#THUNDERBOLT 3 TO THUNDERBOLT 3 HUB SOFTWARE#

Those users wanting to make the most of the multi-display features of the Hub will need to purchase various Thunderbolt to video output adapters.

This utility will safely eject all the connected devices in a single click. The OWC Dock Ejector can be downloaded here. Users need to remember to disconnect any connected drives using the Ejection controls before disconnecting the Hub. The only important point to establish is that the front Thunderbolt 4 port is the one the host system needs to be connected if it is to be charged from the Hub. They can’t even put the cables in wrongly, since USB-C has no right-way-up. The OWC Thunderbolt Hub is easy to use and deploy device for even the most ham-fisted user.

#THUNDERBOLT 3 TO THUNDERBOLT 3 HUB SOFTWARE#

With the option for so many external devices, this could be a royal pain, but OWC created a software tool specifically for Windows and Mac users. We would strongly recommend that if you have a powerful laptop with charging demands above 60W that you don’t go down this path unless you have multiple Thunderbolt 4 ports and intend to charge it using the system included PSU. To clarify, if the host system is being used heavily and being charged by the Hub, there is a possibility that the power stored in the battery might go down, not up. The maximum that the host connection can provide is 60W, leaving 50W divided between the four other ports.Įach Thunderbolt 4.0 port can hand down 15W, and the USB 3.2 Gen 2 7.5W, so there is a minor oversubscription, but not enough to cause a problem, hopefully.Ī more significant issue is that many of the higher specification laptops we have seen recently need 85W or 87W to charge quickly by being used, and the 60W here isn’t enough.

With the bandwidth to external devices unchanged from Thunderbolt 3, what we found most interesting about this design, and potential weakness is the power distribution.Īs we already mentioned, the Hub comes with a chunky PSU that can deliver 5.5A at 20V, that works out to 110W to distribute between any connected devices. (Image credit: Other World Computing, Inc.

Apple even makes a Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 adapter, enabling even older technology to work with this hardware. On the front is the Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) connection intended to connect the computer for both data transfers and charging (up to 60W), and a single USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port with high power charging.Īt the rear are three more Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports, enabling the Hub to support multiple monitors through cable adapters to cascade down to Thunderbolt 3 or 4 devices. However, as we dug into the Hub's specifications, we realised a good reason why it needs to be this big that we’ll discuss later. While we accept that only the small part of this package will probably be visible on the desk, the disparity between them is odd. But conversely, the 5.5A PSU that powers it is much larger than the Hub, being over 15cm long. Out of the box, we were immediately struck by how small this device is, being just 11.8 cm wide and 7.3 cm deep. We should point out that while OWC is a traditional supporter of Apple hardware, at this moment, Thunderbolt 4 is only available on PC’s made by other brands.

That’s precisely the niche that the OWC Thunderbolt Hub hopes to occupy, as it provides a means to expand the port potential of any machine with Thunderbolt 3/4 or USB-C 4.0 technology.

Thunderbolt 3 to thunderbolt 3 hub