While there’s no shortage of Thunderbolt docks, the OWC 11-port Thunderbolt 5 dock stands out for several reasons. As you’ll see in my review, it packs plenty of Thunderbolt 5 and USB-A ports, along with SD card slots and the ability to fast charge your MacBook Pro at full speed.
Here’s what makes the OWC 11-port Thunderbolt 5 dock worth considering for your Mac.
OWC 11-Port Thunderbolt 5 dock review
A Thunderbolt dock allows you to get the most out of your Mac. With just a single cable, you can connect multiple monitors, accessories and storage devices to your Mac — all while keeping your desk tidy and organized.
I can’t imagine using my MacBook Pro or M4 Pro Mac mini without a Thunderbolt dock. This is because I have several accessories connected at any given time, including multiple monitors and storage drives, a Logi Bolt BT receiver for the keyboard and mouse, an Ethernet cable, a microphone and an external speaker.
While a USB-C hub might work for some, given the bandwidth and power requirements, I prefer Thunderbolt docks. And while I have used several Thunderbolt docks in the past, the OWC Thunderbolt 5 dock stands out for its range of ports, design and build quality.
The OWC 11-port Thunderbolt 5 dock stands out for offering three Thunderbolt 5 ports and a 2.5GbE Ethernet port. Plus, it can fast charge your MacBook Pro while powering all your accessories.
- Plenty of Thunderbolt 5 and USB-A ports
- 140W upstream fast charging
- 2.5GbE Ethernet port
- No HDMI or DisplayPort
- None of the USB ports support 18W or higher power output
Table of contents: OWC 11-port Thunderbolt 5 dock review
Hardware and design
The OWC Thunderbolt 5 dock consists of two parts. One is the dock itself. While not compact, it measures a respectable 7 inches wide, 1.7 inches tall and 3.1 inches long. This part of the hub will sit on your desk and connect to all your accessories.
Another part is the chunky 180W (21V, 8.58A) power brick. It ensures the Thunderbolt 5 dock can output 140W of power over USB-C to fast-charge your Mac, while also providing enough power to other connected accessories.
Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult Of Mac
The dock sports a brushed aluminum finish, done in space gray. The top features a glossy black surface with an OWC logo in the center, which adds to the dock’s appeal. However, I worry it will attract scratches and fingerprints over time.
OWC equipped its Thunderbolt 5 dock with 11 ports: five of them in the front and the rest on the rear. All the ports are thoughtfully arranged, with ample space between them to ensure they won’t interfere with each other.
The dock uses a barrel connector to take power from the 180W power brick.
I/O
Below is the breakdown of the OWC Thunderbolt 5 dock’s port selection:
Front:
- 1x SD card UHS-II slot
- 1x microSD UHS-II card
- 1x USB-C (Thunderbolt 5)
- 1x USB-A (10Gbps)
- 1x 3.5mm audio jack
Rear:
- 1x Thunderbolt 5 upstream
- 2x Thunderbolt 5 downstream
- 1x USB-A 3.2 (10Gbps)
- 1x USB-A 3.2 (5Gbps)
- 1x 2.5GbE RJ-45 Ethernet port
As you can seean see, the dock offers plenty of USB and Thunderbolt ports to connect your accessories.
Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult Of Mac
Thunderbolt 5 offers double the bandwidth of Thunderbolt 4 (80Gb/s versus 40Gb/s), with a bandwidth boost mode increasing it to 120Gb/s. And, instead of including HDMI or DisplayPort outputs like most Thunderbolt docks, OWC uses Thunderbolt 5’s extra bandwidth to make the existing ports better.
With a Mac, you can connect up to two 6K Thunderbolt external monitors directly to the OWC dock. And with Windows, the dock can drive up to three monitors simultaneously.
Most notably, the dock’s Ethernet port supports faster 2.5GbE speeds. It also lets you drive up to two 6K monitors and connect high-bandwidth accessories without compromise.
