Super Sticky Thread for USB-C Docks, Cables and Accessories [MERGED]

[Admiral]

Since TB4 dock/hubs are on the horizon I am going to wait. I like the OWC except in has the input on the front. This is OK if you are setting down a MacBook and are plugging it in but this permanently puts the input cable on the front side when it is plugged into a Mini, or a Studio.

In relation to your comment about Thunderbolt 4, note that Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 are virtually identical from the perspective of a Mac user. For example, both standards have the exact same data throughput of 40 Mb/s. Thunderbolt 4 is primarily a "fix" to make sure everything Thunderbolt 3 is supposed to do can be used by Windows computers. I think it also has technical improvements in carrying DisplayPort signals, but the improvements are primarily to allow multiple very high-resolution monitors like the Pro Display XDR and 8K monitors.

If you're buying your first Thunderbolt dock, you can buy a Thunderbolt 3 dock today and be assured that you're not missing out on anything material. You won't need anything that Thunderbolt 4 has for years, and by that time Thunderbolt 5 or whatever they're calling it will be on the market.

CalDigit's older TB3 Plus Thunderbolt 3 dock can be picked up on eBay for about US$125 these days. If your use case does not absolutely require DisplayLink as a hack to allow multiple monitors on an M1 MacBook, or 10Gb/s Ethernet in the dock, this is the one I'd get.

 

[transmaster]

In relation to your comment about Thunderbolt 4, note that Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 are virtually identical from the perspective of a Mac user. For example, both standards have the exact same data throughput of 40 Mb/s. Thunderbolt 4 is primarily a "fix" to make sure everything Thunderbolt 3 is supposed to do can be used by Windows computers. I think it also has technical improvements in carrying DisplayPort signals, but the improvements are primarily to allow multiple very high-resolution monitors like the Pro Display XDR and 8K monitors.

If you're buying your first Thunderbolt hub, you can buy a Thunderbolt 3 hub today and be assured that you're not missing out on anything material. You won't need anything that Thunderbolt 4 has for years, and by that time Thunderbolt 5 or whatever they're calling it will be on the market.

CalDigit's older TB3 Plus Thunderbolt 3 hub can be picked up on eBay for about US$125 these days. If your use case does not absolutely require DisplayLink as a hack to allow multiple monitors on an M1 MacBook, or 10Gb/s Ethernet, this is the one I'd get.

Thanks, I am not in any hurry for this. I just inherited the, "you can't have too many USB ports" obsession from My PC days.

 

[Admiral]

I really appreciate your help, but no, I don't think it has anything to do with the lanes. I just hooked up the ethernet to the dock and the dock to my M2 MBA with nothing else attached. No displays other than the laptop. Same speed. The problem appears to be with the Ethernet Jack on the Dock and I suspect the only possible fix would be a firmware update or it's just a cheap ethernet jack that doesn't really support 1 Gbps. FYI, I'm not running two monitors ever on this setup. I can't seem to find a way to get that to work. I believe the M2 MBA only supports 1 monitor.

The M2 MBA only supports one external monitor, yes.

 

[Admiral]

Video Support​

• Simultaneously supports up to two displays:
  One display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz connected via Thunderbolt and one display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz connected via HDMI
• Thunderbolt 3 digital video output supports
  Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C
  Thunderbolt 2, DVI, and VGA output supported using adapters (sold separately)
• HDMI display video output
  Support for one display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz
  DVI output using HDMI to DVI Adapter (sold separately)

Regarding the M1 Mac mini and two 4K displays at 60Hz, the secret to getting that to work is to physically connect one of the displays to the HDMI port on the Mac mini and make sure the monitor is able to accept HDMI 2.0 signals. Sometimes with older 4K displays that have two HDMI ports, only one of them is HDMI 2.0 (usually the first one or "HDMI 1"). And the HDMI interface may be set to HDMI 1.4 by the settings of the monitor. You may have to manually set the signal to HDMI 2.0 in the monitor's settings.

 

[Chiromac81]

If I have a HDMI monitor and a usb-c monitor or 2 usb-c monitors, is this a good hub (caldogit) to get dual monitors for a M1 air?

 

[Chiromac81]

what are the best hubs at the moment recommended for a mayfair m1 to get dual monitors (both monitors are usb-c/hdmi)??

