Review: ACASIS 21-port Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station (DS9007)

Review unit provided by ACASIS

The ACASIS DS9007 is a 21-port Thunderbolt 4 docking station. Price at the time of review is USD 269.

Shown above is the Caldigit TS3 Plus (currently USD 209) that I've been using for a few years. If you have a Thunderbolt docking station that still works, I don't really see any compelling reason to upgrade unless you need the extra ports. This is also less expensive than Caldigit TS4 (currently USD 379).

Things included

• ACASIS DS9007
• 1m Thunderbolt 4 cable
• User guide
• 240W power adapter
• Power cable

That power adapter is huge, as big as my 6.9-inch phone, but not as thick of course.

Power specifications for the power adapter.

Design

Ports in front are

• 2x USB-C 3.2 gen 2
• USB-C 30W charging
• 2x USB-A 2.0
• 2x USB-A 3.2 gen 2
• MicroSD card slot
• SD card slot
• 3.5mm audio out

Ports on the back are

• Power
• 2.5Gb Ethernet
• Full-size HDMI 2.1
• 2x Thunderbolt 4 out
• 1x Thunderbolt (host)
• 1x USB-C 3.2 gen 2
• 2x USB-A 3.2 gen 2
• 3.5mm audio in
• 3.5mm audio out

I was able to get 1.4GB/s write and 1.9GB/s read with my Thunderbolt NVMe SSD enclosure. Those speeds are fast enough to edit 12K videos.

It's possible to output video to three external displays using the HDMI and two Thunderbolt ports. With my limited equipment, I was only able to test with two external displays that can run 4K @60Hz.

Here are some downsides

• There's no DisplayPort
• The docking station can get so hot I can't even place my finger on it
• The docking station does not power down automatically with the computer. But thankfully there's a power button

I measured USB 3.2 gen 2 transfer speeds of 1150 MB/s write and 530 MB/s read. I tested with two Orico external drives and the Samsung T7 with my M1 Mac Mini. When these three drives are connected to the Thunderbolt 4 ports behind, you get higher transfer speeds. My M2 Pro Macbook Pro could only get around 700 MB/s write speed for some reason.

The ACASIS DS9007 performs well as a docking station. There are some downside but no deal breakers. I don't understand why the unit will get so hot even when nothing's connected though, but that happens with other docking stations as well.

Pricing of USD 269 seems reasonable to me, but I don't know how price competitive this is compared to other brands since I don't review that many docking stations. Should you get this or the Caldigit TS4 (USD 379). If you need HDMI, go with ACASIS, if you want DisplayPort, go with Caldigit and budget $110 more.

Pros and cons at a glance
+ Beautiful design
+ Solid build quality
+ Many ports, with two Thunderbolt 4 out
+ Fast transfer speeds
- No DisplayPort
- Gets very hot
- Does not power down with the computer

Availability

The ACASIS DS9007 is available from ACASIS online store and Amazon (US | CA | UK)