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Get OWC's 14-Port Mac Thunderbolt Dock for Best-Ever $99.99 Price ($180 Off)

MacRumors said:


OWC this week knocked the price of the popular 14-Port Thunderbolt 3 Dock down to $99.99, from its original price of $279.99, and this deal is still around this weekend. This is a match of the all-time low price on the accessory, which we last tracked way back in April.

owc-docks-white-logo.jpg
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with OWC. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Besides this dock, you'll find a large collection of accessories on sale at this time on OWC, including USB-C hubs, external drives and enclosures, and internal memory upgrade kits for Mac.



In regards to the 14-Port Thunderbolt 3 Dock, this accessory features two Thunderbolt 3 ports, five USB Type-A ports, one USB Type-C port, one Mini DisplayPort port, one gigabit Ethernet port, one S/PDIF digital audio output port, and one 3.5mm stereo audio input/output port. There are also two memory card slots for microSD and SD cards.

All of the devices listed below are in new condition at OWC, although the retailer does provide various item condition options for anyone who might want to save money by purchasing open box items. Be sure to visit OWC's sale landing page to browse the full sale, which also features deals on cables, Mac accessories, keyboards, and headphones.

Docks and Hubs

External Drives and Enclosures

Memory

Miscellaneous

Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.

Article Link: Get OWC's 14-Port Mac Thunderbolt Dock for Best-Ever $99.99 Price ($180 Off)
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I know this thing is old, but all those USB A ports in this day and age is wild.
 
Ken Linger said:
The $279.99 price tag most likely indicates when this was introduced, circa 2017. Unfortunately, it's also 2017 technology, which you can tell based on the five USB-A ports and the display port. It's like buying an iPhone X today for $129 and being told you scored over $1000 in savings.
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I see that OWC sells used "trash can" MacPro for $250 each and claims you save something like $5,000.
 
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btbeme said:
This model has been around a number of years and while it showed promise, I must say I have been disappointed with mine. The dock randomly ejects connected devices, and calls to (otherwise stellar) OWC support over the years has resulted in nothing more than installing a patch on my system that only sort of solved the problem. I think there are better devices out there, especially for Thunderbolt 4.

…and I have been an OWC customer since it was run out of a garage.
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I bought mine a few months ago to use alongside my M3 Pro 16". Disconnecting drives every time I wake from sleep has just become "normal" to me. Pretty annoying. Also can't run 240hz 1440p with HDR on.
 
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Not sure how this is a deal at all. If you are ok with using older Thunderbolt 3 docks (and don't need the features of Thunderbolt 4), then there is no better deal than buying a used Belkin Thunderbolt 3 Express Dock HD on eBay for around $20. The 'LITEON 20V 8.5A' power adapter can also be bought for around $20, brining the total to ~$40. Also this Belkin dock uses an Intel ethernet chip instead of a Realtek one, so no need to worry about drivers.

See this page regarding Ethernet chips in Thunderbolt docks: https://egpu.io/forums/gpu-monitor-peripherals/pcie-ethernet-in-thunderbolt-docks/
 
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rsands1 said:
Terrible dock and I would NEVER recommend anything from OWC. I purchased this dock years ago and it was just awful. Constant disconnects and crashes...huge pile of hot garbage. I even added another TB4 Dock to daisy chain and that caused even more headaches. That company will never get another dime of my money.

If you want a dock that actually works, hit up the Ivanki FusionDock Max 1 for $379.99. Expensive but well worth it. I have one and it absoultely rocks. Incredibly fast and has pretty much every port you could possibly need.

ivanky.com

FusionDock Max 1

Designed exclusively for MacBook users, this dual USB-C docking station expands your laptop into more ports to vastly improve efficiency while working from home. 12 Ports Connectivity: Equipped with 12 ports, including 2x HDMI 2.0, 1x 18W PD USB-C, 1x USB-C 3.0, 4x USB-A 3.0, 1x SD (UHS-I), 1x...
ivanky.com ivanky.com
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Ya, you mention this EVERY week or so…




