Which docks will work for Precision 7530?

Understood; thanks.  I think a WD15 would work with the separate power supply as well.  Maybe Dell will give us some additional power supplies if we can't stabilize the TB18DC

There is a limit to the amount of power that a Thunderbolt cable can transfer. 

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@ppmcit wrote:

After browsing through all the trouble with the TB18DC dock, I'm wondering if there's some other dock that can be used with this system? It seems that the WD15 (or any other dock with a single connector) may not be able to charge it.  

In short, does anyone have a stable setup using a 7530 with a dock?

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I have the TB18DC dock + 7530. It has a dual Thunderbolt connector, and there is an extra 240W power supply for the dock itself. It can charge the 7530. Sometimes I get the error message that the power supply is not sufficient, but I think this is only a software error, as it is powerful enough.

However, I would not recommend using this dock. Even after all the hassle of upgrades, it is a hit and miss, it has a constantly runnin fan (sometimes quieter, sometimes louder, but it is always humming on my desk). My main issues is USB mouse and keyboard sometimes doesn't work after a sleep state power up. The best solution I found is to plug the USB hubs directly to the laptop.

I would rather recommend to go for a third party dock, from Startech.com for two or three screens, or one of the recommendations from The Wirecutter for a single screen.

https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-thunderbolt-dock/

https://www.startech.com/Cards-Adapters/Laptop-docking-stations/triple-4k-usb-c-laptop-docking-station~DK30CH2DPPD

FWIW: to ignore that error message, I simply changed the associated setting in BIOS when it first came up. If the white LED is on, the unit is charging the laptop.

I worked-around a power-up issue by turning on USB Wake Support in BIOS. I have no issues with the keyboard or mouse connected to the dock.

How are you to drive more than one external monitor with the docks listed in the article? The TB18DC supports three external displays, and you could use the laptop's display as a fourth. 

I received my 7530 this past Tuesday. Currently going through an already 4 hour process with Dell Support to assess why it will not stay connected to either of my two NAS units. Currently in the process of reinstalling Win 10 pro.

I purchased the TB16 240W docking station as the price for adding the TB18DC exceeded the overall budget.

Sadly, the TB16 is buggy. LAN connect is SLOW! Opted for just plugging the network cable into the laptop.

USB 2.0 ports are buggy. I use a Logitech M570 Trackball, but it will not work reliably with the Unifying connector in the USB 2.0 port of the TB16. Logitech advises against plugging into a USB 3.0 port.

Frequent warnings of not charging if I try to just have the Thunderbolt connector do it all.

Thinking I will return the TB16 try a Plugable dock. Got my wife one in December with her new Inspiron and that setup has been rock solid.

Over the past  10 years or so, Dell product tend to disappoint more often than please.

I use my 7530 without a dock, I plug in all the cables directly, power, hdmi, Lan, USB.

It works really well, although with the discomfort of the many cables.

But it works.

I think beside Dell, it is also a general issue of Thunderbolt. I find it was designed with high throughput in mind, not instant connection for a lot of devices. It can do that, but it was not the main purpose.

10 to 20 sec lag for the keyboard and mouse to turn on after powering on and connection is a feature for a Thunderbolt dock, not a bug.

I plug only 1-2x per day, but I use standby 10-15 times a day. So I rather plug all the cables and have fast power up from standby

FWIW, from the start, I've managed to get neary 1Gbps, symmetric from my 7730 and TB18DC dock. Is the USB Ethernet driver up-to-date? How about the TB16 firmware and BIOS? I've presumed you've already done so since you mention being in contact with Dell Support - so did they offer to send you a new dock? 

I agree. The TB18 and TB16 failed to work reliably with my Dell 7530. I bought both. A waste of my money. DMA driver verify failure on both docks. TB18 was replaced twice and I am on my 3rd motherboard on the 7530. Dell quality is really poor now. Another of my lower end laptop is on its 3rd motherboard as well.

Has anyone verified that the WD15 works with the Precision 7530 when using an additional power supply plugged directly into the laptop?

I can verify that the WD15 docking station (the 180W variation) will work with the Precision 7530 (the ones we have been buying have the nVidia P2000 4gb graphics and Intel i7-8750H processors). 

However...
We have to additionally connect a 180W Power Adapter into the PC itself, since the dock will only supply a maximum of 130W, triggering the "you have connected an undersized adapter" upon boot. 

There is a new dock model WD19, there are actually 4 versions and based on the power delivery (130W vs 180W) and connector (USB-C vs Thunderbolt vs Dual Thunderbolt)

Could this be the dock that finally fixes this mess and works as it should?

Has anyone tried this?

I just bought 2 TB18DC to try my luck with my new Precision 7530, of course, 2 days later I find about this...

I use the TB16 with the standard 180w charger that the dock came with it on my Precision 7520 and my Precision 7530 literally every day. I have 3 monitors running on a display port to 3-HDMI splitter (hooked to the dock) I use daily and one of them is even a 4k. The dock has NEVER had any problem charging my computer or displaying my content. I am sure the TB18DC might charge a little bit faster, but when I am using my dock it is generally for a couple hours at a time and it always gives me a full change in that amount of time. I bought mine from a 3rd party for $150 and I have been thrilled with it. Hope that info helps.