Review: Plugable 4K Displayport – UD-6950PDZ

The Plugable USBC Triple 4k HDMI and Displayport Display Horizontal Docking Station is a very impressive accessory catered to those who have laptops and are looking to expand their ports and displays. Regardless of its ridiculously long name this device has its uses but for the high price point is it necessary?

The box that the Plugable Displayport comes in is extremely generic and the initial reveal was lacking. Not to mention the single small instruction “booklet” it came with had four pictures and roughly 25 words on it. Under the device you will find its power block and a single USB-C cable. The Plugable Displayport does look nice but its also somewhat generic with it being jet black with white font. In it’s defense it is not exactly intended to be a show piece but maybe a little more pizazz would have helped me feel a bit more excited for this peripheral.

For those who are intending to just plug in the Plugable Displayport and go be warned. That small piece of paper that looked like trash and was probably not important does have a URL on it where you can find the driver software necessary to use this device. If I would have payed more attention to this detail I could have saved myself a full half hour of swearing as I could not understand why my laptop could not detect other displays despite me using the set up as intended.

The Power of Ports

My MSI gaming laptop has always been a powerhouse but its lack of USB ports and video outputs has been a drawback. This is what the Plugable Displayport was designed for. By just using a single USB-C port I now have access to the entire docking station. That includes: two USB-3 ports and an audio out on the front and another 4 (!) USB-3 ports, 3 display ports that support 4K (via displayport or HDMI) and a network adapter on the back. I really only needed another one or two USB-3 ports and somehow gained another 6 and now how two more displays hooked up to my laptop for good measure, both running at 1080p. I also realized I was using my cooling pad incorrectly by it was not getting enough power directly from my laptop but it now works much better being connected through the Displayport.

This also helps greatly for people who are small streamers looking to upgrade their set-up a bit. The Plugable Displayport is on the more expensive side but even with all of my accessories attached at once I still have one empty display and three empty USB-3 ports, not to mention the other ports that are on my laptop are completely free. In other words I can keep expanding my setup in the future without having to worry about running out of ports or completely draining my laptop with everything I have plugged in to it.

With the Plugable Horizontal Displayport I have basically turned my laptop into a tower at a fraction of the price. One of my biggest complaints is that I can not think of any decent way to mount it. I would love to screw it on to the wall or hang it underneath my desk but there is no way I can do that without coming up with some weird Frankenstein option. It is small enough to hide under the desk but that isn’t what I would like to do.

A Few Drawbacks

If you are a novice when it comes to the PC realm you might also have a few issues with the set up. Most of what I set up I figured out through trial and error as there is very little direction to find on the Plugable website or within the box it came. Also, being that this device is so new it is surprising that it only has one USB-C port and that is used to directly link it to your PC. If you need access to more USB-C ports you’re going to have to look into another peripheral to use with this one.

One more point that I have to make is check to see what your PC or laptop supports. If it can only output in HD and not 4K there’s no way to up-res to your other displays, so you are pretty limited based on your device.

Verdict

The Plugable USB-C Triple 4k HDMI and Displayport Display Horizontal Docking Station is a cool item but you can most likely find something more useful at a lower price and I can guarantee it will have a shorter name. You can find it on the Plugable website or on Amazon. It is extremely powerful but incredibly limited in regards to its specific nature. I personally find the Plugable Displayport useful but can not recommend it unless it very specifically meets your needs.