OWC - page 2

Blogger Derek Seaman may be an IT systems architect in his day job, but he also designs and builds advanced computer setups. That is, if his home office is any indication. Which it is.

He shared his MacBook Pro-driven workstation — actually, the whole room — with Cult of Mac recently.

The OWC Mercury Pro U.2 Dual can handle up to eight U.2 SSDs. And it can be pre-configured with up to 64TB. That’s a lot of storage capacity. Or put in your own SSDs. And the external drive enclosure uses Thunderbolt for high-speed connections to your Mac. Plus there’s RAID support.

I put the drive holder through testing. Here’s what I found.

The OWC Envoy Pro SX uses Thunderbolt to provide the super fast data transfers that professionals need. And it’s drop-proof and waterproof so it can stand up to real life.

I put the 2 terabyte external SSD through testing. I’m impressed.

Not long ago we wrote about a person who fashioned an ergonomically healthy computer setup with little more than an M1 Pro MacBook. At the time, their fancy new display was still to-be-delivered, so they made-do without it. Now all the screens are in place and they make a magnificent workstation, with the MacBook running with one landscape-mode display and two portrait-mode monitors. It took some special connectivity tricks to make it happen.

If you have a MacBook Pro of a certain age, you probably know what it’s like to run out of storage. These days, apps, macOS updates and big media files like videos require more space than ever before. But memory and storage provider OWC has your 2016-2017 13-inch MacBook Pro covered with its new Aura Pro NT NVMe solid state drive (SSD).

At Cult of Mac we’re always going on about M1 Macs, but here’s something for the Intel Mac crowd. OWC launched a new DisplayPort adapter allowing you to connect two 4K displays or one 8K display to your Intel-based Mac or iPad using a single Thunderbolt port.

The OWC USB-C Travel Dock E adds the most commonly used ports to your Mac or iPad. It lets you use an HDMI monitor, two USB-A accessories, Ethernet and more. And the stylish hub ready to be used in your office or on a business trip.

I put the accessory through a battery of tests. Read on to see how well it stood up.

No matter how hard you are on your gear, you aren‘t going to destroy the OWC Envoy Pro FX. The 2 terabyte SSD is waterproof and offers military-level drop toughness. Plus the USB-C accessory supports Thunderbolt 3 so data transfers are super fast.

I put the solid state drive through testing. Here’s how it stood up.

You need a powerful dock to make your Mac the center of a highly capable office. The OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock has fourteen ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals. That includes multiple USB-C ports, something you won’t find on USB-C hubs. Plus there’s USB-A, Ethernet, a headset jack and more.

I added this dock to my office. Here’s how it performs in real-world use.

OWC built Thunderbolt into the new Envoy Pro SX to make the portable drive fast and reliable. And don’t worry if you spill coffee on the SSD — it can take the punishment.

It’s available with up to 2TB of storage, isn’t bulky, and requires no fan.

The Envoy Pro FX is a 2 terabyte SSD that’s “built like a tank” according to OWC, its maker. The solid state drive is compatible with Mac, iPad, and many other devices. Plus, it can transfer data at up to 2800 MB/s.

Monday is the kickoff of CES 2021, so OWC also took the wraps off an updated version of its travel USB-C multi-port adapter.

OWC’s just-released Copy That application frees up space on iPhone or iPad by transferring images or videos to external drives. Alternatively, it can easily back up an collection of these files.

And it’s free, with an in-app purchase for extra features.

The OWC Mercury Elite Pro Dual is a deskto drive that offers up to 32 TB of storage capacity, and can transfer data at up to 1250 MBps.

Plus, there’s a 3-port USB-C hub built in, allowing the external drive to be part of a home office or small business.

Apple sells wheels for the 2019 Mac Pro for the slightly ridiculous price of $699. On Thursday, a third-party accessory maker launched a cheaper option. Well, relatively cheaper: the OWC Rover Pro wheel kit is $199.

An aging Mac can be reawakened with an SSD upgrade, becoming more useful with additional storage. The OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD debuted Tuesday, and is available in sizes up to a whopping 4 terabytes.

Creative professionals working with 4K or 8K video, or anyone who just wants an enormous amount of portable storage, can turn to the OWC ThunderBlade.  Starting Thursday, this SSD now offers up to a whopping 16TB in capacity, and can transfer data at 2800MB/s.

OWC also updated its Envoy Pro EX line with 4TB version. And the Accelsior 4M2 internal SSD now also offers up to 16TB of capacity.

The OWC USB-C Travel Dock has five ports to extend the capabilities of your MacBook or iPad Pro, including HDMI and dual USB-A. Wrapped around these is a casing of aluminum and plastic thick enough to stand up to the kind of punishment many of us subject our gear to. Yet it still looks professional.

We used this multiport hub on several business trips. Here’s how it came through.

OWC makes an eye-opening claim about the Envoy Pro Ex: the company claims its latest solid-state drive is faster than any rival with a USB-C connection.

In addition, the portable drive can stand up to dust and even immersion in water.

This post is presented by OWC.

New Macs are reliably cutting-edge when they first hit shelves. But as time goes by, Cupertino’s products, like any other, move toward obsolescence. Luckily, boosting your Mac’s performance — and extending its useful life — can be a cinch.

Recently, word went around that the only way to get 256GB of RAM in an iMac Pro was at the factory. OWC  paid no attention to that, and is now offering to upgrade this powerful desktop to the maximum amount. Even better, its 256GB of RAM modules go for 52 percent less than the cost to have the same upgrade done by Apple.

Upgrading this desktop to 128GB of RAM with OWC DDR4 Kits is also significantly cheaper.

OWC just introduced a kit to upgrade the new 27-inch iMac 5K to 128GB of RAM. That’s up to four times the maximum available from Apple, depending on the configuration of the computer.

But these upgrades don’t come cheap. And they are only for this version of the iMac, not the iMac Pro.

If you really need 256GB of RAM inside your iMac Pro, you’d better make sure you buy it that way from Apple. It seems it is impossible for owners to upgrade to this configuration after purchasing their machines — even if they have the latest model.

Don’t be jealous of the 10Gbps Ethernet port in the iMac Pro. OWC introduced an adapter for your MacBook’s Thunderbolt 3 port to connect to networks at the same massive speeds.

Just be warned, the OWC Thunderbolt 3 10G Ethernet Adapter isn’t an accessory for the casual user. It’ll set you back $187.99.

This week on The CultCast: We run you through the most ridiculous gizmos at CES 2017 — stuff that nobody on earth actually needs. Then we spice things up with our most hotly anticipated tech of 2017.

And finally, we’re gonna be real with you guys…. Apple had a rough 2016. But that’s all behind us now. It’s a new year. It’s a fresh start. We discuss what Apple needs to get right in 2017.

MacBook Pro owners that wish Apple included more ports alongside the Touch Bar can now have the best of both worlds — if they don’t mind slapping a huge dock on their machines.

OWC teased a new accessory called the DEC dock for MacBook Pro at CES, the monstrous gadget show happening in Las Vegas this week. The dock is comically large, but it adds a bevy of new features to the MacBook Pro, including extra storage.