Laptop with MOST ports?

[Ace]

So I've recently been using my new MacBook Pro for college, and though I'll likely make a separate post about my experience with that later, I have to say that it's a mind-blowing experience coming from Windows. Absolutely amazing.

It just got me thinking though, that everyone's complaint with this laptop consists mostly of the lack of ports. And I began to wonder, which current laptop has the MOST ports? A ridiculous amount that few people would ever actually need, but present anyway? Things like the Leneovo P70 came to mind, but I came to accept that I just don't know the answer.

So today I ask you all: which laptop has the most ports? Though this is for fun, try to pick out machines that have relatively modern hardware. Maybe 5 years old max.

Let me know what you find!

[ShivaYash]

X220 has a fair few.


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[Findecanor]

Hmm.. For me the port selection on a X220 is close to bare minimum:
3 USB ports beside Ethernet, power, VGA, DisplayPort, Audio Jack and card reader.

Heck, my old dirt-cheap Netbook from six years ago have all that except for the DisplayPort. I should expect a professional machine, for work to have more than that.

[ideus]

The reference here is a machine that has even less ports than the X220, so, bare minimum is relative. The mac has USB3, TB, HDMI and SD card slot, so, again, what is bare minimum?

Personally I found that TB accessories are very expensive, so USB3 is the best for my needs.

[Ace]

The reference here is a machine that has even less ports than the X220, so, bare minimum is relative. The mac has USB3, TB, HDMI and SD card slot, so, again, what is bare minimum?

Personally I found that TB accessories are very expensive, so USB3 is the best for my needs.

Not to be rude, but you're a little behind the times. MacBook Pros no longer have any of the ports you mentioned. They have 4 USB Type-C ports with Thunderbolt 3 bandwidth. It's been that way for 10 months. Look:

[Phenix]

Does the Docking-port count as one or as several? (eg thinkpads can get usb/hdmi/whatnot with the appropriate docking station.)

[wobbled]

Something like a Getac b300

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[Ace]

Does the Docking-port count as one or as several? (eg thinkpads can get usb/hdmi/whatnot with the appropriate docking station.)

I'd count it as one. See, you can get amazing Thunderbolt 3 docks these days too. And unlike the proprietary Thinkpad docks, these things have the full 40 Gb/s bandwidth that Thunderbolt 3 provides. Heck, even USB 3.1 has 10 Gb/s speeds. Point being, if we counted dock-ports as multiple, we'd have to count all sorts of ports as multiple.

Hmm.. For me the port selection on a X220 is close to bare minimum:
3 USB ports beside Ethernet, power, VGA, DisplayPort, Audio Jack and card reader.

Heck, my old dirt-cheap Netbook from six years ago have all that except for the DisplayPort. I should expect a professional machine, for work to have more than that.

Damn! How many more ports would you want? I looked up the X220 and it has quite a TON. I get that it's a professional machine, but still!

[Findecanor]

Damn! How many more ports would you want? I looked up the X220 and it has quite a TON. I get that it's a professional machine, but still!

The use case would be to hook it up much like a desktop machine, without requiring any dongles or docking station. I would not want to carry the docking station with me in addition to the laptop. Needing to carry a plethora of dongles of various types is right out.

I have used laptops a lot at work but most of the time I and my coworkers have had them connected more or less permanently, just like desktop machines. I have had to take it out of the office maybe four times per year unless I'm working from home for some reason, while some coworkers of mine have been travelling a lot. (typically)
The laptop would typically sit next to a mechanical keyboard and a mouse, or on a laptop stand that angles and elevates the laptop for optimal cooling and viewing. Such laptop stands make using the built-in keyboard and trackpad awkward and sometimes the desktop setup has multiple machines with KWM switch which often require dedicated USB buses for keyboard and mouse.
One or two external monitors are often used - to get more screen real estate, in addition to that on the laptop. Wired Ethernet is preferred because of security and performance. And then of course, the laptop requires power.
That leaves one USB port for those times I need to use an optical drive, thumb drive, external harddrive, camera or charge/sync a phone -- and I would not want to give up the use of mouse and keyboard for any of that.

[Halvar]

The use case would be to hook it up much like a desktop machine, without requiring any dongles or docking station. I would not want to carry the docking station with me in addition to the laptop.

That is not at all how a docking station is used...

From what I understand, what you need is not a laptop with a lot of ports, but a laptop with a docking station with a lot of ports, as well as three monitors so you don't have to use the small laptop screen when the laptop is docked. Of course, the docking station always stays where the monitors, mech keyboard, mouse and ethernet are. You don't carry them around, so you don't carry around your docking station either ...

If you have a desktop setup at home as well as at work, you need two docking stations, not a plethora of connectors that you have to connect every time.

[ideus]

The reference here is a machine that has even less ports than the X220, so, bare minimum is relative. The mac has USB3, TB, HDMI and SD card slot, so, again, what is bare minimum?

Personally I found that TB accessories are very expensive, so USB3 is the best for my needs.

Not to be rude, but you're a little behind the times. MacBook Pros no longer have any of the ports you mentioned. They have 4 USB Type-C ports with Thunderbolt 3 bandwidth. It's been that way for 10 months. Look:

I see and you are not rude at all, it is totally true that I am not in touch with Apple things,

[Findecanor]

Only the high-end MacBook Pro has four USB Type C ports. The regular MacBook Pro has only two.
... and the regular "consumer" MacBook has only one - for everything except headphones.

If you have a desktop setup at home as well as at work, you need two docking stations, not a plethora of connectors that you have to connect every time.

Yes, but that would only be home and work, and nowhere else. But what about travel, for use at the hotel room or at café?

I once got a small Windows tablet, thinking that I would be able to use it when travelling with a mechanical keyboard, but no, all small tablets have (like the consumer MacBook) only one USB port for everything including the AC adapter. I had to get a Bluetooth keyboard ... which also needs to be recharged sometimes from an AC adapter, but it can't be daisy-chained with the computer.
The situation is the same with the MacBook but for mice - Bluetooth only.
I would have preferred a mouse also with my tablet but I can get by with the "touch screen" because it accepts "touches" from a pencil. (it is kinda unique in that way, a Windows tablet without a mouse or a stylus of some sort is useless).

[davkol]

I'm eyeing a thinkpad T430. That's 4× USB (two 3.0, two 2.0 one of which is always on), Ethernet, VGA, miniDP, 3.5mm TRRS for audio, charger, docking port, UltraBay, ExpressCard, SmartCard and memory-card reader.

I'd prefer split audio jacks and an extra USB port, but it's more or less ideal otherwise.

[Halvar]

A used T430 or T430s in good shape is a good deal for sure. I'm still using my T420 (right now with a docking station and 2 monitors) and I really like it.

When I'm neither at home nor at work, I can hardly imagine any situation on a trip that can't be handled by 3x USB, HDMI (or DisplayPort), VGA, Ethernet, card reader and an audio jack.

I'm definitely not a MacBook guy though.