Thunderbolt™ 3 and Thunderbolt™ 4 can deliver up to 100W of power to compatible devices. When you connect a Thunderbolt device that supports Power Delivery to a laptop like the MacBook Pro, the battery in the host computer can be charged directly through the Thunderbolt cable, therefore removing the need to plug in a separate power adapter.
How much power do I get?
For a self-powered Thunderbolt device with two Thunderbolt ports, the minimum supplied is 15W. Although a Mac can still make use of the power provided, it is not enough to fully charge a laptop.
Other devices may supply more power (e.g., 27W, 60W, 85W, 96W) through a dedicated Thunderbolt port. The more power a device supplies, the faster the battery can be charged, and the more work can be done on the computer while maintaining the current battery level.
Tip: When using a Thunderbolt Hub or Dock, plug any bus-powered devices into the dock, so they can draw power directly from the dock.
MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021) OWC Envoy Pro FX
connected to computer via Thunderbolt (bus powered)
| Model | PD | Test | Battery Start | Battery End | +/- |
| N/A (battery) | N/A | 3D render for ~30min | 78% | 60% | -18% |
| N/A (battery) | N/A | Idle for 30 min | 79% | 77% | -2% |
| OWC ThunderBay 4 | 15W | 3D render for ~30min | 60% | 49% | -11% |
| OWC ThunderBay 4 | 15W | Idle for 30 min | 77% | 77% | 0% |
| OWC Gemini | 27W | 3D render for ~30min | 85% | 85% | 0% |
| OWC Gemini | 27W | Idle for 30 min | 77% | 84% | +7% |
| OWC miniStack STX | 60W | 3D render for ~30min | 59% | 74% | +15% |
| OWC miniStack STX | 60W | Idle for 30 min | 53% | 82% | +29% |
| OWC Mercury Pro LTO | 85W | 3D render for ~30min | 49% | 79% | +30% |
| OWC Mercury Pro LTO | 85W | Idle for 30 min | 23% | 70% | +47% |
| OWC Thunderbolt Dock | 96W | 3D render for ~30min | 20% | 59% | +39% |
| OWC Thunderbolt Dock | 96W | Idle for 30 min | 30% | 77% | +47% |
Note: Test results based on MacBookPro18,3 with Apple M1 Pro, 8-core CPU, 16GB memory and 480GB OWC Envoy Pro FX connected to the computer via Thunderbolt. Display set to never turn off. 3D render of Cosmos Laundromat Demo scene in Blender 3.0 with file stored on external SSD. Results will vary depending on test environment.
Which device will supply power?
The computer automatically chooses the source that supplies the most power.
For example, on a MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021) with the standard 67W power adapter and the OWC Thunderbolt Dock providing 96W connected at the same time, the computer will be charged at 96W.
Why doesn’t it work?
Power Delivery might not work in all situations. The following are a few examples:
- The laptop (e.g., Windows PC) might have a certain minimum requirement
- The Thunderbolt device is not connected directly to the computer but through an adapter or through another device
- The cable does not support Power Delivery (e.g., optical cable)
Power up safely
When you need to power your machine and/or charge your devices, the OWC Thunderbolt 4/USB-C Cable is test-certified to safely deliver up to 100W of power. Whether connected to a docking station or any other USB-C power supply device, this premium, multi-function cable is built to reliably deliver the power your digital life demands.
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I have your TB 3 dock and have a question. Is there a way to NOT have the dock deliver power. My 14” has a MagSafe connector that is only good for power. I would like to use that AND use my dock but I want to do battery maintenance from time to time. This means removing external power; easy to do with the MagSafe but not easy with the dock. Thanks. Love your products!