So, if you own a network-attached storage device, you can connect it directly to the OWC dock to enjoy faster data-transfer speeds between your Mac and your NAS. Almost all other docks feature a Gigabit Ethernet port.
I keep alternating between the MacBook Pro and the M4 Pro Mac mini on my desk. So, I find the dock’s front SD and microSD card slots handy. They let me quickly offload photos from my DSLR and other accessories without fumbling with adapters. Plus, you can use both of them simultaneously.
Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult Of Mac
My one major gripe with the OWC Thunderbolt 5 dock is the power output of the USB-C and USB-A ports. The downstream Thunderbolt ports can output a maximum of 15W of power, while the USB-A ports provide 7.5W of power. That’s enough for almost all external accessories and hard disks. But that’s not enough to fast charge an iPad or iPhone (or other smartphones).
In contrast, many competing docks can deliver 18W to 20W over USB-C and up to 10W over USB-A to quickly top up power-hungry devices.
The front of the OWC dock also houses a power button and an LED indicator. To ensure you don’t accidentally turn off the dock, OWC requires a long-press of the button for at least two seconds.
Note that Thunderbolt 5 is backward-compatible with Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 3. That means you use the dock with older Macs as well. However, due to the lack of bandwidth on those machines, the dock won’t work at its full potential.
Performance
During my testing for this OWC Thunderbolt 5 dock review, I connected two 4K monitors via the rear Thunderbolt 5 ports, a USB-C SSD, a WD MyBook through USB-A, an Ethernet cable directly to my Wi-Fi router and several other USB-C accessories to the dock.
To stress test, I transferred multiple files across the connected disks. Many USB-C hubs struggle to provide connected accessories with enough power during such scenarios. But OWC’s dock handled it beautifully.
Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult Of Mac
As I found during testing for this review, another highlight is the OWC Thunderbolt 5 dock’s ability to output 140W power to my connected MacBook Pro. That’s the maximum power Apple’s newer MacBook models support for fast charging. So, with a single cable, I have multiple monitors, USB-C and Thunderbolt accessories connected to my MacBook — all while fast charging it.
If you still use an Apple SuperDrive for some reason, OWC provides a special driver with the dock to play and burn CDs and DVDs. You’ll also need to install this driver for connecting an Apple USB Keyboard or charging an iPad 1, 2 or 3.
I did notice the dock getting warm to the touch during extended use. While the heat wasn’t excessive or alarming, it’s something to be aware of, especially if you plan to keep the dock in a confined space without much ventilation.
The aluminum build helps dissipate some of the heat passively. So, you don’t need to worry about overheating.
OWC takes advantage of Thunderbolt 5’s improved specs and bundles a 1-meter, 240W cable with the dock. Most Thunderbolt 4 docks only ship with a 0.8-meter cable. The extra length can come in handy, especially if your setup requires flexibility in cable routing.
Pricing and warranty
Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult Of Mac
OWC prices its Thunderbolt 5 dock at $329.99, putting it in line with similar devices by other manufacturers. The dock might not be for everyone — that’s especially true if you want to add DisplayPort or HDMI ports. But if you require access to high-speed Thunderbolt ports and Ethernet connectivity, the OWC Thunderbolt 5 dock is among the few options available.
Unlike most other companies, OWC offers a two-year warranty on its Thunderbolt 5 dock for added peace of mind.
★★★★☆
The OWC 11-port Thunderbolt 5 dock stands out for offering three Thunderbolt 5 ports and a 2.5GbE Ethernet port. Plus, it can fast charge your MacBook Pro while powering all your accessories.
- Plenty of Thunderbolt 5 and USB-A ports
- 140W upstream fast charging
- 2.5GbE Ethernet port
- No HDMI or DisplayPort
- None of the USB ports support 18W or higher power output
OWC provided Cult of Mac with a review unit for this article. See our reviews policy, and check out other in-depth reviews of Apple-related items.
