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This is a frustrating one for me.

I have an acer SF314-52 and I absolutely love it.

One thing is really grinding my gears however; It's the USB-C port. Specifically, it's compatibility with USB-C docks.

I assumed, when I bought the laptop that I would be able to plug any old docking station in to the USB-C port and enjoy external monitors and power delivery.

I was quickly disappointed to find out it supports neither of those!

We have some USB-C docks with PD at work, and none of them work, not even with the DisplayLink drivers.

We also have an older usb-3 dock that works great with the DisplayLink drivers.

So? Easy! you might be thinking, just buy a USB-3 dock.

I would except that I can't bring myself to buy something that already has a newer version.

Bottom line: Can I buy a USB-C dock with PD and all the goodies and use it with a USB-C to USB-A cable, foregoing the USB-C goodies (for now) while still purchasing a dock that will be fully compatible with my next laptop?

I am worried that simply plugging it into a USB-3 port won't solve the compatibility issues.

Also, as an aside, can someone explain to me why DisplayLink would work over USB-3 but not USB-C? Have they changed the standard? On the DisplayLink website, they say you can mix and match pretty much any usb combination there is and their software will still run. This leads me to believe that the newer USB-C docks don't use DisplayLink at all and instead use some newer, standardized USB thingamajig.

USB port information for my laptop:

2x USB 3.0 and 1 x USB 2.0 Type-A slots, 1x USB 3.1 Type-C gen 1

Matthew Goulart
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  • See USB-C "alternate modes". They make DisplayLink unnecessary. – u1686_grawity Aug 15 '18 at 21:31
  • @grawity so if I understand correctly, my computer does not support "display port alternate mode"? Does this mean I could buy a USB-C dock that uses DisplayLink instead of dp alternate? – Matthew Goulart Aug 15 '18 at 22:27
  • Are we talking about USB 3.1 Gen 1 or USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports? – Ramhound Aug 16 '18 at 16:05
  • @Ramhound I'm not sure but I linked my laptop model, perhaps you will have more luck finding that out? – Matthew Goulart Aug 16 '18 at 16:57
  • I absolutely despite Acer's website. Enough information must be in the question body for it to be answered. USB Type-C/USB 3 isn't as descriptive as you might think it is. – Ramhound Aug 16 '18 at 17:14
  • @Ramhound I found this: 2x USB 3.0 and 1 x USB 2.0 Type-A slots, 1x USB 3.1 Type-C gen 1 – Matthew Goulart Aug 16 '18 at 18:19
  • There isn't a difference between USB 3.1 Gen 1 and USB 3.0. USB 3.0 is was literally renamed to USB 3.1 GEN 1 by the USB-IF. In this case, you simply have a Type-C USB 3.0 port, basically. You should verify the docking station, by itself, will meet your requirements. Be sure you are not confusing USB 3.1 Gen 2 support for DisplayLink with what you actually have and that is a Type-C USB 3.0 port. I have no idea what "PD" is by the way. DisplayLink should work with any (supported by the device) USB standard, as DisplayLink support, is not connected to the version of USB. – Ramhound Aug 16 '18 at 20:20
  • @Ramhound Thanks for the answer! PD is power delivery (charging via usb-c cable). Is it safe to assume that if, on my laptop, a DisplayLink dock works with USB 3 type A, then that same dock (providing it is compatible with both A and C) will also work with usb 3.1 GEN 1 type C? I think that's what you were trying to tell me, but I want to make sure because all of this is so confusing... – Matthew Goulart Aug 17 '18 at 00:31
  • See: https://superuser.com/questions/1375722/dell-inspiron-i5565-laptop-without-usb-c-port-can-i-use-a-usb-c-dock-with-an-ada – Ted Jun 20 '20 at 04:30

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