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Description #
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Quick, honest, lazy review of a budget 5-in-1 USB-C docking station I picked up off AliExpress to use with my ASUS ROG Ally. It advertises 4K@60Hz HDMI out, 100W PD pass-through charging, 3× USB ports and a USB-C data port — and it also works with the Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, iPad and pretty much anything with USB-C DisplayPort alt mode. Spoiler: for about twenty bucks, it charges fine, it outputs fine… it’s fine. If that’s all you need, it’s a solid little dock. If you need Ethernet, faster USB or a big hub, look elsewhere.
⏱ Chapters 00:00 Intro & unboxing 00:34 Build & ports 01:17 ROG Ally setup 01:46 HDMI + charging test 02:13 LED & load test 02:51 USB 2.0 speeds 03:22 Final thoughts ✅ What’s good
4K@60Hz HDMI output works as advertised 100W USB-C PD charging actually delivers under full CPU+GPU load Aluminum shell stays cool to the touch Small, light and unobtrusive on a shelf Dirt cheap on sale
❌ What’s not
USB ports are USB 2.0 only (~480 Mbps, shared) — not great for modern games on external drives No Ethernet port No SD card slot Very light — will tip over if you try to dock a laptop Bright power LED on the back (hello, electrical tape) Basically useless instructions in the box
🔌 Specs at a glance
Model: GAME HUB 5-in-1 Ports: 3× USB-A 2.0, 1× USB-C data, 1× USB-C PD in (up to 100W), 1× HDMI out (4K@60Hz) Compatibility: ROG Ally, Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, iPad, MacBook, Windows laptops — anything with USB-C DP alt mode Body: aluminum Price range: budget (roughly $15–25 USD / ~AU$22 on sale)
🎮 Who’s this for? If you just want to throw your ROG Ally or Steam Deck on a shelf, plug it into the TV, keep it charged and maybe hang a flash drive off the side — this dock is genuinely perfect. If you’re planning to run external SSDs full of modern AAA games or need wired internet, spend a bit more on a proper Thunderbolt/USB 3 dock.
💬 Questions? Drop them in the comments — happy to help. #ROGAlly #SteamDeck #DockingStation #USBCHub #HandheldGaming #AliExpressFinds #TechReview #ROGAllyAccessories #SteamDeckAccessories #GameHub #4KHDMI #USB-C #PCGaming #BudgetTech #ElectronicsReview
Original Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoCEWaq855A
Transcript #
Hey y’all. Today we’re looking at a little USB-C to HDTV dock I got to use with my ROG Ally. Let’s unbox it and take a look. Inside we have the dock, and on the back we have one, two, three USB ports, USB-C in for power and HDMI out. No Ethernet or anything else. The instructions are so generic, not really any help.
The base actually might be aluminium — it’s very cool to the touch, but very thin, very light. It has three USB ports, which I believe are USB 2.0. Nothing on the packaging says what it’s made of. Here’s how the ROG Ally sits, and you just plug it in like that. I wonder how a laptop would sit in this. One second, let me grab a laptop. Yeah, don’t put a laptop in there — it cannot hold a laptop. It will fall over. I did confirm the base is aluminium, but it is very, very light. You can bounce it around easily.
Let’s get it set up and plug my ROG Ally into it. My Ally is plugged into the dock and fits on my little shelf perfectly. Very little clearance. I’m not using the USB ports right now, but you could plug in a flash drive or a hard drive to expand the storage of your Ally — especially handy if the SD card is dead, like on mine. On the TV, it shows up just fine. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a dock. I’m pretty happy with it, and it’s charging my device, which is good. My system was completely dead and it’s charging up.
One thing to note: there’s a power LED on the back of the dock, and at nighttime it is bright and obnoxious. I’m going to put some electrical tape on it. That’s not the system — that’s the dock. I’ll SSH into Bazzite and grab some specs on the dock for those who are curious, then we’ll wrap up the review.
Here’s a quick charging test. I put the system under full CPU load for 3 minutes, then GPU load, and then a combination of both. Under all tests, the system still charged under full load. The dock is delivering power as expected, which is exactly what you want to see. Here’s info on the USB hub — it’s exactly what it says it is, USB 2.0, 480 Mbps, shared between all the ports, so don’t expect amazing speeds. If you want to store games on an external hard drive, maybe keep them to older or smaller titles. You might also notice there are four ports shown but only three on the back — I assume the hub just has one unused port.
That wraps up this review of a very simple USB-C docking station for handhelds like the ROG Ally and Steam Deck. It’s made of aluminium, with USB 2.0 ports, USB-C in for power and HDMI out for the display. It charges fine, it outputs fine, it’s fine. If you need something more advanced, get that. But if you want something simple like me, this is perfect. If you’re interested, there’s a link in the description. Thanks for watching. Don’t forget to like, subscribe and all that fun stuff, and I’ll see you next time. Bye.