XPS 17 USB-C direct attach dock/hub

Question

I’ve been looking at possibly buying the XPS 17 but noticed that it only has USB-C ports. For gaming I use a very low latency wireless Logitech mouse which has a usb a dongle. I have seen usb hubs for MacBooks that don’t use a cable, they directly plug into two usb-c ports on the laptop and provide additional USB-A, USB-C, Ethernet and  hdmi ports while staying securely attached to the laptop. Does anyone know of such a hub/dock for the XPS ? Thanks in advance!

jphughan · Accepted Answer

@joshbarton Those direct attach docks for Macs were initially introduced because prior to USB-C/TB3, there was no single connector on the Mac that would offer full docking functionality, namely power, video output, and USB data. So those direct attach docks were designed to glom onto multiple ports. The problem of course is that they assume a specific port layout on the system they're designed for, which makes them much less likely to be useful with any other system. The only docking stations that can adequately power an XPS 17 9700 are Dell's own WD19 180W w/ 130W PD passthrough (not the WD19 130W w/ 90W PD passthrough) and the WD19TB (comes standard as 180W w/ 130W PD passthrough). The reason those are your only options are because the XPS 17 9700 draws 130W over USB-C/TB3, which is more than the 100W max of the industry standard USB PD spec. Dell did something proprietary to run 130W, but that isn't widely implemented even within Dell's own products (like their USB-C displays), and you won't find it anywhere else. So with any other solution, you'd need to either keep the system's own power adapter attached as well or accept reduced battery charging speeds and performance due to using an undersized power source.

If you find that latency is unacceptable running through a dock, then consider using the dock and then connecting your dongle directly to the system through a simple male USB-C to female USB-A dongle, like this one.

jphughan · Answer

@joshbarton  By the way, fair warning about the XPS 17 9700.  Its 130W power source is actually not enough to run it under heavy load, so Dell implemented a design whereby under heavy load the XPS 17 will drain its internal battery even while connected to power in order to provide auxiliary power.  This is officially written up here and has generated a number of complaints on this forum, such as on this thread, from people who run heavy loads long-term and end up encountering performance throttling when the battery has been drained so low that this approach is no longer viable.  And it doesn't return to normal performance until you allow the battery to charge again.  Dell calls this design 'Hybrid Power'.  I call it 'shipping a system with an undersized power adapter and expecting users to accept unnecessary additional battery wear and throttled performance'.  So if you plan on doing long-term gaming stints, this may not be the system for you.

joshbarton · Answer

Is there any chance of getting an ac adapter that can provide sufficient power or perhaps plugging in two adapters?

joshbarton · Answer

I did just find this article that makes me wonder if there isn't an issue anymore: https://www.notebookcheck.net/Dell-XPS-17-battery-drain-issue-fixed-on-latest-production-batches.492449.0.html

jphughan · Answer

@joshbarton If you take a look more closely at the article I linked, you will find that it address 2 behaviors. The first behavior in the initial paragraph describes a deliberate design aspect of the XPS 17 9700 whereby it drains the battery while on AC power, which has the official name Battery Boost or Hybrid Power. The second behavior described in the second paragraph relates to an issue that causes depletion at a "higher than expected rate". That second issue has been fixed, but the first issue where battery drains while on AC power at the "expected rate" -- which on this system is not zero -- is not a bug. It's a feature that Dell calls Battery Boost or Hybrid Power.

In terms of fixes, I don't know of a higher wattage AC adapter that can plug into a USB-C port, because again 130W is already over the 100W max of the USB PD spec. As for using multiple adapters, it's interesting that you mention that. Dell has a dock called the WD19DC that can push up to 210W of power to the attached system because it connects to two ports -- but that capability is only supported on the Precision 7000 Series systems. It's been tried with the XPS 17 and it treats that dock as a single-port 130W power source. So while in theory Dell could implement support for higher wattage, dual-port charging maybe even with a firmware update, that would require Dell to admit that the power adapters they're shipping with the XPS 17 are inadequate, and I don't really see that happening.

joshbarton · Answer

In my original topic title I mentioned wanting a hub with ethernet that could directly attach to the laptop. I am still interested in this and accept that I will have to plug power in separately. I just thought I'd ask just in case someone was aware of a dock that will directly attach similar to that in the image below.

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I just think dangling hubs are frustrating/ugly.

Thanks all!

jphughan · Answer

@joshbarton I don't know of one for any non-Apple system. I suspect the reason is that the PC market simply has too many models to deal with, so a product like this that relies on a very specific port layout wouldn't work for very many models, which would severely limit its market. By comparison, on the Mac side, Apple is the only company making Macs, and they don't make very many models, so in that case the dock vendors can count on covering a much larger market.

In terms of aesthetics, my experience has actually been the exact opposite of yours. I have a dock that attaches via cable and I love it, because it allows me to keep my dock near the rear edge of my desk with all cables fixed in place there, and then I can still move my laptop around on my desk a little bit without having to drag the dock and therefore all of those cables along for the ride.

joshbarton · Answer

That makes sense, I appreciate your well explained response.

marcorossati · Answer

id you find any hub working on the dell xps? I have the same problem....is it sure that those apple hub will not work, even if they fit in the two usb ports? thanks, MR

marcorossati · Answer

maybe this one? it says xps 13, but i hope it will work even on my xps 15...https://www.amazon.de/-/en/LogiLink-UA0302-USB-C-Multifunction-Charge/dp/B07F9RZVTZ

joshbarton · Answer

No unfortunately I haven’t found anything

KingRay · Answer

Dell Thunderbolt Dock – WD19TBS is expensive. I can't find anything else except perhaps this over on Amazon:

USB C Hub Dual HDMI, USB C to Dual Monitors Adapter to Dual 4K HDMI, 3 USB, PD Charging Port, USB C Docking Station Dual Monitor for Dell XPS 13/15, Lenovo Yoga, HP x360 /Elitebook, etc

Would that work?

11188m · Answer

Hello! You can think about Mokin. We have many kinds of adapters and docking stations. Below is the Amazon, hope you can find one you need. Amazon.com: MOKiN Mokin Support

XPS

XPS 17 USB-C direct attach dock/hub

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