They are on the correct side…Front, for quick plug and play 
[New Release] PowerExpand Elite 13-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 Dock Now Available!
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But the USB-A on rear!
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I could care less about USB-A. It’s fine in the rear 
Besides, this one has a USB-A “3.0” port in the front. And two USB-C ports. I’m salivating, but my PC doesn’t support Thunderbolt 3.
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I thought Thunderbolt 3 was backwards compatibile?
I believe @Dez_S is referring to all the 5Gbit USB gen 1 ports.
Yes Thunderbolt 3 is a superset of USB
Thought it a tower? So a PCI card add-on?
I know there’s a minimum requirement.
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Thunderbolt 3 uses USB-C connection but if the computer host doesn’t support Thunderbolt 3, it won’t work. I know, i’ve tried. Minimum requirement on most Thunderbolt 3 hubs is to have Thunderbolt.
I built my PC Of a late model Asus mainboard I own and it does not support Thunderbolt via PCIe add-on and such. I should have chose one with T3 support during my build.
From the link you posted is exactly the reason:
"It relies on the chipset on the motherboard, even for expansion cards. So you need at least a 100 and up series motherboard or X99/X299 motherboard. Those cards you see on the market are usually designed for specific motherboards.
That applies to Thunderbolt 3."
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Now if the PowerExpand Elite 13-in-1 Dock is backwards compatible to USB-C Gen 2, than this hub would be highly attractive for my use.
I have multiple USB-C Gen 2 ports on the rear of my computer.
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I assume that as USB 4 is rolling Thunderbolt into USB, you’d prefer to time next mobo with USB 4?
Then also AMD?
I don’t know hubs well enough to a source of good facts here, but I’d be very guarded with hubs in general, they inherently make for a worse setup, your system relies on the hub to see all the ports it has so have made the hub a point of failure, I’d use hubs to add slow ports and use mobo daughter cards to add performance.
On my next build I would like T3 and USB 4.0, if they have such a board. I’m in no rush to upgrade but have to be mindful when purchasing peripherals.
Hubs are great if you have alot of devices that you quickly want to plug and play. For maximum speeds and permanent connections, you should plug directly to the tower or chassis of the computer.
I regularly plug in SD, MicroSD, XQD, CFE cards as well as a USB-C DAC connected headphone, flash drives, SSDs, etc.
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I like the design the way it is. The rear for permanent connections. The front for quick connects/disconnects of peripherals.
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There is also gravity.
If you put all ports on one side the cables just pull the dongle. Most Anker dongles are passive and radiative cooled so can flip upside to get front/rear to needs. I reckon this 180W input won’t be. Assume 90% efficient, so 18W heat, it would have to be partly convective.
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I never even thought about using this sort of dock for a desktop - mine basically always have plenty of ports, I don’t mind having a lot of cables plugged in, and find it easy to add devices or adapters as needed on those. And don’t need PD charging.
For a desktop, I just need a USB 3 hub for plugging in some removable flash drives and peripherals.
My assumption was that this was targeted at laptop users, for the one plug / unplug holy grail of setup at your work / home desks. For that environment, until USB4 comes along and supersedes it, TB3 is the choice I would be looking for in this type of dock.
I’ve been using a USB-C Gen 2 dock with desktop for awhile. It brings the ports to me, instead of my having to go to the rear of the tower to plug. I’d rather hot-plug in my work area.
As a working pro photographer and music editor, I’m constantly transferring files from memory cards, cameras or flash drives, SSD, etc. It’s not a laptop thing. Can be used with any computer for heavy users.
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I like the design of the 12-1 better but either of them would work for me, price wise im guessing 119.95 GBP
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Is this vulnerable to ThunderSpy?
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ThunderSpy is a type of security vulnerability, based on the Intel Thunderbolt port, first reported publicly on 10 May 2020, that can result in an attacker of an unattended device attack gaining full access to a computer’s information in about five minutes.
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I love it. When can I get one to review?
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