CalDigit Element 5 Hub Thunderbolt 5 incl 180W PSU – Space Grey

Not Your Average Hub
​Traditional USB hubs are mostly equipped with low performing ports, or ports with insufficient power delivery in order to keep your devices charged. The Element 5 Hub allows you to have both great performance, and consistent power, thanks to the up to 120Gb/s throughput of Thunderbolt 5.

Total Compatibility
When you have such a powerful hub you also need the flexibility to use it with any device. 

The Element 5 Hub is compatible with Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3 Macs, USB4, USB4 v2, and USB-C devices. This also includes USB-C or Thunderbolt iPads, iPhones, Windows tablets and more*.

*The Element 5 Hub does not support Thunderbolt 3 Windows PCs. Users on Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, and USB-C host computers, tablets, or phones will see reduced functionality.

Define Your Connectivity
The simplicity of the Element 5 Hub’s four Thunderbolt 5 ports allows you to create the hub that you want. Don’t be confined by pre-built hubs. Use the Thunderbolt 5 ports to connect what you want.

Need to connect multiple SSDs, SD card readers, RAID storage, triple 4K monitors? No problem.

The Element 5 Hub is a blank canvas ready to be populated with the devices you need.

Faster than Your Average Hub
The Thunderbolt 5 ports on the Element 5 Hub provide up to 6,200MB/s performance for your external storage devices, which is double that of Thunderbolt 4, and much higher than typical USB hubs.

*Thunderbolt SSDs are only compatible with Thunderbolt & USB4 host computers. The actual performance may be slightly slower due to latency and protocol overhead.

Versatile USB Ports

The versatility of having both USB-C and USB-A ports offers great convenience. All of the USB ports on the Element 5 Hub offer 10Gb/s performance, and 7.5W of power.

This is an ideal option for connecting high performance USB-C SSDs to the hub. Don’t forget that you can also connect USB-C devices to the Thunderbolt 5 ports.
 

3 Monitors on Windows

Thunderbolt 5 allows for 3 external monitors to be connected to a Windows host computer that supports it, and the fact that the Element 5 Hub has 3 downstream Thunderbolt 5 ports makes it ideal for users that intend on connecting 3 displays*.
 

*Triple displays requires a compatible Thunderbolt 5 Windows PC. M4 Apple Macs do not support triple displays via a single Thunderbolt 5 host connection. Thunderbolt 4 Windows or Mac host computers do not support triple displays.

Bandwidth Boost
When you connect bandwidth intensive monitors to the Element 5 Hub it will enable Bandwidth Boost in order to priorotize displays, and provide up to 120Gb/s performance. This will then keep 40Gb/s for the rest of the dock.

The great thing about this is that it will allow for higher refresh rate displays to be connected to the device, as well as three 4K 60Hz displays on Windows Thunderbolt 5 PCs.

Single, Dual, or Triple Displays
Whether you need a high-resolution display, a high-refresh rate display, or up to 3 external displays, the Element 5 Hub has you covered.

Single Monitor
If you’re looking to add a single monitor to the Element 5 Hub you can connect it to one of the spare Thunderbolt 5 ports. If you wish to connect an HDMI monitor you can use a USB-C to HDMI Adapter ***.

Dual Monitors
   macOS users on base M4, M1/M2/M3/M4 Pro, M1/M2/M3/M4 Max, M1/M2 Ultra, or Intel based Macs can connect up to dual displays.

   M1/M2/M3 based Macs are limited to 1 external monitor by design via their Thunderbolt ports.

   Windows PC Thunderbolt 5 and Thunderbolt 4 users can connect up to dual displays.

Triple Monitors
   macOS does not support Triple monitors via a Thunderbolt Dock or Hub.

   Windows PC Thunderbolt 5 users can connect up to three displays on supported host computers.

   Windows PC Thunderbolt 4 users cannot connect three displays natively.

* Dual 5K monitors must be Thunderbolt 4 or Apple Studio Displays. Dual LG UltraFine 5K monitors are not supported. 6K monitors can be a Thunderbolt 4 monitor or an Apple Pro Display XDR. DSC (Display Stream Compression) support is required for 6K and 8K resolutions.

