Thank you!

Thank you for the feedback, I appreciate it!

You're welcome, and thank you for stopping by and the nice words. Hope it worked out.

Thank you!

Glad it was helpful, thanks for stopping by!

Hi Eugene... thanks for sharing your experience... please do update us on your TB16 experience. One thing... I had heard a lot of users had issues last year with the TB15... I heard that it was so bad that Dell has since sent a replacement TB16 to those affected users. I can't say, but I'm wondering if part of the problem they had last year was related to their drivers on the laptop... I'm not entirely certain... but generally speaking, I have had a positive XPS 15 9560 Thunderbolt/TB16 experience, and it seems others are as well... so I'm guessing Dell might have worked out not only TB16 hardware/software issues but they may have also improved the laptop drivers that help it all work/interact well. Anyway, I was impressed to hear that Dell sent customers a replacement TB16 to make up for the TB15 issues... I sort of feel if you have any issues, they seem ready to offer support. Here is an example Reddit article mentioning the replacement:: www.reddit.com/r/Dell/comments/5j0w97/got_my_tb15_replacement_the_tb16/) Generally, I really like the laptop... it's been very reliable with Adobe Premiere video editing and Photoshop/photography stuff.... lots of CPU/GPU usage, lots of data/files transferred to/from external disks connected both directly to the laptop USB port, as well as via the TB16's USB ports. That's my core usage and it's worked well. Initially, my system exhibited some quirks but I had some very old drivers installed, like a graphics driver that was like 6 months old and all that. Once those were all updated the laptop's issues went away. Oh, I also found technical tips on the Dell support forum as well as Reddit. You can see comments from myself and other users regarding some issues discussed on Reddit which eventually had good fixes/workarounds. Thanks again for sharing your experience and feedback... best of luck with your new setup!

Thank you!

Hey there, thank you so much for your kind words on the vid! I still have my TB16 and 9560 as my primary laptop, both have been working great... the dock still largely sits next to me on the couch while the laptop is on a tray. Electronics research and development... sounds like you have a fairly deep understanding of these things. Re workstation, that's very kind of you! ... you know what I ended up doing, until I move to a larger place, I have a folding table which is sturdy enough, dock sits just fine next to the laptop, yet I can fold up the table when I want to open the space. It's a nice compromise... those tray tables were of limited use for heavy work... I did more with that tray on the couch than the tray tables which were too wobbly... thanks for stopping by!

@hireplicity, Thank you for the kind words! As far as I know, the TB16 was built/designed for the PC, not Mac. A quick search on Amazon's TB16 listing shows Q/A indicating it is not supported on the Mac. For the Mac, I recommend looking for a dock that specifically calls out support for the Mac in its specifications. Thank you again... and btw... it is 2023 now, forgive the delayed reply, was on long break from channel.

Thank you!

What an awesome compliment... thank you tremendously... and thanks for stopping by!

Hey Gordy, great suggestions, I'll keep those in mind... others may find them helpful too... thanks for stopping by to share that!!

Glad you liked it, thank you! Hope you stop by again sometime.

@GraphicJon, Glad it was helpful... I find it works well either way. I'm still using my same TB16 all these years, works great... sometimes I connect several large ext HDDs to the TB16, they all work well, no issues... quite surprising actually to see that kind of quality with something demanding of multiplexing so much traffic, PCIe, USB, LAN on and on. Thanks for stopping by, best of luck getting your setup going! Oh, btw, forgive the delayed reply, it is September 2023 now, was taking a break.

Got mine from a guy under a canopy on the corner down the street from me. More curious what it was. Mine looks new and cost me 15 bucks with the adapter. Figured the adapter was worth 15 bucks.

Please excuse me for the delayed response... Providing an update has been on my mind... been immersed in things... it's on my "to do" list. I can tell you quickly/generally that I'm satisfied with the TB16. Given my odd usage, where I use the laptop from a laptop tray, the cable gets tugged quite often (because I'm constantly moving the laptop around while I work) which caused the TB16 plastic cable cover to crack apart and came off... so I now see a silver exposed metal plug now... seems to work fine. I believe the TB16 is meant to be used with a laptop on a desk, without as much movement as i put my laptop through while it is connected to the TB16. So I believe I have stressed my TB port/cable more than is typical/expected.

