Here is our review of the OWC Thunderbolt Pro Dock.
Designed for pro creative workflows and features 10G Ethernet, frontside CFexpress and SD card readers, Thunderbolt (USB-C) device support, and peripheral ports.
Features
- Fast & diverse: transfer files in a blink, daisy chain up to five Thunderbolt devices, use USB-C accessories, and add an HDMI display with two Thunderbolt (USB-C) ports
- Full throttle bandwidth: share and stream up to 90% faster with a 10Gb/s Ethernet port
- AVB ready: perfect for use in pro audio and video applications where synchronization of data streams is critical
- Ingest content: easily handle multiple video and photo card uploads at up to 1630MB/s with CFexpress and SD card readers
- Full speed connectivity: use your devices and accessories at their max speed with one USB-C and three USB Type A 10Gb/s ports
- Add more viewspace: connect two 4K displays or up to a single 8K display via Displayport 1.4
- Powerful: keep your notebook mobile use ready with 85W charging power
- Silent and secure: fanless cooling mode and locking power connection for on-set use
- Certified: Thunderbolt certified for Mac and Windows
- Dante compatible: Easy Plug and Play – no software needed – into networks designed for bit perfect audio with super low latency and sample accurate synchronization
- Worry-free: 2 Year OWC Limited Warranty
System Requirements
Operating System
- Mac: macOS 10.14 or later
- PC: Windows 10 or later
- iPadOS: Latest version recommended
- Linux: Latest version recommended
Hardware
- Works with any Mac, PC, or iPad with a Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) port
Supported Flash Media
- SD (up to 4.0 UHS-II) cards
- CFexpress (Type B) cards
What’s in the box?
The box contains the Thunderbolt Pro Dock, power supply and a certified 0.7M OWC Thunderbolt Cable.
A Closer Look
Final Thoughts
The OWC Thunderbolt Pro Dock is a compact device that can easily sit on any desktop and provide a whole lot more ports that your desktop or laptop has! It looks really sleek and cool and the ports (and there quite a few of them) are easy to access.
The OWC Thunderbolt Pro Dock is perfect for giving you just about every piece of connectivity you are likely to need, including CFexpress if you need it.
Setting up the dock is simple – place it on a desk (or wherever you want to use it), plug in the power supply, connect the dock to your laptop using the supplied cable, and that’s it! Now you can use any of the ports on the dock.
Some devices need an additional driver in order to function correction but OWC have provided the driver online so if you have one of those devices then you just need to download and install the driver. There is also a compatibility list online too just so you can check.
For me personally, I have an Apple MacBook Air and a Mac Mini which means I am limited in what ports my laptop and desktop has available – there is no Ethernet port or SD card slot for example on the laptop, something I personally use a lot, so the OWC Thunderbolt Pro Dock is a lifesaver! Not only can I now use all those things I need without looking for extra connectors and unplugging whatever I already have connected, I can use other devices at the same time and even charge my iPhone and iPad too! You can use the dock with either Mac or Windows.
The dock also comes with a 2 year warranty so if anything goes wrong you are covered.
The OWC Thunderbolt Pro Dock is available now priced around $349.99 and is a fantastic addition to your desktop. If you do a lot of photo or video editing then this is a must have!
