At a look

Expert’s Rating

Pros

• Rock-solid stability
• The solely (?) dock with RGB lighting

Cons

• Average to barely poor efficiency
• Lack of devoted show ports
• The next price ticket than what rivals cost

Our Verdict

The Razer Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma is a surprisingly sturdy Thunderbolt 4 dock, marred solely by the shortage of show ports and a price ticket that’s aimed on the gamer market.

Price When Reviewed

$329.99

Best Prices Today: Razer Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma

$309.99

$309.99

$329.99

$329.99

The Razer Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma may be the one Thunderbolt 4 dock in the marketplace that boasts RGB lighting. But that doesn’t cease it from excelling in different areas, although with a price ticket that’s a bit excessive for our tastes.

As you would possibly anticipate, the Razer Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma trades a little bit of utility for aesthetics. While another docks embody informative labels describing the ports and even their capabilities, Razer’s dock doesn’t. It’s as much as you to learn the guide and decide that there are three 10Gbps USB-A ports, three upstream Thunderbolt 4 ports, a downstream Thunderbolt 4 port, gigabit Ethernet, a 3.5mm audio jack, and an unspecified SD card reader.

And, in fact, the undercarriage RGB lights. After all, it don’t imply a factor if it ain’t bought that bling, proper?

Further studying: See our roundup of the best Thunderbolt docks to study competing merchandise.

What are the Razer Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma’s specs?

Let’s deal with the performance first. Razer’s Thunderbolt 4 Dock options the three upstream Thunderbolt connections, which makes it, considerably weirdly, extra of a dock for the Macintosh market. While we’re seeing an increasing number of shows embody USB-C inputs, Apple-branded shows emphasize them greater than the broader ecosystem of Windows displays. All which means is that you could have to order some USB-C to Thunderbolt cables to attach the dock to any current shows in your desk. (The linked cables are rated for 4K60 connectivity, which not all cables are.) There’s additionally a 2.62-foot Thunderbolt 4 cable to attach your PC.

Otherwise, the dock contains three 10Gbps USB-A ports, an SD (UHS-II) card reader, gigabit Ethernet, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The 135W energy adapter provides a rated 90W of energy to the laptop computer, which we couldn’t push previous 76.5W in our exams. Each USB-A port produced 2.46W, adequate to cost a cellphone, albeit slowly.

Mark Hachman / IDG

For fast-charging a cellphone, you’ll wish to join your cellphone’s USB-C energy cable to the “extra” Thunderbolt port. That port produced 10.86W, sufficient to fast-charge a smartphone. Razer says that the Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma is rated for 2 4K shows at 60Hz, which it certainly helps.

Physically, Razer’s dock is made out of a jet-black hunk of metallic, which tends to draw fingerprints readily. Heat gained’t be an issue, though the dock does get reasonably heat. Again, nothing is labeled, save for the snake-like Razer emblem on the high. (The emblem doesn’t gentle up.) The dock is of about common measurement for a Thunderbolt dock, measuring 7.5 inches by 2.9 inches, and about an inch thick. Razer says it weighs about 0.75 kilos.

We usually don’t consider Thunderbolt docks as transportable (until they’re specified as such) however the comparatively small measurement of the related energy brick and dock imply that you possibly can presumably carry it on the highway. (The energy brick is definitely smaller than the dock itself.) That’s not at all times the case.

Mark Hachman / IDG

Underneath, although, is the place the magic occurs. If you personal a desktop PC with RGB lighting, you’ll be completely satisfied to know that that Razer’s Dock Chroma has an RGB strip that may cycle by means of the spectrum in quite a lot of totally different patterns which you could specify, doubtlessly coordinating with different Razer {hardware} by way of the Razer Synapse app. (Synapse doesn’t look like vital for the dock to function, however the app will load as soon as you put in the dock.)

I already personal a Razer DeathAdder mouse, one of many few lefty gaming mice. Its RGB pulses on and off, and the Synapse app doesn’t permit me to manage it. With Razer’s Dock Chroma, you may select very sedate patterns by way of the Synapse app to both very gently cycle by means of the colour spectrum, or choose extra aggressive “wave” or “fire” patterns. You may also create your personal patterns with the associated Chroma software program. Synapse additionally adjusts the amount of the audio that’s routed by means of the dock’s 3.5mm jack.

Finally, the Synapse app additionally controls the brightness of the RGB lighting — so, sure, you may dim it to zero and successfully flip off the RGB lighting solely.

Mark Hachman / IDG

How does the Razer Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma carry out?

Razer’s dock gave me no issues in any respect from a stability standpoint, with no random monitor disconnects. It was merely rock stable. The RGB controls labored as anticipated, and the Chroma software program correctly adjusted the lighting and quantity, too.

Using the PCMark storage benchmark linked to an exterior SSD, the Dock Chroma’s out there storage throughput was 124.79MB/s, about on par with different docks although a bit slower. The benchmark rating, 817, was additionally slower than different docks produced.

On the opposite hand, my streaming check was rock-solid, with hardly any dropped frames. That check is carried out by itself (streaming a 4K60 video over the dock’s Ethernet jack), and noting any dropped frames. The dock was additionally almost excellent (4 frames dropped out of 10,000) when streaming video whereas performing the storage check over the identical Thunderbolt connection. That’s an excellent indication that you simply’ll be capable to switch knowledge within the background whereas utilizing the dock for different duties.

The Razer Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma isn’t only a flashy dock geared toward avid gamers who’re prepared to pay additional for some RGB bling — and obtain a poor expertise in return. However, the worth tag ought to provide you with pause. For these prepared to pay the additional cash, although, the Razer Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma actually earns our endorsement.