Thank you for the tip... I called Dell to ask about that manual that instructs one on how to remove/install the TB16 cable. I also asked them if they sell a longer cable. They answered "no" they don't sell a longer cable, 0.5m is it. They also told me the instructions to remove/install the cable is for servicing/RMA situations because they apparently send replace docks out without a cable, where the customer removes the old dock cable for use in the replacement dock. I heard that from one support engineer at Dell. I just posted a follow-up video where I discuss this info. I think 0.5m is the limit to reliably maintain 40/Gbps to support up to two 4K displays, USB3, etc., all simultaneously. Thanks again!

Have you tried searching for your laptop's name/model and the message via web search? I'm betting there are other users who've hit the same thing. If under warranty you might try Dell Support too. I don't own a Precision... The following is an experience I had... I have a TB16 with XPS 15 9560. I don't know the specific message you're seeing, but I got a message that sounds like what you're describing during the first months when using my laptop. Details aren't clear but I vaguely recall I experienced a few boot-time issues, similar to what you mention, but not sure if they're exactly the same thing. In one case, I powered off the laptop and TB16, and removed the power cable from the TB16, then reinserted the power cable, started back up and it was fine. It was almost as if the dock needed to be reset via the power cycle ... as if something got out of sync during sleep/hiberate or some such. I did not see that issue all the time... only once in a while... as I recall it had something to do with sleeping/hibernating and resuming where it would then show a message like that. I believe issues like that went away after I'd updated all of my system's drivers and especially the BIOS. I also noticed that my system did not always get BIOS or other update notifications immediately from Dell so I tend to manually check my laptop's support page on the Dell site. You might try checking the Dell site for your laptop's support page to see what BIOS/drivers are available... there may be an FAQ on the message you're seeing. The following link is to a video that outlines how I approach manually checking drivers for my laptop: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/d8-Cd8eW3cXInWg.html I hope you find a fix... followup if you find out anything. Thanks for stopping by!

Thank you for the great suggestion and for stopping by!

+John Callery Thanks John! The monitor is a FHD (1080p) Dell UltraSharp 24 Monitor (U2417H). So 1920x1080 x 60Hz, connected via mDP on display to DisplayPort port on TB16. I assume using about 3.20 Gbit/s of the Thunderbolt 3 bandwidth. Thunderbolt 3 port on TB16 is currently unused. Only currently using DisplayPort, USB, Ethernet ports.

I have not personally had that experience. The only fan noise I really ever hear prominently is that of the XPS 15 when I'm doing something CPU/GPU intensive, such as starting Premiere Pro and doing stuff in there. Encoding video, etc., will do it. I don't do any heavy game play these days but I'd bet that'd startup the fan too. During reboot and other exceptional things like that can start the fans going. Generally, though, like right now while I'm typing this and most all the time for general usage, I never hear a thing. Sometimes fans can start and it depends on how quiet the room is etc. So I believe my fan might be running now for general cooling but I don't tend to hear it. There was some discussion in the comments of another video of mine where someone had asked me about fans and I we talked a bit about it... not sure if it will offer much info but here is a link... kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qZadaK2FubPPeYk.html&lc=UgjxhlImkqANHXgCoAEC.8R4Gz3Mo2Zp8R9wnU4xtN9 Note, that link is supposed to go to the comment but it doesn't really do that... it goes to the video and one of the top comments will be the comment I'm talking about... expand our relies and you'll see it... my reply is a long comment explaining my observations which haven't changed. Generally I hear different levels of apparent fan speed ... but most of the time I don't hear anything (i.e., general browsing, email, word processing, general usage)... any time I startup Premiere Pro or a heavy GPU-using app, that fan gets going... during use of Premiere, it will go quiet at times, but any playback, encoding, "hard work" sort of CPU/GPU bound stuff... the fan will start and can be heard. I come from a very loud 5 year old laptop when I got my XPS 15 so the fan noise when XPS 15 is high/loud is like heaven to me... so there may be relative factor here... if you're used to silence, any fan may be more noticeable. If you are plugging the TB16 into the XPS 15 9560 and immediately hearing really loud GPU-like fan noise... that sounds like something is wrong... make sure your drivers are updated... also, I mentioned this in some other comments in the 15 unboxing... when first getting my system, I used the web site and service code to manually observe drivers, versions, and download things (old school style) instead of relying on the auto-updater. I found out that I got some drivers that were not automatically coming down. Finally, I will install GeForce Experience and download NVIDIA drivers directly from NVIDIA... NVIDIA is often versions ahead of what Dell pushes out... one thing to be aware of if you do that, it may not be a driver that Dell has tested... so far I haven't had any issues doing that, and it actually fixed issues early on. Now that the XPS 15 is a little older, the drivers auto-updating and the purchased systems probably start off on a better footing than the new system (though the new system was fine if you read the support notes on the site to tweak things... but that had to be done to workaround quirky things which eventually got fixed... like you had to download a driver from Intel, things like that, which now you probably don't have to do). Anyway, check your drivers by manually verifying your BIOS ver matches Dell's latest, and all the other core critical drivers, etc. Best of luck figuring out your fan story there... fan noise can be a pain if too noticeable. Take care!

