Yes, the Element 5 Hub works on Thunderbolt 4 Macs, Thunderbolt 4 PCs, and Thunderbolt 3 Intel Macs. It however does not support Thunderbolt 3 Windows PCs.

Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 3 are both 40Gb/s, and the Element 5 Hub works great on both. However, to get the maximum performance and features out of the Element 5 Hub it should be used with a Thunderbolt 5 or USB4 v2 computer.

For Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 5 Windows PCs, please check with your manufacturer to see how many displays your PC supports from a single Thunderbolt connection, including if charging has been restricted via the Thunderbolt ports.

On macOS, to take advantage of the full Thunderbolt 5 bandwidth and features of the Element 5 Hub, an M4 Pro or Max Mac is required. Users on Apple Silicon Thunderbolt 4 Macs (M1-M3 and M4 base) will see reduced functionality. The maximum number of displays that can be connected on macOS via a single Thunderbolt connection is 2, even on an M4 Max, as long as your particular Mac supports 2 displays.

Option 1 (DisplayPort Monitor)
Connect a USB-C to DisplayPort Video Adapter (sold separately) to one of the spare Thunderbolt 5 ports.

Option 2 (Thunderbolt Monitor)
Directly connect a Thunderbolt monitor to one of the spare Thunderbolt 5 ports.

Option 3 (USB-C Monitor)
Directly connect a USB-C monitor to one of the spare Thunderbolt 5 ports.

Option 4 (HDMI Monitor)
Connect a USB-C to HDMI Video Adapter (sold separately) to one of the spare Thunderbolt 5 ports.

Option 1

– Connect one monitor to one of the spare Thunderbolt 5 ports via a USB-C Video Adapter (sold separately).
– Connect the second monitor to one of the spare Thunderbolt 5 ports via a USB-C Video Adapter (sold separately).

Option 2

– Connect two USB-C or Thunderbolt monitors directly to two of the Thunderbolt 5 ports.

On supported systems, either directly connect three Thunderbolt or USB-C monitors to three of the spare Thunderbolt 5 ports on the Element 5 Hub, or connect three USB-C Video Adapters (sold separately) to the three spare Thunderbolt 5 ports on the Element 5 Hub.  On M5 Pro and M5 Max, you can daisy chain 3 Thunderbolt 5 monitors to Element 5 Hub.

Four displays requires a MacBook Pro with M5 Max that supports quadruple displays.

– Connect two monitors to two of the spare Thunderbolt 5 ports via USB-C Video Adapters (sold separately), or directly connect two USB-C or Thunderbolt monitors to two of the spare Thunderbolt 5 ports.

– Connect a third daisy-chainable Thunderbolt monitor to one of the spare Thunderbolt 5 ports.

– Connect the forth monitor to the downstream Thunderbolt port on the 3rd monitor via a USB-C Video Adapter (sold separately), or directly connect a USB-C or Thunderbolt monitor.

If less than all of the 4 monitors connected to your M5 Max through the Element 5 Hub working, this may mean some or all of the monitors are not utilizing their display connection efficiently, which may impact the other monitor’s capabilities.  While not definitive, to achieve up to 4 displays at once, the individual monitors would need to be 4K144Hz, 5K75Hz, 6K60Hz, or lower. Any monitors above these resolutions or refresh rates may impact the capabilities of other displays. Monitors within or below these targets will not necessarily work.

Yes, you can directly connect the Apple Pro Display XDR or Studio Display XDR to one of the spare Thunderbolt 5 ports and output at full 6K resolution.

Yes, the Element 5 Hub is a great option for Mac mini and iMac users to expand their connectivity.
When connected to the Mac mini or iMac, the Element 5 Hub will not supply any power to the computer.

Yes, the Element 5 Hub can be daisy-chained to the TS4, or any dual port Thunderbolt 3, or Thunderbolt 4 device such as the TS4. You can either have it first or second in the chain. We would recommend to have the TS4 directly connected to the laptop since it provides higher laptop charging.

If you plan to use your own laptop charger, we suggest you connect the Element 5 Hub to your computer first then daisy-chain it to other devices from the Element 5 Hub.

Unlike the majority of hubs or docks on the market that feature Dynamic Charging which decrease the charging performance when USB devices are connected to the hub, the Element 5 Hub features Full Consistent charging and will always provide 90W of power to the host computer.

Since the Element 5 Hub is a compact hub rather than a larger dock, heat management is of paramount importance.
90W is the optimum power delivery for hub of this size in order to provide enough power and keep the device at the perfect temperature.

If your laptop is above 90W the Element Hub will still charge your laptop at a slower speed.
If you are using CPU or GPU intensive applications we recommend that you connect the laptop’s charger to your laptop.

If you require a device with faster laptop charging, CalDigit offers full size docks with 98W charging.

No, the Element 5 Hub requires a power supply in order to operate.

The host Thunderbolt 5 connection provides 90W of power, the remaining Thunderbolt ports each provide up to 15W of power, and the USB ports provide up to 7.5W of power. To provide this much power the Element 5 Hub requires a power supply. However, the power supply that is included is very compact, making it ideal for travelling with.

Yes, the Element 5 Hub can charge your laptop at the same time as charging USB devices.

If your monitor is Thunderbolt or USB-C it can connect directly to the spare Thunderbolt 5 ports on the Element 5 Hub.

If you want to connect an HDMI or DisplayPort monitor you can purchase a USB-C to HDMI, or USB-C to DisplayPort Adapter, and connect it to the spare Thunderbolt ports.

You can connect any Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 5, USB4, USB4 v2, or USB-C devices to the Thunderbolt ports on the Element 5 Hub.

This includes, but is not limited to, external storage, eGPUs, docks, monitors, 10G Ethernet adapter, USB-C to SD card readers, and USB-C to ethernet adapters.

You can also daisy chain multiple Element 5 Hubs together.