{"id":74087,"date":"2021-05-10T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-10T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?p=74087"},"modified":"2021-05-10T12:14:07","modified_gmt":"2021-05-10T17:14:07","slug":"best-thunderbolt-docks-and-hubs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/74087-best-thunderbolt-docks-and-hubs\/","title":{"rendered":"An Introduction to the Best OWC Thunderbolt Docks and Hubs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Which Thunderbolt Dock or Hub is Right For Me?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Thunderbolt<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s been ten years since Intel introduced \u201cLight Peak<\/a>.\u201d Apple incorporated the technology into their 2011 MacBook Pro<\/a> and dubbed it \u201cThunderbolt.\u201d Now we see Thunderbolt 3 on most Macs and the fourth generation<\/a> of Thunderbolt on PCs. It feels like the promises made by Apple and Intel are really coming together and bearing fruit on both Mac and PC. Thunderbolt docks and hubs provide you with the ultimate in flexibility, portability, and speed. They are awesome if you\u2019re looking for the best USB-C dock,\u00a0too,\u00a0because TB3 and USB-C share the same style connector. We\u2019re going to work our way through OWC\u2019s docks so you can find the one that fits your workflow the best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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OWC Thunderbolt Dock<\/a>: 11 ports for maximum daisy chaining<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"OWC<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This groundbreaking dock is available to order now. Three Thunderbolt ports allow you to connect a couple 4K displays or dive into the world of 5K\/6K\/8K display technologies. There\u2019s a thunderbolt cable right in the box too. This hub is really made for the creative professional who has run into problems taxing other hubs. It\u2019s so frustrating when you hit power limits and ports stop working, or you try to figure out which hard drive is the one causing another peripheral to not be recognized. This Thunderbolt 4 dock solves this by reimagining the daisy chain letting you create three separate \u201ctree branches\u201d of devices. Now your gear can keep up with your creativity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock<\/a>: 14 ports flexibility today<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Need to connect 14 things to your computer today? We\u2019ve all had those days! The Thunderbolt 3 dock is available now and brings you a bevy of connections, especially for legacy devices. The 4 USB ports make it straightforward to hook up your existing peripherals. Standard mics and headphones plug right in. SD\/MicroSD cards plug in the front, so no more searching for your card reader in the deepest recesses of your laptop bag. And the gigabit ethernet jack makes rock-solid networking a snap. If you need the best Thunderbolt 3 dock, look no further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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OWC Thunderbolt Hub<\/a>: A portable port expander<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"OWC<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve modernized your workflow, and most of your devices run USB-C and Thunderbolt, you\u2019ll want to pre-order this hub. You\u2019re probably on the hunt for the best USB-C dock. The included Thunderbolt cable connects to your Mac or PC. The remaining three Thunderbolt 4 jacks allow you to create \u201c3 tree branches\u201d of devices. That means you can disconnect a drive without taking offline the devices further down the chain. And don\u2019t forget about the blazing-fast USB-A jack on the front. It supports USB 3.2 10Gb\/s, so everything runs at top speed!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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OWC Mercury Elite Pro Dock<\/a>: Hardware RAID + Thunderbolt Dock<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Most thunderbolt drives sit at the end of a daisy chain creating a \u201cdead-end\u201d. That\u2019s not true of the Mercury Elite Pro Dock! It’s an ingenious combination of a hardware-based RAID array and port configuration. That means two drives can work together and bring you instant backup, or stunning speed. The hardware RAID controller brings you reliable performance right on the device. That way you don\u2019t have to maintain separate software just to run your hard drive. Then you can still connect a 4K display or other Thunderbolt devices. There\u2019s even an SD card reader built right into the front. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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OWC Thunderbolt 3 Pro Dock<\/a>: 10Gb\/s monster<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"OWC<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This dock means business. The 10Gb\/s ethernet connection provides cutting-edge speed to your server. The secure power connection ensures accidents don\u2019t ruin your life. There\u2019s even a switch to shut off the internal fan for 0db operation – ensuring silence on the set. OWC even included eSATA just in case you\u2019ve got some trusty drives from an older generation that need to be quickly connected. Best of all, it\u2019s AVB ready (Audio Video Bridging) for time-sensitive a\/v media streams, making it perfect for AVID users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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OWC Thunderbolt 3 Mini Dock<\/a>: Easily add HDMI displays<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"TYhunderbolt<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This mini dock packs a unique trick – two HDMI jacks. Now you can fire up a couple of 4K displays from a single jack on your laptop. Then you can still hook up a couple of USB devices. And when you\u2019re fighting spotty WiFi, hook up the gigabit ethernet connection. It\u2019s all wrapped up in a sleek aluminum design. No wonder Macworld magazine awarded it Editors\u2019 Choice 2020!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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OWC USB-C Travel Dock E<\/a>: \u201cThe Best Travel Hub\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We didn\u2019t call it that. The crew at Ars Technica deemed it \u201cThe Best Travel Hub\u201d and the \u201cBest Hub for iPad\u201d. HDMI, USB, Ethernet, and an SD card reader come together in this little wonder. The cable is built-in, so you don\u2019t have to worry about scrounging for the right cord. It\u2019s bus-powered, so there\u2019s no power brick to weigh you down. And the OWC Dock Ejector makes unplugging all your devices a single-click affair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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OWC ThunderBay Flex 8<\/a>: Thunderbolt 3 All-In-Wonder<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"OWC<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This Thunderbolt 3 external enclosure adds the horsepower of external cards to your Thunderbolt 3 computer. You can add external SSDs or NVMe drives in RAID configurations. It comes complete with the powerful SoftRAID application to manage and monitor your drives. The Displayport 1.4 connection supports 8K displays, and you can still daisy-chain up to five more Thunderbolt 3 devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

No matter what your workflow, there\u2019s an OWC Thunderbolt dock that is best for you. Whether you are looking for the best Thunderbolt 3 dock, the best USB-C dock, or even the latest Thunderbolt 4 dock, you\u2019ll find it here. From travel-size to multi-drive RAID configs, Thunderbolt docks and hubs provide you with the connectivity solution you\u2019ve been looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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