Razer's new Thunderbolt 5 dock is a "seamless upgrade" that won't work with 66% of its gaming laptops

Razer Thunderbolt 5 Dock with SSD compartment open on a green background

(Image credit: Future)

I'm a little confused. Razer just announced its new Thunderbolt 5 dock, a high-speed hub for up to three 4K monitors running from one gaming laptop. The thing is, the only rig in this brand's arsenal that will be able to run it is the Blade 18 - and that thing's already decked out in terms of ports.

Of course, nobody's mad at Razer for producing accessories for other brands' machines; it's just an odd move considering both the Blade 14 and Blade 16 are AMD-based, and therefore rely on USB-4 connections for a similar result. Considering these are some of the best gaming laptops on the market, I can't help but feel a little salty about their limitations.

Razer Thunderbolt 5 Dock | $399.99 at Amazon
Razer's Thunderbolt 5 Dock comes in at $399.99, and that's not unusual for a new-generation hub. Competitors park themselves from $300 - $450, so we're at the higher end of mid-range here. That's with an additional M.2 SSD slot, 11 additional ports, and a 250W power adapter cable included as well. You're getting more than you would from cheaper brands, but investing in a high-end setup in the process.

Buy it if:

✅ You want a full battlestation
✅ You have an Intel gaming laptop
✅ You want to run multiple 4K monitors

Don't buy it if:

❌ You don't need the fancy extras
❌ You have an AMD laptop

UK: £399.99 at Razer

You can't blame Razer for producing accessories that cater to its laptop competition, but the brand's AMD focus for its cheaper rigs (if you can call them cheap at all) seems like it's holding it back in this instance. I love the Razer USB 4 dock, but there are no SSD upgrade options, you're capped at one 4K 120Hz display, and transfer speeds lag behind newer Thunderbolt 5 highways.

Razer Thunderbolt 5 dock with cables positioned along the top edge on a green background — (Image credit: Future)

Those AMD components certainly aren't hurting the best Razer laptops in the performance department, but if you're looking for a fully fledged battle station, Razer's latest Thunderbolt 5 dock further demonstrates that you should ideally be looking elsewhere. That is, of course, if you don't want to invest in a $3,000+ Blade 18.

In that case, the Razer Thunderbolt 5 Dock adds three additional ports to play with (not counting the connection you'll need to tether to your laptop) as well as one old-school USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 and two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 options. All those Thunderbolt sockets also carry DisplayPort DP2.1 connectivity as well.

After something cheaper? Ivanky's Thunderbolt 5 hub is currently on sale for Amazon Prime members. Usually sitting higher than Razer's price tag at $439.99, this 11-in-1 dock is available for $265.99 right now, and carries a similar slimline form factor to Razer's model above. Just note that you're dropping support for an additional SSD bay.

See all Thunderbolt 5 docks at Amazon
Razer Thunderbolt 5 Dock | $399.99 at Amazon
iVanky Thunderbolt 5 dock | ~~$439.99~~ $265.99 at Amazon

We're also rounding up all the best Steam Deck docks for more setup ideas, or check out the best HDMI cables for gaming to tighten up those speeds. Of course, if you're after more Thunderbolt options, check out the best Asus gaming laptops on the market.

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