OWC Docks with MacBook (12")

[jingo_man]

I have a LG 34" Ultrawide with USB-C / DP / HDMI connectors (34WN80C-B). Currently I have it connected by the single USB-C port so the MacBook receives power and has a 2nd monitor with 3440x1440 resolution - perfect for my use.

I would like to add a Logitech StreamCam, also with a USB-C connector. So I need more USB-C ports!

OWC have an older model 10-port dock that is just USB-C. It is £133. It would only have a single extra USB-C port, considering the MacBook would be plugged into the PD port.
How would the monitor connect to this and would it still be at the same 3440x1440 resolution? Mini DP from the dock to DP? What impact would there be to resolution?

There is also the TB3 version of the dock, with more ports - up to 14, with 3x USB-C (one for the MacBook itself). It is £300! Would this even work with the MacBook, at lower 5Gbps speeds? i.e. backwards compatibility with TB3 & USB-C? Would it recognise more than a single attached USB-C device, specifically the monitor, plus the webcam?
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Or maybe the CalDigit TS3... £230

It seems to have 3 USB-C ports. One would be for the MacBook. One is labelled as 10Gbps, but would not cause me an issue with the 5Gbps upper-limit... It also seems to have a full DP port, which I would be able to run to the monitor. Would anyone know what resolution I would be able to achieve though?

 

[Mr_Brightside_@]

The 12" only supports USB-C, a TB3 dock won't work.

 

[Mike Boreham]

I can only contribute that the Caldigit TS3+ will not work with the 12" MacBook. I have both and just tried it. As expected I get a message that Thunderbolt devices are not supported on this Mac. Think the same will be true of the OWC equivalent. (My TS3+ is normally connected to iMac)

There is also the Caldigit USB-C Pro which supports TB3 and USB-C so OK for the 12" MacBook. I bought one last week but it is faulty so had to go back.

 

[jingo_man]

The 12" only supports USB-C, a TB3 dock won't work.

Thanks @Mr_Brightside_@. I wasn't sure about backward compatibility with TB3... So I expected it to "work" but not at full speed.

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@Mike Boreham, thanks for testing - you disproved my original thoughts / expectations as above. I had seen that the USB-C Pro dock in my searches too.

There would only be a single USB-C port for external devices, and the monitor would need to run from DP. Would this drive a 2K @ 60?

The OWC 10-port is USB-C, from my reading(?). But the monitor would be limited to Mini-DP - what implications would this have? 2K @ 60 is the minimum...

 

[madat42]

Work-from-home has been revealing for my 12" MB. I never anticipated using it as my daily computer for work. So far so good, but finding the right dock has been challenging. My LG monitor also runs 4K@60Hz, connects and powers to my MB through a single USB-C cable. It has a couple of USB-A 3.1 ports in the back, which is enough to run a hub and other peripherals like my HD webcam, keyboard and mouse. However, it loses its 3.1-rated speed because of throughput on the USB-C cable to the MB. So, I've been looking for a dock that runs everything above but want Gigabit ethernet as well.

 

[Mike Boreham]

Work-from-home has been revealing for my 12" MB. I never anticipated using it as my daily computer for work. So far so good, but finding the right dock has been challenging. My LG monitor also runs 4K@60Hz, connects and powers to my MB through a single USB-C cable. It has a couple of USB-A 3.1 ports in the back, which is enough to run a hub and other peripherals like my HD webcam, keyboard and mouse. However, it loses its 3.1-rated speed because of throughput on the USB-C cable to the MB. So, I've been looking for a dock that runs everything above but want Gigabit ethernet as well.

I am not expert on this but think the 12" MacBook can do 4k@60Hz but only with USB2 speed, or you can have 4K@30Hz with USB 3 speed, but not both. This is limitation of the computer not the hub. There have been threads here about this.
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I am not expert on this but think the 12" MacBook can do 4k@60Hz but only with USB2 speed, or you can have 4K@30Hz with USB 3 speed, but not both. This is limitation of the computer not the hub. There have been threads here about this.

This thread confirms what I said but also makes clear that you do need the appropriate hub/dock as well.
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...l-u3219q.2230437/?post=28356437#post-28356437

 

[jingo_man]

Adjusting the context a little... Anyone know of a USB-C dock with more than 2 USB-C ports? MacBooks max out at 5Gbps, so it wouldn't need to go higher/faster than that. Not much fussed for the USB-A port count, though I would expect a minimum of 1.

Items specifically listed for USB-C tend to have at most 2x - one for the host computer with PD and 1 more.

 

[IscariotJ]

I've been looking for something similar, and I don't think such a thing exists, virtually all the docks I've come across focus on providing USB-A ports as opposed to additional USB-C connectivity.

 

[Mike Boreham]

I've been looking for something similar, and I don't think such a thing exists, virtually all the docks I've come across focus on providing USB-A ports as opposed to additional USB-C connectivity.

I use a Plugable USB-C Docking Station which has four USB-A ports which I turn into USB-C ports with these adapters.

There are cheaper adapters than these but the ones I found were only USB 2.

EDIT I see these are cheaper and USB 3. I didn't find them when buying the UGreen