Thunderbolt Docks for M1 Max MBP

Mac
#1

I’ve got a Hyperdrive dock and it’s been dropping out over the past few days and since I’m WFH, it’s quite frustrating losing the VPN and reconnecting every few minutes.

So, I’m on the hunt for a new dock. Have any of you got one that you’d recommend? I’ve seen this one and it looks alright for what I need. Really, just want it to be able to take out video by HDMI or DisplayPort and do power delivery over the one cable so I can charge my 16" M1 Max MBP. Ideally having a USB-C/Thunderbolt port for drives would be amazing too.

#2

I have used a couple of OWC Docks and they have both worked flawlessly.
The first was a Thunderbolt 1 dock with a 2011 iMac.
Currently use a Thunderbolt 3 dock with my work 2018 MBP. I have a single cable running to my MBP and everything else runs off the hub (network, monitor, webcam, speakers, keyboard, etc).
They aren’t cheap, but offer a large amount of connectivity and have worked great for me.

They have a thunderbolt 4 specific model as well - OWC Thunderbolt Dock with Thunderbolt 4 cable

#3

Anecdotally, one of the reasons that your dock may be dropping out is that it’s Ethernet is probably connected via the USB bus instead of PCIe, which apparently makes a difference because Apple’s Ethernet over PCIe drivers are much better/less generic than it’s Ethernet over USB ones. Plus, CPU usage is much lower with Ethernet over PCIe.

Unfortunately, not many good options to get Ethernet over PCIe. The cheapest is Apple’s own Thunderbolt 2 to Ethernet adapter, and if you need to plug that into a T4/USB-C port, it’s another $69 for that adapter.

Whether your dock connects its Ethernet interfaces over PCIe is a bit of a crapshoot, but there’s a list of docks with confirmed Ethernet over PCIe. Generally, USB-C docks that don’t specifically list Thunderbolt support are all over the USB bus.

Looks like OWC docks are Ethernet over USB:

Dunno how much of this works out in practice vs theory, it may be one of those things that only nerds care about, but there certainly seems to be enough evidence to suggest Ethernet over PCIe/Thunderbolt > Ethernet over USB.

#4

Another vote for OWC TB docks. I use one for work, and it’s ok. I do have to occasionally reboot them as pushing 3 screens out (laptop plus 2 externals) do push them to the limit, especially with mine which is a few years old now. The latest one should be better.

#5

I bought an OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock when I switched my full time machine from a Mac Pro to a M1 MacBook Pro. It’s been rock solid. Can’t go wrong with OWC gear.

#6

Also have an OWC one. Maybe 4 years old. Never had an issue.

Originally purchased it so I could have two Apple Cinema Displays with my 2017 MBP Touch Bar.

Recall it being $$$ (more than i wanted to spend)

#7

I have an OWC Thunderbolt 2 dock I bought about 5 years ago.
It has been excellent. The old girl even has a FW 800 port !
I connect it to my 2018 MBP 16" via an Apple TB2 to USB-C adaptor.

#8

OWC definitely make good stuff. I have a number of their products. There are loads of reviews/comparisons of Thunderbolt docks on YouTube. The CalDigit ones also get good reviews.