Reddit mentions of Microsoft Surface Dock (Pd9-00003),Black

Getting ready for back-to-school and just built a new workstation for my wife:

• Ikea Galant/Bekant desk (~$250)
  
• Surface Go 8GB/128GB/Burgundy (~$650)
  
• LG 25" Ultrawide monitor (~$150)
  
• MS classic Intellimouse (~$25)
  
• Dell compact TKF keyboard (freebie with some old desktop)
  
• Loctek D5D dual gas-adjustable VESA arms (~$70)
  
• Vertical VESA dock ($49.99)
  
• MS OEM dock electronics (~$130)
  
• various cables/adapters (~$20)
  
  edit: added approximate prices and Amazon links for the setup

It's $135 on Amazon, and that includes what is otherwise an $80 charger.

https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-PD9-00003-Surface-Dock/dp/B0163HP38W?th=1

https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Surface-Dock-Compatible-Book/dp/B0163HP38W

>" I have seen horrible reviews about the dock "

Where was these reviews? As I see it at 4stars.

Picked mine up on Amazon for $126 last year and have had zero issues with it.

Driving dual 2k 23" displays and two external hard drives,Novation 49-keyboard Midi,usb SD card reader,etc...

Eh?
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/d/Microsoft-Surface-Dock/8QRH2NPZ0S0P

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Microsoft-Surface-Dock/47167967

https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-PD9-00003-Surface-Dock/dp/B0163HP38W

Or you could go with a USB 3.0 docking station.

What if an asteroid hits?

The dock has two DP ports, no HDMI. You can see all the ports in the pics on the Amazon product page here. If you need HDMI to Mini-DP converter, you can get the one I use here. I prefer surface dock because I love how easy it is to connect the Surface connect port to my computer and then just have charging, displays, and all my USB-stuff just work. If you get a USB-C dock, even if it does charging, I can't guarantee that it will charge it well. The SP7 seems to charge slower on USB-C than on Surface Connect port. If you plan on plugging in but then also having a port to run your dock, you should look at this USB-C dock. But again, I love that the Surface Dock does everything in one connection, and then my USB-C port is still available if I need to connect anything that way.

There is a Surface Dock

The current version of the Surface Dock does indeed work with the Book 2. This is the current version:

https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-PD9-00003-Surface-Dock/dp/B0163HP38W/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1511801382&sr=8-3&keywords=surface+dock

(This version looks like a brick covered in ports, and connects to the Surface via a cable. Older versions directly held the Surface (Pro) inside of the dock).

This is exactly what I have on my desk. The Surface Dock goes to my Surface Book 2, and DisplayPort-to-DVI cables go to my monitors.

https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-PD9-00003-Surface-Dock/dp/B0163HP38W/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1510897172&sr=1-4&keywords=surface+dock&dpID=31TvMHc217L&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

That's a completely fine system for nearly any student or professional use.

The amount of storage might be a bit low, but if that's what you can afford right now, you can easily work around this:

1. Expand your available media and document storage if needed using a micro SD card. Samsung EVO Select is a good brand and the Select cards are faster than earlier generation models.
   
   
2. Use the cloud. Your school will likely issue you either a Microsoft Office 365 or Google GSuite account, and you can keep your files entirely online or sync what you need to your device using OneDrive or Google Drive.
   
   
3. Add an external SSD like a Samsung T5 (most expensive and least convenient option, but there if you need it)
   
   If you find yourself needing more ports when you are out and about, you can add this great SP6 expander from Juiced Systems:
   
   https://juicedsystems.com/products/optix-adapter-surface-pro-6-multifunction-adapter
   
   If you want to use your Surface as a desktop PC in your dorm room (and have an external monitor, keyboard and mouse) then you may enjoy the Surface Dock:
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-PD9-00003-Surface-Dock/dp/B0163HP38W

You can add this to any USB-Hub.

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-External-Multi-Monitor-Graphics-USB32HDEH/dp/B00C2AS5C6, but it's only the HDMI, and it's already $80.

Since $129 for the Surface Dock is "criminal", I'm not sure what's "acceptable". I recommended this USB-to-HDMI because it's 4k; going forward you don't want to have to replace an entire dock just to get higher def.. Also you want portability, so a small compact USB3 hub would go well. You wouldn't need to pull out the HDMI port unless you needed, making the hub you buy smaller, and cheaper.

EDIT: Note: sending display over USB will eat battery and also not perform very well for rapid programs. It's not terrible, but will slow down depending on what else you send through USB.