** Higher refresh-rates (above 60Hz) may require DSC (Display Stream Compression) support on the monitors and host GPU. The bit/color depth may vary in order to support higher refresh-rates.

*** Some M3 MacBooks such as the MacBook Air can support dual external monitors up to 5K and 6K when the laptop lid is closed (clamshell mode).

**** Currently M1/2/3/4 Macs can only support up to HDMI 2.0b over its Thunderbolt ports. As such, resolutions will be limited to 4K 60Hz when using an HDMI adapter. If a higher refresh-rate is required, please use a USB-C to USB-C or USB-C to DisplayPort or DisplayPort to DisplayPort connection. For more information about a Mac’s external display support please visit https://support.apple.com/en-us/101571 and https://www.caldigit.com/macbook-multiple-monitor-support-with-caldigit-thunderbolt-docks.

***** Results may vary due to OS updates. For external display compatibility over a single Thunderbolt connection on different Windows computers, please refer to the manufacturer’s website.

Reversible Design
A great function of the Element 5 Hub’s design is that it is reversible allowing you to be able to use it on either side of your laptop. This allows users to have more flexibility and freedom when designing their specific set-up.
 

iPads, iPhones & Windows Tablets
Not only is the Element 5 Hub compatible with laptops, it can be used with Thunderbolt or USB-C tablets and phones. This includes iPads and iPhones.

You are no longer limited to connecting a single device to your table or phone’s Type-C port. The Element 5 Hub will add up to 8 devices for next-level connectivity.

*Functionality will be reduced when using the Element 5 Hub on phones or tablets.

90W - Enough Power to Fast Charge your Apple Devices
Traditional USB hubs cannot compete with the Element 5 Hub’s power delivery. This is thanks to the included power supply which provides a “sustained” 90W of power delivery at all times to the host device.

USB hubs that claim up to 100W power delivery often reduce the actual power delivery based on how many USB devices are connected to it. Rest assured that this does not happen with the Element 5 Hub because of the included 180W power supply.

Docking Station Utility
Adding multiple devices to your hub is great but it can be a nuisance having to manually eject every storage device safely.

To solve this problem we have created a macOS Utility Software that allows users to quickly and safely eject all of their storage devices with one click.

A Powerful Offline Charging Station
The Element 5 Hub can even work for you when it’s not connected to your computer. Keep your USB-A or USB-C devices connected to the Element 5 Hub and it will continue to charge them. All 9 ports on the Element 5 Hub can be used at the same time for offline charging.

42% Smaller Power Supply
The Element 5 Hub’s power supply is 42% smaller than the previous generation, and also 30W more powerful.

This makes it even more convenient when traveling with the Element 5 Hub.

Apple SuperDrive
Many docks and hubs are not compatible with the Apple SuperDrive since it requires extra power from the connected USB port. In fact Apple recommends to connect it directly to a computer. CalDigit has solved this problem by creating a driver that will allow the SuperDrive to work through the Element 5 Hub. 
 

Interface  

• 1 x Thunderbolt 5 Host (Up to 120Gb/s)
• 3 x Thunderbolt 5 (80Gb/s)
• 3 x USB-A (10Gb/s)
• 2 x USB-C (10Gb/s)
• 1 x DC In (20V | 9A)

Minimum System Requirements

• macOS 15 or above
• Windows 11 or above
• iPadOS
• Chrome OS
• Thunderbolt 5 Computer
• Thunderbolt 4 Computer
• Thunderbolt 3 Mac
• USB-C (USB4 or USB4 v2) Computer
• USB-C Computer/Tablet/Phone
• Thunderbolt/USB4 iPad
• USB-C ChromeBook

Power Delivery

• Up to 90W Host Charging
• Each Downstream Thunderbolt 5 / USB4 v2 Port: 15W (5V/3A)
• Each USB-A Port: 7.5W (5V/1.5A)
• Each USB-C Port: 7.5W (5V/1.5A)