If your primary computer is a laptop rather than a desktop, there are many times when you might need a larger monitor or a second monitor. Of course, there are many reasonably priced external monitors available. However, if you want to really enjoy the benefits of Thunderbolt 3, it's worth opting for the Mac-friendly BenQ PD3220U DesignVue Monitor.

The monitor was designed with MacBooks in mind and comes with two Thunderbolt 3 ports, 4K resolution, and 95% of the Display P3 color gamut. It's also factory-calibrated and Calman and Pantone verified, so it's ready to use right away. If you work in a creative field in which color display and high resolution are essential requirements of a second monitor, you will struggle to find a better product.

Apple finally added some more ports in the latest 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, but you still don't get any USB Type-A ports, and the standard 13-inch model and MacBook Air only come with Thunderbolt 3 ports. If you're the type of user who still needs to connect several gadgets to your computer at the same time, the CalDigit TS3 Plus is a must-have addition to your setup.

This docking station converts a single port on your Mac into 14 ports of connectivity that you can use to connect various devices, such as external monitors, SD cards, wired Ethernet, and other legacy USB Type-A devices. It features five USB-A ports, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, two USB-C ports, a 4K DisplayPort, an Ethernet jack, an SD Card Reader, and four audio jacks, including an optical digital output.

The dock is well-made and has the same finish as the space-gray MacBooks. It supports up to two 4K external displays for compatible MacBooks and can also charge your notebook at the same time. Unfortunately, it won't charge the 16-inch MacBook Pro at full speed, but it's still a great Thunderbolt accessory if you need more ports on your Mac.

The Anker PowerExpand USB-C To Gigabit Ethernet Adapter is a simple and affordable adapter that plugs into the Thunderbolt port on your Mac and provides an Ethernet jack for connecting to high-speed and reliable wired networks.

The adapter is plug-and-play and works with all devices with USB-C, Thunderbolt 3, or Thunderbolt 4 connectivity. It's small and light, too, with a braided nylon cable that makes it more durable than cheaper generic adapters.

If you need extra storage for your desktop or MacBook, this Thunderbolt 3 portable SSD from OWC is an excellent choice. It's available in different capacities, from 240GB to 4TB, so you can pick the right one depending on your needs and budget.

The SSD delivers incredible transfer speeds of up to 2800MB/s. Although the real-world speeds will be lower than that, it's still one of the fastest external drives available today, making it ideal for power users and professional creatives working with large files.

Tank-like build quality and military-grade protection make this external SSD stand out. It's very durable and even features an IP67 waterproof rating, so whether you're in the office or out in the jungle, the OWC Envoy Pro FX can withstand the bumps of everyday usage.

If you're a gamer, one of the best Thunderbolt 3 accessories worth buying is an external GPU chassis. It allows you to enhance the graphical capabilities of your laptop or desktop and thus enjoy various titles that would have otherwise been unplayable. An external GPU chassis also helps to future-proof your machine, as you'll always be able to swap and upgrade the graphics card.

One model you should consider is the Razer Core X. It can take three-slot, full-size PCIe desktop graphic cards. The fact that it supports full-size cards means you can use top-of-the-range models like the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT. Furthermore, most alternative external GPUs on the market can only handle one- or two-slot cards, giving the Core X another advantage. The chassis houses a massive 650W power supply, with laptop charging support of up to 100W.

It's all well and good to have an impressive array of the best Thunderbolt accessories in your home or office, but they are not much good if you can't connect any of them to each other! As such, it's worth investing in a couple of Thunderbolt 3 cables and keeping them handy; you never know when they might prove to be useful.

As with most types of computer cables, some cables are dirt cheap and not worth your time. Others are made from premium material and are way beyond the needs of most users. For a solid balance, consider the Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Cable. It comes in two different lengths: 0.8 meters and two meters. The two-meter cable only supports 20Gbps, but the 0.8-meter provides the full 40Gbps transfer speed.

The CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 Element Hub is a fantastic Thunderbolt hub that is ideal for the new generation of Mac computers with Apple silicon. Featuring four Thunderbolt 4 ports and four 10Gbps USB-A ports, this hub adds the most needed ports to your Mac in a much smaller and more compact package than its bigger CalDigit TS3 Plus cousin.

One of the Thunderbolt 4 ports is used for the host connection, so you get three for plugging peripherals like monitors and eGPUs, which is still plenty for most people. What makes it stand out from the other Thunderbolt 4 hubs is the four USB-A ports. Not only is this not the most number of USB-A ports on a Thunderbolt 4 hub, but they also support faster speeds and up to 7.5W charging.

If you want to expand the storage of your Mac but are not ready to pay the premium price for the Thunderbolt 3 SSDs, this NVMe M.2 SSD enclosure from OWC offers a nice budget alternative. Pair it with an M.2 SSD of your choice and enjoy faster transfer speeds of up to 1553MB/s.

The enclosure can fit most of the M.2 consumer drives available today and is bus-powered, so you don't need any external power supply. When combined with its sturdy and rugged construction, you get a durable and portable NVMe enclosure ready for anything you throw at it.