Do you have an e-port or e-port plus replicator? Do you like it?

Might as well pitch my two cents to this thread...

I have the regular PR03X dock and it's alright. The dock does its job of consolidating the six or seven cables that're always connected to my E6400, but I feel like the older D-Dock was a superior product.

The first thing I noticed was that the dock doesn't light up when it's plugged in. You'll need to have a computer connected to the dock before you can see if it's getting power, etc. Not a big deal, but I thought my dock was broken when it first came.

Then the docking mechanism has a fair bit of play. Once my E6400 clicks into place, I can still push it down a couple millimeters, and this play can sometimes make the entire machine/dock system seem a little unstable. I assume this is needed to accommodate bigger machines like the E6500.

Then there was the issue of increased fan movement form docked machines with so and so number of monitors... I noticed increased fan movement without a monitor, but at least the related throttling business has more or less been solved.

If you use the headphone jack on the dock, there's a constant, low level of static. Not quite sure if this is just me, but it does convince me to use my onboard jacks most of the time which partially defeats the purpose of having all my cables on the dock.

And then it costs $80. The D-Docks cost change a bit. Individually, I don't think any of these issues are a big deal, but cumulatively it really makes the dock kind of a meh purchase in my opinion. I'd still get it again though... making it just $20 to $25 cheaper and it'd be a no brainer.

 

I'd like to contribute with my view of Commander Wolf's points:

- The dock not lighting up when plugged in might surprise you at first, but it's really not a disadvantage.

- The docking mechanism does have a bit of play, but I had never noticed it, so I guess IMO the bit of play is small enough not to be noticed under daily usage.

- My experience is actually that the raised laptop while docked helps with the temperatures, and hence with the fan noise. Temperatures are typically 5º to 10º lower when I dock my laptop as opposed to using it undocked on a table. This varies from user to user, so don't take this for granted.

- I have no static at all on my headphone jack on the dock, even if I use headphones instead of speakers. Might be a (slightly) faulty dock of Commander Wolf's, or his better ears.

- As for cost, I agree that it's a bit high. It cost me 100€, which is considerably more than 80$, and when you really think about it it's just a fancy hub. Taylor made for your laptop plus a few others, with a very small docking port, but still, it's a hub. That's my main gripe with it, but I'd pay the 100€ again for it.

 

I think it'd depend on how many items you are plugging in. Dual monitors, USB KB, USB mouse, USB hub, Gbit, speakers...too much to do manually every time you want to use the laptop at a desk. Hence my choice to get a dock+ (ebay!) at the same time as I order the laptop.

 

I love my E-Port Plus. I don't think I can ever go back to an undockable consumer laptop.

 

Thanks for all the feedback, great stuff! I was 95% sure I wanted one, this thread has made it 100%. I will order a new one with 130 watt power adapter as soon as my Precision M4500 arrives.

I had a dock for my inspiron way back when (10 years ago now) and always liked the ease of use.

 

Just about to put my order in, the only remaining issue I wonder about is cooling. At first I had planned to get a decent notebook cooler but I really want a dock because it simply makes life easier when coming and going. Unfortunately (unless I'm missing something), I can't have both.

Anyone have any more insight to share on cooling.

 

First, it's true: you won't be able to use any notebook cooler with the E-port or E-port plus.

Second, the E-port raises the laptop 1-2 cm in the back, so it helps airflow into the bottom suction vents. In my case this effectively cools the laptop a little bit (5 to 10 degrees Celsius under load) when docked, compared to when not docked, but considerably less than a real notebook cooler. Note that this does nothing for idle temperatures since at idle the fan is off (in my case at least).


EDIT -- regarding the power adapter, remember that the E-port and E-port plus are compatible with a wide range of laptops, from the small E4300 to the big M6500. The power adapter that comes with the docking station should be adequate to power the laptop you will connect to it, and have a little extra power to eventually power more USB devices and the small lights on the docking station itself.

In practice, the 90W adapter that came with my E6400 worked well for the 2-3 weeks I had it on the docking station (for testing), so I guess the 130W adapter is a bit overkill. But it's the one that came with the docking station, so...

In any case, you can probably call Dell and ask them what the right adapter should be, and they will ship the correct docking station + adapter package to you.

 

Thanks for your input. I might just be over thinking the whole thing. I just have a lot of concerns about heat and throttling and what not. I hope this new machine (m4500) doesn't sound like a lawnmower and throttle.

 

The dock itself takes very little power and will be powered by the computer's battery if the mains supply goes off. The 130W PSU caters for the whole range of likely notebooks and attachments for the dock.

The convenience of the dock is the ability to slot the computer in and then press the on button on the dock. I would have liked to use a wireless keyboard (ideally backlit) but one needs to have a PS/2 keyboard in order to to get the Fn key emulation working.

John

 

I don't think the dock is supposed to work on battery power. If you try to boot with the laptop docked on battery, it'll complain and refuse to start. I had a power outage recently with my E6400 docked... it wouldn't come out of standby if I left it docked.

Is it different for you, John?