Thinkpad Mini-Dock vs. Thinkpad Port Replicator II

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csv96 · #1 Post by **csv96** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 11:55 pm

What's the difference? Which one supports DVI pass-through from a T42p?

G-Man · #2 Post by **G-Man** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 12:16 am

Both support DVI pass-through. Not sure what the difference is (other than their prices).

More info (and a nice movie) on Mini-Dock here, and on Port Replicator II here.

Regards,
G-Man

d4bjd0 · #3 Post by **d4bjd0** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 12:31 am

Also, I think two of the most important differences are: The Mini comes with a power supply (nice to have) and they are on sale now!

-B

tyipengr · #4 Post by **tyipengr** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 12:55 am

The difference between the two is that the Minidock comes with a standard 72 watt AC adapter, probably the exact same one that comes with the Thinkpad, and has a 4 port USB2.0 hub. Other than that they are the same. I'd go for the Mini-dock just for the extra AC adapter, at the IBM promo price that is.

csv96 · #5 Post by **csv96** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 2:34 am

Thanks. By sale, you mean with purchase of a Thinkpad from IBM's site? Or is there another link to just buy the mini dock?

JaimitoBond · #6 Post by **JaimitoBond** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 3:10 am

I got my port replicator for free, it came with the ThinkPad. The money I saved, I got an AC/DC adaptor, so I can use it at home, on the car or plane. The original adaptor stays with the replicator in the office. Port replicator doesn't have a key lock, but it has Kensington lock slot, which will lock both the docked Thinkpad and the replicator.

G-Man · #7 Post by **G-Man** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 7:26 am

csv96 wrote:Thanks. By sale, you mean with purchase of a Thinkpad from IBM's site? Or is there another link to just buy the mini dock?

I think tyipengr meant the Visa or MasterCard discount website. The price I got on the Visa site for the Mini-Dock is $206.10, and for the Port Replicator II. is $161.10. I haven't checked the MasterCard site, but the prices are probably the same.

Update: Or he meant this sale/offer.

Regards,
G-Man

jjfcpa · #8 Post by **jjfcpa** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 7:40 am

One other thing to note, the mini-dock comes with two POWERED usb ports, which means that if you have a device that requires an AC connection (like my optical mouse dock), you may be able to get by without it.

Even though both the mini dock and port replicator support DVI pass thru, they only support max resolutions of 1280 X 1024, so don't buy anything larger than a 19" LCD, like my Samsung 213T, since they are 1600 X 1200. I've talked to ATI about this (which supplies the GPU for IBM's) and they claim all IBM has to do is update their driver to support larger external DVI resolutions. I've called them many times and they haven't done anything about this yet.

Prior to the T42 (I haven't called to check yet), the ONLY models that supported DVI pass thru were the workstation models (the one's with the "p" designation). So CALL before you buy if you want DVI pass thru. Anyone who has seen the difference between analog and digital (DVI) will never use analog again! That's the reason I'm not using my Thinkpad anymore.

For the record, HP and Dell both support 1600 X 1200 DVI pass thru with their port replicators.

cynic · #9 Post by **cynic** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 10:16 am

jjfcpa wrote:Even though both the mini dock and port replicator support DVI pass thru, they only support max resolutions of 1280 X 1024, so don't buy anything larger than a 19" LCD, like my Samsung 213T, since they are 1600 X 1200. I've talked to ATI about this (which supplies the GPU for IBM's) and they claim all IBM has to do is update their driver to support larger external DVI resolutions. I've called them many times and they haven't done anything about this yet.

How to go above 1280x1024 is written here. The members here put this together quite a while ago and Bill has kept it hosted on his site since.

jjfcpa wrote:Prior to the T42 (I haven't called to check yet), the ONLY models that supported DVI pass thru were the workstation models (the one's with the "p" designation).

Also NOT true. You seem to be full of FUD about this issue, but to correct you, all T40 models (even the lowest-end ones) support DVI pass through (and that continues to hold true all the way up the version changes) and many X series and R series models also support DVI pass through.

dclee012 · #10 Post by **dclee012** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 10:19 am

i dont even know where it could possibly say that... where are people getting these wild ideas?

csv96 · #11 Post by **csv96** » Sat Jun 05, 2004 5:16 pm

Another question. Do the port replicators/docks for older A/T/X series (e.g. A31p, T30, X24, etc.,) also work with the newer T40/T41/T42's?

G-Man · #12 Post by **G-Man** » Sat Jun 05, 2004 5:24 pm

Port Replicator II: Compatible with all ThinkPad X, T, R and A Series notebooks (excludes the ThinkPad R40e model).

ThinkPad A Series: 2628, 2629, 2633, 2652, 2653, 2654, 2655, 2663, 2664
ThinkPad T Series: 2647, 2648, 2366, 2367, 2373, 2374, 2375, 2376, 2378, 2379
ThinkPad X Series: 2660, 2661, 2662, 2672, 2673
ThinkPad R Series: 2656, 2657, 2658, 2659, 2676, 2677, 2681, 2682, 2683, 2722

Dock II: Compatible with all ThinkPad X, T and A Series notebooks (excludes the ThinkPad A21e model).

Mini Dock: Same as PR II.

Regards,
G-Man

csv96 · #13 Post by **csv96** » Sat Jun 05, 2004 5:33 pm

How about the reverse situation. If I bought an older port replicator (e.g. 02K8668) that was designed for older T series (2647, 2648), will it work with a new T42?

I'm trying to decide if I can just buy an older model off ebay for ~$20-$30 or if I have to buy a newer model for $100+.

stgreek · #14 Post by **stgreek** » Sat Jun 26, 2004 10:45 am

csv96 wrote:How about the reverse situation. If I bought an older port replicator (e.g. 02K8668) that was designed for older T series (2647, 2648), will it work with a new T42?

I'm trying to decide if I can just buy an older model off ebay for ~$20-$30 or if I have to buy a newer model for $100+.

I believe it doesn't, as the connector is different. I will check at home and let you know.

Thinkpad Mini-Dock vs. Thinkpad Port Replicator II

Thinkpad Mini-Dock vs. Thinkpad Port Replicator II

Re: Thinkpad Mini-Dock vs. Thinkpad Port Replicator II

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