Hello everyone,
I have a Lenovo ThinkPad T480s laptop running Fedora 39 Kinoite. I would like to use it in a multi-display setup, so I am looking for a docking station. The laptop has a Thunderbolt 3 port. I have attached the details of my device at the end of the post.
People on Reddit are writing that “all Thunderbolt docking stations should work fine” and that’s obviously not the case… I have this Dell Thunderbolt Dock (WD19TB) at home from work and the displays work when I plug it into the laptop but, for example, my mouse (connected via USB-A) doesn’t work. When I connect it to the DELL laptop provided by the company, there are no problems at all.
Docking station requirements: Ethernet, 3x USB-A, 1x DisplayPort, 1x HDMI.
I have two 1080p displays: 75Hz and 165Hz. Obviously I’m not going to be playing any high-frame-rate games on this laptop, but even on a desktop it’s sometimes nice to see a slightly higher refresh rate. So if it’s possible, I’d like it to be able to display things above 60Hz…
I also have a Steam Deck OLED and would like to be able to use this dock with it.
I don’t want to spend too much money on it. Do you have any experience in this area and can you help me choose?
I am from Poland if it helps in any way (maybe some brands are not available here).
LAPTOP DETAILS
Operating System: Fedora Linux 39
KDE Plasma Version: 5.27.9
KDE Frameworks Version: 5.111.0
Qt Version: 5.15.11
Kernel Version: 6.6.6-200.fc39.x86_64 (64-bit)
Graphics Platform: Wayland
Processors: 8 × Intel® Core™ i7-8550U CPU @ 1.80GHz
Memory: 15.5 GiB of RAM
Graphics Processor: Mesa Intel® UHD Graphics 620
Manufacturer: LENOVO
Product Name: 20L8S0SA00
System Version: ThinkPad T480s
I’ve had success with the official Lenovo docks on my AMD T14 (gen 2) and AMD Z16 (gen 1)
Both required BIOS firmware from the fwup testing repos (I think thats what they are called) before they performed as expected. Before the firmware update I could only get Intel Lenovo’s to work with the docks well in Fedora.
I also had success with the startech docks, offical steamdeck dock (after a firmware update from the steamdeck itself), and a thirdparty $20 steamdeck dock. The official docks should meet your requirements I think. Double check. Go with the startech if the Lenovo tax is too much.
Running Fedora KDE spin for the past few years with the docks.
Edit: docks doesn’t have an i in it :o
I’ve found an after-lease Lenovo 40AC (model no. DBB9003L1) for 265 PLN (~68 USD). Unfortunately, I can’t see any video performance information on Lenovo’s website: https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/acc100356
However, the 40A9 does say that it supports two 1080p 60Hz displays via DisplayPort: https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/acc100348
I assume the 40A9 model is the worse of the two - when I go to my laptop’s specs on the Lenovo website and check for compatibility, the 40A9 is in the USB Dock category and the 40AC is in the Thunderbolt Dock category (what’s the difference?). So with 40AC it’s probably the same at worst, maybe better.
Here is the model I’m using: https://www.lenovo.com/ca/en/p/accessories-and-software/docking/docking_usb-docks-(universal-cable-docks)/40ay0090us
It’s the 40ay Universal USB, not thunderbolt. My AMD T14 would only work with thunderbolt in Windows, refused in Linux. No issues with Intel T14s. (We use strictly Lenovo products at work.) So this might be a better bet for you.
The Z16 works with or without the correct power supply, a T480 should be fine with the one that comes with it.
Not sure of your budget, hopefully it’s not too much for you.
On this page, in the list at the bottom, I can see both the T14 series and the Z16 series. However, there is no T480 (but there is a T490): https://smartfind.lenovo.com/accessories/#/products/40AY0090US So I am not sure if it fits… However, it does allow quite high resolutions at 60Hz (2x 3840x2160 @60Hz), so we can say with some confidence that 165Hz at 1080p won’t be a problem. At 479 PLN (~122 USD), it is still affordable. In general, the case with pricing is that I paid 2200 PLN (~559 USD) for this laptop and I just don’t want the docking station to be half the price of it :)
I think I will risk it with this model, considering the resolution/refresh rate.
I found the T480 here: https://www.lenovo.com/ca/en/p/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpadt/thinkpad-t480/22tp2tt4800
It says this dock is compatible: https://www.lenovo.com/ca/en/p/accessories-and-software/docking/docking_usb-docks-(universal-cable-docks)/40af0135us
Yeah, it looks really good.
https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/wiki/newdocks/
So the 40AY looks like the best choice :) Thanks for your help!
So you’re saying it’s safer to get this USB dock than the Thunderbolt one?
In my experience, yes.
From what I understand after doing some research, these USB docks are the DisplayLink docks, right? I see that people on Reddit are writing that DisplayLink adds some latency etc. so it makes these decs unusable when trying to play games. So I’m assuming it might not be a good idea to get one of those, as I want to use it with the Steam Deck as well?
I cannot find anything that indicates the 40ay uses DisplayLink tech beyond a Reddit post without any credibility. Do a search for “40ay” “displaylink” and you should find a few places saying it is not a DL dock. Can’t seem to find any confirmation in either direction for one or the other, and I’m not sure my Lenovo rep would answer their emails this week :)
Give me a list of games you play that requires high latency and if I have one of them I’ll test it for you. If not I’ll break out StreetFight 3 under FBNeo and see how it feels.
Yes, you’re right. The 40AY isn’t listed here as one that uses DisplayLink: https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/wiki/newdocks/ so I think that’s the best bet for me :)
You can just have a look at the Counter-Strike if it’s not a problem for you, as it’s free to play. Thank you very much!
https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/wiki/newdocks/
https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/wiki/newdocks/