Sabrent, makers of solid state storage options, memory cards, computer accessories, and more, announced a new monitor arm with a built-in Thunderbolt dock.
Called the Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station with Monitor Desk Mount, Sabrent intelligently made use of the space at the base of a monitor arm by jamming it full of essential ports. It’s such an obviously good idea and excellent use of space, especially considering the arm includes cable management, that it’s a wonder the design isn’t more common.
The monitor arm itself doesn’t break with expectations. It is an adjustable single-monitor mount with gas-lift arm support that includes VESA moiunting (75/100) and can support up to 32-inch monitors that weigh 22 pounds (10 kilograms). The gas-lift controls vertical positioning from 0-650mm and the arm plate is capable of 360-degree swivel, 90- to -45-degree tilt, and +/- 90-degree rotation.
The arms have multiple points of articulation and can be combined with Sabrent’s monitor arm upgrade kit that allows for a second monitor arm attached to the same base, adding to the versatility. The company does recommend mounting the dual monitor arm system no higher than the midway point on the central pole for stability purposes.
At the base of the monitor arm at the point where it clamps to the desk is the docking station that includes ports on the left, front, and right sides. On the left, is an HDMI 2.1 port, DisplayPort 1.4, and two Thunderbolt 4 upstream ports. The middle, which faces the front of the desk, features two USB-C 10Gbps 15W PD ports, two USB-A ports (one is 10Gbps with 7.5W PD while the other is a 5Gbps with 5W PD), and both a microSD and SD card reader. The right side sports a 3.5mm audio jack, a RJ45 1GbE Ethernet port, and the DC power jack to operate the whole dock.
Sabrent says that because of the connectivity options, users can combine the station with up to three monitors with output up to 8K@30Hz (DP/HDMI), or 8K@60Hz/4K@144Hz (TB4) singly, and 4K@60Hz (DSC) simultaneously in extended or mirrored display modes. The use of two or three monitors, as well as extended mode, depends on the host hardware. For example, Apple M1, M2, and M3 silicon only support one monitor. MST is required for two or more monitors. Windows is required for three monitors, and both Apple and Linux systems must use the TB4 port for at least one display output in order to engage dual extended mode. Users are, of course, able to connect directly with a host computer rather than use the dock for display, too.
Sabrent’s Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station with Monitor Desk Mount is available for $365 and the optional monitor arm upgrade kit costs $70. The upgrade kit is more in line with the normal cost of a monitor arm (whole kits of high-end single arm solutions can cost around $150), but the base with the dock does increase the cost of Sabrent’s solution above what is normal for monitor solutions without connectivity. Still, that increased cost does come with more versatility and built-in Thunderbolt, DisplayPort, HDMI, and card readers does have value, especially for PC users who keep their computers under their desks and out of reach.
Image credits: Sabrent