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Review: iVANKY's FusionDock Max 1 Delivers Extreme Versatility With Dual Thunderbolt Connectivity
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Yeah, 4 external monitors + 1 laptop display + 1 iPad. I do software engineering.
I started off with just the laptop. Over the years I've added more monitors 1 by 1 to see if I could become more efficient at my work.
1. Two screens was a big productivity enhancement because it meant I could code + research side-by-side.
2. Three screens added the ability for me to open up a separate code editor window at all times
3. Four screens allows me to keep my work communication tools (Slack) visible at all times
4. Five screens allows me to put Terminal and my iOS simulator at all times
5. Six screens allows me to pin my video call (Google Meets / Zoom) at the forefront at all times.
I rarely have to cmd+tab to switch windows, which was a win for me. I also have a separate iPad at the center between my split keyboard for personal messaging.
do you get any drops/reconnects under heavy load ?
how the heat situation for you , is the dock warm or hot ?
also any issues with the computer going to sleep/wakeup ?
thanks !
No functional issues so far. It does run hot, which does concern me on the longevity of the dock.
Fingers crossed
OWC Thunderbolt 3 Pro has 10Gb ethernet that works just fine, without heat or driver issues, and it does not even need active cooling. I've been using one for 5 years without any problems, so it's not even new tech.
I've got the dock for testing purposes for free in the wonderful "Rosegold"-color. At a first glance it looks impressive and can convince with the fact, that it provides two dedicated Thunderbolt 4 chips which allow - given you have a MacBook Pro with M1-Max, M2-Max or M3-Max to connect up to 4 external display with up to 6K resolution and up to 60Hz refresh rate. This is very outstanding and to my knowledge there's yet no competition in this niche...
However, there are many disadvantages coming with this dock. First of all it does not work properly with displays connected via HDMI which habe multiple inputs for multiple devices. If you have your iVANK-Dock connected to one HDMI port and a different device to another input and you switch between them, the display stays black if you return to the iVANKY - you have to open the lid of your MacBook. I've never seen this behavior with much cheaper models.
Second, if you have USB security turned on, you get asked twice after you recovering your MacBook from sleep. This comes from the fact that the iVANKY dock works as two separate devices (fully logical as you connect it with the special dual USB cable to your MacBook) - but the display turns on after confirming... Again: Never has this experience with much cheaper docks.
Coming to the big number of USB C and USB A-Ports: Well, impressive at a first glance but disappointing if you have a closer look: They have very different specs. Two of the 4 front USB C offer only 10 Gbit/s which is slow for a dock which costs 500+ EUR. Two of them were made for display connection - maybe they're faster. Charging power is limited. Same on the backside.
The quality of the enclosure of this dock is mediocre. After pulling the sticker from the back of the brand new dock, parts of the rosegold color stick on it, which is a indication of weak coating quality. You wouldn't expect this on a premium priced dock. Rubber to prevent sliding on the table must be sticked manually by the user - so they saved a few bucks for a proper rubber coating of the horizontal and vertical standpoints and leave you with cheap rubber stickers... Really?
What's not part of the specs: This device makes a sound. I was not able yet to say if it comes from a fan inside the dock or if it comes from cheap circuit design - will look into this later as it is possible to open the enclosure. The noise is very low and you have to get close to hear it - but it's there.
Another issue: It's getting hot. Even if nothing else than a single 4K-Display has been connected, it's running hot. This concerns me as it might be indication of wasting energy, bad thermal design and may reduce the lifespan of this device. And: It lacks a power switch - so it consumes power all the time which is a very, very bad design and there's also no excuse for that.
After all this dock fills a niche because it allows users of Hi-End MacBook Pro-Computers to connect up to 4 Hi-Res displays at a reasonable refresh rate. All other details didn't convince me as it is half-baked and bizarrely overpriced. This dock would be paid very good, if the manufacturer charges around 200 bucks - 500 is a bad joke. But... Because you wouldn't find another dock which supports up to 4 external 6K-Displays, itÄs unique and the manufacturer can try to charge what he wants and probably: If you can afford a hi-end MacBook Pro and 4 external 6K displays, the 500 bucks for this dock may be considered peanuts and if you use exclusively a MacBook Pro, you wouldn't care about some of the issues mentioned as the external display support may outweigh this.
