Razer's new Thunderbolt 5 Dock promises faster speeds & a RGB desktop

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in Current Mac Hardware edited July 16

Razer has a new Thunderbolt 5 dock that promises faster speeds and simpler setups with gamer RGB lighting, and it will work with just about any Mac made for the last eight years.

Sleek computer setup with black rectangular docking station, glowing RGB keyboard, and a glowing laptop, all connected by green cables on a dark surface.
Razer's new Thunderbolt dock



On July 15, the company introduced the Razer Thunderbolt 5 Dock, which delivers up to 120Gbps burst bandwidth (80Gbps sustained bidirectional), supports triple 4K displays at up to 144Hz, and provides up to 140W of charging via USBC.

Both products use Intel's new Thunderbolt 5 standard, which can more than double practical Thunderbolt 4 bandwidth.

Unfortunately, Thunderbolt 5 adoption remains limited. Apple's newest high-end Macs include the Mac mini with M4 Pro, the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M4 Pro or M4 Max, and the latest Mac Studio.

Promises of speed and simplicity



The Razer Thunderbolt 5 Dock aims to reduce cable clutter with single-cable connectivity. It supports three 4K displays at 120Hz with proper host support, offers support for up to 8TB of internal SSD storage, and provides charging up to 140W.

Razer also promotes Thunderbolt Share, a KVM-like feature for controlling multiple PCs from one setup. This features only benefit users with Windows laptops.

Most current laptops max out at Thunderbolt 4 or USB4, limiting any speed advantages. When connected to Thunderbolt 4 devices, the Dock defaults to that standard's lower bandwidth and capabilities.

Gaming setup with a sleek black hub, colorful keyboard, and mouse on a purple mat. Cables organized neatly, accompanied by vibrant ambient lighting.
Razer Thunderbolt 5 Dock. Image credit: Razer



While Razer promotes its dock as a creative professional's all-in-one hub, the Black Chroma version adds customizable RGB underglow lighting. This lighting can be controlled using Razer Synapse for Mac on Apple Silicon models running macOS Ventura or later.

Razer Thunderbolt 5 Dock - Pricing and availability



The Razer Thunderbolt 5 Dock is listed at $399.99 on Razer's official store.

The gradual rollout of Thunderbolt 5-compatible PCs means many buyers may not fully benefit until 2025 or 2026. Customers can check Razer's product pages for regional pricing and shipping details.

For the PC gamer, there is also a new Thunderbolt 5 PCI-E GPU enclosure.



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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 3
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,178member
    It's about time that thunderbolt docks are incorporating SSD drives.  This is a long-overdue feature.  Hope Caldigit is taking cues here.  
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  • Reply 2 of 3
    tiredskillstiredskills Posts: 136member
    That's a small package to have the SSD bay and all of that I/O.  I'd be worried about heat.
    williamlondon
     0Likes 1Dislike 0Informatives
  • Reply 3 of 3
    linkmanlinkman Posts: 1,070member
    The least expensive Mac Mini is $600. This dock is listed at $400. Unless the real world price is a lot cheaper than $400 we see a big disparity in what you get what you pay for.
    williamlondon
     0Likes 1Dislike 0Informatives
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