Thank you!

🤣

It seems that the XPS 15 9560 requires the 240W. Site for reference: www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/4/SLN301105/dell-thunderbolt-dock--tb16--information--specifications--frequently-asked-questions?lang=EN

Thanks Arjun! ... I would also add, if you can't find specs/docs, if you call your laptop manufacturer, they should be able to tell you which dock is right for the system you have. I got the TB16 because it was listed as an XPS 15 9560 accessory... I didn't concern myself with the power at the time... I just wanted the right one for my system... Dell's web site had that info. But it might vary from system to system so that is just with the 9560.

Somebody asked about fans a while back. Search for a comment with "fan" at the following link to the "Longer Dell Thunderbolt Dock TB16 Cable?" video... kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qZadaK2FubPPeYk.html&lc=z12itp04pxb2ddkzl04cht3goyadepjqdbw I vaguely recall looking closer at fans... I think I did a test were I noticed little fan noise unless using the Premiere Pro CC video editing application or other intensive GPU work.

I think you're asking if you can connect two different laptops at different times (not simultaneously) to the TB16 docking station, where one laptop has a TB3 Type-C port, and the other laptop has a DisplayPort Type-C port. Obviously, you can connect the laptop that has TB3, so I believe your question boils down to asking if your laptop with DisplayPort Type-C only can be connected via the TB16's TB3 cable for use in a "DisplayPort over USB-C" mode (where that particular laptop will only be using the TB16 as a connection to your DisplayPort displays connected to the TB16). I see conflicting information online about whether the TB16 supports a DisplayPort Type-A laptop for "DisplayPort over USB-C". The TB16 manual on Dell's site... downloads.dell.com/manuals/all-products/esuprt_electronics/esuprt_docking_stations/dell-thunderbolt-dock-tb16_concept_guide_en-us.pdf ...clearly states for the "Hardware Requirements" that "Before using the docking station, ensure that your laptop or PC has a Thunderbolt 3 (Type-C) port." If accurate, this would mean your DisplayPort Type-A only laptop would not work. However, the TB16 web page... www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/19/sln301105/dell-thunderbolt-dock-tb16-information-and-specifications?lang=en ...seems to indicate supporting "PC equipped with DisplayPort over USB-C or Thunderbolt." A web search yielded other conflicting reports... one indicating not supported. I therefore recommend you call Dell to ask them. You might also try doing web searches for TB16 and (quoted) "DisplayPort over USB-C". You might also search for the same but add your DisplayPort Type-C laptop's model/name (try various searches) to see if anyone has your same laptop and used it with a TB16. Best of luck finding a clarification... thanks for stopping by to see the video!!

Wow, that sounds odd... have you tried calling support or searching for answers? I hope you find a fix... disconnecting the dock power cable each time you want to power off must be a pain... sorry to hear about that. Thanks for stopping by to share the experience.

I have not seen the cable come out easily... Despite the TB16 having a short cable, it manages to stay inserted and connected while I'm moving around with the laptop while on the couch. Many months ago I saw a random disconnect... but I haven't seen any sine that time... I saw several BIOS updates since then so maybe one of them fixed an issue... but that is not cable-related... I haven't seen any cable-related issues with random disconnects and I move that thing around a lot while using the laptop.

Hi @miekwavesoundlab It is 2023 now, I still use the TB16 dock all the time... it's a really workhorse... I use it for a display simultaneously with several large external hard drives at once and have yet to see an issue. Forgive my delayed reply, btw, but was on long break from the channel. Thank you for stopping by!

