I’m trying to streamline my setup for both gaming and work, and I could use some advice from folks who’ve been down this road.
My setup:
- 2x gaming monitors (2K, high refresh rate, DisplayPort)
- A bunch of peripherals (keyboard, mouse, etc.)
- A DisplayPort KVM switch
- A docking station
- A USB hub for the peripherls
How it’s wired:
- Peripherals → USB hub → KVM switch
- Mobile devices → docking station → KVM switch
- Gaming PC → directly into KVM switch
- The KVM itself acts as 3 internal hubs, so with my extra hub in the chain I’m at 4 hubs total (most OSs max out at 5).
Here’s a rough diagram (my setup has one extra hub):
Diagram
The goal:
Ideally, I want a single-cable solution for my mobile devices — just plug in one cable, press the KVM button, and everything switches over. This worked perfectly with my previous ThinkPads.
The problem:
With my MacBook Pro 2024 (M4), things aren’t that smooth. I need a docking station that can:
- Drive two DisplayPort monitors (or 1–2 HDMI outputs + HDMI→DP adapter, though I’m not sure how reliable that would be)
- Provide one high-speed USB connection (for the KVM/Hub)
- Offer ethernet OR another USB port (I do have a USB/Ethernet adapter if needed)
- Most importantly: act as a single hub internally (not chain multiple hubs like many docks do, the one linked above works as such)
Question:
Does anyone know of a Macbook Pro 2024 (M4)-friendly docking station that meets these requirements (dual DP or HDMI+adapter, single hub preferred)? Maybe there’s a all-in-one Level1Tech device I’m not aware of?