best thunderbolt hub for mac os x sierra

AppleInsider compares some of the best options on the market.

As the market for the docks has grown yet again with the release of the new 13-inch MacBook Pro that replaced the Function Keys model and the refreshed MacBook Air, it has become harder to decide which dock is the best one to buy.

Tradeoffs abound, between the number of extra ports they add, the additional features that are nice to have, and the price of the unit itself.

The dock adds more ports at the expense of one existing Thunderbolt 3 connection, while also increasing the usefulness of the Mac at the same time, such as by adding a memory card reader, a secondary audio connection, or more displays.

They may also wish to have the extra components connected away from their workspace, so a single cable to connect multiple devices in that way may be a better option.

If they wish to work away from the desk, its a single cable to disconnect everything, saving time when they have to move.

For the most part, these docks will work relatively fine, but the maximum bandwidth between the dock and the Mac will be reduced from 40Gbps to 10Gbps, making them less desirable for those wanting to push high amounts of data.

Though all offer power delivery in varying levels, owners of the 15-inch MacBook Pro will want to look at docks with at least 87 Watts of power delivery through a single connection in order to properly charge their Mac.

Depending on the dock, this can take the form of one or more connections, including HDMI, DisplayPort, and Mini DisplayPort, most some including support for dual 4K monitors at 60Hz, assuming youre willing to use your downstream Thunderbolt 3 port to do so.

The majority also include audio connections, as well as Gigabit Ethernet ports for connecting to wired networks, a feature likely to be welcomed by MacBook Pro users.

Considering the plethora of microSD-to-SD adapters on the market, the latter isnt an essential feature for the vast majority of users.

It could be argued that there could be adapters and dongles on the market that can replicate these depreciated connections, so potential users having an urgent need to use those connection types may still want to look at others in the range but well talk about some older connectors in a bit.

Though there is probably no perfect solution to each use case, minimizing any extra purchases may be an idea worth pursuing.

Note that most of these are Thunderbolt 3 docks, with a few USB 3.1 type C docks includes.

As such, this list is mostly for MacBook Pro and future MacBook Air owners right now.

Best Thunderbolt Hub Sierra Full Charging Power

If you need full charging power for a 15-inch MacBook Pro, even fewer.

FireWire is an older technology, and you may still have gear around that demands it.

Best Thunderbolt Hub Sierra Driver Support Is

Even then, it might be time to look at upgrades, since a lot of the audio gears driver support is iffy at best.

The last Apple computer that debuted with the technology was in 2012.

Yes, they sold it alongside the Retina MacBook Pro for many years but that doesnt mean the technology is new.

If thats the case, those drives are very, very old and its time to replace them anyway assuming you value your data.

Hook up your old gear, and move your data across your network to your new MacBook Pro or iMac.

If you simply must keep the drive online, then connect it as a server and really consider getting the data off.

The days of eSATA are numbered and it was never adopted in any great quantities.

Best Thunderbolt Hub For Mac Os X Sierra