Acer Aspire 5 Slim A515-54-51D - Create docked desktop experience and can I charge through dock?

Rezzak83

I am looking to purchase a laptop which will double as a desktop for my mom.  To do this I want to get a docking station setup so that she can easily hook up the laptop to her peripherals (includes monitor that accepts VGA or DVI connections, speakers and/or headset via 1/8'' jacks, and a whole slew of USB devices including keyboard, mouse, printer, and others).  The only docking statinos I've ever used had a physical connection, like Lenovo Thinkpads where the entire laptop sat in a cradle to make the connections.  The docking stations I see on the market now are USB-C (or 3.1?) and you just plug that into the computer using a single cable.

Will this work with the Acer Aspire 5 Slim A515?  Are the USB C or 3.1 points of the type that can also allow the docking station to power the laptop?  I'm confused about this question since you seem to need a certain type of USB C or 3.1 to do this.  Basically I need to know if I have to buy a second power cable also to leave at the permanent desk, to reduce hassle.

Will this plan work and give her ok performance?  Does having all of the display, power, usb inputs, sound all running through a single USB cable throttle performance of the computer?

Thanks for the insight!

MaClane

Good evening Rezzak83 !

No laptop can be charged via a USB connection, whether Type-C or not.
Some models (depending on region) have technology that provides power through these connections.

Ideally, you should use the device's own connections (HDMi, etc.) instead of using docks.