Mac mini M4 Pro Dock — Thoughts on Beelink’s new Mate mini?

[Pf2025]

Also, for non technical users (like myself), the Beelink Mate Mini “A” appears targeted towards users with the base Mac Mini M4 with Thunderbolt 4 ports.

The Mate Mini “B” appears to be targeted towards users with the Mac Mini Pro (or higher) with Thunderbolt 5 ports that can take advantage of the higher transfer speeds.

 

[NickRno77]

I’ve ordered the B version, possibly delivered by the end of the month. UK site says shipped from uk warehouse so I shouldn’t get hammered for duty and VAT ?

 

[Pf2025]

I’ve ordered the B version, possibly delivered by the end of the month. UK site says shipped from uk warehouse so I shouldn’t get hammered for duty and VAT ?

Sounds promising. I’d contact Beelink customer support if there’s any doubt on the shipping source, and potential extra cost.

I’ve never dealt with international purchases. I don’t know if I’m liable for even more cost, if the unit is defective and needs to be returned or replaced.

So, I’m just suggesting be aware of the source location. And maybe buy without ssd’s installed if shipping internationally.

Best of luck!

 

[NickRno77]

Sounds promising. I’d contact Beelink customer support if there’s any doubt on the shipping source, and potential extra cost.

I’ve never dealt with international purchases. I don’t know if I’m liable for even more cost, if the unit is defective and needs to be returned or replaced.

So, I’m just suggesting be aware of the source location. And maybe buy without ssd’s installed if shipping internationally.

Best of luck!

I contacted them about duty and vat, they replied with expected delivery but no mention of I’ve got to pay duty and vat.

I’m only getting the dock as I’ve got an SSD I am using in a ACASIS dock.

 

[pna]

Hey, I recently got a mini M4 and am strongly considering this dock. Any updates on performance or experience from those that have it?

I’m particularly sensitive to fan noise, so that’s one of my main concerns. Their tech support has told me it would ship from a US warehouse so I’d not need to worry about paying extra. Thanks for any thoughts!

 

[Brian33]

Hey, I recently got a mini M4 and am strongly considering this dock. Any updates on performance or experience from those that have it?

I’m particularly sensitive to fan noise, so that’s one of my main concerns. Their tech support has told me it would ship from a US warehouse so I’d not need to worry about paying extra. Thanks for any thoughts!

Yes, I'm interested in knowing more about the fan noise, also. It seems to be a nice-looking device but if I put it on my Mini then whatever fan noise it makes will be right there on my desk. (As opposed to under the desk or on the floor.)

Also, I'm wondering why the page STILL says "Pre-order". The first post in this thread was back on May 30 so that "pre-order" page has been there for four months.

@pna if you get one I'd appreciate any feedback on the fan noise. (Though I don't know how you could conveniently quantify it.)

 

[cmichaelb]

I just received my Beelink Mate Model A.

It's a huge improvement over the Satechi I was using. Speeds seem great, audio sounds good, and has a built in heat sink for the NVME cards.

 

[cmichaelb]

Yes, I'm interested in knowing more about the fan noise, also. It seems to be a nice-looking device but if I put it on my Mini then whatever fan noise it makes will be right there on my desk. (As opposed to under the desk or on the floor.)

Also, I'm wondering why the page STILL says "Pre-order". The first post in this thread was back on May 30 so that "pre-order" page has been there for four months.

@pna if you get one I'd appreciate any feedback on the fan noise. (Though I don't know how you could conveniently quantify it.)

I have a NVME card in slot 1 and I don't hear the fan at all playing a H265 encoded 1080p movie, speakers plugged in, and 2 drives plugged into the USB A ports.

 

[cmichaelb]

Yes, I'm interested in knowing more about the fan noise, also. It seems to be a nice-looking device but if I put it on my Mini then whatever fan noise it makes will be right there on my desk. (As opposed to under the desk or on the floor.)

Also, I'm wondering why the page STILL says "Pre-order". The first post in this thread was back on May 30 so that "pre-order" page has been there for four months.

@pna if you get one I'd appreciate any feedback on the fan noise. (Though I don't know how you could conveniently quantify it.)

Ordered mine 9/25. Received it today 9/30. It came from NJ, I'm in the KCMO area.

 

[LetsCallHimSteve]

Hey, I recently got a mini M4 and am strongly considering this dock. Any updates on performance or experience from those that have it?

I’m particularly sensitive to fan noise, so that’s one of my main concerns. Their tech support has told me it would ship from a US warehouse so I’d not need to worry about paying extra. Thanks for any thoughts!

There's practically no fan noise, and the SSD(s) speed is noticeable. The dock is fantastic, I originally chose it because it was the only one with a 2.5Gbps Ethernet port, but now it's become the one I would recommend to everybody, so... go for it.

 

[pna]

This was exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for -- little fan noise and great speed. Though I've gone through some pretty obsessive times in my life on computer noise (I once built a fanless watercooled linux box with some old car parts to get away from fan whine), and initially I was turned off from the M4 mini by reports of fan noise on these forums that seemed like a big step back from the silence of the previous form factor. It seems like they either got that figured out in subsequent updates or my model is just on the quieter side, as I've been fine with the undetectable to my ears noise floor for my base level M4. These days I can tolerate a lot more (and my hearing is probably degrading), but in response to Brian33's question about how I would test it, I'll just listen to it and see if I'm annoyed by it, as in the past it hasn't taken much.

Also great news on the fast shipping - my emails with tech support were vague about 'shipping within 30 days'. I just ordered the A model myself with a marginally discounted SSD on amazon and will report out.

 

[cmichaelb]

This was exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for -- little fan noise and great speed. Though I've gone through some pretty obsessive times in my life on computer noise (I once built a fanless watercooled linux box with some old car parts to get away from fan whine), and initially I was turned off from the M4 mini by reports of fan noise on these forums that seemed like a big step back from the silence of the previous form factor. It seems like they either got that figured out in subsequent updates or my model is just on the quieter side, as I've been fine with the undetectable to my ears noise floor for my base level M4. These days I can tolerate a lot more (and my hearing is probably degrading), but in response to Brian33's question about how I would test it, I'll just listen to it and see if I'm annoyed by it, as in the past it hasn't taken much.

Also great news on the fast shipping - my emails with tech support were vague about 'shipping within 30 days'. I just ordered the A model myself with a marginally discounted SSD on amazon and will report out.

Other than playing Civ VII or encoding video, I never hear the fan in my base M4 Pro, 64 gig RAM model.

 

[808?]

I got a Model B on order from Amazon, they have a $30 off coupon at the moment.

 

[ProgRocker]

I just received my Beelink Mate Model A.

It's a huge improvement over the Satechi I was using. Speeds seem great, audio sounds good, and has a built in heat sink for the NVME cards.

I understood that you couldn't place the Mini on top, since it was hard to get to the power button. Could you comment on that. Are you just using the sleep function ?