OWC 14 Port Thunderbolt 3 Dock

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The HyperDrive Pro 8-in-2 USB-C hub wasn’t quite cutting it for me. I didn’t like the fact that I still needed to play port jockey. There just wasn’t enough of what I needed.

I store my Final Cut Pro projects on an external drive, because they’re huge, and can take up hundreds of gigabytes. However, I found that when I tried to use the HyperDrive to read from the SD card where my photos and videos were and the external SSD, my Mac would shut down the USB-C ports for using too much power. This would forcefully eject my disks and close out my projects without saving them. I just couldn’t stand it anymore. The HyperDrive Pro is good to throw in a bag for trips, but it wasn’t a good permanent solution for my desk.

Frustrated, I decided to invest in the new OWC 14 Port Thunderbolt 3 Dock. This is an impressive dock from a highly reputable company. I’ve had it now for a few weeks and I’m happy to say that I’ve just about forgotten about it. I never have to worry about ports anymore. The OWC actually makes me forget about the lousy port situation on the MacBook Pro.

The 14 Ports

The OWD 14 Port Thunderbolt 3 Dock comes with the following ports:

On the front:

• microSD Card
• SD Card
• Analog in/out audio headphone jack
• High-Power USB 3.1 port
• USB-C port

On the back:

• 4 High Powered USB 3.1 ports
• Optical Audio Out
• Gigabit Ethernet
• Two Thunderbolt 3 ports (one for connecting to your computer)
• A Mini DisplayPort

My Setup

I have a three monitor setup, including the MacBook Pro’s display. I have my primary display connected to the OWC dock through Mini DisplayPort. The other monitor is connected via HDMI. I have a USB-C to HDMI dongle attached to the OWC Dock for this.

Next I have a 4 port USB hub connected to one of the USB ports in the back. This connects my keyboard, mouse, headphones, and a USB cooler. This hub has on/off switches for the USB ports, which I like having so I can quickly disconnect my headphones and laptop cooler when not in use.

On the front, I’m using one USB-C port for my one of my backup drives, and the other port for USB devices I may temporarily connect. Right now, it’s my PS4 controller, but I may also use this for connecting an Android device for app development.

Then there’s the SD card slot on the front for when I upload photos or videos for reviews and the headphone jack I use when I want to use my high quality headphones.

Finally, there’s my MacBook, which connects to this via the last USB-C port on the back.

I’ve still got many ports freed up for additional hard drives, like my other backup and photo drives.

So, I’ve got 8 devices constantly connected to my MacBook Pro, and regularly go up to 11. How many USB-C ports does this use on my Mac? One. One port to connect all of this and charge my MacBook Pro.

85W Charging

This was a huge selling point for me. The MacBook Pro uses up to 85 watts. It usually is fine with 30 watts, but if you’re gaming, doing heavy video and photo editing, charging items, and using every port, you could use up to 85W of power. This is why HyperDriver’s maximum of 60W isn’t enough, and why many aftermarket USB-C chargers can’t keep the MacBook Pro running without consuming some battery power to augment the incoming power supply.

The OWC Thunderbolt 3 dock can completely replace your MacBook Pro’s charging brick. You can now connect 14 or more items to your MacBook, as well as charge it, and still have 3 USB-C ports to spare on your machine. I can even connect my HyperDrive Pro to two of those ports, giving me 8 more ports to work with, including another SD card slot!

My Favorite Things

Full power charging and all the ports I need. Beautiful styling and ports within my reach. Ports in the back to plug in and forget, these are a few of my favorite things… erm, about this dock, that is.

I love the fact that I can plug in a single USB-C cable into my MacBook and I’ve got everything I need. Most of the ports are in the back, which is actually great. It means I can plug things in and route them behind my desk area so they don’t take up space on my desk. I love the styling, which has a nice aluminum finish that matches the MacBook Pro’s two aluminum finishes, and a smooth, shiny, polished plastic top that makes the entire hub look high-end. This feels like a dock that I can be proud to use alongside of my MacBook Pro. It’s as professional as the laptop itself.

Those ports on the front are great too though. It brings the headphone jack closer, so I don’t have to worry about sitting close to my MacBook. The USB port in the front is perfect for game controllers. And the ability to just pop an SD card in the front? Perfect.

Things I Tolerate

I don’t really hate anything about this dock. That being said, there are a few items that are a bit unfortunate.

While it’s surprisingly compact for the number of ports it features, it’s still not as portable as the HyperDrive Pro. I recently had to pack bags and gifts to visit my parents for the holidays. The bags were tight and I had to pack a smaller power brick for charging on the train. I didn’t bring my OWC dock, as it’s a bit too big. However, having my little HyperDrive turned out great. It allowed me to charge my Mac, iPhone, Apple Watch, and Android device from a single wall plug every night.

I am bothered by the fact that, out of 14 ports, not one was an HDMI port. However, my assumption is that, if they included an HDMI port, they wouldn’t have been able to include one of the USB-C ports. Since USB-C can do both video and a lot more, USB-C makes more sense here. Of course, this does mean I’m attaching a dongle to a dock, which seems a bit over the top.

The front facing SD card slot is a bit strange though. It’s a little wider than the slot should be, which can make inserting an SD card a little tricky. You have to make sure you’re inserting it perfectly straight. After doing it a few times, I don’t make mistakes anymore, but it was troubling the first time.

The included USB-C cable is a little short. This is because USB-C cables need to be short unless they’re delivering only power. For full transmission speed, a short cable is necessary unless it’s designed for further data transmission. Even then, you can expect some latency. Since this single cable is driving so many items, it had to be either short or incredibly expensive.

Speaking of expensive, this is a $300 dock.

Overall

Yes, this is a $300 dock. And, if you get one, you’ll likely want a more portable USB-C dongle to carry around, like the HyperDrive Pro. If you’re not a heavy user, and you don’t mind the power limitations, you may just want to go with something like the HyperDrive Pro.

But if you shelled out the money for a MacBook Pro, chances are you push your hardware to its limit. Maybe you’re a developer, or a gamer. Maybe you frequently edit video and photos. If that’s the case, you will likely need a dock that gives you a bit more. You’re going to need something that meets your needs. In that case, I highly recommend this dock. I love the fact that I only need one cable to go from portable to having all of my peripherals connected at once. It’s an expensive dock, but it’s worth the price.

The OWC 14 Port Thunderbolt 3 Dock is available from OWC (at MacSales.com) and Amazon.