These days, a well-equipped new Mac mini and a good docking station buy you loads of computing power and connectivity to plenty of peripherals for years to come. Today’s M4 Pro Mac mini workstation features a fine dock for Mac mini in the iVanky FusionDock Max 1 (even though the Thunderbolt 4 dock with a whopping 20 connection options was designed for MacBooks).
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Thunderbolt 4 dock for Mac mini helps power fantastic setup
The new Mac mini is smaller, lighter and 50× more adorable. It's super-powerful and by far the best deal in computing right now.
- Powerful M4 Pro chip
- 512GB storage
- 24GB unified memory
- Compact desktop design
- Headphone jack on front
- BYODKM (bring your own display, keyboard and mouse)
Finland-based YouTuber and Redditor MrHtech18 displayed the powerful and neatly compartmentalized setup in a post entitled, “My M4 Pro Mac Mini Setup.” It contains lots of great gear, but at the center is a well-equipped Mac mini with an M4 Pro chip packing a 14‑core CPU and a 20‑core GPU, as well as 48GB Unified Memory and 512 GB SSD storage. It connects to other peripherals via a many-ported Thunderbolt 4 dock called the iVanky FusionDock Max 1.
“This is my M4 Mac mini setup, took a while to get it to this point and I like how it’s turned out,” he said. And he pointed at a YouTube video describing all the gear.
iVanky FusionDock Max 1
iVanky’s FusionDock Max 1 looks formidable, and the list price of $439.99 reflects that. Fortunately, it’s on sale right now for $379.99 (14% off).
Dock features:
- Supports Quad 6K@60Hz Displays for M-series chips up to M3 Max, or three displays for M4 Pro Mac mini.
- The dock features a 180W power adapter, enabling efficient charging of laptops up to 96W and PD USB-C devices up to 30W.
- With six 40Gbps USB-C ports, you can upstream and downstream any data in a flash at up to 40Gbps. Its seven USB 3.2 ports can support up to 10Gbps data transfer and allow you connect enough external equipment.
- The SD/TF 4.0 card slot can support up to 312Mb/s, and the RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet port can maintain a smooth and stable 2.5Gbps Ethernet connection.
- 24-month warranty
A great array of accessories
Rounding out the setup are lots of cool bits and pieces, all in the gear links list below. You’ll find a spacious ultra-wide display, a smaller portable display, a great wooden monitor stand and BenQ’s premium monitor light. In the input devices department, Keychron and Satechi mechanical keyboards share parts. Audio gear includes excellent and moderately priced Edifier speakers. And completing the picture are a great video rig for vlogging, a pixel clock tracking social media metrics, a pegboard kit for wall storage and an industrial-style Edison desk lamp.
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This powerful docking station features dual Thunderbolt 4 chips, 20-in-1 functionality with Quad 6K@60Hz monitor docking, 40Gbps data transfer speeds and various ports: 2HDMI 2.0, 96W PD, 10Gbps USB, 2.5 GbE, SD/TF 4.0.
- Fast Thunderbolt 4 connectivity
- Versatile with 20 ports
- 40Gbps data transfer speeds
- Display output may be limited (depending on which Mac or MacBook is connected)
Computer and dock:
Displays, stand and light bar:
- 40-inch Innocn 40C1R ultra-wide monitor
- 22-inch UPerfect 2K Portable Monitor
- Wooden dual monitor stand
- BenQ Screenbar Halo LED Monitor Light
Input devices:
- Satechi SM1 mechanical keyboard
- Keychron K2 HE Rapid Trigger mechanical keyboard
- Logitech MX Master 3S wireless mouse
Audio and video:
Accessories:
If you would like to see your setup featured on Cult of Mac, send some high-res pictures to [email protected] (iPhone pics usually work fine). Please provide a detailed list of your equipment. Tell us what you like or dislike about your setup, and fill us in on any special touches, challenges and plans for new additions.
David Snow, an expert on Apple hardware and software, writes on a variety of technological and cultural topics for Cult of Mac. They include Apple news, technology buying guides, and features about computer setups and Apple TV+ shows and movies.
With 30 years of experience covering technology and other subjects, he has written and edited for numerous print and online publications, including CMP Media, TechTV.com, CNET, Wired News, Red Herring magazine, Law.com, The National Law Journal and Law Technology News magazine. Among other roles, he served as executive editor of the Law.com network of websites and editorial director, technology, for ALM Media.
Snow graduated with a B.A. from Syracuse University with majors in magazine journalism and psychology. While there, he worked as a reporter for The Daily Orange newspaper and associate editor of Equal Time magazine.
Founder of the blog At the Waterline, he can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) via @atthewaterline and on Mastodon via @dsnow.