I do not have such issues. My external monitor goes off/on along with the laptop when I use the TB16 power button. When a system has difficulty completely going to sleep, it can be caused by a number of factors. Power setting configuration and troubleshooting can get involved depending on the setup/problems involved. I might perform the following steps which assume my system is setup to enter/exit Sleep when the power button is pressed. First, I usually make sure I’m working with the best setup from which to begin troubleshooting, which means ensuring all operating system updates, drivers, BIOS, device firmware, etc. are properly applied. Also ensure any monitor drivers from the manufacturer are installed. All of the updating may not be required but it’s good to have the most up to date setup with all recommended updates. After that, I’d disconnected all devices and just observe that the dock will cleanly enter/exit Sleep upon power button pushes. Then I will add each device, one by one, after which I’d perform the same power button enter/exit Sleep test after adding each device. As soon as I observe a problem entering Sleep, I’ll remove all hardware except that last added device, and try again. Alternatively, I can plug in only one device at a time, test, remove it, try the next, etc. The idea is to narrow down what hardware, if any, is causing the issue. Once I observe the issue, it usually means the device is not capable of power management or you are missing a driver/firmware update somewhere, usually related to the problematic device. These days that tends to be more rare but it happens. I also use EventVwr (event viewer) System log events to observe power-related events to see why the system entered/exited Sleep. I look for Power and Power Troubleshooter events… other events may help as well. It costs nothing to open EventVwr so there’s no harm in opening and looking at System event to see if you can use any of the data. I also use the powercfg.exe tool to run “powercfg /SleepStudy” and “powercfg /SystemSleepDiagnostics” which each produce reports that are loadable in a browser. Each report has useful information toward understanding power-related problems or generally behavior and efficiency. EventVwr is available via Start/EventVwr … powercfg.exe is used from an elevated command line and is for more advanced users.

@@AshleyPurring Dell acknowledges the problem is with heir hardware and accepted I return the dock to them.

@@AdebolaAdenuga Glad you got it worked out, hope your replacement dock offers a better experience, thanks for the update.

+DOGwithanO Thank you for watching and your feedback. I have not considered a skin but it sounds like a smart idea to protect it, perhaps add some style. Re music feedback... I'll work toward doing that on the next one... Thanks you for letting me know your pref there!

Great idea, thanks! My only concern is it may not be a supported configuration... I could be old school on this but... sometimes hardware gets tested by manufacturers mostly in supported configurations more than otherwise and shortcomings about unsupported configurations may therefore be unknown... for example, the fan in the TB16 may not function as well in response to gravity when in the inverted position... it may also not cool as well given overall design (i.e., location of ventilation and expectation of heat rising)... the mfg likely tested it for the proper positioning/config... meaning there could be a number of hidden risks when operating equipment in unsupported configurations... this has kept me from keeping it upside down... others have suggested similar workarounds.

That is wisdom... thank you! I just don't have the space right now... I've been thinking of rearranging things... messages like yours may help get me to reevaluate my priorities, perhaps kicking me in the right direction. :) Thanks again!

ergonomics mainly depends on how you set up your workspace, it doesnt depends on the dock designs.. Just saying

Yes you can close the lid and use an external monitor only.

it doesnt deliver enough power. Even the most powerful usb c power supplies dont charge the power hungry xps 15.

it has 240W power. Thats more than enough for the XPS, something must be wrong

@MyIronman8, It's 2023 now but fwiw I wanted to use it to spec... I guess I could have tried some active extension but decided not to... the details escape me at this time, but active cables were expensive with no guarantees, all indications were that the dock's cable had to be used as is given specs and no official product claiming support beyond (including from Dell), the overall system was new and under warranty, didn't want to start plugging 3rd party active cables into it, could not afford failure. Keep in mind, when you buy a product that is relative new, using latest tech (as it was then), you are gaining the benefit of manufacturer testing. While there are times to experiment beyond specs, sometimes it's both feasible and comfortable and successful to stick within specs and use the device under warranty per vendor recommendations. I found a way to use its existing cable just fine to spec ... my initial usage was on those trays and on the couch but I eventually moved to a desk situation which is more manageable. I still use the system to this day, sometimes with several USB hard drives connected... I'm shocked that I have not seen some drive or data issue but no no issues yet, very pleased with the TB16. So the TB16 is old but a good workhorse. It is 2023 now, forgive the delayed reply, was on long break from channel.

