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    Docking Station/Port Replicator for the XPS m1330

    Discussion in 'Accessories' started by booji, Jan 31, 2008.

  1. booji

    booji Notebook Deity

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    Hi Fellow Forum Members,

    As I await my XPS m1330, I was looking into buying a few accessories, which I know will be a necessity since I use my laptop at work, home, and on the go. I am thus looking for a good dock/port replicator (similar to the D-Dock used on Dell's D series notebooks). My main requirement is that all my peripherals and power would need to connect to the dock, and I can just undock my xps and take it on the go. I appreciate your suggestions.


    Thanks in advance,

    booji
     
    booji, Jan 31, 2008
    #1
  2. Greg

    Greg Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    There is no dock available that can provide power. There will never be, since there is no actual docking connector on the laptop.

    Something like a Kensington or Belkin ExpressCard dock can do everything EXCEPT for power supply.
     
    Greg, Jan 31, 2008
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  3. booji

    booji Notebook Deity

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    Hi Greg,

    Thank you for the quick reply. Do you have a link to any of the items that you mentioned?
     
    booji, Jan 31, 2008
    #3
  4. swarmer

    swarmer beep beep

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    I would just get a USB port expander, and plug in AC power and HDMI video separately.
     
    swarmer, Jan 31, 2008
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  5. booji

    booji Notebook Deity

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    That probably looks like what I would have to do. I really enjoyed just having to undock my Dell D series notebooks and its a pity that they didnt integrate the dock connector into the XPS line. In any case, do you guys have any suggestions for the USB port replicators??
     
    booji, Jan 31, 2008
    #5
  6. jedolley

    jedolley Notebook Evangelist

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    jedolley, Feb 1, 2008
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  7. nizzy1115

    nizzy1115 Notebook Prophet

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    You should have gotten a latitude then. They all have docking stations...They are business machines after all.
     
    nizzy1115, Feb 1, 2008
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  8. booji

    booji Notebook Deity

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    I have had enough with the D-series and wanted something a little more stylish and powerful. Everything in life comes at a cost doesnt it.... I have no problem using a port replicator as this will get everything I need accomplished, except for the power.

    Thanks everyone!
     
    booji, Feb 2, 2008
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  9. bpfjr

    bpfjr Newbie

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    bpfjr, Feb 5, 2008
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  10. DMANbluesfreak

    DMANbluesfreak Notebook Consultant

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    It would probably be cheaper to just buy a USB hub and plug in the VGA or DVI for your monitor and the power cable. I do this and its to too bad, I have a USB mouse, keyboard, external HDD, Zune sync cable, and laptop cooler coming from my usb hub. I plug in one USB cable, ethernet cable, and power cable (sometimes VGA depending on what I'm doing). Its not hard, and was about 10% of the price of a comparable docking station.

    The only qualm I have is that the USB transfer speed is limited to about 16mb/s, where I'd normally get about 22-23 when transferring files to my external. I'll just plug the external straight into the computer when I need to transfer a lot of files, though (which is very rarely).
     
    DMANbluesfreak, Feb 5, 2008
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  11. Syndrome

    Syndrome Torque Matters

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    Dell are complete idiots for not putting the dock on all of their XPS notebooks, I think they finally started putting it on the 17" but other than that you have to get a Latitude to get the docking feature, and its well worth it.
     
    Syndrome, Feb 5, 2008
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  12. xileS

    xileS Notebook Geek

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    I also have an m1330 and I'm planning to use this laptop as desktop replacer. So I need a good docking station.

    On the internet I saw one of Belkin and one of Targus, does anyone have one of these working with the m1330? Because I don’t want to plug each cable separately and I want to use the DVI of my monitor. With one of these docking station I just have to plug 2 cables (1 for the power and 1 for the rest in the ExpressCard input).

    Does anyone know or this will work well with the m1330 and can replace my desktop system? Or does anybody know a better docking station?

    Thanks in advance,

    xileS
     
    xileS, May 10, 2008
    #12
  13. xileS

    xileS Notebook Geek

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    Some copy paste from another thread:

    So I'm now thinking to get a docking station from Targus or one from Toshiba. But I don't know which to choose. Is there maybe anybody who has experience with one or 2 of these docking station (or another one). Please share information.
     
    xileS, May 10, 2008
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  14. SoundsGood

    SoundsGood Notebook Virtuoso

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    I'd like to hear more about that DynaDock as well.
     
    SoundsGood, May 11, 2008
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  15. xileS

    xileS Notebook Geek

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    *topic kick

    Is there really nobody who uses a universal docking station? Please share some information. Can I better get a Targus or a Thosiba DyndaDock for my xps 1330? Or aren't both not good enough, to replace a desktop?
     
    xileS, May 25, 2008
    #15