Microsoft PD9 00003 Surface Dock

My Old Neighbor Texas Customer Talk INTENTIONALLY DECEPTIVE PHOTO AND PRODUCT DESCRIPTION.

Cool, how did they squeeze a power supply and all those ports into that ONE SMALL BRICK? Looks like Microsoft is getting all Apple-y on us. Impressed, I examined at all five photos on Amazon, and the written product description (very small dimensions). Unfortunately, my answer arrived today with the shipment: They didn't sqeeze all of that into one brick. It comes with a SECOND brick, approximately the same size as the one displayed in the photos, which is the power supply. I had already ordered a case for my new Microsoft Surface, expecting I would only need one side pocket for the one small brick and power cord. Nope. C'mon Microsoft. In this day of online purchases, every ordinary person who sells some used object online knows your photo needs to show EVERYTHING. Integrity is important to me. If a company like Microsoft can't figure that out, our online reviews need to let them know what we expect. They're lucky I'm giving them three stars.

My Fellow sstockfo say I pretty much confirmed my suspicions in that most were doing ....

I must admit that I was leery at first reading all the of the negative reviews, but I really needed the option of a dock and I couldn't help but think that Microsoft, while not infallible, wouldn't put out a product so inferior as described by others. Once again, let me state that I know Microsoft puts out software with issues, etc, etc, etc, blah, blah, I chose to have a little faith in them. Well, it is my opinion that the majority of the negative reviews are user error. After I read some of the success reviews, I pretty much confirmed my suspicions in that most were doing it wrong. You must use an "active" mini display port adaptor if you have older monitors. Following the suggestions of others I used the http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EDSZYII?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00 adapters and works like a charm. I now have 3 monitors (the surface screen and two external monitors. I just simply connected them, went to my display settings and arranged them in the order I wanted them and that was that. The scaling is perfect, it simply just works. Again, I suspect that those with issues are using "passive" mini display adapters. Passive don't have the electronics built into the cord and the signal gets lost and compromised creating a failure.

2/5/2016: update- still performing flawlessly.

My friend Techno T experience Works great with the right display adapters.

**Updated 8/15/2017** Please see updated review notes at the bottom of this review.

The Surface Dock is really the only quality option for docking your Surface. Microsoft discontinued the Surface Pro 3 docks that locked in on the sides, so this is our only choice for a dock that charges the Surface and outputs to multiple displays, etc. Here is my pros and cons:

Pros:
- With the right mini display adapters it works great. Tested many adapters and only Fosmon brand worked every time (VGA - Fosmon HD1826 Mini DisplayPort (Thunderbolt) to VGA Male to Female Adapter, White, or DVI - http://www.amazon.com/Fosmon-HD1823-DisplayPort-Thunderbolt-Adapter/dp/B0056403DE). I have no ties to the company, but I have used a ton of adapters and these just work with everything.
- Dock should be future-proof for Surface Pro 5, 6, etc. as long as they keep the main charging port the same, even if it's a larger Surface.
- Nice having two mini-display ports in the dock over one from the previous generation dock.
- Smaller foot print than previous dock.
- Charges Surface while docked (same as previous gen).
- No mouse lag at all (if you have ever tried a dock that connects through USB and noticed the mouse-lag, you know how annoying that can be)!

Cons:
- Scaling is still whonky, but this is more of a Surface thing than a dock thing. If you dock/undock a lot, be prepared to reboot or sign-out A LOT. Like every time, unless you don't mind your resolution being all messed up. Microsoft really needs to figure that out.
- Very picky about mini-display adapters. I tried half a dozen and only Fosmon brand would work. With the right ones it does work great, but still it can be a pain figuring out what works.
- Screen occasionally will flicker very briefly if you unplug and replug from USB ports.

My setup is: 2x 1080p screens with the Surface on as a 3rd monitor. I've not tried higher resolution monitors. Overall, I like the dock. The cons can be a little frustrating, but the pros out weigh them in my opinion. It's possible the issues will get fixed down the road as Microsoft does release firmware updates through Windows 10 for the dock. I will update my review if/when that happens.

**Updated 8/17/2017**
The scaling issue is not a Surface or Dock related issue. This is a Windows issue that will be greatly fixed in the Fall Creators Update (free update) coming soon. I'm on the Insider Preview Edition that is testing the new scaling features and it works fantastic! It's about time!!

