See an unbelievably huge Mac collection and more [iSetups]

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iSetups episode 1
The first iSetups episode shows off three Mac setups.
Photo: Cult of Mac

If you’re a computer scientist, you can never have too many Macs. Just ask Richard Crossley, a Ph.D. candidate currently studying “optimization in high-performance computing to achieve maximum resource efficiency.”

It probably shouldn’t come as too big of a surprise that Crossley’s got a pretty vast Mac collection. Check out his system, as well as other impressive Mac setups, in this week’s episode of iSetups. It’s Cult of Mac’s new monthly show highlighting the best Mac setups submitted by viewers — plus tips and tricks for how to improve them.

iSetups: Episode 1

You’ll see Crossley’s multi-Mac rig, as well as two other setups sent in by Cult of Mac readers, in this week’s video.

Richard Crossley’s multi-Mac setup

iSetups
This is just part of Richard Crossley’s huge setup.
Photos courtesy Richard Crossley

Richard Crossley’s main computer is a 27-inch iMac from 2012 with a 3.6GHz i7 processor, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB Fusion drive. He mainly uses it for VMWare and writing and reviewing papers for school. It’s hooked up to an additional 27-inch iMac for a dual-screen setup, both of which are sitting on Twelve South HiRise stands to help hide any clutter or cables.

Crossley also owns a 2009 MacBook, a 2012 Mac mini, a retro 2003 iMac G4, a 2016 MacBook and a 128GB iPad Pro. He connects the latter two together via popular app Duet Display to create a dual-screen setup when out and about.

He’s got far too much tech to list but here’s as much of his gear as I could find on Amazon, in case you would like to pick up some of the same devices.

Piipperi800: MacBook Air paired with SteelSeries

iSetups
YouTuber Piipperi800’s white-and-blue MacBook Air setup.
Photo courtesy Piipperi800

YouTuber Piipperi800’s MacBook Air setup is mainly a white-and-blue affair, with 13-inch MacBook Air from 2015 taking center stage. The computer packs a 1.6GHz i5 processor and 8GB of RAM. He uses it mainly for web browsing, video editing and the occasional bit of gaming.

Rather than going the Apple route, Piipperi800 bought SteelSeries accessories: an Apex M500 keyboard, a Rival 100 mouse and a limited-edition Ice Blue mousepad. Other Apple products include a 2nd-gen Apple TV, a 7th-gen iPod nano and a 5th-gen iPod touch.

The only criticism I have of Piipperi800’s setup is the amount of wires on show. If he swapped out the wired keyboard and mouse for Bluetooth equivalents, mounted the USB hub on the side of the desk, and simply tucked wires behind the Ikea Alex desk,  the setup would look a lot slicker. (Check out what that might look like in the GIF below.)

iSetups
A little cable management can go a long way.
Photo courtesy Piipperi800 (digital decluttering by Cult of Mac)

Here’s a full list of everything in Piipperi800’s impressive setup.

Connor Hess: MacBook Pro with a massive monitor

iSetups
This clean, dark setup is totally tidy.
Photo courtesy Connor Hess

Connor Hess’ setup is super-clean and beautifully dark. It features a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, which he connected to a 34-inch LG 34UM88C-P monitor. Hess uses that 2016 MacBook Pro for photo and video editing along with some school work. The wide LG display makes his setup perfect for video editing, leaving plenty of room for timelines and preview windows.

He’s using a standard Apple wireless keyboard along with a Logitech M720 Triathlon mouse, which can seamlessly switch between three computers. Unlike our first two submissions, Hess only uses his MacBook — his laptop-monitor combo gives him the best of both a laptop and desktop setup.

See a full list of the products in Connor’s setup.

Show us your iSetup!

iSetups Logo
We want to see your iSetups!
Image: Cult of Mac

If you would like to submit your setup for possible showcase on iSetups, there are two ways to enter.

Submit a video

Film a video of your setup and edit it to be between 60 and 90 seconds in length. Don’t include music or graphics. Instead, create a voiceover for your video talking about:

  1. Your main computer
  2. Any additional computers you’re featuring
  3. What you use them for
  4. What phone you’re using and why you like it
  5. A little info on each of the products in your setup

Also include a writeup (in Word, PDF or Pages) listing all the products featured. This will be used to create links for each product.

Submit photos

If you’re not comfortable creating a voiceover, you can submit photos instead.

Send us three to 10 high-quality images, including an overall image of your setup and close-ups of anything worthy of featuring. Also include a Word document answering the questions below, along with the names for each product featured (please try to include desks, accessories, etc.).

  1. What is your main computer?
  2. What do you use this computer for?
  3. Do you use any additional computers? If so, what models and why?
  4. What other features of your setup are you proud of?
  5. What phone are you currently using and why do you like it?

Send all submissions to Stephen@cultofmac.com with the subject line “iSetups submission.” Please include your name (and YouTube channel if applicable).

iSetups episodes will air the last Friday of every month, with submissions closing the Wednesday before.

Make sure to subscribe to the Cult of Mac YouTube channel to stay up-to-date with all the latest iSetups episodes, plus Mac and iOS tutorials, reviews and more!

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