 

[transmaster]

what are the best hubs at the moment recommended for a mayfair m1 to get dual monitors (both monitors are usb-c/hdmi)??

OWC has a number of hubs that will do the job for you. When I upgrade my Monitor, have not decided yet what to get, I will purchase one OWC's hubs to match what I get for a monitor. There is nothing but good reports about OWC's hubs.

OWC - Other World Computing

From SSDs, external hard drives, to expansion products and enterprise storage, OWC delivers workflow solutions tailored for any creative project.

www.owc.com

 

[dmt43]

I posted elsewhere here, but haven’t gotten a response. Hope it’s ok to repost…….I’ve been researching docks/hubs and have found many reviews mention devices heating up, catching fire and/or bricking machines : o

I am convinced that a cheap device is not worth it! OWC has been mentioned here & elsewhere as being a good manufacturer. I am leaning toward their 11 or 14 Port dock. I know one reason for devices catching fire is power-related. I have a Macbook Air 15” Apple support charging specs are 67-140 Watts https://support.apple.com/en-us/102378

OWC specs https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/thunderbolt/thunderbolt-docksspecs are 85 or 96Watts. I am not knowledgeable on power, wattage, etc. Am I correct to assume that the docks I am looking at will work with my Macbook and not cause any power issues? The manufacturer specs say it supports M2 Macbooks, but I’d like a 2nd opinion! The 11 port is newer model, but the 14 port is on sale and that’s probably what I will get. I would like a few more USBA and USBC ports (and like I said, the cheaper docks/hubs seem to have problems, so I am buying more than I need - not going to use 2 displays or SD card or other ports). The only other option I could think of is to get the Apple Multiport Adapter - but 2 of them, they only have 1 usba & usbc. thanks! Donna

 

[steve123]

I would like a few more USBA and USBC ports (and like I said, the cheaper docks/hubs seem to have problems, so I am buying more than I need - not going to use 2 displays or SD card or other ports). The only other option I could think of is to get the Apple Multiport Adapter - but 2 of them, they only have 1 usba & usbc.

First thing to note is there is a difference between a Thunderbolt dock and a USB C dock. The OWC docks are Thunderbolt docks. The Apple Multiport Adapter is a USB C adapter. The Thunderbolt docks (40 Gbps) perform significantly better than a USB C dock/adapter (USB 3, 3.1 Gen 1, USB 3.2 (5 Gbps) or USB 3.1 Gen 2, USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps)) when using multiple devices simultaneously. For example, when using an external display, wired ethernet and an external disk or memory card at the same time, the Thunderbolt dock has a higher bandwidth and therefore better performance than a USB C adapter is capable of. Some of the new USB 4 devices are compatible with Thunderbolt but they are harder to find at the moment.

Regarding power, the MBP and the OWC docks support USB PD (power delivery). The USB PD specification enables the computer and dock to negotiate power requirements. If the computer is operating at maximum power (because of a compute intensive task), a low power dock (or a dock with many attached peripherals also consuming power thus limiting the power available to the computer) maybe unable to supply all the power required to keep the battery fully charged. Using either of the OWC docks mentioned you will rarely, if ever, encounter this situation in normal use. If you are a power user and regularly use your Mac at peak performance then you might want to take a closer look.

 

[dmt43]

First thing to note is there is a difference between a Thunderbolt dock and a USB C dock. The OWC docks are Thunderbolt docks. The Apple Multiport Adapter is a USB C adapter. The Thunderbolt docks (40 Gbps) perform significantly better than a USB C dock/adapter (USB 3, 3.1 Gen 1, USB 3.2 (5 Gbps) or USB 3.1 Gen 2, USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps)) when using multiple devices simultaneously. For example, when using an external display, wired ethernet and an external disk or memory card at the same time, the Thunderbolt dock has a higher bandwidth and therefore better performance than a USB C adapter is capable of. Some of the new USB 4 devices are compatible with Thunderbolt but they are harder to find at the moment.

Regarding power, the MBP and the OWC docks support USB PD (power delivery). The USB PD specification enables the computer and dock to negotiate power requirements. If the computer is operating at maximum power (because of a compute intensive task), a low power dock (or a dock with many attached peripherals also consuming power thus limiting the power available to the computer) maybe unable to supply all the power required to keep the battery fully charged. Using either of the OWC docks mentioned you will rarely, if ever, encounter this situation in normal use. If you are a power user and regularly use your Mac at peak performance then you might want to take a closer look.

