Seagate FireCuda Gaming Dock Review | 'A great companion for anyone with a laptop'

Gaming laptops accept reached the betoken where they're affordable plenty and powerful enough to replace a desktop conceivably. For around $one,000, a person can (hypothetically since in that location are stock shortages) get an RTX 3060 equipped laptop with a decent Intel Cadre i7 processor that'll run nigh of the latest games on high settings.

Unfortunately, you can't pack the amount of storage and ports on a laptop that you lot can on a desktop due to infinite constraints. However, instead of purchasing a tangle of external difficult drives, USB hubs, and adapters, users tin pick up the Seagate FireCuda Gaming Dock, which combines all these functions into an attractive package with a small enough class factor to make it portable if desired.

Hardware Specs

Seagate-FireCuda-Gaming-Dock-Ports-grad

The FireCuda Gaming Dock is a way to aggrandize a figurer's storage and connectivity over Thunderbolt three. One thing to note before all else is that this product seems aimed almost exclusively toward gaming laptops because it only works properly over Thunderbolt 3. While this engineering science is mutual in laptops, many desktop motherboards lack a Thunderbolt controller, and adding one will take up valuable PCIe lanes.

It offers a built-in 4TB seven,200 RPM hard drive, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, a DisplayPort 1.4 to connect to an external monitor, four USB 3.1 ports, one powered USB three.1 port, a 1 GbE Ethernet port, and three.5 mm in and 3.5mm out jacks. Additionally, in that location's a slot for an NVMe SSD, only users will have to buy that separately. Considering how few ports some laptops come up with – looking at your MacBook) – this dock is useful for whatsoever laptop with Thunderbolt three, non just those aimed at gaming enthusiasts.

Buy Seagate FireCuda Gaming Dock on Amazon

The internal hard drive the dock comes with is a Seagate IronWolf NAS HDD that runs at 7,200 RPM. I was happy to see this drive used since it'south rated for 24/seven operation and is heartier than a standard drive. There'due south also a small fan within the dock that provides active cooling to the drive, which gives a little actress peace of mind. Unfortunately, it's a fleck tough to modify out the hard drive if a user was and so inclined. It'south possible to practise, but it's best left in the hands of those who have feel shucking external hard drives.

Regardless of its utility, the dock is firmly aimed at gamers. It features RGB lighting that shines from one end of the device. This tin can be controlled either via Seagate'southward software or through Razer Chroma. These lights are fortunately subdued enough to exist more fun than gaudy, and they tin be close off entirely if users desire.

The simply affair I actually felt was missing on this dock is an SD card slot. Only a single SDXC slot would accept rounded out its feature prepare and fabricated information technology a true all-in-one device. Hopefully, a future refresh will add together SD back up.

Design

The Seagate FireCuda Gaming Dock is a relatively modest 10.63″ x 5.32″ x 2.01″. It packs quite a bit of functionality into a bundle that'due south simply a bit larger than a run-of-the-factory external difficult drive. It'south coated in a rubbery apartment blackness textile upwards to the right-most sixth or and then of the device, which is a cap fastened by magnets. Removing this cap gives quick access to the NVMe socket, which includes a heatsink.

While the size makes this dock relatively portable, it does weigh around half-dozen lbs. For many, that's not a large deal. Nevertheless, if you lot plan to pack it effectually for extended periods of time, that extra vi lbs can really add up combined with the weight of a laptop and other items.

Seagate FireCuda Gaming Dock Final Verdict

Seagate FireCuda Gaming Dock Connected2

The FireCuda Gaming Dock might seem a bit expensive at $350. However, when you full up how much it would price for the hubs, external drives, and Thunderbolt iii back up, it ends up being competitively priced. Plus, it packages all these functions in an attractive, meaty package.

This dock is a peachy companion for anyone who wants to connect peripherals, external storage, and wired ethernet to their laptop without using a jumble of disparate devices. It works slap-up, is like shooting fish in a barrel to utilize, and makes expanding a laptop's capabilities quick and like shooting fish in a barrel.