 
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svish said:
Looks like a good dock at a very good price.
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Yes. It was from a "return"-shop, the box had been opened but it had never been used. Tested, and like new. Then, I found that I needed a 2 meter Thunderbolt cable because I want to have my mac mini placed high on a shelf to help with Bluetooth performance around the room. Scandinavian price of 2 m active TB4 cable: $99usd. Oh, well…

Thunderbolt 4 Cable - 100W Charging, 8K Video | Belkin US

CONNECT with Belkin certified Thunderbolt 4 cable. Two displays at 4k, or one 8k. 40Gbps ultra-fast data transfers, backward compatible w/USB-C & Thunderbolt 3.
www.belkin.com www.belkin.com
 
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Ever since the issue they had with their early SSD I avoided this company… people’s experiences indicate it was a good decision.

I know Macrumors make money off this promotion… but I don’t think it looks good to be pushing something that people rate so poorly. This is the latest in a number of articles on this dock.
 
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bitfactory said:
I know this thing is old, but all those USB A ports in this day and age is wild.
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Insofar as it's a problem at all, It's basically Apple's fault - in 2016, instead of just replacing the TB2/MiniDP ports with USB-C/TB3 ports and keeping the (not really) "legacy" ports on the MBPs for a few more years, they "courageously" went straight to all-USB-C years before the USB-C devices that people actually needed were available, and didn't even come out with a "killer app" (the Studio Display was about 6 years late) for TB3. Consequently, the "killer app" for USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 became the "wah! Give me back my USB-A/HDMI/DisplayPort/SD/etc, ports - I needs them!" multiport hub/dock.

Even today. outside the Reality Distortion Field there's still a lot of USB-A stuff in use and still on sale - and even a lot of new USB-C stuff only uses USB 3.0 speeds, and/or the minimum USB 3 power requirement - so there's no performance loss from using a USB A cable or adapter (often included in the box unless the device is sold specifically for Apple). Heck, the Mac Mini/Studio/Pro all still have USB A (which even I think could be dropped now).

Meanwhile - downstream USB-C ports on hubs/docks are still about as common as hen's teeth - probably because adding extra USB-A ports is cheaper and simpler than even minimum-spec USB-C, let alone full-spec ports with video and higher power delivery. TB3 could only support a single downstream TB port, Modern TB4/USB4 devices only support 3 downstream full TB ports. They could offer extra USB3-only USB-C ports -which many customers would proceed to fill with USB-C to A adapters...

There's finally a few straight USB-C/USB3 to USB-C hubs on the market - only 4 way though - c.f. masses of cheap 8+ port USB A - but it's taken a long time. For me we're just about at the point where it might be feasible to go for all-USB-C at the computer/hub end - but that entails buying quite a few USB-C to USB B/Micro B/Micro 3B cables, including a couple of extra-long ones - for a bunch of devices that will gain zero advantage for it (they're mostly only USB 2, one is even USB 1!).

I've actually just got a Caldigit Elements hub because it was reduced on Prime Day... mainly because I want to run two 4k+ displays from it to free up a TB4 port on my Mac Studio (specifically because the HDMI port won't stretch to 3840x2560 without dropping to 50Hz), but the 4 USB A sockets are still jolly useful.
 
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That very same dock is on the market with different other names. It doesn’t seem to come even close to the CalDigit TS4. It’s just a labeled white label dock. OWC was a legendary brand, especially for the Apple world but they seem to have gone south pretty quickly. I won’t buy this dock even though I am in the market for one, in Europe.
 
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I bought it on this deal and already got it in and am using it. Works great for my needs. replaced a more expensive Dell dock that was giving me issues.
 
Interesting reports here. So far I had only read good things about the OWC TB devices.
 
My OWC dock doesn't like power problems much, shuts off the power to the Mbp and have to unplug everything toget it working again. But it does still work, not paying 300 plus for a some ports. I would rather get rid of the computer. And yes it's behind a UPS.
 
I like OWC. I've bought used Macs & a wide assortment of various peripherals from them over the years, but hardly ever their first-party stuff. I always consider each purchase on its own merits and make the best decision I can based on listed specs and reviews from across the net. So I can't speak to the merits of this dock, but the negative reviews here and elsewhere track with what I've heard before.