I am not a power user. this helps with my decision, thanks!

 

[transmaster]

This is very interesting.

USB-C head-to-head comparison

The reign of the Lightning cable is over, and the USB-C era has begun — leaving us wondering what sets one charger apart from another. We do a teardown of Apple's Thunderbolt 4 and its competitors.

www.lumafield.com

 

[anson42]

This is very interesting.

USB-C head-to-head comparison

The reign of the Lightning cable is over, and the USB-C era has begun — leaving us wondering what sets one charger apart from another. We do a teardown of Apple's Thunderbolt 4 and its competitors.

www.lumafield.com

With more, not less, electronics going into a cable itself – there's a 10-layer PCB in the Apple cable! – how possible would it be to have the necessary electronics on both ends of devices instead of in the cable? I'd rather have my devices cost more than need to cover that expense multiple times in the cables themselves!

 

[transmaster]

With more, not less, electronics going into a cable itself – there's a 10-layer PCB in the Apple cable! – how possible would it be to have the necessary electronics on both ends of devices instead of in the cable? I'd rather have my devices cost more than need to cover that expense multiple times in the cables themselves!

 

[PaulD-UK]

Quote: "how possible would it be to have the necessary electronics on both ends of devices instead of in the cable? I'd rather have my devices cost more than need to cover that expense multiple times in the cables themselves!"

Electronics in the cable are only needed in cables over a certain length - 0.8metre (2' 6") for TB3 and TB4.
Longer cables have bespoke retiming electronics that are dependent on the specific properties of the particular cable.
So the electronics needed aren't buildable into the host/device.

 

[transmaster]

Quote: "how possible would it be to have the necessary electronics on both ends of devices instead of in the cable? I'd rather have my devices cost more than need to cover that expense multiple times in the cables themselves!"

Electronics in the cable are only needed in cables over a certain length - 0.8metre (2' 6") for TB3 and TB4.
Longer cables have bespoke retiming electronics that are dependent on the specific properties of the particular cable.
So the electronics needed aren't buildable into the host/device.

There is also voltage regulation and line isolation built into these cables, a very handy thing to have if you are plugging the cables into a out in the wild USB charging port.

 

[transmaster]

We are in the same situation with Thunderbolt 4 cables as we were in the beginning of the Lightning cable. The Apple cable worked, it was $20 bucks and was very fragile. It had the habit of the insulation breaking down, they were expensive junk but they worked. On the other hand there were counterfeit cables much cheaper and they even worked sometimes. I remember one that I think was around $2.50 bucks each. You purchase at least 10 of them to get one or two that worked but even than you were money ahead. Finally Anker came out with their Apple certified cables and things started to change. We are going through that again now but I suspect it will not be as bad this time. What I will do is fork over for a Apple Thunderbolt 4 cable and keep it in a Holy Reliquary. To be taken out on St Vidicon's Holy Day, and in emergencies.

 

[transmaster]

I have Anker, and Cable Matters Thunderbolt 4 cables. Both are Intel-certified. I also have an Apple Thunderbolt 4 cable. I am getting personalized articles for the same cables. I noticed in the writing there are Intel-certified and Apple-certified cables. All of the premium actual Thunderbolt cables are Intel-certified. Except for the Apple cable for obvious reasons. The only difference between the cables is the Intel cables are 90 Watts, the Apple 100 Watts. Who is it that certifies Thunderbolt cables? Intel is actually advertising the Thunderbolt 4 cable. I wonder if the TB4 will start being used outside of Apple?

 

[transmaster]

Up thread I mentioned how loose the OWC Thunderbolt cable fit into the OWC Thunderbolt 4 Dock's input port. It has been replaced with a Anker Intel certified Thunderbolt 4 cable. What a difference the Anker Thunderbolt 4 connector actually snapped home in the OWC's input port very secure.

I was wrong about the spec's for the Intel certified TB4 cables they are rated at 100 Watts not 90 Watts. looked back at the article and they indeed said 90 Watts. Wonder what AI software wrote this info add article?

