In the world of computer setups flaunted on social media, we run across lots of folks who have their cake and eat it, too — in that they’re avid PC gamers who love their Macs, as well. Macs are rarely, if ever, the darlings of hardcore gamers.
Today’s featured setup plays hardball with a PC and Sony PlayStation, but it also covers the Apple bases. In addition to a powerful Mac Studio sharing time on the ultra-wide 4K display with the PC, the workstation boasts a MacBook Pro and an iPad Pro.
If you want a healthy computer setup, don’t just check off the “ergonomics” box and leave it at that. In addition to good posture, straight wrists and so on, you’re going to need good lighting to reduce eye strain. And to look good on video, too, of course.
Today’s featured M1 Mac mini setup throws the switch on a couple of lighting products we rarely see.
A computer setup run by a doctoral degree candidate had better be damned smart, and today’s featured setup doesn’t disappoint. It’s got a powerful M1 MacBook Pro, a recent (but not the latest) iPad Air, a very slick 4K display and a trio of whipsmart input devices boasting plenty of customization options.
And it’s got all that and pretty clever cable management, too. But does the future Ph.D.’s rig smoke a pipe and pretentiously hold forth on esoteric topics? No, it’s actually somewhat modest (down to the nice but not top-shelf headphones).
In today’s featured computer setup, owned by a web developer, a 2012 Mac mini shares the spotlight with a new 16-inch M1 MacBook Pro.
Before you think, “Wow, the Mac mini must be amazing, competing with that sleek new laptop,” nah, this is more like take-your-great-grandfather-to-work day for the elderly little desktop machine.
It’s around because it still works for light lifting. And it does indeed show impressive longevity.
Display towers — when monitors are stacked on top of each other — aren’t super common in computer setups. But they’re not terribly rare, either. From time to time we’ve even seen three stacked horizontally in the middle with two posted vertically on the sides. But today’s featured triple-display MacBook Pro setup sports an unusual choice at its base.
You can’t miss the 49-inch Samsung curved ultra-wide screen in the middle and the nice 34-inch LG 4K display on top. But at the bottom lurks a TidByt, which is a retro display for sports scores, stock prices and more. We don’t recall seeing one featured in a setup.
Getting great new gear for your computer setup has more than just the obvious benefit of awesomeness. Sometimes it’s the perfect reason to improve your setup in ways most people put off, like the dreaded cleaning up of cable clutter.
That’s what happened with today’s featured dual-display-and-M1 Max MacBook Pro setup. The user finally got his new Studio Display, and good things followed in the terms of taming the cable monster.
If you’ve got a tiny desk for a workspace, you’ve got to make the most of it. Today’s featured computer setup centers on an M1 MacBook Air driving a small 4K external display, clearly going away from the trend toward big-screen-TV-sized displays for a reason — namely, vanishingly small desk space.
A small external display is one way to save room. But the user has some other tricks up his sleeve, as well. Let’s take a look.
We love it when a computer setup we’ve looked at before gets a facelift, or some sort of significant update. Today’s featured MacBook Pro setup stuck with the laptop, an interesting usage of a portable display and a highly unusual mechanical keyboard. But it added a beautiful gaming monitor, a rarely seen vertical mouse and some other details.
And of course it kept its beloved Lego Wall-E. And it even found a practical use for extra Lego bricks.
When you look at the gear in today’s setup you might say, what is this, an ad for Elgato? The workstation is rife with Elgato devices widely used by streamers for video-production workflows, like its popular Facecam, Wave:3 microphone and Stream Deck.
But the MacBook Pro setup isn’t used for streaming at all.
The software engineer who occupies the well-appointed workstation finds perfectly productive things to do with all that Elgato gear, other than streaming.
Some people need more than one or two displays. Like software developers. Today’s featured MacBook Pro-and-custom-PC setup manages to rely on five different screens like some sort of mini Mission Control. But launches controlled from here are new software products and updates, not rockets.
Once in a while a computer setup comes along that shows off its owner’s invention. Sometimes it’s something perfectly utilitarian and sometimes it’s something weird and wonderful (examples below).
In today’s featured MacBook Pro and Intel NUC PC setup, we find a nifty folding MagSafe charging stand just about to go on the market.
Sometimes the hero of a computer setup isn’t the computer itself. And it may not be a slick external display or other peripherals, either. In today’s featured MacBook Pro setup, a newly added LG UltraFine display gets some attention, but the real star is something a bit more pedestrian mounted on the wall behind it.
Pegboards may have no world-changing technology built into them, but they can radically change your setup for the better as an inventive storage and charging solution.
Graphic design is one of the best uses of a powerful computer like the Mac Studio, assuming it’s paired with a magnificent display. In today’s featured computer setup, the Mac Studio handles the job. But the LG UltraWide monitor falls a bit short, due to some recurring connectivity issues.
And the setup features some interesting bits that might give you ideas about how to organize your own workstation.
Cybersecurity expert Santego shared his computer setup with Cult of Mac recently, unveiling major audio-visual upgrades in the Mac Studio and ultra-wide display rig. He wanted to improve the quality of his overall sound and his video calls.
And those additions came on top of a beautifully put together setup with great connectivity, power management and backup, as well as specialized lighting and terrific input devices.
A follower of our Setups coverage, he said “You encouraged me to upgrade the space I spend 10 hours a day in working from home.”
If you’re at all into audio equipment, you’ve probably heard of a digital-to-analog converter, or DAC. You might think it’s a fancy thing for rich audiophiles. But, actually, even you already have a few DACs if you have gadgets that make sound, like a computer, tablet and smartphone.
But not every DAC is created equal. Today’s featured MacBook Pro setup illustrates the point by going to the trouble of adding a standalone DAC in between a laptop and a pair of excellent powered speakers.
Some well-developed computer setups go for quantity in their displays, with three or more, but others stick with a solo screen and go for quality.
And no, with today’s featured setup we’re not talking about a $5,000 Pro Display XDR. We’re talking about a massive, $1,500 OLED display.
We’ve covered many a computer setup with multiple displays, even as many as six. But we don’t come across many purpose-built portable displays, perhaps because iPads often serve that purpose.
But today’s featured gaming setup uses an M1 Mac mini to drive two LG UltraWide monitors and a 15.6-inch Full HD portable screen, claiming no lag or latency.
The secret? Well, as is often the case, it’s in the hub.
Displays aren’t just going up from 4K to 5K and beyond, they’re also taking new forms. