ZDNET’s key takeaways

• Kensington’s new SD5000T5 EQ Docking Station goes on sale on September 21 for $400. 
• It is one of the first devices to support the Thunderbolt 5 standard, meaning it supports charging speeds of up to 140W and can send a video signal out to three 4K displays.
• The device’s bulk and high cost may turn people away.

Back in September 2023, Intel announced the next generation of the Thunderbolt connectivity standard: the aptly named Thunderbolt 5. The company promised that updated hardware would support quick data transfer speeds and lightning-fast power delivery.

Also: The best laptop docking stations you can buy 

It’s been a year since then, and we’re finally starting to see devices supporting the standard. One of the best gadgets out there is Kensington’s new SD5000TS Thunderbolt 5 Triple 4K Docking Station. It’s a mouthful of a name, but the moniker fits — the machine can do a lot. It’s a docking station with all the hardware and software features to turn a laptop into a proper desktop PC setup.

View at Kensington

The first thing I noticed when I took the device out of the box was how big it was. It measures 8.9 x 3.8 x 1.6 inches. People with small desks may have a hard time finding a place for it. The second thing I noticed was the ridges on the end. These fins do more than just look cool. They increase the surface volume for effective heat dissipation. Docking stations can get quite warm especially since they typically sit at the center of a computer setup. Lower temperatures ensure better performance.

On the front and back are 12 individual ports which include the Thunderbolt 5 inputs, a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port, and a headphone jack. Only one of the Thunderbolt 5 ports supplies 140W power delivery. It’s the input with the laptop and lightning bolt icons above it.

Also: This 11-in-1 docking station instally decluttered my desk and is 44% off

You plug your laptop into this input to access the fast charging feature. To test its charging speeds, I plugged in a dead laptop to see how fast it can charge. The results were very positive. The battery went up to 50 percent in about 45 minutes. The others are downstream ports meant for transferring data. They can still charge laptops albeit more slowly. 

Another major feature is the docking station’s ability to send a video signal out to three 4K displays. I only own two high-res monitors, but at the very least, I can confirm that Kensington’s device supports those ultra-high resolutions. Using my laptop as a source, I played a 4K YouTube livestream on one screen and a 4K movie on another. The image quality on both displays was equally good.

Also: This 12-in-1 Thunderbolt dock has a surpsrise power feature for Windows users

For fast file transfers, you’ll want to utilize the two USB-A ports on the back because they can reach speeds up to 10Gbps. I sent a 10 GB Google Takeout file from the laptop to my main desktop via the dock. The process took a few seconds. It was super fast. The ethernet port does offer 25Gbps, however, you may into admin issues as I did.

ZDNET’s buying advice

Kensington’s SD5000TS goes on sale on September 21 for $399.99. It is rather expensive although I argue it is worth the price. The docking station is very useful for people who prefer using a laptop. Something to keep in mind is the model only works on a limited number of devices. Your computer must either be running Windows 11 or macOS 14.5. Older MacBooks cannot support the machine, unfortunately. 

If that’s a dealbreaker, we also recommend the CalDigit TS4. It runs the older Thunderbolt 4 standard but the docking station comes highly recommended. CalDigit’s model is still expensive. A great cheap option is the Baseus 10-in-1 Docking Station.