{"id":355964,"date":"2021-10-21T16:00:32","date_gmt":"2021-10-21T13:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/missing-some-essentials-review-geek\/"},"modified":"2021-10-21T16:00:32","modified_gmt":"2021-10-21T13:00:32","slug":"missing-some-essentials-review-geek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/missing-some-essentials-review-geek\/","title":{"rendered":"#Missing Some Essentials \u2013 Review Geek"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a40ba5502161\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a40ba5502161\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/missing-some-essentials-review-geek\/#Heres_What_We_Like\" >Here&#8217;s What We Like<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/missing-some-essentials-review-geek\/#And_What_We_Dont\" >And What We Don&#8217;t<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/missing-some-essentials-review-geek\/#Heres_What_We_Like-2\" >Here\u2019s What We Like<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/missing-some-essentials-review-geek\/#And_What_We_Dont-2\" >And What We Don&#8217;t<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><strong>&#8220;#Missing Some Essentials \u2013 Review Geek&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-content-area\">\n<div class=\"single-review-card\">\n<div class=\"review-card-heading\">\n<div class=\"rating\">Rating:<br \/>\n<strong>6\/10<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong class=\"more-info-hover\">?<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong class=\"rating-info\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1 &#8211; Absolute Hot Garbage<\/li>\n<li>2 &#8211; Sorta Lukewarm Garbage<\/li>\n<li>3 &#8211; Strongly Flawed Design<\/li>\n<li>4 &#8211; Some Pros, Lots Of Cons<\/li>\n<li>5 &#8211; Acceptably Imperfect<\/li>\n<li>6 &#8211; Good Enough to Buy On Sale<\/li>\n<li>7 &#8211; Great, But Not Best-In-Class<\/li>\n<li>8 &#8211; Fantastic, with Some Footnotes<\/li>\n<li>9 &#8211; Shut Up And Take My Money<\/li>\n<li>10 &#8211; Absolute Design Nirvana<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/strong>\n<\/div>\n<p>Price: <strong>$139.99<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure style=\"width: 1920px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage size-full wp-image-100017\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2021\/10\/45a6d501.jpg?width=400 400w, https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2021\/10\/45a6d501.jpg?width=1200 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, 400w, 1200w\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2021\/10\/45a6d501.jpg?width=1200\" alt=\"The CA DS-2000 Essential Dock on a desk\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"type:primaryImage imagecredit\">Cameron Summerson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Earlier this year, I transitioned from being a desktop user to a full-time laptop user. A good dock is an essential tool for laptop users, and there\u2019s no shortage of choices out there. Here\u2019s the weird thing, though: It\u2019s tough to find a good one.<\/p>\n<div class=\"review-card-body-inline\">\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"pros\">\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Heres_What_We_Like\"><\/span>Here&#8217;s What We Like<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Good design that props the laptop up<\/li>\n<li>Built-in cooling fan<\/li>\n<li>Super reliable and consistent<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"cons\">\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"And_What_We_Dont\"><\/span>And What We Don&#8217;t<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>No USB-C ports<\/li>\n<li>Proprietary charging brick<\/li>\n<li>No audio out<\/li>\n<li>No SD card reader<\/li>\n<li>Pricey<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>I\u2019ve been testing the Cyber Acoustics Essential Docking Station (DS-2000) for several weeks to see if it meets the \u201cgood one\u201d criteria. And it\u2019s <i>almost<\/i> there. It has most of the ports you need and a neat trick up its sleeve, but it\u2019s also missing some modern ports that I think would put it over the top. Pair that with the price, and I\u2019m pretty torn on how to feel about this one.<\/p>\n<p>To start, it\u2019s a pretty big dock\u2014bigger than I\u2019m used to anyway. But it sits under my laptop and props it in a way that I like, so it gets a pass. You\u2019ll find an arrangement of ports around the sides and back:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1x USB-A Gen 1; 3x USB-A Gen 2<\/li>\n<li>1x HDMI Port; 1x DisplayPort\n<ul>\n<li>Single 4k @ 60Hz or Dual 4k @ 30 Hz<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>1x Ethernet<\/li>\n<li>Security lock<\/li>\n<li>Embedded USB-C connection<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure style=\"width: 1920px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-100019 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2021\/10\/9c749a9c.jpg\" alt=\"The button to activate the fan on the DS-2000\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" data-credittext=\"Cameron Summerson\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This button toggles the fan. <span class=\"imagecredit\">Cameron Summerson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It also has a built-in cooling fan, which you can use to give your laptop a little extra airflow during intense activities. It\u2019s not always on\u2014there\u2019s a little button on the back to turn it on\u2014so you don\u2019t have to use it if you don\u2019t want. I\u2019m skeptical on how much it actually helps, but I\u2019m certain it doesn\u2019t hurt anything, so whatever. It\u2019s fine. And while it has enough USB-A ports, you probably noticed a distinct lack of USB-C ports. In 2021, that\u2019s a huge oversight to me\u2014everything is moving to USB-C, so I would like to have seen at least one dedicated USB-C port here.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to get technical, the DS-2000 does have USB-C\u2014it\u2019s just a hardwired connection. This is the input from the dock to your laptop, so you don\u2019t have to bring your own cable. That sort of adds insult to injury for me because it clearly supports USB-C. Why not just throw a port on there?