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Whether you need more ports for your Thunderbolt-equipped PC, or you want a single cable to dock with your computer station, OWC's Thunderbolt 2 Dock may be the best solution.
Thunderbolt 2 offers throughput speeds up to 20 GB/s and can be daisy-chained with up six other Thunderbolt devices. This dock starts with two Thunderbolt 2 ports that are backwards compatible with the original Thunderbolt.
The OWC Thunderbolt 2 Dock has five USB 3.0 ports, whereas most docks offer only three. All of these are backwards compatible with older USB versions. The two side USB 3.0 ports output 1.5 amps of power, which is enough to recharge tablets and smaller mobile devices. These powered ports will continue to charge connected devices even when the main Thunderbolt-connected device is off.
For legacy connectivity, OWC included a Firewire 800 port. Also included is a gigabit ethernet port, which is wonderful for wiring modern PCs to a network for a faster and more reliable connection.
For multimedia needs, you can connect any Thunderbolt/Mini DisplayPort adapter for an external display, or use the HDMI 1.4b port to connect a 4K screen.
Lastly, the Thunderbolt 2 Dock offers analog stereo output and mono input through separated 3.5 mm ports.
OWC includes a power adapter.
The dock is sleek and highly convenient. I love that, with my new MacBook Pro, I now have only two cables to connect: power and Thunderbolt 2, and then I'm connected to every device in my office.
The OWC Thunderbolt 2 Dock is available now for retail $249, but can easily be found for $229.
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Special thanks to the following people for making this coverage possible!
- Neil Kristianson—cameraman Follow @the_nak
- Melvin Rivera—provided the Sennheiser MD46 interview mic and Zoom H5 recorder Follow @MelvinRiveraV
- John Bukenas—video editor Follow @JohnBukenas