ThinkPad Dock II

Dock II Information

Additional, specific information here...

PCI Slot

Note this is a Half Size, or 'low profile' slot. Separate brackets are required for low profile PCI cards. Dock II owners: anybody tried to shoehorn a larger card in? What are the dimensions? Anyone have pictures?

Video Cards

The PCI slot is most often used for installing video cards to allow for multiple monitors. This feature is especially useful for anyone that requires visualizing a large amount of information, including stock brokers, artists, etc. Due to the slow PCI bus, gaming is generally not improved much by external cards.

One of the chief concerns of low profile video cards is whether they support the monitor setup you desire. As more monitors these days are LCDs, quality DVI support is essential. Additional concerns include driver support, ability to hot-swap (add or remove the thinkpad without rebooting), and noise/heat.

Quality DVI

LCD monitors are getting larger and higher-resolution. Currently, DVI based on 165MHz TDMS transmitters can only (officially) support 1600x1200x32 at 60Hz, which is the resolution of your average 20" non-widescreen LCD. IBM's driver support for this resolution through DVI ports on docks has been inconsistent, so be sure to go to (insert here) for information on how to enable this resolution.

Widescreen Support

Unofficially, *good* DVI transmitters can support 1920x1200 at 60Hz which is a newer widescreen (16:10) resolution used in monitors such as the Apple Cinema Display 20" and 23", Dell 24" 2405FPW, HP L2335, and others. However, not all DVI transmitters can push this resolution, due to poor signal quality from cheap manufacturing or weak TDMS transmitters. It is unknown whether IBM docks and port replicators can do 1920x1200 at 60Hz. If your transmitter cannot push this resolution, you must use a 'reduced blanking' option (through your video card driver) or create a custom timing through Powerstrip with slower refresh rate, both of which can reduce performance especially in fast refresh-sensitive work (reduced blanking less so though). For more information on TDMS transmission, see the DVI Compliance Testing article at Tom's Hardware.

Apple's 30" Cinema Display, with a 2560x1600 resolution, requires what is known as Dual-Link DVI, a technique of piggybacking 2 DVI connections into one physical DVI plug. This is not to be confused with a card having 'Dual DVI', or two physical DVI ports. Very few video cards support Dual-Link DVI, and they are usually very expensive. No known PCI cards exist that support Dual-Link DVI. There is hope for users of large displays though - newer TDMS transmitters, such as the SiI 1172, can push 225MHz and above through a single link, which is enough to drive 2560x1600 at 55Hz, enough for most work. These transmitters have not yet made it to many video cards - only Asus' V9999GE card is known to use one.

Hot Swapping

It is unknown whether hot swapping is fully supported. Check the thinkpads.com forum for more information.

Noise/Heat

Since the Dock II has been reported to be a bit noisy, some people have taken to unplugging the fan inside (or possibly replacing it). While this likely voids your warranty, it may be necessary if you really want it quiet. Adding a video card increases the heat inside the dock, and may likely have a fan on board as well, meaning it will increase the noise level. While adding one of the below video cards is likely well within the thermal limitations of the dock, you should take into consideration the noise and heat it may add.

Anybody care to add some anecdotal information about this here?

Compatible Video Cards

This is a list of the most popular low-profile PCI video cards used with the IBM Dock II

Card	Chipset	RAM	DVI Ports	Max DVI Res	TDMS	Compatibility	Price
Matrox Millennium P650 Low-Profile	P650	64MB DDR	2x	1920x1200	Unknown	Unknown	$219.95
PNY Quadro NVS 280 PCI	Nvidia Quadro 280	64MB DDR	2x (reqs cable)	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	$157.99
NTI Xentera GT2	ATI Radeon 9000	64MB DDR	2x	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	$213.91
NTI Xentera GT4	ATI Radeon 9000 x2	64MB DDR x2	4x	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	$448.95

Future Docks

It is only a matter of time before IBM (or Lenovo) updates the Dock II. With the release of the Intel 915 mobile chipset, it is likely that the Dock III will support PCI Express components. This should be a great boon for Thinkpad owners - greater dock performance and greater expansion possibilities will mean there's even less of a reason to use a desktop PC.