Which Thunderbolt port work best with Macs and MacBooks?

Thunderbolt docks are available in a variety of sizes and styles
Buy a Thunderbolt 4 Dock to increase the number of devices you can connect to Mac. AppleInsider has some recommendations for achieving expansion nirvana. When buying a MacBook, you may feel that there aren’t sufficient ports to accommodate all your hardware. A dock will instantly add a variety ports to your computer setup. Not all docks are the same. We know this because we’ve tried them all. Many docks are available with USB-C connectivity. This may look similar to Thunderbolt 4 or USB 4, particularly because it uses a USB-C Type C connection. Since USB-C connections are limited to 10Gb/s maximum, the amount of data that can be sent between your Mac and peripherals is limited. Plugging a USB C hub into a Thunderbolt 4 Port ignores 75% of available bandwidth. You may not be able use multiple displays, fast external drives and other hardware simultaneously if you are using a USB C hub due to the limited bandwidth. You can ensure that your hardware has access to all 40Gb/s of bandwidth by purchasing a Thunderbolt 4 Dock. This 40Gb/s bandwidth is more than sufficient for most users. This is particularly useful if you have external drives attached to the dock. You don’t want to have slow read and writing speeds on the drive due to other peripherals consuming USB-C bandwidth. AppleInsider has compiled a list of docks that work with Mac hardware that supports Thunderbolt and USB 4 connectivity. CalDigit Thunderbolt Station 4 (TS4) is a Thunderbolt dock that has been highly regarded by AppleInsider. It is often recommended as being one of the best Thunderbolt Docks. CalDigit Thunderbolt Station 4 Review: We gave it the highest score possible because it is that good. CalDigit Thunderbolt Station 4. There are 18 massive ports on the front and rear. The front of the station has a UHS-II SD4 and microSD card readers, an audio combo jack, USB 3.2 ports with 7.5W power outputs, USB-C ports with 7.5W power outputs, and USB-C ports with 20W power outputs. The rear has four USB-A-3.2 ports, one USB-C-port, two downstream Thunderbolt 4 port, a DisplayPort-1.4 port, audio input/output ports, and a 25Gb Ethernet port. Buy at Amazon In addition to the USB-A/USB-C ports’ generous power output, the 98W upstream power delivery is also ideal for connecting a MacBook Pro to recharge, as it offers. The 20W USB-C port on the front can be used to recharge your iPhone either directly or with MagSafe (Apple’s MagSafe chargers are on sale at Amazon). CalDigit Thunderbolt Station 4 has a wide selection of ports and fast data transfer rates. It is one the most versatile Mac expansion tools available. CalDigit Thunderbolt Station 4 costs $399.99 at B&H Photo and Amazon. CalDigit Thunderbolt Station 4 – Best Thunderbolt dock for portability If you are looking for a small Thunderbolt hub that can be slipped into a bag along with your MacBook Pro then the CalDigit Thunderbolt4 Element Hub will do the trick. CalDigit’s Thunderbolt 4 Element HubIts compact design makes it an easy choice for those on the go, and its aluminum enclosure is durable enough to withstand the knocks that come with travel. AppleInsider CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 Element Hub ReviewOur team of testers rated it 4 stars out of 5. It can only handle two types of connections due to its size. The host Thunderbolt connection is on one end. On the other side, there are four USB-A ports and three Thunderbolt4 ports. Buy at Amazon This will be enough for many people to expand their port capacity on the move. CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 Element hub is available on Amazon and B&H for $199.99. OWC Thunderbolt hub is the best Thunderbolt 4 Dock for portable power users who need storage. It’s sleek and stylish with additional ports, but it’s not an eyesore on your desk. In our OWC Thunderbolt Hub Review, the package is just a little longer than an Apple Watch Band. OWC Thunderbolt hubThe dock’s front has a 96W Thunderbolt 4, a combination audio port, a USB 2.0 port, and a SD 4.0 card read. The