OWC USB-C Dock Universal Docking Station Review

Introduction OWC's USB-C Dock is a universal docking station for your USB-C equipped notebook. While that sounds like a relatively simple device, and it is, it still brings great features and stylish design to the table. Most notebook and laptop manufacturers have their docking station solution, but they are usually model limited and pricey. Universal docking stations are a better approach. They cost less, and they will work with any laptop model, which includes the next system you'll purchase after your current. USB Type-C Host Connection OWC's USB-C Dock connects to your system via a USB 3.1 Gen.1 Type-C port. That is the relatively new, tiny, and reversible one for those not familiar with the naming. The first generation does mean that we only have a total of 5 Gbps bandwidth at our disposal, but then again, it should be enough for most day-to-day usage. The USB-C Dock doesn't just connect via the Type-C cable; it is also able to charge your system with up to 60W through the cable. A particularly useful feature for systems that feature a single connector for power and data. USB Device Connections You get a total of four USB 3.1 Type-A ports for general equipment such as input peripherals, printers, scanners, and audio devices as well as a Type-C port for modern equipment. All USB ports are Gen.1 which means that we're limited to 5Gbps as we are with the uplink speed. One of the Type-A ports is located on the front of the Dock while the rest are on the back. One on each side also features quick charging for your mobile devices. Monitor and Networking It wouldn't be much of a docking station with just USB ports, and that's why we also get monitor and network connections through the OWC USB-C Dock. You can connect an HDMI monitor to the docking station and have that connect through your USB host port too. The docking station utilises an HDMI 1.4b port, and it supports resolutions up to 4K with 30Hz. The networking capabilities are powered by a Realtek RTL8153 controller where you get up to Gigabit ethernet speeds. Wired networking is better that wireless in most instances, but ultrabooks often sacrifice the port due to its height. Audio and Card Reader In case that your portable system doesn't feature its card reader, the OWC USB-C Dock has one to solve that problem. The OWC card reader supports SD, SDHC, and SDXC with a capacity up to 2TB. The speed limit is rated at UHS-1 with 70MB/s. Audio connections are also supported, albeit limited. There is a single 3.5mm audio port. It is a combo port so that it can be used as either a microphone or a headphone connection. You naturally still have the ability to connect a USB headset to the docking station. Design OWC designed the USB-C dock to match your MacBook and other apple devices. It's simple but stylish. The docking station is also available in four different colours, not just the one I have in the office today. You have the choice of four colours: silver, gold, space grey, and rose gold. The design isn't just for the look; the USB-C Dock is also built for durability. The chassis is made of aluminium which also makes it light when you want to take it on the road with you. Alternate option There is an alternate version of the USB-C Dock when comparing to the version that I'm testing today. I got the one with an HDMI connector in the office, but there's also a version with a mini DisplayPort. That is the only difference between the two versions of the docking station. Both offer a maximum resolution of 4K/30Hz. Feature Highlights 10-port docking station with USB Type-C uplink 80W power delivery and 60W charging capability Four USB 3.1 Type-A and One Type-C device ports Gigabit Ethernet 4K monitor support SD Card reader Package and Accessories The packaging is easily recognisable as an OWC product. The front features an image of the device along with the main feature highlights. The rear side has details of the ten connection possibilities that the OWC USB-C Dock offers. The specifications are further elaborated on the side of the package. Inside is a power supply and a cable fitting your region, a USB Type-C to Type-C connector cable, and a quick start guide. The docking station itself is naturally also included. A Closer Look The unit is simple in its port layout, and we'll get through this page quite fast. Starting with the front, we have the SD card reader, the combo 3.5mm audio port and a fast charging USB 3.1 Gen.1 port. Turning the device and looking at the rear, we first see the three USB 3.1 Gen.1 Type-A ports where the first also is a high-powered charging port. Next to them is a USB 3.1 Gen.1 Type-C port for modern devices such as your phone. Following the USB ports is the Gigabit Ethernet port. On the other side of the Ethernet port, which is located right in the middle, is the USB 3.1 Type-C uplink port, the HDMI 1.4a monitor port, and the PSU connection. There isn't much to say to the bottom. The OWC USB-C Dock has four small rubber