Plugable UD-3900 USB 3.0 Universal Docking Station with Dual Video Outputs for Windows 10, 8.1, 7, & XP (HDMI and DVI / VGA, Gigabit Ethernet, Audio, 6 USB Ports, 20W Power Adapter)

Product Details :
 
One-stop upgrade for your Windows tablet, laptop, or desktop. Connect up to two additional monitors and nine accessories through a single USB cable. Includes the latest drivers and firmware for compatibility with Windows 10 and earlier. Backward compatible with most USB 2.0 PCs. Features two graphics ports: an HDMI port and a DVI-I port with VGA adapter for mirroring/extending your Windows desktop to external monitors, a Gigabit Ethernet port, audio input/output, two USB 3.0 ports, and four USB 2.0 ports.

With graphics, networking, and USB hub chipsets that have been selected and tested together to ensure maximum quality, the UD-3900 provides:
 

• An HDMI and a DVI port for connecting two external monitors and support for resolutions up to 2560×1440* (HDMI only) and DVI / VGA up to 1920×1200 (DVI-to-VGA adapter also included)
• An RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet network port (also supports 10/100 Ethernet)
• External headphone/speaker output jack and a microphone line-in
• Two USB 3.0 ports for accessories (such as an external hard drive or another USB graphics adapter)
• Four USB 2.0 ports (great for legacy devices such as keyboards, mice and printers)

Note: *2560×1440 output only available when using a single HDMI display connected through the dock. If dual displays are connected, each will be limited to a maximum resolution of 1920x1200. 2560x1440 output requires a "High Speed" HDMI cable. 2560x1440 mode will operate at a 50Hz refresh rate; all lower modes support 60Hz refresh. 2560x1440 output requires current DisplayLink drivers and attached monitor must natively support 2560x1440 via HDMI input (most 2560x1600 monitors do not support 2560x1440).

Compatible Systems
 

• Windows 10, 8.1, 7, and XP drivers can be automatically installed by Windows Update (with an existing Internet connection) or can be downloaded from Plugable.
• USB graphics require dual-core 2GHz+ CPU and 2GB RAM for best performance.
• Requires supported Intel / AMD / NVIDIA main GPU and WDDM compatible driver (most recent systems meet this requirement).
• Ethernet port requires full-duplex network infrastructure.
• Updated USB 3.0 host controller drivers and graphics drivers suggested for best performance and compatibility.

Non-Compatible Systems
 

• Cannot be mixed with non-DisplayLink USB graphics adapters and drivers (e.g. MCT, j5, or SMSC).
• Mac OS X, ARM-based versions of Windows (Surface RT) and Linux/Unix are not supported.

Monitor Compatibility
 

• Supports a single HDMI display up to 2560x1440@50Hz, or dual 1920x1080 displays @60Hz
• DVI dual-link connection not supported. 2560x1440 (1440P) resolution only available with native HDMI monitor. 1440P not supported when using HDMI-to-DVI adapter/cable or DVI monitor.

Application Compatibility
 

• Does not support HDCP, and will not allow for playback of encrypted Bluray disks or copy-protected content.
• Suggested for web/productivity software; not recommended for gaming.

Power and Charging
 

• Functions as a USB hub only; no special charging functionality for charging tablets and smartphone devices.
• Does not provide power to attached host laptop or tablet; the host system will still require its power cable/charger.

In the Box

The Plugable UD-3900 comes with a UL certified 5V/4A (20W) power adapter (US AC Wall Outlet Plug, 100-240V 50/60Hz); a USB 3.0 Type-A male to Type-B male cable (USB 2.0 compatible); a passive DVI-to-VGA port adapter; a quick-install guide; and a drivers CD.

User Experience :
Well, with it's USB 3.0 connectivity, and all the touting about the relatively decent graphics performance, I was very much looking forward to this for use on my ASUS Zenbook UX31A with a 3rd generation Intel I5 processor (which as I said, has USB 3.0 Super speed ports). This was connected to a 24" Samsung display at 1080p resolution.

The good:
- Well made and balanced - stays upright pretty easily
- I do appreciate how Plugable uses the Displaylink drivers directly - always gives you the latest version of it
- Drivers installed flawlessly and without a reboot

The not so good:
- There is still noticeable lag in the mouse and keyboard actions
- Dragging things like Windows around your desktop also cause lag, along with tearing of the image. A big bump in CPU use is also noted when this happens
- Youtube drops many, many frames in 720p, and there is compression applied

For regular Excel, and Word, this may prove ideal, but I think I will return the device, and make do with a regular USB 3.0 dock with a USB sound card, and Ethernet adapter, with the penalty of having to plug one additional thing in every time (the HDMI port on my laptop). It's just the laws of computing (cramming 1080p video bandwidth down a USB pipe) that is the limitation.

More Details about Plugable UD-3900 USB 3.0 Universal Docking Station with Dual Video Outputs for Windows 10, 8.1, 7, & XP (HDMI and DVI / VGA, Gigabit Ethernet, Audio, 6 USB Ports, 20W Power Adapter)

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