Cable Matters USB4 Mini Dock with Dual DisplayPort (201308) Performance Limitation when Connected to Thunderbolt 3 Hosts

The Cable Matters USB4 Mini Dock with Dual DisplayPort (201308) is fully compatible with USB4 and Thunderbolt 4 hosts. When connected to a Thunderbolt 3 host, the performance of the USB4 Mini Dock is limited. 

Applies To

This article applies to the following Cable Matters products:

• USB4 Mini Dock with Dual DisplayPort (201308)

Symptoms

When connected to a Thunderbolt 3 host, the performance of the USB4 Mini Dock is limited to 10Gbps and is unable to utilize the full 40Gbps bandwidth. The maximum video output is limited to dual 1080p 60hz or a single 4K@30hz display. 

This is due to compatibility limitations between the Thunderbolt 3 protocol and the USB4 chipset inside the Mini Dock. The maximum achievable video resolution will be the same as if connecting to a DisplayPort 1.2 host, as depicted in the chart below. 

Solution

Try upgrading to a Thunderbolt 4 host or a USB4 host. This USB4 Mini Dock is fully compatible with USB4 and Thunderbolt 4 hosts and will achieve the maximum advertised specifications with these hosts. 

To achieve dual 4K@60Hz with a Thunderbolt 3 host, we recommend using a Thunderbolt 3 dock like our 107044 model.