The ProGrade PG25 Thunderbolt 5 Dock is a high-performance docking station designed for professionals who need blazing-fast data transfer and extensive connectivity. With 80Gbps Thunderbolt 5 bandwidth, it's an excellent choice for video capture workflows. Let's take a closer look.
Overview
The PG25 is ProGrade Digital's first Thunderbolt 5 dock, packing 11 ports into a compact aluminum chassis. It supports the latest Thunderbolt 5 standard, which doubles the bandwidth of Thunderbolt 4, making it ideal for external capture cards, high-speed SSDs, and multiple 4K/8K displays.
Key Features
- Thunderbolt 5 support with up to 80Gbps bidirectional bandwidth
- 11 ports including three Thunderbolt 5 downstream ports, USB-A, USB-C, HDMI 2.1, 10GbE, SD card slot, and 3.5mm audio
- 240W power supply with 90W host charging
- Slim, rugged design built for on-location use
- Front-accessible SD card slot for quick media ingestion
Compatibility Guide
The PG25 works with Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4, and USB4/Thunderbolt 3 devices. It's fully compatible with Macs (M4 Pro and later) and Windows PCs that support Thunderbolt 5. When connected to older Thunderbolt 3 hosts, speeds will drop to 40Gbps, but all ports remain functional.
Why It Excels for Video Capture
For video capture, the PG25's high bandwidth ensures low-latency, uncompressed video input. You can connect a Thunderbolt 5 capture card like the AVerMedia Live Gamer 5.1 or Blackmagic Design UltraStudio Recorder 3G and stream 4K at 60fps without dropped frames. The dock also supports daisy-chaining, so you can connect additional capture devices or storage without performance bottlenecks.
Who Should Buy This?
- Live streamers and video producers working with high-bitrate 4K/8K footage
- Photographers who need fast SD card transfers alongside capture devices
- Anyone with a Thunderbolt 5 laptop who wants a single-cable dock for video production
The ProGrade PG25 Thunderbolt 5 Dock is a robust, future-proof solution for demanding video capture and creative workflows. If you're serious about high-quality capture, this dock deserves a spot on your desk.