When my laptop motherboard died, I extracted the SSD, and I now boot it up on my deck, on the same docking station. It's snappier than before!
Of course, it's less portable. The SD desperately needs a second USB port for that kind of setup. I'd also need a Bluetooth keyboard for portability.
Even the standard "desktop mode" interface is serviceable. I've got some real work™ done with it.