OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock Review with 2x Thunderbolt 4 Device Ports & 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet

In the past few years, there has been a trend towards fewer ports on laptops in favour of a slim and light profile. Some laptops have just one or two USB-C ports, while many Intel and Apple laptops use Thunderbolt 3/4/5.

If you use a laptop like this as your primary computer for work (or play), then a dock is an essential purchase if you want external monitors and a variety of peripherals.

If you want the best experience possible, investing in a good-quality dock will reap the rewards. Cheap docks are fine for basic usage, but premium Thunderbolt docks like the OWC Thunderbolt Go allow you to drive two 4K displays, get ultra-fast connectivity with the 2.5GbE port, connect high-speed devices like external NVMe drives, or even connect to external GPU docks.

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OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock vs Ugreen Revodok Max 213

As I have previously reviewed the excellent Ugreen Revodok Max 213 and both docks share a similar spec, I thought it would be good to compare the over specs:

Feature	OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock	Ugreen Revodok Max 213
Memory Card Support	(1) Secure Digital (SD) UHS-II	1 SD/TF 4.0 Card Slot
Power Delivery
– Thunderbolt 4 host port	Up to 90W to host computer	90W (part of 180W total)
– Thunderbolt 4 device ports	15W for external devices	Not specified
– USB port	Up to 1.5A for bus-powered drives and charging	20W (USB-C 3.1)
Device Ports
– Host Port	(1) Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) up to 40Gb/s	(1) Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) up to 40Gb/s
– Thunderbolt 4	(2) Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) Ports	(2) Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) Ports
– USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C	(1) Up to 10Gb/s	(1) Up to 10Gb/s
– USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A	(2) Up to 10Gb/s	(2) Up to 10Gb/s
– USB 2.0	(1) Port	Not specified
– HDMI	(1) Port	Not available
– DisplayPort	Not available	(1) DP 1.4
– Ethernet	(1) 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet (2.5GbE) RJ-45 Port	(1) 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet
– Audio	(1) 3.5mm Stereo Audio Output Port	(1) 3.5mm Audio
Display Support	Up to 8K@60Hz or two 4K@60Hz	Up to 8K@30Hz or two 4K@60Hz
Power Supply	120W	180W (Charger Included)
Dimensions	24.1 x 9.2 x 3.6 cm	14.85 x 9.62 x 5.2 cm
Weight	949.0 g	1965 g

They have very similar specs, with the key features being dual TB4 device ports, 2.5GbE and a single display out, though you can use the Thunderbolt ports for a display out, giving you the option for dual 4K external displays.

The Ugreen is less portable and has an external charger.

Thunderbolt Share 

One exciting feature of this dock is that it is one of the only docks on the market that supports Thunderbolt Share, which is sort of a KVM which allows you to connect two Thunderbolt computers to one dock and share peripherals plus transfer data between the devices at the full 40Gbps TB4 speeds.

Sadly, I only have one computer with TB4, so I was unable to test this functionality.

Design, Build Quality and Ports

The OWC Thunderbolt Go is an impressive-looking dock; it is a big slab of aluminium weighing nearly 1kg and has a power supply built-in.

The built-in power supply appears to be the justification for this being called Go as you don’t have to carry a big power brick with you. It is certainly more portable than the Ugreen Revodok Max 213, but I wouldn’t really want to be lugging around a 1kg dock with me everywhere; that’s almost the weight of my laptop.

The port selection is excellent, though an additional HDMI or Display Port would have been nice. However, you can overcome this issue by using a USB-C to HDMI cable.

The 2.5GbE port is a big selling point for me. Only a handful of docks support this, and I expressed my frustration that the £200 Ugreen Revodok Pro 209 lacked 2.5GbE, considering you can get a Ugreen 2.5GbE USB dongle for £20.

One minor criticism I have is that the host port is on the right-hand side. I would have preferred it on the rear, but these docks typically are made for laptops where the TB port will be on the side, so it may make more sense for a lot of people to have it on the side.

Performance

The dock performs reliably. I used it for a week with my work PC, driving two 4K monitors, and never had any issues.