The regular price of this dock in Germany is around 500 EUR. You may be lucky to get it at 399 EUR sometimes.
Just for buyers:
4 external displays require a M1-Max, M2-Max or M3-Max
2 external displays require a M1-Pro, M2-Pro or M3-Pro
1 external display requires a M1, M2 or M3
So if you have a MacBook Air with M1, M2 or whatever, you can connect exactly 1 external display via this dock.
This limitation comes from Apple - not from the manufacturer of the Dock - so please consider this before investing.
If you do not want to connect so much displays, i won't recommend this dock to you and you most likely can save yourself a few hundred bucks and frustration by choosing a different dock.
However, there are many disadvantages coming with this dock. First of all it does not work properly with displays connected via HDMI which habe multiple inputs for multiple devices. If you have your iVANK-Dock connected to one HDMI port and a different device to another input and you switch between them, the display stays black if you return to the iVANKY - you have to open the lid of your MacBook. I've never seen this behavior with much cheaper models.
Second, if you have USB security turned on, you get asked twice after you recovering your MacBook from sleep. This comes from the fact that the iVANKY dock works as two separate devices (fully logical as you connect it with the special dual USB cable to your MacBook) - but the display turns on after confirming... Again: Never has this experience with much cheaper docks.
Coming to the big number of USB C and USB A-Ports: Well, impressive at a first glance but disappointing if you have a closer look: They have very different specs. Two of the 4 front USB C offer only 10 Gbit/s which is slow for a dock which costs 500+ EUR. Two of them were made for display connection - maybe they're faster. Charging power is limited. Same on the backside.
The quality of the enclosure of this dock is mediocre. After pulling the sticker from the back of the brand new dock, parts of the rosegold color stick on it, which is a indication of weak coating quality. You wouldn't expect this on a premium priced dock. Rubber to prevent sliding on the table must be sticked manually by the user - so they saved a few bucks for a proper rubber coating of the horizontal and vertical standpoints and leave you with cheap rubber stickers... Really?
What's not part of the specs: This device makes a sound. I was not able yet to say if it comes from a fan inside the dock or if it comes from cheap circuit design - will look into this later as it is possible to open the enclosure. The noise is very low and you have to get close to hear it - but it's there.
Another issue: It's getting hot. Even if nothing else than a single 4K-Display has been connected, it's running hot. This concerns me as it might be indication of wasting energy, bad thermal design and may reduce the lifespan of this device. And: It lacks a power switch - so it consumes power all the time which is a very, very bad design and there's also no excuse for that.
After all this dock fills a niche because it allows users of Hi-End MacBook Pro-Computers to connect up to 4 Hi-Res displays at a reasonable refresh rate. All other details didn't convince me as it is half-baked and bizarrely overpriced. This dock would be paid very good, if the manufacturer charges around 200 bucks - 500 is a bad joke. But... Because you wouldn't find another dock which supports up to 4 external 6K-Displays, itÄs unique and the manufacturer can try to charge what he wants and probably: If you can afford a hi-end MacBook Pro and 4 external 6K displays, the 500 bucks for this dock may be considered peanuts and if you use exclusively a MacBook Pro, you wouldn't care about some of the issues mentioned as the external display support may outweigh this.
The regular price of this dock in Germany is around 500 EUR. You may be lucky to get it at 399 EUR sometimes.
Just for buyers:
4 external displays require a M1-Max, M2-Max or M3-Max
2 external displays require a M1-Pro, M2-Pro or M3-Pro
1 external display requires a M1, M2 or M3
So if you have a MacBook Air with M1, M2 or whatever, you can connect exactly 1 external display via this dock.
This limitation comes from Apple - not from the manufacturer of the Dock - so please consider this before investing.
If you do not want to connect so much displays, i won't recommend this dock to you and you most likely can save yourself a few hundred bucks and frustration by choosing a different dock.
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