My Old Chap R. M. User say Works Perfect On My Surface Book With Dual Monitors.

I have been using this product for about 10 hours a day for 2 days with no problem at all. Below is my configuration:
1) One Logitech Receiver Extender Cable plugged into a dock usb port.
2) One Logitech Wireless Keyboard Model MK550 and Logitech Mouse model M705 communicating with Receiver Extender cable plugged into dock port..
3) Two monitors (One ViewSonic VP2770-LED 27" IPS 2K 1440p Monitor (Orientation is landscape at 2560x1440 resolution) and One Dell Ultrasharp U2415 24.0-Inch Screen LED Monitor (Orientation is Portrait at 1200x1920 resolution)) both monitors connect using Cable Matters Gold Plated mini display port to HDMI 6ft cables plugged into the dock mini display ports.
4) One Netgear AC1200 Wi-Fi USB Adapter High Gain Dual Band USB 3.0 model A6210 plugged into dock port
5) One Linksys WRT AC1900 Dual-Band+ Wi-Fi Wireless Router model WRT1900ACS V2. This is what the Netgear adapter I have plugged into the dock port communicates with for internet and local network access.

I have had no problems losing network connectivity. Both of my displays have also sustained solid performance with no problems losing displayed content. Removing my Surface Book from the dock and re-docking several times a day has not cause any problems such as having to reboot to make things work. Performance has been solid.

My friend Edward Vitralis Talk Simply Doesn't Recognize External Displays.

I really wanted to love this but after spending multiple evenings and entire weekend with it, I give up. It simply does not recognize any external display I connect to it using any number of cables.

• I've used mini DP to HDMI, mini DP to 4K HDMI, mini DP to DP, and mini DP to DVI (I have two of each of these cables).
• I tried using a Dell 30" 2560x1600, a brand new Samsung 4K, and an old school Dell 1920x1200 display.
• I tried HDMI, DVI, and DP and absolutely every single combination and permutation of cables and displays.
• These displays and cables all work with my other laptop and desktop.
• I upgraded the firmware of the dock, it didn't help.
• I downloaded the dock registry tweak, it didn't help.
• I installed all updates, it didn't help.

Never did my Surface Book 2 detect external displays. I contacted Microsoft technical support and spent an entire evening on the phone with them only to have them remotely reformat my Surface Book (not cool!) which, of course, didn't work. They promised to call me back the next morning with a solution, which they never did.

I've tried every single solution available on the internet and none of them worked. Unfortunately, while googling for a solution, I read that some people simply have the exact same problem and it just never worked for them. I can't recommend this product to anyone. If I hadn't thrown the box away like a moron, I'd be returning it right now.

Between the Surface Book 2, dock, cables, and new 4K display, I've got $4,000+ into a system that isn't working. Nothing about this is cool.

My Buddy SNM Talk The Achilles Heel of the Surface offerings..

This is a deeply flawed product, even years after it's release.

I tried to make this work. I even spend extra to get a monitor explicitly on the compatibility list. I downloaded and ran the Surface Dock Registry tool. I downloaded, ran and updated the firmware with the SurfaceDockUpdater tool.

This hub simply does not perform one it's most basic functions of a clean, uninterrupted connection to a monitor... even one on the short compatibility list.

Very disappointing considering how much I otherwise enjoy my Surface Book.

Dock is back in the box and being returned, to be replaced primarily $19.99 USB hub and a simple Displayport cable.

My Buddy Michael tell us You will have some issues, but it will work, and when it does, its great.

When everything is in working order, this is a great product. The problem is that not everything jives all the time.

First of all, if you are getting a converter from MiniDP to HDMI or DVI, be sure to get an ACTIVE adapter. If you don't you'll have problems with your connection, if it works at all. I did a lot of reading about this before getting one, and got active adapters, haven't had signal problems at all. Worth the extra cost.

Setup is easy, just plug everything in to their respective ports, then plug the one cord into your machine (mine is a Surface Book)

It took some tinkering, but eventually I got it set up to output to my two 1080p monitors (one through a DVI adapter, one through an HDMI adapter). The problems arise when undocking and re-docking. Your mileage may vary, but I eventually figured out the pattern to keep the setup working.