One downside is that I was unable to achieve the full 2500Mbps out of the 2.5GbE port. I was able to achieve transfer speeds of around 205MB/s which is 1640Mbps. In comparison, connecting directly to my 2.5GbE port on the Geekom Mini PC, I was able to achieve 280MB/s. I tried it with a 2.5GbE USB dongle, and I got 250MB/s. However, the Ugreen Revodok Max 213 performed worse with 185MB/s.

Price and Alternative Options

The OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock has an RRP of $300 and is available in the UK for £300.

The Ugreen Revodok Max 213 has a similar specification, it has a higher RRP of £400, but is available on Amazon for £260. I have found to be excellent, but Amazon reviews are not so favourable.

The CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 Dock has a superior specification with 18 ports in total, with the main advantage being more USB-A and USB-C ports. But, it cost a lot more, at £378.

If you are willing to take a risk on a random brand, there is the ACASIS Thunderbolt 4 Dock which has 21 ports in total for $300. The main benefit here seems to be lost of USB ports.

You then have options like the Satechi Thunderbolt 4 for $300, this is a bit of a different spec as it lacks 2.5GbE and dual HDMI ports which allow you to drive up to four external 4K displays.

We are starting to see Thunderbolt 5 docks come out, including:

Kensington SD5000T5 Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station, which has an RRP of $380 – This has a similar overall spec, but with the faster TB5 ports, and this can deliver up to 140W to a laptop.

Overall

The OWC Thunderbolt Go is an excellent Thunderbolt 4 dock that provides superb connectivity options and is ideal for anyone with demanding requirements wanting to convert their laptop into a workstation.

It has performed reliably, which is more than can be said for a lot of docks. I also like the overall design; the long thing form factor fits comfortably under monitors, and the all-aluminium construction prevents overheating.

The built-in power supply helps keep clutter down and makes it a bit more portable than competing options, though if the PSU dies, then it won’t be as easy to fix as a dock with an external PSU.

While it is certainly not cheap, it is at a price point similar to other similarly specced options and cheaper than many others.

Overall, by all accounts, this is one of the best options on the market for anyone wanting a premium Thunderbolt dock. That being said, it may be worth keeping an eye out for what Thunderbolt 5 docks are available, which will help future-proof your purchase.

Full Specification

Category	Specification
Memory Card Support	(1) Secure Digital (SD) UHS-II
Power Delivery
– Thunderbolt 4 host port	Up to 90W to host computer
– Thunderbolt 4 device ports	15W for external devices
– USB port	Up to 1.5A for bus-powered drives and charging
Device Ports
– Host Port	(1) Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) up to 40Gb/s (5000MB/s)
– Thunderbolt 4	(2) Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) Ports
– USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C	(1) Up to 10Gb/s (1250MB/s), USB 2.0/3.0 backwards compatible
– USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A	(2) Up to 10Gb/s (1250MB/s), USB 2.0/3.0 backwards compatible
– USB 2.0	(1) Port
– HDMI	(1) Port
– Ethernet	(1) 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet (2.5GbE) RJ-45 Port
– Audio	(1) 3.5mm Stereo Audio Output Port
Display Support
– Option 1	Up to one 8K display @ 60Hz
– Option 2	One 4K display @ 120Hz
– Option 3	Two 4K displays @ 60Hz
– Option 4	Two 5K displays @ 60Hz
Display Support by Port
– Thunderbolt 4	Up to 8K @ 60Hz or 4K @ 120Hz (native TB4 or USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4)
Chipset / Controller
– Thunderbolt	Goshen Ridge (JHL8440)
– USB	Cypress/HX3PD
– Ethernet	RTL8156B
– SD Reader	GL-3232S
Power Supply	UL-listed universal auto-switching
AC Input	100~240V, 50~60Hz, 1.5A
DC Output	+24V, 5A
Wattage	120W
Housing Material
– Chassis	Aluminium
– Covers	Aluminium
Dimensions
– Height	3.6 cm (1.4 in)
– Length	24.1 cm (9.5 in)
– Width	9.2 cm (3.6 in)
Weight	949.0 g (2.09 lbs)

Last update on 2024-12-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API