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8804
August 16th, 2020 05:00
Docking Advice for XPS 15 - 9500
Hi, I'm new to the dell 'ecosystem' and I'm figuring out what kind of dock is suitable for my needs. I recently bought a DELL XPS 15 (9500), with a 4K monitor. I need 2 docks, one for at home, and one for my office.
At home I need;
- Charging the XPS 9500
- 2x Full HD 1920x1080 Monitor (both with DVI connection, but I've adapters for HDMI/displayport)
- I don't use the screen of the notebook at home.
- Logitech USB-dongle
- 3.5mm headset
- Ethernet
At the office:
- Charging the XPS 9500
- 1x UHD 27" monitor (3840x2160)
- I do use my notebook-screen as second monitor
- Logitech USB-dongle
- 3.5mm headset
- Ethernet
So as far as I found out, the WD15 should fit my needs, even taken notice it's already quite old. And I'm able to buy a used one with 180W adapater for around €75 ($88 USD).
Is this a smart choice? Maybe in the future I'll replace my 2 monitors at home for one large curved widescreen monitor, but more then that I don't see any changes coming in the near future.
I'm looking for a cheap option because I need two docks. Alternatives as the WD19 or WD19TB are much more expensive and I don't think I need those extra features or am I missing something? And are there other brands than DELL which offers the features I need?
jphughan
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August 16th, 2020 07:00
@bvdnl A WD15 with 180W power supply should work. It isn’t officially supported since Dell seems to have stopped testing that dock on newer systems now that the WD19 exists, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t work. I wouldn’t expect you to have a problem, but you may want to buy from a place that offers easy returns just in case. And yes that dock will handle both dual 1080p and single 1440p display setups — but NOT dual 1440p, just FYI.
Non-Dell options wouldn’t be ideal with an XPS 15 9500 because the XPS 15 is designed for a 130W power source, unless you ordered a configuration that does NOT include an NVIDIA GPU, in which case the 9500 is only designed for 90W. Check the wattage on the power adapter that came with the system if you’re not sure. But if you have a 130W system, then 130W is above the 100W max of the industry-wide USB Power Delivery standard. Dell did something proprietary on some of their systems and docks (including the WD15 180W) to stretch the spec in order to push 130W over USB-C/TB3, but you won’t find that elsewhere. So if you go non-Dell, you’d have to either keep the power adapter also connected to keep the system performing optimally, or put up with slower battery charging and possibly performance throttling if you only supply the XPS 15 with a lower wattage power source from a dock that offers less than 130W. Obviously neither of those choices are ideal.
bvdnl
8 Posts
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August 16th, 2020 08:00
Thanks for your quick reply! I've ordered a XPS 15 with dGPU, so I'll need 130W for charging. Charging with the dock is a must, so DELL it is.
I'll give the WD15 a shot, and if I'm updating my setup in the future maybe I'll have to buy another dock and sell one of these, but that's something for in the future!