Laptop makers continue to shave ports from their machines, which is fine until you actually need to connect things. OWC is going in the opposite direction with its new Thunderbolt 5 Dock (OWCTB5DHDOCK), packing a rather ridiculous number of connections into a single desktop box.
The dock connects to a compatible computer over Thunderbolt 5, offering up to 80Gb/s of bidirectional bandwidth and as much as 120Gb/s of display bandwidth. More importantly for anyone building a serious desk setup, it can handle up to two 8K displays at 60Hz.
Depending on the computer and displays being used, there are plenty of other configurations available. OWC says the dock can support up to three 6K displays at 60Hz or three 4K displays at 144Hz. There are also configurations for two 5K displays at 60Hz and various single-display arrangements.
Two HDMI ports are built directly into the dock, which should be particularly useful for people who would rather not add another collection of adapters and dongles to their desks. There is also a downstream Thunderbolt 5 port that can be used with compatible displays, external drives, and other Thunderbolt devices.
OWC didn’t skimp on USB connectivity either. The dock includes two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports capable of up to 10Gb/s, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port at up to 10Gb/s, three additional USB-C ports rated at up to 600MB/s, and two USB-A ports capable of up to 600MB/s.
Networking comes courtesy of a 2.5GbE RJ45 port, while photographers and other creators get separate UHS-II SDXC and microSDXC card slots supporting speeds up to 312MB/s. A 3.5mm combination audio input and output jack is included as well.
Power delivery may be one of the more useful parts of the package. The Thunderbolt 5 host connection can supply up to 140W to a connected laptop, potentially eliminating the need to keep the computer’s own charger plugged in at a desk. The downstream Thunderbolt 5 port provides up to 30W, while one of the front USB-C ports can also deliver up to 30W for charging a phone, tablet, or other device.
Inside, OWC is using Intel’s Barlow Ridge JHL-9480 Thunderbolt controller, along with VIA Labs USB controllers, a Realtek RTL8156B Ethernet controller, and a Realtek RTS5350 card reader. The dock itself has an aluminum space gray chassis, a power button, and a security slot. It uses an external 180W power supply.
Of course, getting the most impressive display configurations will depend heavily on the computer connected to the dock. Buying a Thunderbolt 5 dock doesn’t magically give every laptop support for multiple 8K or high-refresh-rate monitors. The host computer, operating system, GPU, and displays all have to cooperate.
Still, that doesn’t diminish what OWC is offering here. For someone using a modern laptop as their primary computer, this dock can effectively turn a single Thunderbolt connection into the center of a rather elaborate workstation. The dual HDMI ports are especially welcome, since they make a multi-monitor setup possible without immediately reaching for additional adapters.
The OWC Thunderbolt 5 Dock is priced at $349.99 and is expected to become generally available in November.
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