/u/SurfaceDocGuy beat me to it!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078N7TB44/

You also need the Surface Dock hardware itself for this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0163HP38W/

While you're at it order a Mini-DisplayPort to DisplayPort cord.

Well this is the post that describes everything you need to make a dock. You can see the prices for everything. While it is marked up a bit but it's not by much considering the manufacturing cost... heres the price for a window surface dock for comparison

$158 on Amazon. Four full-powered USB 3.0 ports.

The surface laptops have a special docking connector called SurfaceConnect ,which is supposed to have more bandwidth than USB 3.1, but I couldn't find a number in my quick google search. It seems like only microsoft has a decent dock with that connector but maybe look around. Could that dock replace the functions of the Aten dock that you linked?

Also what exactly do you need the blackjack dock for? SSDs? SD cards?In any case, I'm sure we can find something comparable. I quickly found this device, the Lexar Professional Workflow HR2. It's not cheap as you need to buy the card readers separately but it supports daisy chaining and should have enough bandwidth to not bottleneck even professional SD cards, I think. If you tell me exactly what kind of storage media you use, then we might be able to find a better solution. Edit: The amazon link isn't very informative about the device, this video is more helpful.

You'll want a Microsoft Surface Dock. Don't mess with cheaper USB docks: they don't provide a single wire connection, and only support emulated (rather than native) video. Performance and convenience will be a lot better with the real thing.

https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-PD9-00003-Surface-Dock/dp/B0163HP38W

If you buy the Surface Dock, make sure to update it to the latest firmware: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/surface-dock-updater

You can use either USB or Bluetooth keyboards and mice with your Surface. I like the Microsoft Surface keyboard and mouse, but any will work fine.

Re. displays: stick to displays that support DisplayPort connections if possible, and use a good quality miniDP to DP cable. If your display has only HDMI connections, you'll want a compatible active miniDP to HDMI adapter.

When you dock your Surface you'll have a choice of how to configure your display output: mirrored, extended desktop, or use the external display exclusively. Most people either extend their desktop or just use the external display. Either way, Windows 10 will automatically switch resolution and scaling.

If you want avoid the minor inconvenience of having to log off / on when docking / undocking (to fix scaling issues with older apps), then consider a 23-24" 4k display. At this size, you can run the display at the same scaling level as the Surface Book display (200%) to have a comfortable desktop. Since both displays are scaled the same, no compatibility issues are created for software.

Good luck.

I don't think usb ports will be a problem. If you need more for a particular task you can always get a usb hub or surface hub.

https://www.amazon.ca/Microsoft-PD9-00003-Surface-Dock-1-18-Inch/dp/B0163HP38W/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=surface+laptop+2+dock&qid=1558050159&s=electronics&sr=1-2

​

You should seriously consider getting a model with more storage, 256GB minimum, 512gb preferably.

Buy the Surface dock, which has two mini display port connections. You’ll need also VGA-Mini Display port adapters. https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-PD9-00003-Surface-Dock/dp/B0163HP38W/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?adgrpid=65409672654&gclid=Cj0KCQjwjYHpBRC4ARIsAI-3GkGPUcL81xl1_EbaqnyO4knxC92Se-4fkXxXbQpDg8IN2byf-1WCrFIaAvrGEALw_wcB&hvadid=330846416153&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9061285&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=b&hvrand=3823495653090634006&hvtargid=kwd-599252746314&hydadcr=20073_9664001&keywords=docking+station+for+surface+pro+6&qid=1562467082&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Amazon has it at ~$125 right now if you're looking for a deal on one.

For anyone asking what kind of docking station he's using, I'm going to go ahead and say the same one I use for my Surface Book: https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Surface-Dock-Compatible-Book/dp/B0163HP38W

Selling this for $140, brand new - unopened. In-laws bought it and never used it.
Microsoft Surface Docking station for Surface 3/4

https://www.amazon.ca/Microsoft-PD9-00003-Surface-Dock-1-18-Inch/dp/B0163HP38W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1518727321&sr=8-2&keywords=microsoft+surface+dock

You could assume the rumors about a spring release for SP5 are true and wait a little or you could [buy it now for $120] (https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Surface-Dock-Compatible-Book/dp/B0163HP38W/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1484305593&sr=1-1&keywords=surface+dock) and sell it with the SP4 when you upgrade. You probably won't lose too much value if you sell everything as a package.

no, all the issues also happen the same on Windows, as mentioned in the video, do you think all the Amazon reviewers all run Linux, too? https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/reviews/B0163HP38W/ref=cm_cr_dp_mb_top?ie=UTF8