CableCreation CD0396 USB-C Multiport Hub review

CableCreation CD0396 review: an older multiport hub for several display connector types

The space-gray CD0396 is relevant when your desk still includes a Mini DisplayPort monitor or VGA equipment alongside more familiar HDMI. Its original user guide covers a broad collection of connections: three USB-A ports, Ethernet, audio, card slots and USB-C power input as well as those video outputs. That range can simplify an older office setup, but it should not be confused with unrestricted three-monitor operation.

The most important decision is which display arrangement you actually need. CableCreation documents different behavior under Windows 10 and macOS, and recommends using one video output at a time for the simplest operation. This assessment concerns the exact CD0396 covered by the original seven-page manufacturer guide. It is a reference to an earlier design, not a claim about present-day stock or compatibility with every newer computer.

Mini DisplayPort is useful only when it is the right kind of port

The guide explicitly distinguishes its Mini DisplayPort output from Thunderbolt 2. A Thunderbolt display or Thunderbolt storage device does not become compatible merely because its plug has the same shape. The documented output is intended for a Mini DisplayPort monitor. It does not support daisy chaining, and the maker rules out converting that socket to HDMI or DVI, although it permits conversion to VGA.

This matters when reusing older Apple equipment. First identify whether the screen is a Mini DisplayPort display or an Apple Thunderbolt Display. Those are different requirements. If your screen actually needs Thunderbolt, the CD0396 is the wrong solution. The hub’s upstream USB-C connection also needs the host’s DisplayPort Alternate Mode capability; a data-only USB-C socket cannot supply its native monitor outputs.

Screen count depends on the operating arrangement

HDMI and Mini DisplayPort are each advertised at up to 4K at 30 Hz when used in the appropriate single-output arrangement. VGA is listed up to 1920 by 1200 at 60 Hz. The manufacturer does not promise three simultaneous independent desktops from those three sockets. In fact, the guide warns against operating all three together.

For macOS, the guide says HDMI and Mini DisplayPort show the same content when used together, at matching 1080p or lower settings. The computer treats them as one external monitor. That is not a way around a Mac’s independent-screen limit. Under Windows 10, the guide documents independent HDMI and Mini DisplayPort desktops, with its dual-screen instructions referring to 1080p or lower. A precise dual-screen refresh rate is not established in that instruction.

Other combinations have their own restrictions. HDMI and VGA are described as unable to operate together directly, followed by workarounds using extra equipment. Those workarounds should not be mistaken for two built-in HDMI outputs or an all-purpose docking mode. Plan around the exact outputs you will use, rather than counting all three connectors as interchangeable screens.

Charging is a 60 W-input arrangement with a real overhead

The original specification gives a 60 W PD input and explains that the hub reserves 15 W when an external source is connected. It then names different power reaching different Macs: 14 W for a 12-inch MacBook, 15 W for the listed 13-inch MacBook Air and 45 W for the referenced 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pro configurations. Those figures are not evidence that every laptop receives 45 W.

A small charger may therefore be a poor match even though the plug fits. CableCreation recommends considering a larger appropriate PD source when a computer or phone fails to charge through the hub. The guide does not establish that a suitable charger comes in the package. Connect the intended power arrangement before starting work: unplugging or reconnecting PD power can briefly disconnect USB devices, which is a bad time to be copying files.

Three USB ports do not mean three unrestricted drives

The three USB-A data sockets share a documented accessory-power budget. With external PD power, their total is 10 W at 5 V and 2 A. One BC 1.2-marked port can provide up to 7.5 W, while the remaining sockets have a shared allowance that must still fit the total. The guide tells you to connect a portable drive to the marked port and warns against using two bus-powered hard drives together without separate drive power.

That makes a drive plus a wired mouse and keyboard a more plausible arrangement than several demanding disks. The manual discourages wireless mouse and keyboard use. Its USB 3.0 labels are retained as interface descriptions here; this reading does not turn them into a measured transfer-speed claim.

Cards, networking and the final decision

The SD/MMC and microSD openings are useful for different card formats, but the guide explicitly says to use SD or microSD, not both at the same time. Ethernet supports a link up to 1 Gbps, with lower-speed network compatibility; the actual network must support the intended rate. The CTIA audio jack is documented for both a microphone and headphones, with operating-system sound-device selection sometimes required.

Choose the CD0396 as an earlier-model reference when its particular legacy display connectors and documented host arrangement solve a real problem. Choose a newer, more clearly matched design for high-power laptop charging, simultaneous card access, USB-C data accessories or uncomplicated modern multi-monitor use. The breadth of the connector list is valuable only after those operational limits are considered.

Sources

CableCreation original CD0395/CD0396/CD0441–CD0444 user guide, pages 1–7.