Forgive my delayed reply, it's 2023 now... I'm certain you're past the question but, yes, I still use that dock quite often, it's a workhorse, works nicely. I did have to replace the cable once... but overall it's been good to me. I've used it for displays and quite a bit of work with large external storage, have not had any issues with either. So it's a old dock now, maybe not available new any more but I do still use it, it is good, I'd easily look at another of their docking stations again if I were in the market for one.

What do you mean by "share the same power delivery?" I assume you mean wattage... if so, definitely not. For my laptop, I got the TB16 240W... it has 130w for the laptop and more for itself and connected peripherals. I typically check with a laptop manufacturer to find out their recommendations for my model laptop so I can purchase the correct item. For my laptop, Dell specified 240W which is how I chose that one. If you mean the same physical port on the laptop, no... TB16 inserts into USBC port on laptop, whereas laptop power adapter has a 4.5 mm DC power adapter plug that inserts into the laptop's DC socket. I do not require the power adapter if the dock is connected... so the dock can power the laptop without the adapter used... I therefore use the power adapter if traveling or at home when I don't need the dock.

@@AshleyPurring Yeah thanks for your reply, I own the same laptop as yours but I was wondering when connecting this dock via usb-c, will it share the same power delivery like XPS ac adaptor. :)

Thanks for watching the video! ... The monitor is a Dell UltraSharp 24 InfinityEdge Monitor (U2417H). Here is my unboxing video for the monitor: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qa98n9mcnLjKYJ8.html

Thank You for the reply,, keep up the good work with your videos, good info

@bilalqadir1438, It is 2023 now, forgive the delayed reply, was on long break from channel. You may be past your question but fwiw you can easily check the specs yourself at the following link. downloads.dell.com/manuals/all-products/esuprt_electronics/esuprt_docking_stations/dell-thunderbolt-dock-tb16_concept_guide_en-us.pdf

@MannyNCF 😀 I'm glad you enjoyed parts of this video... thank you for sharing that!

I power my laptop just fine with the dock. The dock is matched for my laptop... I have a 9560 and the TB-16.

Sorry for the delay... I myself don't know how well it works on on other systems. The "System Requirements" state... "PC equipped with DisplayPort over USB-C or Thunderbolt" so maybe other systems with any of will work. I would call Dell support to ask before purchasing. I just did a web search for "tb16 non dell" and one top reddit hit seemed to have good advice... Thunderbolt 3 is supposed to represent cross-compat but the person posting that said they would not personally buy any dock not expressed as compat by the laptop maker (because of the relative maturity of Thunderbolt 3)... If me I'd check with Dell and laptop specs... maybe take a chance if there's a return policy... then I could always return it if it failed.

Thank you for watching the vid! ... You can see some compatibility specs on the TB16 spec's site at the following link... www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-business-thunderbolt-dock-tb16-with-240w-adapter/apd/452-bcnu/pc-accessories For any non-standard usages, you should contact Dell pre-sales support or just support... I believe the TB16 dock is compat with not only XPS 15 9560 (the "2017" XPS 15) but also older ones per the specs listed at the link above as well as what I've seen online.

@@AshleyPurring it

Thanks for watching the video! I hear the cable length limitation is because it's required given TB standards coupled with what they're accomplishing over that cable and their laptops that use it. Some suggested (and I sort think this sounds possible) that it cost much more to have a longer active cable so it's also about keeping pricing down without a more elaborate longer active cable. It's been remarkably reliable for me and I've found ways to work with the short cable... if you have a desk it shouldn't be nearly as involved to use as my use case (no desk but tray table settup).

@@AshleyPurringI am having a fine time watching your video on this dock. I think for some $350. Dell could give a cable extension … I am looking at the TB18 dock (required for my Dell 7530) which from Dell is getting close to $390 at this 12/20/18 post.

@abdoubbr3181 You mean the dock as a whole? It allows you to carry just a laptop all day for mobile usage but then sit at a desk and connect it to the dock to have many more things connected such as several displays, LAN, USB, Thunderbolt, and so on. It essentially lets you expand the laptops connectivity extraordinarily so for times when you are not mobile or moving around with your laptop. At least this viewpoint relates to my personal use case.

Great question... not enough space, I may move soon, and budget... maybe after I move which would be a more optimum time anyway.

I agree it's not optimum but it's what I personally have and I've been quite productive given the limited arrangement... thought I agree with you, I'd love to have a nice chair and desk... maybe sometime in the future! :) Thanks for watching the vid!