back of the hub has three Thunderbolt 4 port, a Gigabit Ethernet and three USB-A3.0 ports that can transfer data at speeds up to 10Gb/s. Buy it at OWC. It can also drive two dual 4K displays, or a single display in 5K, 8K, or 6K. It also supports high-speed storage options, such as NVMe drives and other accessories that require a lot of bandwidth. The OWC Thunderbolt Dock costs $229.99 on Amazon and at OWC. WD Black D50 game dock is a surprising good dock for Mac users, but intended for gamers. The name of the WD Black D50 game Dock may not appeal to Mac owners, but this dock is a great choice for more than just gaming. It is a Thunderbolt Dock that also includes built-in NVMe Storage. It means that you don’t have to keep a separate NVMe disk on your desktop, as it is integrated into the dock. WD Black Game DockDepending on which drive you use, the write and read speed can be up to 2,500MB/s or 3,000MB/s. You can even buy hubs that come with NVMe storage. Buy on Amazon The D50 is equipped with two Thunderbolt connections, one DisplayPort 1.4 connection and two USB-C ports 10Gbps, three USB A ports 10Gbps, audio in and output, and Gigabit Ethernet. It can also deliver power up to 87 Watts, so the MacBook Pro will be no problem. Amazon sells the WD Black Game Dock for $219.99. You can get it bundled up with a 2TB or 1TB NVMe for $335.99 or $239.99, which is a better choice. Best Thunderbolt dock without power brick – OWC Thunderbolt go A dock can be small but it’s often accompanied by an unsightly large power brick. AppleInsider’s review of the OWC Thunderbolt Go eliminates this extra element by incorporating into its enclosure. OWC Thunderbolt GoWhile the OWC Thunderbolt Go is not as small as other models, it has an aluminum enclosure that dissipates heat and runs quietly without a fan. The dock has a Thunderbolt 4 connector for connecting the Mac. It also provides 90W of power. On the front, there is a USB-C port, a USB 2.0 peripheral port, a combination audio jack, and a memory cards reader. Buy at OWC On the back, there are two Thunderbolt ports plus two USB-A 3.2 ports with 10Gbps, an HDMI 2.1 connector, and a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet connector. It can connect two 4K displays or an 8K display for video. Directly from OWC is the OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock, priced at $299.99. Sonnet Echo Dual-NVMe Dock – Best Thunderbolt 4-Dock for Storage We have already covered docks that offer storage, but this one is the best if you are looking for capacity. The Sonnet Echo Dual Dock, as its name suggests, can hold up to two M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe SSDs. This dock has a maximum storage capacity of 16TB. These drives can also be accessed as a RAID 0 or as a single drive at speeds up to 1,500MB/s. This allows you to achieve transfer speeds up to 3,000MB/s. Sonnet Echo Dual NVMe DockAs was discovered in the AppleInsider Review, these drives are easily accessible by removing seven Philips head screws. These drives can be fitted with heatsinks to keep them cool under load and maintain speed. Buy at Amazon In addition to the storage-centric features there are still a variety of ports that can be used. It has a Thunderbolt connection to connect to the host and two USB-C ports. Amazon offers the Sonnet Echo Dual NVMe Dock for $249.99. Hyper Thunderbolt 4 power hub is the best Thunderbolt 4 Dock for basic portability. It is a compact hub, thanks to the integrated Gallium Nitride source of power, which also eliminates a power brick. It was a small device, measuring just 4.9 inches by 1.2 inches. This is small enough to fit in a spare bag pocket. Hyper Thunderbolt Power HubThe hub features four Thunderbolt ports, one for the host computer and the other three for downstream connections. Each connection can operate at up to 40Gbps. Buy at Amazon Each port has up to 15W power that can be used for peripheral charging, but the host also gets up to 96W power delivery. Support is available for two 4K 60Hz displays or an 8K 30Hz screen. Hyper Thunderbolt 4 Power Hub is available from Amazon for $209.99 or directly from Hyper.