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OWC Debuts $279 Thunderbolt 3 Dock With 13 Ports

Sandy Santra said:
Thanks, man. I'm obviously not looking closely enough at the pics of the rear panel because those don't look like USB-C ports to me.
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Well, it is kinda weird because they say in the marketing blurb "There are two Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports, each of which can support up to five daisychained Thunderbolt 3 devices". This is a weird way of saying it, because one port is used to connect the laptop.
 
Sedulous said:
Even with only 2 USB-C ports, 12 peripherals could still be connected. It isn't like it is a binary choice as you framed it.
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I think this should read, '12 TB peripherals'. I don't think the six TB device limit has any bearing on, for lack of a better word, 'emulated' ports. Only the native TB protocol DP is (or was until TB2) limited to one per TB controller (and there is the limit of six TB controllers). Of course, bandwidth is finite and that might limit the total number of peripherals if you want to connect each through a full speed connection (full speed of whatever protocol is used).
 
ashok77 said:
Got some feedback from OWC..."I am sorry but the Thunderbolt Dock can only be connected to a Thunderbolt computer. It will not connect to a USB-C mac."

That's too bad.
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I got this answer when asking if I can use the dock for connecting my 12" MBR to my old mini displayport 27" Apple Cinema Display:

The new dock does have a mini Displayport connection for video. "mini DisplayPort 1.2 port supports 2K or 4K @ 60Hz"
 
ashok77 said:
The Caldigit looks good but I guess it's ultimately just a USB-C dock. OWC has as USB-C dock as well and what they have now introduced is a Thunderbolt 3 dock.

I guess I didn't realize that you can plug a TB3 device (MBP) into a USB-C dock/dongle but you can't plug a USB-C device (rMB) into a TB3 dock/dongle...I would have hoped you could at reduced speeds/bandwidth. I'd like one dock to rule them all, so to speak, and that one dock to be TB3 but i guess you have to take the lowest common denominator.
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Hmm you are correct. For some reason I was under the impression it functioned as a TB3 dock if your machine was capable of it, but the display resolution specifications seem to indicate otherwise. It also seems to note now (or maybe did before and I didn't catch it) that OS X cant use dual displays from it due to lack of DP MST support... wonder if thats still the case on the new rMBPs...
 
cerberusss said:
This is a weird way of saying it, because one port is used to connect the laptop.
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Well, you could have the hub at the end of a daisychain of devices... or in the middle...

ShadeDream said:
It also seems to note now (or maybe did before and I didn't catch it) that OS X cant use dual displays from it due to lack of DP MST support...
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Interesting question - the MBP does support 2 x DisplayPort over Thunderbolt 3, because thats the way that 5k displays work... but I think thats done as two "virtual" DisplayPorts sharing the thunderbolt cable, rather than 2 display on one DisplayPort.

Methinks the best policy is to hold tight until the proper reviews of these things appear.
 
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theluggage said:
Well, you could have the hub at the end of a daisychain of devices... or in the middle...



Interesting question - the MBP does support 2 x DisplayPort over Thunderbolt 3, because thats the way that 5k displays work... but I think thats done as two "virtual" DisplayPorts sharing the thunderbolt cable, rather than 2 display on one DisplayPort.

Methinks the best policy is to hold tight until the proper reviews of these things appear.
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Yeah I'm probably going to hold tight on a full blown dock until I can confirm. TB3 can handle 2x DP, thats not the issue. It's the DP MST splitting or daisy chaining thats the problem which is what a USB-C dock would do.
 
el-John-o said:
Woof. That looks pricey. But I'm unaware of anything else currently that supports 2x 4k displays.

Currently planning out my desk setup. The current 'plan' is going to require all four USB-C ports. This could, potentially, reduce that to one. 2x Dell 4k displays, that are shared between the 2016 MBP (when it gets here; 15" model) AND my Windows PC.

I was curious whether it would support 2x 4k at 60hz; and whether it fed back enough 'juice' to charge the 15" MacBook Pro. Unfortunately, the answer was a resounding, "I dunno".

There's a couple companies who do sell multi-display Thunderbolt hubs that specifically state they don't work with Macs. I've e-mailed two asking if that just meant the 12" MacBook (which has some limitations with it's USB-C port), or if that included the upcoming 2016 MacBook Pro. To which they both essentially replied that they might work, but they won't know until they get their hands on one.

Here's OWC's response:
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At this time, we have confirmed that you can connect a 4K (60Hz) display to the mini DisplayPort AND connect a 4K (60Hz) display to the Thunderbolt 3 port (with the appropriate cable), allowing you to run two 4K displays at 60Hz simultaneously.
[doublepost=1478638142][/doublepost]
shareef777 said:
I would have thought that at the prices they're asking, it'll support 2*4k @ 60Hz displays as well as charge a 15". However, Belkin's solution is looking to start at $400, so either Belkin priced themselves right out of any sales or OWC either can't do 60Hz, can't charge a 15", or both.
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The OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock will allow you to connect a 4K (60Hz) display to the mini DisplayPort AND connect a 4K (60Hz) display to the Thunderbolt 3 port (with the appropriate cable) allowing for two 4K displays at 60Hz simultaneously. In regards to charging the laptops though, the Thunderbolt 3 Dock will charge laptops up to 60W (the 13" model MBP) just like the native power adapter will. It will also charge the 15" models, but at a slightly slower speed than the power adapters that ship with those computers.
 
OWC Ellyse said:
At this time, we have confirmed that you can connect a 4K (60Hz) display to the mini DisplayPort AND connect a 4K (60Hz) display to the Thunderbolt 3 port (with the appropriate cable), allowing you to run two 4K displays at 60Hz simultaneously.
[doublepost=1478638142][/doublepost]

The OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock will allow you to connect a 4K (60Hz) display to the mini DisplayPort AND connect a 4K (60Hz) display to the Thunderbolt 3 port (with the appropriate cable) allowing for two 4K displays at 60Hz simultaneously. In regards to charging the laptops though, the Thunderbolt 3 Dock will charge laptops up to 60W (the 13" model MBP) just like the native power adapter will. It will also charge the 15" models, but at a slightly slower speed than the power adapters that ship with those computers.
Click to expand...

The problem is that when running at high load (like doing 4k encoding) the machine will draw more then the 60W the OWC dock will offer. It's a shame so many solutions failed so miserably by not supporting up to the full 100W that the USB-C PD standard entails.
 
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well here we are in March and.....
also they anounced it was going to be out in February, but later orders would ship in march. Im just very curious to see any actual reviews on the firewire last oportunity...
[doublepost=1488734423][/doublepost]and the preorders went from 279 to 299... but still not avaiable
 
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