Our visit to the OWC (Other World Computing) booth at COMPUTEX 2025 was an immersive experience into the world of high-performance storage, connectivity, and media production. It was immediately clear that OWC is doubling down on Thunderbolt 5, positioning itself as a vital partner for creative professionals and power users who demand the absolute fastest and most reliable solutions.
Thunderbolt 5 takes center stage
The absolute centerpiece of OWC’s presentation was the OWC Thunderbolt 5 Dock. This all-in-one connectivity solution is a beast, designed to redefine desktop performance. With an impressive 11 versatile ports, including three Thunderbolt 5 connections, it promises unparalleled speed and broad device compatibility.
We saw it effortlessly supporting multiple 8K displays and providing up to 140W of power delivery to demanding notebooks. Its ability to transform a tablet into a “ProStation” by adding displays, keyboards, and drives with a single cable is a game-changer for mobile content creators. OWC emphasized its universal compatibility across Thunderbolt 5, 4, 3, USB4, and USB-C devices, making it incredibly future-ready.
Complementing the dock, OWC also showcased their Thunderbolt 5 Hub, a compact solution designed to expand a single Thunderbolt port into multiple Thunderbolt and USB-C outputs. This is a critical addition for users of devices with limited native connectivity, like the M4 Mac Mini, allowing for extensive peripheral expansion.
Blazing-Fast Storage Solutions
OWC’s expertise in storage was on full display. We were particularly impressed by the ThunderBlade X12 RAID SSD enclosure. This powerhouse packs 12 NVMe SSDs, offering a colossal up to 96TB of total storage. Seeing it deliver sustained write speeds near 6,000 MB/s and peak read throughput of 6,600 MB/s over a single Thunderbolt 5 connection was a testament to its capability for heavy-duty video editing and data-intensive tasks.
For those needing extreme portability, OWC introduced new Envoy Ultra, a portable SSDs built for Thunderbolt 5, including passively-cooled enclosures in 2TB and 4TB variants. It’s one of the first SSDs available in the market that is using Thunderbolt 5.
OWC also has certified Thunderbolt 5 cables that goes along the docks and ThunderBlade X12 as well, and they’re compatible with 80Gb/s bidirectional connection or 120Gb/s for higher bandwidth needed for displays. It also supports 240W of power via USB-PD, so your laptops can be charged via this one single cable while transporting enormous amounts of data per second.
We also have the OWC Envoy Ultra with us for review, and we’re in the midst of testing it currently. So far, we’re impressed with the speeds already – and that video will come soon.
