Best Thunderbolt 4 Docks for Mac Compared!

Today we are going to compare the 3 biggest names in Thunderbolt docks to see which Thunderbolt 4 dock is best for you. We are comparing the CalDigit TS4 vs OWC Thunderbolt Dock vs Anker 777 Apex!
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0:00 Intro and overview
3:16 SSD Test
5:59 Display Support
7:45 Ethernet
8:31 USB and SD reader
11:49 Audio and Power
13:53 Which to get?

[mwdiers]

I've been through four CalDigit docks at work. They keep failing. Two had HDMI ports die because the ports were too close to the power in and this evidently caused the ports to fail from heat/cool stress. They each lasted about two months. The last one, a TS3+, started getting unstable randomly after about a year, and would disconnect/reconnect.

I have the OWC dock in this video for my home office setup, and it's been solid for two years now. At work I am now using the newer OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock at work and so far it has been solid.

[richardcarlson]

I have both the OWC TD and the CalDigit TS4. I got the OWC first, before the TS4 was available and while it worked fine, it was nowhere near as elegant a solution as the TS4. Later on we got 2.5GB Internet here and the faster Ethernet port on the TS4 came in handy. My wife inherited my OWC when she switched from a Mini to a MBP and since her use case is less demanding than mine it is working just fine for her so the money did not go to waste. I have grown to really appreciate the TS4 since i have had it, it ticks all my boxes and works great.

[fredaker]

Great review Jerry. I own the TS4 and want to warn viewers about buying this in the EU. That more powerful power supply you described comes at a painful price. It develops a high pitched squeal over time. This has been reported by multiple reviewers in Germany. Sometimes the replacement units have this defect as well. Caldigit does everything they can to discourage you from making a warranty claim. They will not provide an interim loaner. They also claim that due to Brexit that you will lose weeks of transit time in customs both directions. I am waiting to send mine back before an upcoming business trip to China. This is unacceptable quality and an unacceptable policy in a unit that costs so much more than the competition.

I have moved my Synology Disk Station closer to my desk. Four Iron Wolf hard drives constantly spinning masks most of the painful TS4 power supply squeal.

[Ian-gfid]

For those that just need additional ports, and not a card reader / headphone socket / LAN connectivity, the Caldigit Element Thunderbolt 4 dock is excellent. Small, TB4 and USB-A, powered. I find it's an excellent expansion hub/dock for my Mac Studio.

[maestrosteve]

I bought a Satechi Thunderbolt 4 Dock, and have been using it for 4 months. It's been flawless. Similar looking to the OWC that you are reviewing. They may even be the same unit with a different name on it.

[TheThaiLife]

At first, I thought, another doc video. But this is really the best one I’ve seen. Great information. Thanks for explaining in a much better way why people actually need these. I want one but until now I didn’t really understand what I would use it for. Now I do, thank you.

[bujin]

Of course, the real question here is how stable are each of these docks. Back when I bought my OWC dock, I bought and returned a dozen other docks because they all had various issues. Such a sleep issues, where the system wouldn't sleep. Or things would disappear after sleep. Or connections to various things wouldn't work or wouldn't be stable. Reliability, stability, and functionality, are seriously big issues, and far more important to talk about in a review than just what ports are on the docks (which you can get from a spec sheet). I wish people would test the things you can only figure out by having your hands on the units. Like whether or not there were any weird behaviors over the course of a month of real world usage. Docking and undocking, sleeping, having a range of different kinds of devices plugged in, and unplugged, without power cycling the computer, etc.

[markrussell.]

I have the CalDigit TS4, probably one of the best things I ever bought for my computing needs. Worth every penny!

[JoeGibbs]

Jerry, great timing on this video. I have been struggling to find a hub for my 2021 M1 Macbook Pro with little success. Comparing these 3 docks clarified my decision. Thanks!!

[madness]

I got the OWC Thunderbolt dock because unlike the Caldigit TS4 that I really wanted to own, it has that extra bit thunderbolt port missing on the Caldigit.

[PeterWitham]

Greatly appreciate you going into all the details on each device, thank you for making it easier to wrap my head around Thunderbolt on the Mac.

[leoyoung]

I work in the movie industry. I manage data on set. What I needed was to expand the number of high-speed ports I had. I copy off of the original media to at least three other drives. I wanted every port to be able to run at at least 10 Gb/s. I also have at least one TB3 reader. I chose the OWC. It even has USB A ports for my external mouse and keyboard. I had one unit die on me and there was no issue getting it replaced - over the weekend!

[johanrinconfx]

I've got de TS4 like a year and a half, and definitively don't regret my purchase. It's amazing the quantity of devices it can handle. Two monitors, Apollo solo, stream deck +, item mini pro iso, web cam, midi controller, and still charge my phone or iPad, and handle pretty fast data transfer with ssd or whatever. This video just confirmed that it was the best purchase I made regarding to this docks.

[stephenkeever]

This is a really well done video on the 3 top docks and I found it very helpful. I have been looking at the OWC Thunderbolt Pro Dock on sale that is closer to the CalDigit features but at a lower price.

[bryans]

I've purchased OWC products in the past and they've been very reliable, so I would lean toward their dock.

[anthony]

You might want to also review Displaylink based docks for people that want to drive more then 1 display from a MB Airs and even Mini.

[ed_ms]

I'm using a Caldigit TS3+, the previous model. Very satisfied of it, and very reliable. There is really only 1 downside: the price. Especially after buying a MacBook which aren't the cheapest laptops out there either. All things considered, for me, it's worth the cost. All my stuff is connected and neatly organized thanks to this little grey box. In the mean time the MacBook stays charged, great for the battery life, and on the front ports I always have the possibility to quickly charge a mouse, or keyboard or whatever, without having to unplug anything else in my set-up.

[unc]

Excellent presentation!
I went with the Caldigit T4 and used my points (I’ll keep and eye on your videos in the future!).
Gotta say I’m happy as a pig in a slop jacuzzi.
It’s got everything I need!

[DanielRodriguez-fgll]

very useful video. A few things I did not notice that I would suggest could be things to cover in the next video on these topic: 1) whether one really needs a TB4 dock versus a TB3. I bet that for 99.9% of your viewers, CalDigit TS3 is a better deal than CalDigit TS4. 2) overheating do to continuos use specially 3) whether it makes sense to get two docks or to connect the most crucial TB4 device separately to the machine (e.g. when laptops have different TB4 controllers per port); 4) possibility to daisy chain. I have an older 2020 iMac 5k, and I use a CalDigit TB4 element hub (it has 3 TB ports I think) connected to the iMac and two CalDigits TS3 connected to the hub.

[brentsmithline]

Hate host port on the front. That is the main reason I purchased the CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 Dock. Other reason it is a Thunderbolt 4 device so I should be able to use it for a number of years.