This MacBook Dock Has What Others Don’t - BenQ DP1310 Review (2024)

[@merylt972]

Great video. Would you have recommendation for docks that are similar to this one but with KVM ?

[@JustinMiller_Tech]

I can’t think of any that would also have displaylink, but if that’s not something you care about you could pick up one from UGREEN for around 60 bucks that would do two hdmi inputs

[@gen4k20a2]

Solid video! Thank you!

[@JustinMiller_Tech]

Appreciate it! Glad you liked it

[@m6t6ng6]

hey there! great info, do I need to install an extra software to manage all the monitors as 3 x extended displays in the MAC PRO MAX M1? Asking you because currently I am using a DELL D6000 dock that manages 3 x monitors BUT I need to have DISPLAYLINK MANAGER tool on MAC in terms I have those working (something I want to avoid buying this BENQ DP1310). Thanks in advance for your confirmation! Kudos

[@JustinMiller_Tech]

You’d still need the displaylink software for this one in order to run the additional displays. I’m really not aware of any best alternatives either unless you just went with a thunderbolt dock (which won’t offer the input switching) or a larger kvm switch from TEsmart

[@ethanimooney]

Have you been able to get 4k 120hz out of this with a Mac? I have the same doc but no matter what I try it won't output 120

[@JustinMiller_Tech]

I haven’t tried too much to make my Mac go above 60hz on an external, but from the Apple website it seems the outputs over Thunderbolt are 4,6, and 8k but only at 60hz, while it mentions 144 and 240 for using the integrated HDMI port. So maybe the high refresh rate is only reserved for that?

[@gruhby9546]

Hi Justin, I just bought the BenQ DP1310 and I'm having trouble setting it up... I got all my monitors setup (blue cables) but when I switch over to the PC (green cables) my gaming peripherals don't switch to the new screen and i'm stuck on the blue cables screen. Got any suggestions? I've downloaded the drivers but can't figure it out... thanks.

[@JustinMiller_Tech]

The peripherals won’t switch on this dock since it’s only a video switcher. If you’re otherwise happy with the dock I’d recommend a usb 3.0 switch. You can find on Amazon for around 25 or so

[@gruhby9546]

@@JustinMiller_Tech Thanks for the recommendation and help! Do you use a usb 3.0 switch?

[@JustinMiller_Tech]

Yep! I have a dual usb 3.0 one from UGREEN It’s pretty small and has indicator lights so I know which set I’m using

[@magdi-00]

thx for the video, 2 things I didn't understand, So if you have the mic connected to the dock and u switching from Mac to gaming PC, u will have to unplug it and plug it to the PC ? and, does it support 2 output monitor, I noticed the secondary monitor didn't change ?

[@JustinMiller_Tech]

If you wanted that use the same mic on PC then yes, you’d need to plug it into PC since it’s not going to switch peripherals. It supports 3 total monitors on your laptop connection, but only the hdmi 2.1 port is the one that switches. So the screen you saw stay constant was still displaying my laptop while the main monitor was able to jump between pc and laptop with a quick tap

[@mistera3104]

Can someone help me? I have this dock. I only wanted to extend 2 regular monitors to my Macbook. Well I downloaded the display link driver. Plugged in 1 HDMI to the HDMI out and the external screen works. But that is where it ends. I don't have a display port cable, just another HDMI cable and another monitor. So I tried plugging the other HDMI cable in but the other monitor doesn't work whatsoever. So all i have is 1 external monitor working. Can someone help me get the other external monitor to show?

[@JustinMiller_Tech]

Is displaylink running in the background?

[@mistera3104]

@@JustinMiller_Tech hi Justin. I can't tell if it's working in the background or not. There's nothing I see that indicates if it is on or not. When I go to applications and click on the device link icon it opens up and a message says: "please allow your display link device to connect to this Mac. After connecting accessory to this Mac via USB a system prompt will appear please click allow to ensure the devices working properly." I have no idea why it is saying that and how to clear that. Any suggestions? How can I even know if the display link is running in the background? I've downloaded the driver and there's nothing that says push run to get it going. So I have no clue how to know if it's running. All I know is I can only get one external display to extend to my MacBook.

[@JustinMiller_Tech]

If it's running there should be a small icon that looks like two windows intersecting in the menu bar of your Mac in the upper right corner. Another way to check if it's on or not is to press cmd+space at the same time. This will open up spotlight search, where you can type in display link, and at that point it should auto-populate with an option to open it. If you can confirm displaylink is running, the next thing I'd check is the color of the light on the front of your dock. It should be blue if you're wanting to output your monitor across two displays.

[@mistera3104]

@@JustinMiller_Tech okay it appears to be running then. It has the two intersecting windows on the top right hand part of the menu. However the BenQ light is pulsing green. Not blue and not solid but a steady slow pulse of green then off then green and so on. Do you have an email so I can send a picture of what I am seeing, or even better WhatsApp so I can show you a quick video?

[@JustinMiller_Tech]

So it seems blinking green means the DP1310 searching for a source device connected via HDMI 2.1 IN If you tap it once does the light turn blue?

[@MisterPikol]

it's great, but too bad it's so expensive

[@JustinMiller_Tech]

It's definitely not the cheapest dock on the market. Since it's their first try at a dock like this I can see why it's priced like it is, but with more feedback from potential customers it certainly helps direct what we might see next. What are you looking to add to your setup next?