I was pretty keen to get my hands on the D-Link DUF-E01, a 14-in-1 Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station.
As Graeme Reardon, Managing Director of D-Link Australia and New Zealand says, “The DUF-E01 is designed for people who use their laptop as a primary computer and need it to punch well above its weight the moment it hits the desk.”
D-Link DUF-E01 Specifications and Features
The D-Link DUF-E01 comes with fourteen ports:
- Thunderbolt 4 upstream: Connects to laptop, 40Gbps, up to 60W PD charging
- Thunderbolt 4 downstream: 40Gbps, supports displays/accessories, 15W output
- HDMI: HDMI 2.1, up to 8K @ 30Hz
- DisplayPort: DP 1.4, up to 8K @ 30Hz
- USB-C: USB 3.2 Gen 2, 10Gbps
- USB-A 10Gbps: USB 3.2 Gen 2 (2x)
- USB-A 5Gbps: USB 3.2 Gen 1
- USB-A 2.0: 480Mbps (2x)
- Ethernet: Gigabit RJ-45 (10/100/1000)
- SD card slot: UHS-II, up to 2TB
- microSD slot: UHS-II, up to 2TB
- Audio jack: 3.5mm combo headset/mic
It is a pretty impressive mix of ports that D-Link has put together. Importantly for me, it is the HDMI and DisplayPort options that is essential to my setup.
Real-World Performance and Daily Use
Setting started is simple, although there are a few things to keep in mind.
The DUF-E01 needs to be powered, and it is via a barrel style DC input with a 135W power adapter rating.
This is a Thunderbolt dock, so you can’t just use any old USB-C cables to hook up the dock. D-Link has provided a half metre cable which is pretty standard. It is short enough to maintain reliable 40Gbps performance.
All you need is that one Thunderbolt cable in, and you get to turn your machine – whether it is Windows or Mac, into something greater than the sum of it’s parts – three screens, gigabit networking, card readers – all ready to roll with no driver installation needed.
Yes, you got that right. The DUF-E01 works with native Thunderbolt operations rather than needing DisplayLink drivers to work.
If you are an Apple user, this works great for MacBook Pro M1 Pro or Max, but the other models such as the M1, M2 and M3s? The restriction is imposed by Apple and there is no getting around that without the DisplayLink component.
I’ll be honest, my early impressions was not great.
My current hardware is:
- Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12
- Win 11 Pro
- HP ZR24w on a DVI to DisplayPort cable, running 1920×1200 at 60Hz
- Dell U2412M on HDMI to HDMI, running 1920×1200 at 60Hz, portrait orientation.
- USB accessories – Logitech Unifying dongle (back), Logitech Lightspeed dongle (back), Maono wireless dongle (front).
Early on in the review cycle, I was experiencing issues with the HDMI connected monitor not coming back to life after the laptop has been in standby and the DUF-E01 powered down. This needed a physical pull of the HDMI plug to reset.
I also experienced far too frequent video link drop outs across the day which were mostly resolved from a clean boot of everything.
After having a chat with D-Link support, they believe that part of the issue was with DisplayLink (left over from another dock I used) not being reinitialised cleanly by Windows and caused a GPU/DisplayLink pipeline desync.
I was also recommended to prevent Windows from suspending my USB ports just in case.
After doing all that was suggested, and removing DisplayLink drivers out of my machine completely, things settled down.
The HDMI related issue went away completely. The drop out of video sync only occur very infrequently. The latter issue exists with other docks that I have used, and with the age of my monitors, the finger seems to be pointing at them as the likely culprit.
As for the ports, the Thunderbolt here is the real star. I tested the USB-C port with my best drive, the pocket rocket Kingston XS1000.
Using USBDeview for speed testing, it was reporting around 720MB/Sec for write, and 976.74 MB/Sec for read.
For a 10Gbps USB port, the real world expectations is ~900–1050 MB/s which is inline with the native performance of the XS1000.
She’s Got the Look: Design and Build Quality
The D-Link DUF-E01 is a white and silver affair, with an fanless aluminium chassis.
With the magnetic stand, the unit is designed to stand vertically and does not take up heaps of room on your desk.
The card readers, two USB-A and one USB-C ports, audio jack and power button are located at the front.
Everything else fits around the back and out of the way.
The stand really adds a bit of aesthetics to something that is supposed to be utilitarian. It also serves to raise the dock off the deck a little so the ports are easier to get to.
Downsides and Limitations
Just a few.
I keep going on about this, I really wish power in is via USB-C rather than a DC barrel. That said the input power is at 135W so you do need a brick that can support that.
But despite that, power to the laptop is max out at 60W and 15W for accessories.
This means it is fine for Ultrabooks, MacBook Airs, most enterprise grade laptops. If you are rocking a gaming laptop, mobile workstations or a 16″ MacBook Pro, this is unlikely to cut it and you are likely o need to connect your standard charger to keep your machine powered.
Lastly, I wish the cable was just a little longer. The included cable is a tight squeeze if the dock is on the far side of your laptop away from the Thunderbolt port. D-Link could go with the 0.8m cable and still maintain reliable 40 Gbps performance.
Final Verdict: Is the D-Link DUF-E01 Worth Buying?
It was a bit of a rocky start to the relationship, but after ironing out the teething problems, the D-Link DUF-E01 has been a pretty solid performer for me.
I love that the readers and ports are actually performing at rated speeds, rather than just looking good on specs.
On top of that, despite having it mostly out of the way, I really dig the look of it.
The D-Link DUF-E01 is not a cheap unit, with a RRP A$599.95, but if you don’t mind it coming in from overseas, the D-Link Amazon store shipping from UK has these at A$330.95 at time of publishing. That is quite a significant savings if this suits your needs.
My only reservation is to make sure that your machine is within the 60W power delivery limits, or be happy to run separate power to laptop and dock.
DRN would like to thank D-Link for providing the review unit and the technical support.