 

[transmaster]

Thunderbolt 5.....👏

For once I think the EU did us Apple people good thing. Apple have been forced to move away from the lightning plug to the USB-"C" but the "C" plug format is also used by the Thunderbolt 4 and 5 systems. We can have our cake and eat it too. We can use "beater" USB-C cabling, but if we have Thunderbolt I/O's we can also use TB4 cables, and in the future the TB5. Apples reasoning for the lightning cable was security. Well a TB4 cable affords even better security.

One question I have? The iPhone 15 has a USB-C port. If you use a Thunderbolt cable will it's line isolation and security features work. I know you are not going to get high transfer speeds but having the security features, and line conditioning built into the TB4 cable would be nice.

Thunderbolt™ Technology: A Universe of Possibilities

With Thunderbolt™ technology, one universal port offers simple, reliable, fast data and video connections to fuel a universe of possibilities.

www.intel.com

 

[anson42]

We can use "beater" USB-C cabling, but if we have Thunderbolt I/O's we can also use TB4 cables, and in the future the TB5.

So true. When I'm not charging via MagSafe, I use a beater USB-C cable. And in the car, a cheap beater cable that supports USB 2.0 more than does the job for CarPlay.

 

[transmaster]

I have a FiiO BTR7 DAC/Amp its USB C port is getting worn. This combined with loose fitting "C" cables make for difficult charging. I tried the retired OWC TB4 cable and it was so loose it would not stay in the port at all. I found a cheap cable that came with something and surprise it fit fairly well. I am going the get out my micrometer and look at the dimensions on these C plugs and see how they match the specs.

 

[ManuCH]

I have a FiiO BTR7 DAC/Amp its USB C port is getting worn. This combined with loose fitting "C" cables make for difficult charging. I tried the retired OWC TB4 cable and it was so loose it would not stay in the port at all. I found a cheap cable that came with something and surprise it fit fairly well. I am going the get out my micrometer and look at the dimensions on these C plugs and see how they match the specs.

That's what annoys me about USB-C too: depending on the cable and the connector, the fit can be very loose. That problem didn't exist with Lightning. The way it clicks in place is very satisfying. I wonder how the iPhone's USB-C port will hold up over the years... (not that I care, I replace it yearly, but still 😂)

 

[transmaster]

That's what annoys me about USB-C too: depending on the cable and the connector, the fit can be very loose. That problem didn't exist with Lightning. The way it clicks in place is very satisfying. I wonder how the iPhone's USB-C port will hold up over the years... (not that I care, I replace it yearly, but still 😂)

If you stop and think about it Apple was the only user of the lightning plus that they have control of it so as long has you got a Apple certified cable you were good to go. Not so the USB format. There you have to trust the brand. Anker has been my go to choice for over 10 years. They were the first outfit that came out with good Lightning cables, at a reasonable price. The Anker TB4 cable has just strengthened that. I purchased 2 Intel Certified Anker Thunderbolt 4 2.3 ft cables, they are $35.99 each. For the stash of St Vidicon I purchased an Apple TB4 Pro 1.8 meter cable it cost $129 bucks. A purchase I will probably not repeat.

Here is the innards of the Anker TB4 cable.

 

[ManuCH]

If you stop and think about it Apple was the only user of the lightning plus that they have control of it so as long has you got a Apple certified cable you were good to go. Not so the USB format. There you have to trust the brand. Anker has been my go to choice for over 10 years. They were the first outfit that came out with good Lightning cables, at a reasonable price. The Anker TB4 cable has just strengthened that. I purchased 2 Intel Certified Anker Thunderbolt 4 2.3 ft cables, they are $35.99 each. For the stash of St Vidicon I purchased an Apple TB4 Pro 1.8 meter cable it cost $129 bucks. A purchase I will probably not repeat.

Here is the innards of the Anker TB4 cable.

View attachment 2307775

You have a good point, now it's about finding a good cable brand. Anker has been my go-to as well and they never disappointed so far. I'm sure it won't be different for USB-C. I've also had good experiences with Baseus and Aukey.

 

[transmaster]

You have a good point, now it's about finding a good cable brand. Anker has been my go-to as well and they never disappointed so far. I'm sure it won't be different for USB-C. I've also had good experiences with Baseus and Aukey

Here is a very interest article about Steven Yang and Anker.

https://www.theverge.com/2017/5/22/...y-charger-amazon-empire-steven-yang-interview