As someone who only recently took steps to upgrade his home office work desk to be both more spacious and functional, it’s been on my agenda to come up with a multi-display setup to improve multitasking and workflow management. This meant I needed a hub that could handle multiple high-resolution displays and tons of I/O, and personally, I think I nailed it with the iVanky FusionDock Max 1.
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The iVanky FusionDock Max 1 just might be one of the most capable docking stations that I’ve ever had the pleasure of using. Designed especially to be used with Apple silicon-equipped Macs, such as the MacBook Pro, this behemoth touts dual Thunderbolt 4 chips inside so that you can use up to four external displays for such a massive viewing experience at your disposal that you won’t know where to put all your windows.
A crazy dock, made for Apple nerds
iVanky went all out on the FusionDock Max 1 to ensure it was built for modern pro-grade Mac users. This is so evident because it’s designed to work with Apple Silicon Macs and not PCs or Intel-based Macs. The iVanky team has also optimized the FusionDock Max 1 for macOS for a seamless experience. This is the future of Apple.
According to iVanky, the FusionDock Max 1’s dual Thunderbolt 4 chips promise unparalleled performance. You can use up to four 4K displays, or two 6K displays with this Dock without any discernible lag, and that’s because you have more than one chip doing the heavy lifting under the hood. If you have a MacBook Pro with the fastest chips, you can even use three 6K displays and one 4K display. You can run these at up to 60Hz.
The Dock looks great too. The unique L-shaped table stand provides a sleek and modern aesthetic, while small standoffs between the Dock and the table stand offer sufficient space for airflow and cooling. iVanky also went with a darker coating as to fit in well with the Space Black or Space Gray computers and accessories you’re already using.
Another thing you will notice right off the bat is there’s no shortage of I/O. While it’s not uncommon for docking stations to have a lot of ports, some companies cut corners. As you’ll see in the next section, we don’t think iVanky pulled any punches. They wanted a dock that could do it all, and so you will find everything you could ever need available on it.
The cold, hard specs
The thing that most people are here for is to learn about the I/O that the iVanky FusionDock Max 1 provides to see how it compares to other docks. Honestly, the only other competitor that comes close is the CalDigit TS4, but I think the iVanky FusionDock Max 1 has it beat thanks to some of the port choices.
Here’s what you get on the iVanky FusionDock Max 1:
Front
On the front side, you get the following I/O:
- 2x Downstream USB-C Port, 40Gbps, 15W
- 1x USB-C port, 10Gbps, 30W PD
- 1x USB-C port, 10Gbps
- 2x USB-A port, 10Gbps
- 1x SD Card slot (UHS-II)
- 1x microSD Card slot (UHS-II)
- 1x 3.5mm microphone & headset port
Rear
On the rear side, you get the following I/O:
- 2x Downstream USB-C port, 40Gbps, 15W
- 2x Upstream USB-C port, 40Gbps, 96W PD
- 2x HDMI 2.0 4K@60Hz
- 3x USB-A port, 10Gbps
- 1x 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet
- 1x Optical Toslink Audio
- 1x 3.5mm line-out port
- 1x Kensington Security Lock port
- 1x DC in 180W
The I/O packed into the iVanky FusionDock Max 1 not only gives you everything you need for a multi-display hub, but also everything you could ever want for attaching external storage devices, external speakers or microphones, wired internet connections, USB-A accessories, USB-C accessories, and a locking device, among other things.
Another thing that this dock does is keep your MacBook Pro charged while you use it. If I had to note any gripes about this, it would be that it caps at 96W. The highest-powered MacBook Pros today ship with 140W power bricks, and perhaps for a good reason. People who push these machines to the redline need that power adapter to satisfy the hunger of the beefiest Apple silicon chips at maximum load – namely the M2 and M3 Max. The FusionDock Max 1 unfortunately doesn’t provide that much power.
While it’s certainly possible for the power draw to beat out the charging speed, I think it’s incredibly unlikely that anyone would do so for a duration long enough that the machine would die while connected to the iVanky FusionDock Max 1’s 96W power supply. It’d probably thermal throttle long before that could ever happen.
What’s in the box
The iVanky FusionDock Max 1, like most external docking stations, includes not only the dock itself, but also a cable to connect to your computer, an 8K HDMI cable, and a power adapter that you need to use to keep the device powered.
As usual, the power brick is a hefty thing that you’ll have to find a home for. It’ll likely find itself on the floor somewhere under your computer desk, or if you’re like me and you have a cable organizer tray under your desk, you can hide it in there and have one less unsightly thing to look at.
Users will also find an anti-skid pad, a user manual, and a Q/A card inside the box.
Who’s this for?
Being that the iVanky FusionDock Max 1 offers premium features at a higher-than-average price point, this isn’t a docking station for the average Joe. This is a lean, mean, peripheral machine intended for professional workflows.
While most average people can get by with a $100-300 dock, the iVanky FusionDock Max 1 is a step above. It’s intended for people who need a lot of screen real estate, such as video editors, photo editors, and even those who practice over-employment from their home and need a separate display for each of their jobs.
I don’t think that most people need the power that the iVanky FusionDock Max 1 brings to the table, but if you’re an elitist and you want the best of the best, I won’t judge you. This thing looks mean on any desk.
My thoughts on the iVanky FusionDock Max 1
I bought my first iVanky product back in 2018 when I needed a DisplayPort cable for my gaming PC, and their thick braided cable with aluminum ends fit the bill. I still use that cable to this very day, and it looks brand new and works just as well as day one. I have to say I think the iVanky FusionDock Max 1 will leave the same lasting impressions on me.
Based on my uses of the iVanky FusionDock Max 1, I’ve come up with the following pros and cons list to help summarize whether I think it’s a good investment:
Pros:
- Excellent sturdy design with sleek aesthetics and anti-slip features
- Amazing number of useful ports
- Ability to use up to four external displays
- Dual internal Thunderbolt 4 chips
- Made especially for Apple silicon-equipped Macs
- Supports dual 6K@60hz displays or four 4K@60Hz displays
- Crazy amount of I/O for all your peripherals
- Passive cooling built right in
- HDMI 8K cable included
Cons:
- External power supply is large and heavy (like most other docks)
- No CFExpress card slots
- Unit is expensive and pro-focused
- Doesn’t work with PCs or Intel-based Macs
Where to get one
If you’ve decided that the iVanky FusionDock Max 1 might be the right choice for you, and I don’t think you’d be making a bad decision there, then you can acquire one from Amazon with free Prime shipping for just under $400. And if you want to save even more, you can use the promo code idbblog123 while making your purchase from Amazon to save an additional 10% off the purchase price from now until July 31st.
That’s less expensive than the CalDigit TS4, which often goes on sale, but I think the iVanky FusionDock Max 1 could be a better solution for Apple Silicon-based Mac users since it’s carefully optimized for the macOS ecosystem and marries great aesthetics with no-compromise features. The CalDigit TS4 might be a better option if you’re using a computer that the iVanky FusionDock Max 1 doesn’t support.
Wrapping up
The iVanky FusionDock Max 1 is a beast of a docking station for Apple silicon-equipped Macs that offers a suite of useful I/O in a beautifully designed package. With its dual Thunderbolt 4 chips, it doesn’t lag, offers ideal functionality, and yields uncompromising results.
If you’re going to get a Thunderbolt dock for your Apple Silicon Mac in 2024, this should be it.