[-] szelbi@lemmy.zip 2 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Unfortunately, where I use the dock there is only a Wi-Fi connection. So I can't say anything about LAN speeds. I copied an 8GB file from the WD7500BPKX via the USB 3 port and the transfer was around 88 MiB/s. However, the transfer itself froze twice for a few seconds, which didn't happen when using the laptop's built-in USB port (speeds were about the same). So it's certainly not ideal...

[-] szelbi@lemmy.zip 6 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

I have a similar problem, but on Lemmy.zip (Lemmy.world looks fine). However, I am running Fedora Kinoite (immutable), where Firefox is not installed as Flatpak.

Main page of Lemmy.world

Main page of Lemmy.zip

[-] szelbi@lemmy.zip 3 points 9 months ago

I've been using Fedora Kinoite for a few months now. Before that, I also hopped between different distros quite a bit, including Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora Workstation, openSUSE. To be honest, I really appreciate the immutable nature of Kinoite and maybe that is why I am really happy with the experience. Even "normal" Fedora Workstation caused a lot of problems during my usage and with Kinoite, nothing like that so far. So I can really recommend it.
There's only one really small problem I've noticed, which is a problem with the rendering of some fonts on web pages (e.g. lemmy.zip). These fonts are not rendered correctly, or are replaced with some default fonts, and they just look weird. There was nothing like this in openSUSE KDE, so I assume the problem is with Kinoite itself, as I have this problem on two machines. However, it is so rare (I only noticed it on two websites) that it can be ignored.

[-] szelbi@lemmy.zip 1 points 9 months ago

As I have mentioned in one of the comments below, I had the security level set to “User Authorization”. I also remember KDE Plasma showing me a popup asking for authorization for the Thunderbolt 3 port. However, I will disable this to make sure the docking station has the correct permissions. I will update you then.
However, it looks like these problems may be caused by the Thunderbolt 3 implementation used in this laptop. Described here: https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/wiki/newdocks/

[-] szelbi@lemmy.zip 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Thanks for the link! I hadn't come across this site before and it explains a lot.
For the Thunderbolt 3, I had the security level set to "User Authorization". I remember KDE Plasma showing me a popup asking for authorization for the Thunderbolt 3 port. I think I will just turn it off to make sure the docking station has the correct permissions. Thunderbolt 3 settings in the Lenovo Thinkpad T480s BIOS

Secure boot has already been disabled.
Secure Boot Configuration in the Lenovo Thinkpad T480s BIOS

When I get home, I'll write about what I've achieved with this DELL docking station when I've finished checking it all out. But it looks like that these problems may be caused by the Thunderbolt implementation used in the laptop, as you wrote...

[-] szelbi@lemmy.zip 1 points 9 months ago

https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/wiki/newdocks/

DisplayLink is not DisplayPort, avoid like the plague. Lenovo docks using this technology include "40AA", "40A7", "40A8" and the Hybrid dock "40AF".

[-] szelbi@lemmy.zip 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

This is definitely more affordable and also has two output ports for the display. The laptop has a 65W charger, so this is no problem at all.

[-] szelbi@lemmy.zip 1 points 9 months ago

Yeah, it looks really good.

[-] szelbi@lemmy.zip 3 points 9 months ago

So you're saying it's safer to get this USB dock than the Thunderbolt one?

[-] szelbi@lemmy.zip 3 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

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.

[-] szelbi@lemmy.zip 3 points 9 months ago

I've already seen this one, but with "Plus" in the name: CalDigit TS3 Plus. Unfortunately, it doesn't have an HDMI port, just a DisplayPort, and it's also quite expensive: 999 PLN (~254 USD).

[-] szelbi@lemmy.zip 3 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

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.

14
submitted 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) by szelbi@lemmy.zip to c/linuxhardware@lemmy.ml

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

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szelbi

joined 9 months ago