Case in point: After upgrading to an M1 Air the other year, I needed a Thunderbolt dock to replace the I/O functionality of my old 2010 Mac Pro setup. I initially tried an Anker 577, which was promising, but it died just inside the return window. Realizing the port selection on that was overkill for my actual use (not what I thought I needed) I went with the CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 Element Hub. This dock has run essentially non-stop for over two years now, and I've never had any issues with mounting/un-mounting, power, etc.

So if you're in the market for a Thunderbolt dock, I strongly suggest considering CalDigit, and examining what your actual use case is - you likely don't need more than half-a-dozen USB ports of various types (A & C). And you can buy USB-to-whatever (or Thunderbolt-to-whatever) adapters for most peripherals if your needs evolve.
 
satchmo said:
Is OWC stuff white labeled stuff or are they custom designed (and then made in China)?
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I can't speak to that for sure, but the Kensington SD5750T Thunderbolt 4 dock looks nearly identical to the OWC Thunderbolt 4 dock if you look at the port arrangement:

www.kensington.com

SD5750T Thunderbolt™ 4 Dual 4K Dock (DFS) | Universal Laptop & USB Docking Stations | Kensington

The first Thunderbolt™ 4 dock designed exclusively for Surface to offer full power delivery, regardless of how many devices are connected.
www.kensington.com www.kensington.com

www.owc.com

OWC 11-Port Thunderbolt Dock

Add three Thunderbolt 4 ports, 4 USB ports, along with Ethernet, audio, and card reader functionality to your Thunderbolt 3 Mac or Thunderbolt 4 PC.
www.owc.com www.owc.com

With the exception that the Kensington has a power button and couple LEDs added on to the front (and that one is marketed towards Mac users and the other one "designed for Microsoft Surface," but I've been using it on a Mac without problem; I actually don't think I ever tried the OWC TB4 dock after whatever generation of their dock, maybe this one or the TB2 one, kept disconnecting from my Mac).

Or basically: it looks a lot like it might be. :)
 
Fabian90 said:
If you want good quality, buy CalDigit TS3 Plus or TS4.
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sorry - I can't agree with that statement - at least for TS3 Plus

I have 2x TS3 Plus's. The Audio out (EVEN via optical) is terrible. They get VERY hot (meaning lack of efficency)

And latest issue - for the last 6-9 months I have had HUGE issues with my Airpods Pro & Pro 2's. They would randomly disconnect with ZERO notification (iphone -> ipods sitting in front of MBP). iPod Pro's would just stop playback and disconnect. As it was random - I tried all kinds of things to figure out why. I have spent HOURS (days probably). I even tried with nothing connected to my Mac - but TS3 still "powered". No change.

Today I disconnected my TS3 Plus - and took power off it.

I have not had a disconnect since (6 hours so far with no interruptions)

So TS3 Plus - no thanks - both will go in the bin when I find a replacement. But darn it is hard to find anything "worthy" (Aka 10GBit ethernet + high power for MBP 16"/iPad etc.) - seems like i have to live with 2.5Gbit ethernet from Sonnet or similar.
 
nathansz said:
OWC has always left a bad taste in my mouth from when then were selling those scammy "thermal sensors" for replacing iMac drives when all you actually needed was a sata y splitter

edit

looks like they're still selling them
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I bought a dock that needed...a Windows path to work.

I told them I didn't have a Window's machine and ended up having it to mail it back to them for an update.

Still didn't work.
 
BipedalOS said:
So they can charge $299 per port. No.

Apple needs to bring back ports on their MacBooks. 2-3 ports is a joke. Add back at least 2 USB-A’s
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And standardize on one MagSafe connector instead of having different ones for the MacBooks and iPhones!
 
These docks are not worth the shipping cost.

I got one and it has been worthless. I just destroyed the retail box so I could not return it.
 
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Not a fan of OWC.

1. Many years ago had a dock. Attached devices kept disconnecting. Discarded it.
2. They charge a yearly fee for SofRaid. Purchased SoftRaid 5 during 6 beta. When 6 was released a month or 2 later they charged me again for 6 despite my protests.

Envoy Pro EX works well though.
 
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