Used thunderbolt 3 dock with MacBook Pro m4 pro?

[Kaitlyn2004]

My MacBook Pro m4 pro is in the mail and I’m new to this whole dock/hub thing

I saw someone was selling the brydge stone pro, thunderbolt 3, locally at what seems like a good price. The new docks are SO EXPENSIVE!

I don’t think I need tb4 or even 5? I am only connecting to one external monitor. I have 1 fast external SSD I plan to maybe replace with a faster nvme so getting the thunderbolt connection (vs usb hub) seems most beneficial for that?

Any concerns about buying a tb3 dock? Or this model specifically? And using it with the latest tb5 MacBook Pro?

 

[PaulD-UK]

@Kaitlyn2004 "...selling the brydge stone pro, thunderbolt 3, locally at what seems like a good price."

That looks like a basic functional TB3 dock, and if in good conditioning and the price is OK it should be fine.
It will allow 1 TB3 SSD ~2.5TB/s, and 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 SSD ~1TB/s, +USB-A devices, and another SD card.
And a USB-C/TB3 monitor and/or a DP monitor.

 

[HDFan]

The new docks are SO EXPENSIVE!

Docks can be problematic. Some work, some do not. What you are paying for, assuming you purchase from a quality vendor, is likely a better product with good support and return policies.

 

[PaulD-UK]

"Docks can be problematic. Some work, some do not. "

A better quote would be “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”.

Apple has a co-founder's profound understanding of Thunderbolt technology.
If you buy a product from a manufacturer who has had a development relationship with Apple (as Brydge seem to have had) then the likelihood of a 'problematic' outcome is much less likely.
TB product designs have to be inspected and certified, and as such they have a history of excellent compatibility with Apple products.
USB? With no certification, less so...

 

[Alameda]

My MacBook Pro m4 pro is in the mail and I’m new to this whole dock/hub thing

I saw someone was selling the brydge stone pro, thunderbolt 3, locally at what seems like a good price. The new docks are SO EXPENSIVE!

I don’t think I need tb4 or even 5? I am only connecting to one external monitor. I have 1 fast external SSD I plan to maybe replace with a faster nvme so getting the thunderbolt connection (vs usb hub) seems most beneficial for that?

Any concerns about buying a tb3 dock? Or this model specifically? And using it with the latest tb5 MacBook Pro?

I suggest checking OWC on Black Friday. It's only a week away.

 

[Kaitlyn2004]

I suggest checking OWC on Black Friday. It's only a week away.

OWC directly or amazon or?

 

[Alameda]

OWC directly or amazon or?

Both, I suppose. OWC direct definitely runs sales.

 

[HDFan]

TB product designs have to be inspected and certified, and as such they have a history of excellent compatibility with Apple products.

Not my experience with an OWC TB dock. Constant disconnects. Had to ditch it. That was a long time ago though.

 

[Alameda]

Not my experience with an OWC TB dock. Constant disconnects. Had to ditch it. That was a long time ago though.

I’ve had an OWC TB3 dock for six months or so and it’s been great. They seem to be one of the higher end providers.

 

[Adora]

On my M3 iMac I tried TB2, TB3, 2xTB4 and USB-C(3.x Gen2)-Docks. They all worked fine. Even all together when only one was really connected to the Mac and the others to the other Docks. 😅

Problematic are always hubs. I haven't found a single one that really works good. But that was never Thunderbolt.

Except the Ethernet port on the USB-Dock never worked. There is also a special driver for that, but seems outdated and maybe worked on my 2017 MBP once.