feet and a serial number here. Testing & Methodology The graphic part of this docking station works straight out and as such isn't anything to benchmark here. The USB and LAN abilities, on the other hand, is something that I can test and compare. I will be connecting my trusted OCZ VX500 512GB through a SilverStone TS11C to the docking station and test how it is performing there. Then I'll disconnect the docking station and connect the drive directly to the same USB connector on the motherboard that previously connected the docking station. That should give us a great view on performance impact, if any, happening from the docking station. We should expect a minor fluctuation, but it is to be seen on the next pages how it will hold up. The network connection is the second thing that I can test and compare, and in a very similar way to the USB testing. Naturally, I won't be using my SSD here but rather connect the system to the LAN port on the docking station and run both TCP and UDP network benchmarks there. When those are done, I'll connect it my onboard LAN controller instead and run the same benchmarks. Again, this will give us a great comparison of performance impact through the conversion via USB 3.0, if any. Test system Gigabyte X170-Extreme ECC Intel Xeon E3-1280 v5 Crucial Ballistix DDR4 2400 MHz (4x 8GB) UDIMM Sapphire Ultimate R7 250 1GB GDDR5 Toshiba OCZ VX500 512GB be quiet! Dark Power Pro 11 1200W Noctua NH-D15S Software Anvil's Storage Benchmark AS SSD Benchmark ATTO Disk Benchmark CrystalDiskMark Benchmark PassMark PerformanceTest Suite Windows 10 Pro Wired LAN Performance PassMark PerformanceTest Suite For the network tests, I'll be using Passmark Performance Test's Advanced Network Test which allows me to set a lot of variables and test both TCP and UDP connections. As a baseline comparison, I will be using my onboard Gigabit Ethernet. TCP Performance UDP Performance USB 3.0 Performance As previously mentioned, testing the USB performance of a hub is an easy task. What we're interested in here isn't the maximum possible speeds, but rather if it has any impact on the transfers speeds compared to using a direct connection. First, the drive is connected to the USB hub and tested with several applications after which it will be connected to the same onboard USB port instead of the hub for a second test. Below you'll find charts showing you the comparison in any easy way. Anvil's Storage Benchmark Anvil’s Storage Utilities is a complete benchmark solution used to test any write-able storage drive. It also has a drive endurance test that consistently reads and writes data to the selected medium to deliver days, months, and potentially even years of use in a shorter period. AS SSD The AS SSD software determines the performance of Solid State Drives (SSD). The tool contains five synthetic and three practice tests. The synthetic tests determine the sequential and random read and write performance of the SSD, and they aren't using the operating system cache. ATTO Disk Benchmark The ATTO Disk Benchmark performance measurement tool is compatible with Microsoft Windows. Measure your storage systems performance with various transfer sizes and test lengths for reads and writes with several options to customise, including queue depth, and overlapped I/O. CrystalDiskMark CrystalDiskMark is a small HDD and SSD benchmark utility that allows you to measure a drive's sequential and random performance. Final Thoughts Pricing OWC's USB-C Dock with HDMI can be yours for $129.97 or £153.52 at the time of writing. A fair price for a good looking device. Conclusion The OWC USB-C Dock might be designed to match the MacBook colours, but that doesn't mean that you're limited to a usage with them. As we've seen today, they work equally well with a Windows-based system. It could be called a generic docking station as it doesn't offer anything special or out of the ordinary, besides a great looking design. That doesn't mean that it's bad, far from it. Plenty of USB ports, both Type-A and Type-C, along with fast charging for two devices and charging for your laptop, the USB-C dock has plenty to offer. There's also HDMI and Gigabit Ethernet to complete the setup. The only little downside is that there only is one audio connector. While it is a combo connector, it will only work as a microphone or headphone jack, not both at once. You can still use USB headsets though. The added SD card reader is another bonus which will come in handy for systems that come without a card reader built-in. Overall, a quality product for a fair price. If we had a design award, it would have deserved that. Pros Good looking design that will match MacBooks Solid build quality Plenty of USB 3.1 Gen.1 ports Two fast-charging ports Up to 80W power delivery and 60W charging Cons Only a single combo microphone/headphone jack "A good looking docking station that will match your MacBook, but look and work great with any USB Type-C system." Thank You OWC for providing us with this sample