OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock Review

Best Prices Today: OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock

The OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock is a full-featured 11-port Thunderbolt 4/USB4 docking station that doesn’t require a separate bulky power supply.

With the power supply built into the dock, the whole setup becomes more portable, and OWC is aiming the Thunderbolt Go Dock at professionals on the go for whom a brickless Thunderbolt hub just isn’t enough.

You can connect the Thunderbolt Go to your laptop or tablet to add a bunch of fast ports for the full desktop experience, then toss it in a bag and move on to the next job or back to the office or studio.

Thunderbolt 4 (TB4) means you get the latest and fastest 40Gbps bandwidth, plus daisy-chaining of smart devices and blazing-fast storage connectivity, all while being backwards compatible with Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C. TB4 also offers Intel VT-d DMA device protection that you don’t get with all older connectivity standards.

Specifications and Features

• One upstream Thunderbolt 4 port (40 Gbps, 90 W)
• Two downstream Thunderbolt 4 ports (40Gbps, 15W)
• Two USB-A ports (10 Gbps, 10 W)
• One USB-A port (480MB/s, 7.5W)
• One USB-C port (10Gb/s, 15W)
• HDMI 2.1 socket
• 2.5 GB Ethernet
• UHS-II SD card reader (320 Mbps)
• 3.5mm audio jack
• 120W power supply

The OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock features an upstream Thunderbolt 4 port to connect to your laptop or tablet, easily side-mounted to prevent trailing cables from getting in the way of the front.

Since OWC has included an HDMI port, there are only two downstream Thunderbolt 4 ports for connecting other devices, including external displays. These are rated at 40Gbps of Thunderbolt 4 and can charge devices at 15W each. The upstream port can charge a connected laptop at up to 90W, which is enough for most large laptops.

The inclusion of the HDMI 2.1 port makes sense though, as you’ll probably want to connect at least one display, and with HDMI on the dock you won’t need an adapter like you would if you were using the one of the TB4 ports to connect to a non-USB-C display. You’ll find a lot more HDMI displays than USB-C, so again, this comes in handy when taking the OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock with you between jobs.

If you want to connect multiple displays, you can do so directly through the TB4 ports if the monitors have a USB-C connection. Otherwise, you’ll need a USB-C to HDMI or USB-C to DisplayPort adapter (not included) to connect to the Thunderbolt ports.

HDMI 2.1 offers incredible potential – technically it supports a single 10K display at 120Hz. Here it will support two 4K displays at 60Hz, or a single 5K or 8K monitor at 60Hz; or a 4K display at 120Hz. Mac users should note that only the M2 Pro and M2 Max MacBook Pro models introduced in 2023 support 8K displays.

Apple’s regular M1/M2 MacBooks only support a single external display (M1/M2 Pro and M1/M2 Max support multiple displays), although there are third-party software and hardware solutions that allow Mac M1/M2 to connect to multiple external displays.

On the front of the dock are a fast SD card reader (UHS-II, 320Mbps), a 3.5mm headphone/microphone jack, and two USB ports (one a slow USB-A 2.0 at 480 Mbps and the other a fast USB-C at 10 Gbps). ). USB-A is there less for data transfer, as for its 7.5W charge, enough to charge a phone.

The SD card reader is handy for inexpensive portable storage. If you prefer microUSB, most come with an adapter to fit the wider SD slot.

On the back there are two 10Gbps USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) ports that can charge devices at 10W if OWC Dock Ejector software is installed to enable the most current, as well as the two downstream TB4 ports and the HDMI port.

The Ethernet port is fast, rated at 2.5 GB instead of the standard 1 GB (Gigabit). This is useful in fast wired networks and is backwards compatible with more common Gigabit Ethernet networks. Multi-gig Ethernet is increasingly becoming a feature of Thunderbolt 4 docking stations; for example, 2.5 GB Ethernet is also included in the Caldigit TS4 Docking Station and the Plugable Thunderbolt 4 & USB4 Quad Display Docking Station.

Ultra-fast Ethernet is also useful when connecting NAS drives with fast data access.

Integrated power

Compared to other fully ported Thunderbolt docks, the OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock has its power supply built in – the others all have heavy external power supplies, often weighing as much as the dock itself. same and requiring additional wiring.

At 120W, the Thunderbolt Go Dock’s power supply doesn’t match the 230W of power you get with the Caldigit TS4 or 180W with the Kensington SD5700T, but is close to many other externally powered docks.

90W can be reserved for direct laptop charging, leaving plenty for connected devices. Check out our roundup of the best Thunderbolt 4 docks for comparable products.

Design and build

The OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock is a smart design that looks sturdy and heat-efficient in a professional ventilated aluminum data center rack aesthetic.

We appreciate the side-mounted upstream TB4 port, which leaves the front ports free to support devices you might want more immediate access to, such as the SD card reader and USB-A charger and USB port -C fast.

With its built-in power supply, it’s more portable than competing Thunderbolt docks. Although that means you just need the power cable and no heavy power brick, the docking station itself weighs 2.09lbs (950g) – noticeably heavier than the TS4 with 1. 41 lbs (640 g), for example – and larger at 9.5 x 3.5 -x-1.4 inches (24.1-x-9.2-x-3.6 cm).

Overall, however, the OWC Dock is a lighter package and much easier to transport. All you need in terms of wiring is the included Thunderbolt 4 cable and two-prong “Figure 8” power cord.

Price

The OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock costs $349.99 or £349.99, which is mid-range – cheaper than the Caldigit TS4 but more expensive than the Kensington SD5700T.

Thunderbolt 4 hubs, rather than full docking stations, are cheaper but don’t come with Gigabit Ethernet or card readers as standard. The Caldigit Element Hub is our favorite Thunderbolt 4 hub, as it has four TB4 ports and four 10Gbps USB-A ports, although you will need to use some of these ports for adapters if you need Ethernet or card readers.

Verdict

The OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock is a premium Thunderbolt 4 docking station with 11 premium ports. Its built-in 120W power supply makes it the most portable and complete Thunderbolt 4 docking station, and its 2.5Gb Ethernet offers support for lightning-fast network access.