<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1920px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-100018\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2021\/10\/d6689767.jpg\" alt=\"The USB-A ports on the Cyber Acoustics DS-2000 Essential Dock\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">Cameron Summerson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Speaking of, it also doesn\u2019t charge over USB-C. Again, in the year 2021, this is an oversight. It uses a generic barrel port with a charging brick. I guess that\u2019s fine once you set the dock up; this one isn\u2019t meant for <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a>, so it\u2019s a set-and-forget sort of thing. But again, USB-C would\u2019ve been an improvement.<\/p>\n<p>Now that we\u2019ve covered that it doesn\u2019t have USB-C, I want to talk about a few other oversights. For one, it doesn\u2019t have an audio out. I can understand that omission on more compact, travel-friendly docks, but for a full-size dock that\u2019s going to stay on your desk, an audio out would\u2019ve been great to have. As it stands, I\u2019m using USB for audio, which requires an adapter because my speakers are USB-C. Everything comes full circle.<\/p>\n<p>Secondly, there\u2019s no SD card slot. Considering that even most small docks I\u2019ve looked at see the value in an SD card slot, there should\u2019ve been one here. You know what I\u2019ve been doing to supplement this? Using my older (smaller) dock as a hub connected to the DS-2000. So, I technically have two docks connected.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1920px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-100020 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2021\/10\/ed6a439d.jpg\" alt=\"The DS-2000 at a desk with things plugged into it\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" data-credittext=\"Cameron Summerson\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Connected: HDMI monitor, power cable, USB cable to another dock (for SD card reader), and a USB Cable to a USB-C dock for other accessories. <span class=\"imagecredit\">Cameron Summerson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>All that said, this isn\u2019t a bad dock. I\u2019ve had <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roximately zero issues with it since I started testing it, which is more than I can say for other docks. So what it lacks in ports, it makes up for in consistency. It just works. I keep my laptop plugged into it most of the time, and I never have to worry about it flaking out on me. I haven\u2019t yet, anyway.<\/p>\n<p>And when I reconnect my laptop after disconnecting it, everything just works. Again, I\u2019ve used some finicky docks over the last year, so that\u2019s refreshing.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, I feel like there\u2019s a specific crown this dock is for: If you don\u2019t use USB, SD cards, or need an audio out, but <i>do<\/i> want something that can help keep your laptop a little cooler, then maybe you consider this dock. If you need those things, then obviously, this might not be the one for you, unless you don\u2019t mind adding a secondary dock\/hub to supplement those issues.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1920px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-100021 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2021\/10\/e0cedcc9.jpg\" alt=\"The dock hooked to a 13-inch Surface Laptop 3\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" data-credittext=\"Cameron Summerson\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">That\u2019s a 13-inc Surface Laptop 3 for reference. <span class=\"imagecredit\">Cameron Summerson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But that makes the high cost even higher. At $139.99, this dock is far from what I\u2019d call \u201caffordable.\u201d It\u2019s $40 more than the Satechi <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B08X1YVCZG?tag=reviewgeek-20\">On-the-Go dock<\/a> I reviewed earlier this year, and while it has an extra USB-A port and DisplayPort, it\u2019s inferior in other ways since it lacks USB-C ports and an SD card reader. Pair that with the fact that the Satechi (and many others) is portable, and well, you can see the issue.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, if you\u2019re looking for a rock solid dock and don\u2019t mind the missing ports or high price, you\u2019ll be happy with the DS-2000. You\u2019ll likely never have to think about it because it just works. However, If you need USB-C ports, an SD card reader, or portability, you should look elsewhere.<\/p>\n<div class=\"single-review-card border\">\n<div class=\"review-card-heading\">\nRating: <strong>6\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Price: <strong>$139.99<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"review-card-body\">\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"pros\">\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Heres_What_We_Like-2\"><\/span>Here\u2019s What We Like<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Good design that props the laptop up<\/li>\n<li>Built-in cooling fan<\/li>\n<li>Super reliable and consistent<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"cons\">\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"And_What_We_Dont-2\"><\/span>And What We Don&#8217;t<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>No USB-C ports<\/li>\n<li>Proprietary charging brick<\/li>\n<li>No audio out<\/li>\n<li>No SD card reader<\/li>\n<li>Pricey<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\nsetTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n  fbq('init', '1137093656460433');\n  fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/99972\/cyber-acoustics-essential-dock-review-missing-some-essentials\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Missing Some Essentials \u2013 Review Geek&#8221; Rating: 6\/10 ? 1 &#8211; Absolute Hot Garbage 2 &#8211; Sorta Lukewarm Garbage 3 &#8211; Strongly Flawed Design 4 &#8211; Some Pros, Lots Of Cons 5 &#8211; Acceptably Imperfect 6 &#8211; Good Enough to Buy On Sale 7 &#8211; Great, But Not Best-In-Class 8 &#8211; Fantastic, with Some Footnotes&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":355965,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2021\/10\/45a6d501.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-355964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=355964"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355964\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/355965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=355964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=355964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=355964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}