Inter-Tech Argus GDC-802 review - Portable docking station for laptop and smartphone

Inter-Tech Elektronik Handels GmbH is a company based in Germany and was founded in 1996. Since then, the main focus has been on a Europe-wide distribution of OEM and retail hardware for PC systems. Originally, the portfolio mainly included PC cases and power supplies. However, this has since been expanded to include numerous divisions (fans, peripherals, hard drive enclosures, etc.). In spring 2020, Inter-Tech added numerous new peripherals to its portfolio. Among them is the USB-C docking station Inter-Tech Argus GDC-802, which we will take a closer look at in this review.

The GDC-802 is a compact and portable docking station with a USB-C port that can be used for both notebooks and smartphones. The numerous features include a chic aluminum case, USB-C with Displayport and Power Delivery functionalities up to a maximum of 20V, 5A or 100W. Furthermore, the docking station offers an HDMI port, three USB 3.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet via RJ45 and a card reader for SD(TF), SD and MMC cards.

Technical Details

Model	Inter-Tech Argus GDC-802
Main interface	USB 3.1 Type C
USB Type C charging port	PD version 3.0 (Depends on the USB Type-C port of the end device). PD voltage 5V, 20A (max. 100W) PD current 3A
USB ports	3x USB 3.0 Type A female (up to 5Gbps)
Video interface	Standard HDMI port (Depends on the USB Type-C port of the end device). Resolution max. 3840×2160@30Hz (4K) Audio signal transmission
Network interface	RJ45 (Gigabit Ethernet) Transfer rate 1000Mbps (Half- & Full-Duplex) IEEE 802.3az, IEEE 802.3u, IEEE 802.3ab, IEEE 802.3x IEEE 802.1Q VLAN tagging, 2 VLAN ID filtering Wake-On-Lan (WOL) Checksum Offload (IPv4, IPv6, TCP, UDP) TCP Large Send Offload Jumbo Frame Suspend Mode Remote WakeUp via Link-Change Magic Packet/Microsoft WakeUp
Card Reader	1x Micro SD (TF), 1x SD/MMC (no simultaneous use)
Supported operating systems	Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, 11, Mac 10.6 or later, Linux
Material	Aluminum
Weight	83g
Dimensions (HxWxD)	16 x 50 x 118mm
Price	€ 30.49 *

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€ 33.55

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Scope of delivery

The outer packaging of the Inter-Tech Argus GDC-802 docking station features a colorful design with a product image and key features on the front. Exact technical specifications as well as an overview of the included accessories can be found on the back. Inside the outer packaging, the docking station has been placed in a white plastic tray. Other accessories include a printed manual with information on how to set up the GDC-802.

Optical impression and workmanship

The case of the Inter-Tech Argus GDC-802 docking station is made of plastic and aluminum. In addition, the materials used have been set off by different colors. Thus, the aluminum is classically silver-gray and the plastic is black. Furthermore, the Argus manufacturer logo can be seen in the plastic element, which is illuminated by an RGB LED when in use. Unfortunately, it is not possible to control the LED. Overall, the docking station makes a good and valuable impression at first glance and is pleasantly light with a weight of 83 grams.

The Inter-Tech Argus GDC-802 docking station has a total of eight ports for peripherals, which are as follows:

1x USB 3.2 Type-C with Power Delivery function (5V, 20A –> max. 100W)
3x USB 3.0 Type-A
1x Micro SD (TF)
1x SD/MMC
1x HDMI (max. 3840×2160@30Hz)
1x RJ45 (Gigabit Ethernet)

Anschlüsse – SD- & microSD-Speicherkarte

Thus, this docking station basically offers the most important connections to be able to connect all commercially available devices. Basically, however, it is always relevant which standard the USB Type-C port of the connected end device supports.

Inter-Tech Argus GDC-802 review: Operation

In our everyday test, we operated the Inter-Tech Argus GDC-802 docking station for a week in with various devices. These devices included:

1x Lenovo ThinkPad T15 G1 (USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type C / Thunderbolt 3)
1x Lenovo IdeaPad 5 14ALC05 (1x USB-C 3.0 with DisplayPort 1.4, power connector and PD 3.0)
Samsung Galaxy S10 (USB-C 3.1 with 5Gb/s and OTG).

The following components were used as peripheral devices during the tests:

1x Lenovo 65W power adapter (USB Type-C)
1x ASUS PB278QV monitor
1x Microsoft Wireless Desktop 900
1x Logitech M705 Marathon

The test scenarios included normal operation such as Office, YouTube, gaming or writing this review. There were no disconnections during the entire test period and operation was basically smooth. However, a coil beeping was noticed that is sometimes louder and sometimes quieter depending on the connected device. Furthermore, the range of the wireless peripherals with USB receiver was significantly reduced as soon as a USB stick was connected, regardless of the end device. This is of course extremely unattractive and could quickly ruin the enjoyment of the product. Wired devices remained unimpressed when USB sticks were connected and worked without problems.

Finally, the transfer speeds via USB and card reader were measured. A 32GB SanDisk Ultra USB stick and a 32GB SanDisk microSHDC memory card were tested. AS SSD with a 1GB file was used as the tool.

Interface	Transfer speed
USB 3.0 Notebook	seq. read: 95.47 MB/s seq. write: 46.35 MB/s
USB 3.0 docking station	seq. read: 93.14 MB/s seq. write: 48.06 MB/s
microSDHC Notebook	seq. read: 83.05 MB/s seq. write: 14.63 MB/s
microSDHC docking station	seq. read: 22.42 MB/s seq. write: 12.71 MB/s

The USB stick achieved almost identical transfer speeds at the docking station or when directly connected to the notebook. It looks a bit different with the memory card. Here, the sequential read rates of the microSD card suffer especially.

Summary of the Inter-Tech Argus GDC-802 test

After completing the test, the Inter-Tech Argus GDC-802 docking station leaves a mixed impression. It offers a chic look as well as workmanship and the connection cable is sufficiently long at 30 centimeters. Compatibility with the tested end devices was also excellent, so all peripheral devices were recognized directly. Since the docking station is also so light and compact, it can easily be taken anywhere.

What we did not like so much is the non-controllable RGB LED, which constantly changes between colors. A neutral white would have been more inconspicuous from our point of view. We also noticed that wireless peripherals with USB receivers lose a lot of range when an additional USB stick is connected. Depending on the field of application, this could be a clear counter-argument for the purchase of this docking station.

With a retail price of € 30.49 *, the Inter-Tech Argus GDC-802 ranks in the typical range for portable USB Type-C docking stations with power delivery function. However, you have to do without a universal VGA port and a dedicated 3.5″ jack port here. If you do not need these ports and can do without wireless peripherals, the Inter-Tech Argus GDC-802 is a useful docking station that expands the connectivity of devices with USB Type-C ports. However, the competition in this segment is very high.