When plugging in, I need to have the laptop open, plug in, then close the lid. When unplugging, I do the opposite: open the lid, unplug. Unplugging from the dock has its own set of issues, going from a 1080p resolution to the 200% zoom setting on the high res screen of the SB makes windows wonky shapes, moves my desktop icons around, and leaves some UI elements over or under scaled. Its clear that Microsoft only has basic support for this functionality, but it is there.

I would not recommend this to someone who doesn't like to troubleshoot. You will have some issues, but it will work.

My friend Blaine A. F. said Awesome 'dock' depending on your needs.

I was looking for some type of docking station for my Surface Pro 4 I-5 256gb machine. I've seen the docking station that allows the Surface Pro 4 to actually sit upright in it, but after comparing that docking station with the newer docking station I decided on the latest version. The newest version allows me to have two external monitors and also use the Surface Pro 4 as an additional monitor. I run my whole business from this setup (I'm a real estate appraiser) and not only is the Surface Pro 4 faster and more powerful then my previous Lenovo all-in-one desktop computer, it's portable! All I need to do when I'm ready to go work at a cafe is pull out the little docking dongle and throw my Surface Pro 4 in my backpack and I basically have my whole office (minus the external monitors and printer, obviously). As soon as I return I just attach the dongle to the charging port of the Surface Pro 4 and everything is up and running in my full desktop set up. I've been running this way for over a month now with zero glitches or issues and I'm absolutely thrilled with the performance.

My Fellow Mike O. say Nice Addition to the Surface Package.

If you are doing more with the Surface than using it as your portable, the dock is a great compliment. While it is not perfect, it does almost everything right. My dock gets coupled with a Microsoft Surface Pro 4 (256GB HD 8GB RAM Intel i7) with pen and type cover.

PROS

Expansion - 4 USB ports, 2 Display ports, 3.5mm audio, & LAN. You can easily take this highly portable tablo-puter (a name I am hoping catches on) and make it the brain for a full desktop workstation.

Design - The dock is small enough it can sit at the back of your desk and leave plenty of work space while not computing or even pack it up and take it with you if and when necessary. Mine sits under the two monitors on my desk at work. Probably the best design aspect of the dock is the Magnetic Surface Connect Cable. Whatever info is transferred to and from the dock is done through a single quick connect/disconnect cable. Leaving work at the end of the day for me is as simple as shutting the type cover, pulling the Magnetic Surface Connect Cable off the side of the Surface, and tossing the Surface into my briefcase. It is just so convenient. I don't have to align any ports, snap into a dock, worry about bending pins, etc.

CONS

Consistency - There is a rare occasion where I will connect to the dock and not everything will function as expected when connected through the dock. E.g. The wireless mouse wont work or the Surface will try to connect to wireless web instead of using the LAN through the dock. I have connected to the dock about 100 times and maybe 3 times something hasn't worked. 1 of those times I had to restart the Surface to get everything to work, otherwise I just had to disconnect and reconnect the cable and all was well. Anyone familiar with working with computers understands sometimes things just happen and a restart is necessary. Although it happens rarely, it happens.

Cost - This bad boy is pricey. At almost $150 it doubles the cost of your average laptop docking station. It is 50% more expensive than most Surface docks. This dock does not offer more than most Surface docks in terms of expansion so the increased cost for consumers is down to design preferences and matching products with accessories purpose built.

SUMMARY

I had to take a star off for the cost and rare performance failure. I am still very happy with my purchase and would go the same route if I had to buy it again. The dock is a great addition for any consumer not wanting a separate PC to work from when at home but not always wanting to work off a 12" screen. If you only use the Surface as a mobile platform then this is a $150 accessory you can live without for sure.

At the time of this review, the Microsoft Surface Dock can be purchased for $148 and PRIME eligible.

My Buddy TechNerd say Extremely Frustrating Product.

I sent the first one back. The second is no better. When used with external monitors, it randomly changes display settings throughout the day. But it's the only option for the Surface Pro, so I'm stuck with it. It's extremely frustrating. I've updated all firmware and drivers, and it is still extremely buggy. Would NOT recommend unless you absolutely must have multiple external monitors.