Does Dell D3100 USB 3.0 Ultra HD triple video docking station offer any true benefit? It features a convenient way to expand the capabilities of your portable PC and customize your desktop computing environment. The Dell Docking Station – USB 3.0 connects your laptop to up to three additional monitors, various external devices and the Internet with a single cable. Get details in Dell D3100 USB 3.0 Ultra HD triple video docking station review. The Dell Docking Station – USB 3.0 is a great choice for corporate environments with Wake-On-LAN and PXE boot.
In the Box
- AC Power Adapter
- HDMI-DVI Adapter
- Dell Docking Station
- USB 3.0 Cable (2ft.)
- Installation Driver CD
- Documentation
Pros & Cons
Pros:
– Small form factor, dosn’t take up a ton of space on your desktop.
– Uses your device’s native video card for processing so if you have a high end GPU you can play games and perform other video intensive tasks
– Supports 3 monitors (2 HDMI and 1 Displayport which you can attach to virtually any monitors even if you have to use adapters). Extra USBs Ethernet, headphones, yay.
– Universal, works on any device running a supported OS and has a USB 3 port.
Cons:
– Not cheap, but you can’t seriously expect it to be for this type of device
Specifications
Product Type: Docking station
Docking Interface: USB
Video Interfaces: 2 x HDMI, DP
Networking: Gigabit Ethernet
Power: Power adapter
Data Link Protocol: Gigabit Ethernet
Interfaces
2 x USB 2.0 – 4 pin USB Type A
3 x SuperSpeed USB 3.0 – 9 pin USB Type A
2 x display / video – HDMI – 19 pin HDMI Type A
1 x display / video – DisplayPort – 20 pin DisplayPort
1 x network – RJ-45
1 x headphones – output – mini-phone 3.5 mm
1 x audio – output – mini-phone 3.5 mm
1 x SuperSpeed USB 3.0 – 9 pin USB Type B
Cables Included
1 x HDMI-DVI adapter – external
1 x SuperSpeed USB cable – external – 2 ft
Security Slot Type: Kensington security slot
Power Device : Power adapter
Dell D3100 USB 3.0 Ultra HD triple video docking station review
Design
This sleek, compact dock unlocks enhanced productivity and entertainment options with highspeed connectivity and support for Ultra HD 4K displays/ The entire base of the unit is rubberised so it should grip to most desk surfaces quite well – however due to it’s light weight any trailing cables at the rear of the unit can displace it.
LED indicator
Power LED Indication
Normal working mode: Bright white light
Platform standby: White light
Power O : Light O
LAN port LED Indication
Connection: Green (Solid green)
Active Link: Amber (blinking)
Ports
– 2 x USB 2.0 to 4 pin USB Type A, 1 x Headphone input and output 3.5 Millimetre
– 3 x SuperSpeed USB 3.0 – 9 pin USB Type A, 1 x network – RJ-45. Designed for Inspiron 15 7567 Gaming, 5459; Latitude 13 7350, 3350, E5270, E5460, E5470, E5570, E7270, E7470; XPS 13 (9343)
– 1 x display / video : DisplayPort output : 20 pin DisplayPort, Super Speed cable
– 2 x display / video : HDMI : 19 pin HDMI Type A, 1x HDMI DVI Adapter included
– Allow for a triple monitor setup, see compatible Dell Models in the Description
Compatibility
For Averatec, For Apple, For Dell, For Compaq, For Acer, Universal, For ASUS, For Alienware.
For Dell Inspiron, For Dell Studio XPS, For Acer Aspire, For Dell Precision, For Dell Inspiron XPS, For Acer Ferrari, For Apple MacBook Pro, For Acer TravelMate, For Apple MacBook Air, Universal, For Apple MacBook, For Acer Aspire One, For Dell XPS, For Apple iBook, For Dell Vostro, For Dell Inspiron Mini, For Dell Latitude ATG, For Acer Extensa, For Dell Studio, For Dell Latitude
Data transfer speed
The Dell Docking Station offers ultra-fast data transfer speeds among connected devices.
4K
At first I was using this to drive two 1080p monitors via HDMI and it handled 3D home design alright but when it came time to upgrade to a single 4K display this dock is completely useless. I’ve tried several different cables from the displayport (it’s the only one that supposedly supports 4k) and two different computers with the same flawed results on Windows 10 of max resolution of 1080p via displayport. Plugging the monitor directly into my computer with the exact same cable I get flawless 4k
When I ran some games it lagged, 3D shooters would be unplayable for me. Even Civilization VI was slow and buggy when played thru the dock HDMI ports. It’s fine on the G5 native display or even on the 40″ TV.
DIY – minimum requirements
Minimum Requirements for Full-Screen Video Playback
Processor: Intel SkyLake i3 or Intel Core i7 2+GHz / AMD Richland A10-575x / AMD
Kaveri A10-7400P or better
Memory: 8GB
Video Card: Intel HD 4000, ATI Radeon HD 8650, NVidia GeForce 7xxM or better, with drivers released specifically for the Windows version.
USB: USB 3.0
Disk: 7200RPM or SSD
If playing UHD content (4K), the system must be capable of decoding the 4K video in the GPU.
Minimum Requirements for Office, Productivity, Web
Processor: Intel Core i3 2+GHz / Intel Core M / AMD Trinity or better
Memory: 4GB
Video Card: Intel HD 4000, ATI Radeon HD7xxx, NVidia GeForce 5xxM or better, with drivers released specifically for the Windows version.
USB: USB 2.0 but USB 3.0 recommended
Dell D3100 USB 3.0 Ultra HD triple video docking station setup
the setup is not as simple as it should be. There is firmware available on the Dell website, as well as on the DisplayLink website, but no native software application for managing the displays once installed. You are forced to use the Windows display management software, which is absolutely not user friendly, especially if you are running triple monitors or more. It takes some time to get everything set up and working properly, but once you get it done, you should not have any further issues.
How to setup Smart TV?
To configure Fit to TV, choose the option from the DisplayLink GUI
You will also see a red border on the DisplayLink screen. The red border shows the size of the new Windows desktop. Use the “+” and “-” controls on the Fit to TV GUI to change the size of the red border until it fits on the TV screen.
Note: Finer configuration of the size of the border can be achieved by holding down the CTRL key and clicking the “+” and “-”
Once the red border is at the edges of the TV screen, click “Apply” to resize the Windows desktop.
Dell D3100 USB 3.0 Ultra HD triple video docking station customer review
Convenient way to connect your peripherals
We recently purchased this Dell Docking Station USB 3.1 (D3100) when we purchased a laptop for home use (we’ve previously only had desktops at home). This docking station is a convenient way to connect your peripherals (monitor, keyboard, printer, etc.) without having to connect them all directly to the laptop. There are plenty of connections for all the various devices we like to use, and everything is working fine. This docking station is quite different from the larger docking stations I remember from my work/office experiences in the past. On a positive note, this device is much smaller, taking up less space in our workspace.
The only downside we’ve noticed is that the dock does not seem to transfer electric power to the connected laptop. We assumed it did, since the dock has a power cord (and our past experience with older docks included a power connection for your PC), but after the first night of use we realized the PC battery was not charging. This was easily addressed by connecting the PC power cord directly to the laptop, and everything has been fine since then. This docking station definitely provides more convenience and a “cleaner” workspace than trying to connect all our peripherals directly to our PC.
By Reviewer at Walmart
