Doc or hub for Macbook Pro M1 laptop ?

[bahamasphotographer]

Hello and good day,

I am not familiar with doc's or hub's, and I would greatly appreciate it if anyone here could help me or provide advice. I do not know a lot about the system or terminology, so please forgive me if I make a few mistakes ( I welcome corrections!) I am trying to research, read past threads, and learn as much about the subject as possible. I found this forum has the most friendly community replies to "newbies" who are not so technologically wise!

I have ordered the M1 MBP for my photography business. I use Lightroom and keep my RAW Nikon files on external drives ( Western Digital Hard Drives with the older USB-A cables with Anker adapters for archiving the camera image files, and a Samsung T5 with USB-C connector for current projects that I need fast access to ). I use the smart-previews function in Lightroom when the drives are not connected so that I can work on my files at all times.

I need a doc/hub that has its own power source, can charge my laptop for daily use ( it will be plugged in on my desk nearly 24/7 for the next year or so ) and connect my external hard drives / SSD drives that use USB-A and USB-C. It also needs to connect an external monitor, the "BenQ SW271" using a USB-C cable.

• I'm wondering, is there a difference between a doc and hub?
• Can anyone explain the key differences between the CalDigit Ts3 Plus 2017 and the newly released OWD Thunderbolt 4 Dock 2021?
• The CalDigit has great reviews, people tend to say "it just works" - Amazon says it became available in 2017. Does anyone know why the brand new OWD is the same price as the CalDigit? Is it down to the number of extra ports, the fact the OWD is TB4 instead of TB3, or something else?
• Here's an important one for me. When my external drives are connected, I use my Finder to eject the drive before removing the cable from my current laptop. Do these docks come with any software that enables you to eject the drives before removing their cables, or do you just use Finder? If there is software, does it work with the new M1 laptop?
• When external drives are not in use for a few days, can they remain connected to the hubs with their cables but be turned off, or in-active or a sleep mode so they are not drawing power? I like to disconnect them when not in use since they tend to get hot while sitting on the desk in this climate.
• I don't see any on/off power buttons in the pictures. If I have to shut down the entire system over the weekend, do the docks/hubs have a power button, or do you have to unplug the power cord? What happens if the laptop is left unused for hours, do they power down?
• Newbie question, is there a huge difference between TB3 and TB4? I am trying to research this.
• They both have card readers. Would the card reader be faster on the new OWD?

I greatly appreciate anyone's advice, tips, suggestions, or help with this. I have to make a decision on what to purchase before the end of February. Thank you so much!

 

[Mac... nificent]

Newbie question, is there a huge difference between TB3 and TB4? I am trying to research this.

Not really a concern on the Mac side of things.

I highly recommend the OWC TB Hub;

OWC Thunderbolt Hub - Add Three More Thunderbolt (USB-C) Ports

Add three Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) and one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port to your Mac or PC and connect more storage, displays, and accessories.

eshop.macsales.com

 

[HatMine]

I think you should be cautious about charging your M1 device with a dock. See this thread for more information:

M1 MacBook Air won’t power on

I’ve been really enjoying my experience with M1 MacBook Air (8-core GPU version) since I got it 4 days ago, until it unexpectedly refused altogether to wake up from sleep! It happened while the MacBook had 100% battery and was plugged in to the charger. After pressing and holding the power...

forums.macrumors.com

TL;DR: Several people are reporting bricked devices after charging via hubs and docks.