Video: Testing OWC's Thunderbolt 4 Dock With Built-In Power Supply

Back in January, well-known Mac accessory company OWC introduced the Thunderbolt Go Dock, which it says is the first full-featured Thunderbolt dock equipped with a convenient built-in power supply. We were able to get our hands on one of the new docks, and thought we'd test it out for those who are interested.


If you've used a Thunderbolt 4 dock, you know that most of them require a separate power supply to operate peripheral devices and provide passthrough charging. They're often much more inconvenient than a bus-powered dock because of the bulk and the extra cable component.

The OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock's power supply is included in the dock enclosure, so it's an all-in-one device that does not require you to have an extra power brick. That functionality is useful at home, but also on the go if you need to work while traveling or away from your house. Note that you still need a power cable as the dock has to be plugged in, but it uses a single cord that plugs directly into the dock rather than into a separate power brick.

There are a total of 11 ports, including three Thunderbolt 4 ports, one USB-C ports, three USB-A ports, an HDMI port, an Ethernet port (2.5 Gbps), an SD card reader, and an audio jack. The dock offers 90W of pass-through charging, so it's suitable for all of Apple's MacBooks. The only downside is the price, which is $349.

That's not too outrageous for a Thunderbolt 4 dock given the built-in power supply and the number of ports, but there are cheaper Thunderbolt 4 options out there for those who don't need this functionality, and it is not as full-featured as some competing docks at a similar price. This particular dock is best for those who need something that's convenient for use in multiple locations given its portability.

What do you think of the Thunderbolt Go Dock? Let us know in the comments below.

Tag: OWC

Popular Stories

ios 19 messages app

Apple Sues Jon Prosser Over iOS 26 Leaks

Thursday July 17, 2025 8:40 pm PDT by
Earlier this year, YouTuber Jon Prosser shared multiple videos showing off what he claimed to be re-created renderings of what was then presumed to be called iOS 19 and which was eventually unveiled by Apple as iOS 26 at WWDC in June. In his first video back in January, Prosser showed off a Camera app redesign with a simpler set of buttons for moving between photo and video modes, and he...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Centered 1

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Two Months With These 16 New Features

Thursday July 17, 2025 8:33 am PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models.Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro ...
iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

Ranked: The Best Features Rumored for the iPhone 17 Lineup

Wednesday July 16, 2025 4:17 pm PDT by
We have just under two months to go until the debut of Apple's iPhone 17 models, and rumors have been ramping up in recent weeks. We went through everything we know so far, pulling out the most exciting rumors and highlighting some other changes that aren't going to be so great. Top Tier Ultra Thin iPhone 17 Air - The iPhone 17 Air is 2025's most exciting iPhone rumor, because it's the...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Foldable iPhone's Thickness and Price Range Detailed in New Reports

Wednesday July 16, 2025 11:31 am PDT by
Apple's long-rumored foldable iPhone will likely have a starting price between $1,800 and $2,000 in the U.S., analysts at investment banking firm UBS said this week. If so, the foldable iPhone would cost more than a MacBook Pro, which starts at $1,599. With a starting price of at least $1,800, the foldable iPhone would be the most expensive iPhone model ever released, topping the Pro Max at...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Here's When to Expect the iOS 26 Public Beta

Tuesday July 15, 2025 11:07 am PDT by
Apple previously announced that a public beta of iOS 26 would be available in July, and now a more specific timeframe has surfaced. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said that Apple's public betas should be released on or around Wednesday, July 23. In other words, expect the public betas of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, and more to be available at some point next week. Apple will be releasing...
iPhone 17 Colors

All 15 New iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Colors Revealed in Latest Leak

Wednesday July 16, 2025 6:50 am PDT by
We may finally have a definitive list of all color options for the iPhone 17 series, ahead of the devices launching in September. MacRumors concept In a report for Macworld today, Filipe Espósito said he obtained an "internal document" that allegedly reveals all of the color options for the upcoming iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max models. The report includes ...
iPhone 17 Air Thumb 2 Blue Electric Boogaloo

iPhone 17 Air's Limited Battery Capacity Leaked

Friday July 18, 2025 12:03 pm PDT by
The battery capacity of Apple's rumored iPhone 17 Air will be below the 3,000 mAh mark, according to a recent post from Instant Digital, an account with more than 1.4 million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. Thanks to iOS 26's new Adaptive Power Mode, though, the account said that the iPhone 17 Air should achieve full-day battery life. A previous rumor pegged the iPhone...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 16 New Features

Friday July 11, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are only two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:A redesigned Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that all iPhone 17 models will have a redesigned Dynamic Island interface — it might ...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

iPhone 17 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Friday July 18, 2025 4:23 am PDT by
Apple is expected to hold its annual iPhone announcement event during the week of September 8, 2025, with September 9 or 10 emerging as the most likely dates. Like the iPhone 16 series, this year's lineup is expected to include four models – but with a twist. The ‌Plus device is being replaced with an all-new ultra-thin model, while the iPhone 17 Pro and ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max are set to...

Top Rated Comments

erikkfi Avatar
31 months ago
Remember when your MacBook came with pretty much all the ports you needed?
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michael Scrip Avatar
31 months ago

I think because there are still a number of USB specific legacy peripherals around. Old SuperDrive laying around? Monitor calibrator? Dare I say ZipDrive? Why use a 3.0 slot for that?
My question is from the manufacturing and engineering side.

If you're putting three USB-shaped holes in the dock... why not make them do all the same things?

Why make one port the "slow" port?

I see what you're saying... why waste a "good" port on a floppy drive.

Here's the thing though... USB is backwards compatible. USB 3.0 ports can become USB 2.0 ports.

But USB 2.0 ports can never be USB 3.0 ports.

That's why I'm questioning why they would put different ports with different capabilities. Why not make them all "good" ports?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BGPL Avatar
31 months ago
$349 isn't a downside, it's a show stopper.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dwig Avatar
31 months ago

...

Alright... so why is the slower USB-A 2.0 port on the front of the dock?

That also seems weird.

:p
USB3 ports frequently (nearly always) emit radio interference in and around the 2.4GHz range used by virtually all wireless dongles that are used for keyboards and mice. The dongles are more reliable when connected to a USB2 port or to an extension cable connected to a USB3 port. Putting this port on the front also helps the radio connection since the signal isn't blocked by the metal case and electronics in the hub.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MGrayson3 Avatar
31 months ago

Remember when your MacBook came with pretty much all the ports you needed?
It still does.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TinyMito Avatar
31 months ago

Looks good... but why is there still a USB 2.0 port included on many of these modern docks?

I never understood that. The USB spec is backwards-compatible by nature.

Do certain devices work best on a dedicated USB 2.0 port? USB mouse receivers?

?
Some devices get interferences with USB 3.0. Would rather plug into USB 2.0. ie. ZeeBee ConBee II won't work properly if plugged into USB 3.0
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)