiredNoNo
Max Displays Windows32
Max Dual Display Resolution6K4K
Max Dual Display Refresh120 Hz60 Hz
DisplayPort Port Count10
Downstream Thunderbolt Port Count20
USB-A Port Count52
USB-C Data Port Count54
Max USB Data Rate10Gbps10Gbps
Max Downstream USB-C Power36 W15 W
Ethernet Speed10GbE1GbE
Audio Jack ConfigurationFront Combo Plus Rear In And OutSingle Combo
Windows SupportedYesYes
BrandCalDigitMicrosoft
ModelTS5 PlusSurface Dock 2
Price~$500~$220
Source URLhttps://www.caldigit.com/thunderbolt-5-dock-ts5-plus/https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/surface-dock-whats-new ; https://dancharblog.wordpress.com/2020/05/11/microsoft-surface-dock-2/

Verdict

CalDigit TS5 Plus

10 / 10 Expert Rating

Best overall Thunderbolt 5 dock — most ports, best charging, dual 8K@60Hz, and 10GbE for buyers who refuse to compromise.

Microsoft Surface Dock 2

7 / 10 Expert Rating

The right dock only if your fleet is already standardized on Surface hardware.

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