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Instagram / @owcsolutionsLast year I called OWC’s Thunderbolt 2 dock the MacBook Pro accessory I couldn’t live without.
And it was true. The dock allowed me to connect all of my necessary peripherals to my MacBook Pro using a single cable.
Well, Thunderbolt 3 is here and OWC sent me one of its new docks to try, and I’m happy to say it lived up to my expectations.
The dock itself is made out aluminum that matches Apple’s aesthetics and looks great sitting on a desk. It has five USB 3 ports, an Ethernet port, an SD card slot, a S/PDIF port, a FireWire 800 port, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, a headphone jack, and a Mini DisplayPort. That’s more than enough for most people to connect the devices they use on a daily basis, and then some.
You need to connect the dock to one of your Mac’s Thunderbolt 3 ports, and OWC included a .5m cable. I was initially a little disappointed with its short length, but discovered that’s the only size that will get you the full 40GBps bandwidth Thunderbolt 3 is capable of. I plugged all of my accessories into the dock, then plugged the dock into my computer (a 2017 5K iMac), and they all showed up instantly.
My accessories worked just as well through the dock as they had when plugged directly into my computer.
I filled all of the USB ports, the Ethernet port, and the additional Thunderbolt port and noticed no issues during my testing. I also made sure the SD Card slot read a card from my camera — it did — and that I could get 60fps 4K video to work through a USB-C to HDMI adapter — I could. I don’t have a DisplayPort monitor anymore, so I wasn’t able to test whether I could get the same video results through the MiniDisplay port.
Some of the reviews I’ve read said that outputting 4K 60fps video was flaky, and there are a few potential reasons for that. First, if you don’t use the cable that comes with the dock, you might not be getting the full bandwidth Thunderbolt 3 is capable of. Second, you’ll need a cable or adapter capable of carrying a 4K 60fps signal from the dock to your monitor or TV. If either of those factors aren’t considered, you’ll probably be looking at a subpar experience.
That long video-related caveat aside, my time with OWC’s Thunderbolt 3 Dock has been great. I’ve been able to organize my cables behind my desk instead of on top of it, and have more ports than I need (for now). If you find yourself plugging and unplugging accessories, or filling all of your computer’s ports with different dongles, this is a much better solution.
OWC 13 Port Thunderbolt 3 Dock, $ 299, available at Amazon
