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As I defined in my newest episode of Again to the Mac, the M1 Mac mini is my important desktop pc, however the place mandatory, I additionally use a 16-inch MacBook Professional in clamshell mode. In both case, I’ve discovered the OWC Thunderbolt Hub to be an ideal addition to my setup.
When utilizing the M1 Mac mini, the hub expands the quantity of Thunderbolt connections, which is a big enchancment since M1 Macs sport simply two bodily ports. For my M1 Max MacBook Professional, it permits me to keep up a connection to all of my Thunderbolt peripherals, together with the Professional Show XDR, with only a single cable connection. Watch my hands-on video for the main points.
Specs
- 1 x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) port with as much as 60W energy supply
- 3 x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports for accent connectivity with 15w energy
- Thunderbolt ports help OWCs cable locks (offered individually)
- 1 x USB-A 10Gbps port
- Consists of Thunderbolt 3 cable
- Helps as much as two 4K shows or one 5K/6K/8K show
- Helps a number of bus-powered drives
- Works with Mac and Home windows
- 2-year OWC guarantee
- Width: 11.8cm x 1.7cm x 7.3cm
- Weight: 209g
- Worth: $179.99
Video: OWC Thunderbolt Hub overview
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Unboxing and design
The very first thing you’ll discover in regards to the OWC Thunderbolt Hub is simply how small and minimal it’s. Sans the additional USB-A connection, OWC resisted the temptation to inundate the hub with a bunch of further ports, opting to maintain the design simple and easy. The unit is comprised of aluminum with a shiny black plastic prime and backside housing.
As somebody who deliberate from the very starting to mount this hub behind my desk, I used to be completely happy in regards to the small type issue. Utilizing nothing greater than a few strips of hook and loop tape, I simply mounted the hub on the rear of my desk, fully out of sight. Sadly, the hub comes with an influence adapter that’s bigger than the dock itself, however contemplating the ability supply necessities, the dimensions of the ability brick wasn’t sudden.
While you join the dock to energy, the OWC emblem on the highest of the unit is illuminated with a shiny white mild. This mild turns blue when a Thunderbolt connection is established with the host Mac or PC. I’ve longed complained about distracting lights on peripherals that serve no actual objective, however OWC was sort sufficient to permit customers to scale back, or outright disable the sunshine by way of a recessed button on the entrance of the hub. This can be a good gesture by OWC, and proves that its engineers hearken to buyer sentiment.
Extra bodily Thunderbolt ports
My major purpose that I bought the OWC Thunderbolt Hub was in order that I might have entry to extra bodily Thunderbolt ports on my M1 Mac mini. All baseline M1 Macs function simply two bodily Thunderbolt ports, whereas Intel Mac mini machines can be found with 4 Thunderbolt ports with every pair mated to one in every of two Thunderbolt buses.
Due to the shortage of ports, and since neither the Professional Show XDR (overview) or the bus-powered OWC Envoy SSD contains a secondary Thunderbolt port to help daisy chaining, connecting these two gadgets to my Mac mini terminates the connections, and therefore occupies all the bodily Thunderbolt USB-C I/O. In different phrases, I might now not use a Common Audio interface that includes Thunderbolt with my Mac mini if I caught to the setup, which is why I’ve been utilizing Sound System’s Combine Pre-3 II as an alternative.
Including this hub solves this difficulty, as a result of it gives three Thunderbolt ports in alternate for one. When connecting the hub to my Mac mini, I acquire entry to 2 further Thunderbolt ports for a complete of 4 bodily connections. That’s greater than sufficient bodily I/O to accommodate my SSD, show, and my audio interface of selection, the Common Audio Apollo Twin X DUO.
Thunderbolt bandwidth and connectivity
Clearly this doesn’t improve the out there Thunderbolt bandwidth out there to the Mac, as that is still the identical. It simply signifies that my M1 Mac mini now has entry to the identical quantity of bodily Thunderbolt connections because the Intel Mac mini. To be clear, the OWC hub shouldn’t be the one hub that may do that, as there are different out there gadgets, similar to CalDigit’s Aspect Hub (overview), that may do the identical factor.
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Related to M1 Max MacBook Professional -
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WIth that being stated, I’ve been pleased with the outcomes of this setup. I can run the Professional Show XDR at full 6016 × 3384 decision at 60Hz, the Common Audio Apollo Twin X DUO maintains a stable reference to no drop-offs or issues with UAD plugins, and the Envoy Professional SSD, whereas not capable of attain its max potential as it’s when direct related to my Mac, continues to be loads quick sufficient for my wants.
In contrast to daisy chain setups, the place every machine will depend on the connectivity of different gadgets increased up within the chain, every Thunderbolt port on the OWC hub capabilities as an impartial department, that means you’ll be able to swap gadgets on all three of the out there ports with out interfering with different gadgets related to the hub.
OWC states that the unit can accommodate as much as 5 Thunderbolt/USB-C related gadgets, which implies you’ll be able to daisy chain off of the hub if you want to. The hub can be able to supporting bus-powered gadgets, as is the case with my OWC Envoy Professional. Every port gives as much as 15W of energy.
9to5Mac’s Take
The OWC Thunderbolt Hub was the lacking puzzle piece to my desktop Mac setup. It makes working with the Professional Show XDR, which lacks Thunderbolt passthrough, a a lot nicer expertise. Even with a port-starved M1 Mac mini, I can simply join as much as 4 Thunderbolt 4 gadgets, and extra importantly, I can join my Professional Show XDR, bus-powered SSD, and the Common Audio Apollo Twin X with only a single cable.
What do you suppose? Are you utilizing a Thunderbolt dock or hub together with your Mac? In that case, be happy to share your setup particulars down under within the feedback.
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