Hello Apple Community!
I need help finding a budget docking station for my iMac (M1 2021) under $170 (USD). It does not need to be Thunderbolt.
I just need it to have an SD card, USB A and C. A Display Port and/or HDMI would be nice, but it's not needed.
I prefer a white color, but black is fine. :)
-Daniel
[Edited by Moderator]
iMac 24″, macOS 26.0
Posted on Jul 16, 2025 5:11 PM
Loading page content
Page content loaded
Jul 16, 2025 7:20 PM in response to madebydanny_uk
madebydanny_uk wrote:
I need help finding a budget docking station for my iMac (M1 2021) under $170 (USD). It does not need to be Thunderbolt.
I just need it to have an SD card, USB A and C. A Display Port and/or HDMI would be nice, but it's not needed.
$170 USD would be enough to buy you some Thunderbolt docks and hubs.
Plain USB-C docks typically cost $25 – $50 USD, and provide a HDMI port, a SDXC card slot, Gigabit Ethernet, USB-A ports, and sometimes USB-C "USB data only" ports. If you are just talking about USB 2/3 protocol – at speeds up to 10 Gbps – it is easy to convert between USB-A and USB-C in either direction.
Jul 16, 2025 7:21 PM in response to madebydanny_uk
madebydanny_uk wrote:
I prefer, I just wanted to know if you had any in mind!
No sorry. I haven't compared the no doubt hundreds that are available. I would contact OWC, explain your needs and they will give you options.
Jul 17, 2025 10:36 AM in response to madebydanny_uk
Whatever you get make sure it's self powered. I strongly recommend any that meet your needs from OWC (MacSales.com).
Contact their Customer Support to find which of their several docks meet you needs and budget.
Jul 17, 2025 11:28 AM in response to madebydanny_uk
Hey there!
+1 to the OWC suggestion.
Depending on what you need to connect with the dock, a bus-powered OWC USB dock may work, such as the OWC USB-C Travel Dock E - OWC.
A USB dock would be ideal if you aren't connecting bus-powered hard drives or other high-powered, or high-performance, devices.
However, if you do plan to connect hard drives or other devices that might require stable power, a self-powered Thunderbolt dock may be a better fit, such as the OWC 14-Port Thunderbolt Dock - OWC.
Hope this helps!
-Jack
Jul 17, 2025 9:12 PM in response to Jack-19
Jack-19 wrote:
Depending on what you need to connect with the dock, a bus-powered OWC USB dock may work, such as the OWC USB-C Travel Dock E - OWC.
I believe it can be turned into a powered dock by buying a separate USB-C power brick, and a USB-C cable rated for USB-C Power Delivery. One of the footnotes on the OWC site says:
"When a USB-C power adapter is connected to the dock's USB-C port, the dock will draw up to 8W power from the adapter instead of bus-powering from the host computer."
Note that the USB-C port is for power input only and can't be used to plug in accessories such as drives.
Jul 16, 2025 7:16 PM in response to dialabrain
I prefer, I just wanted to know if you had any in mind!
Jul 16, 2025 7:17 PM in response to Appleguy567asb
I already checked, I just wanted to know of you knew of any that fit my needs!
Best budget imac docking station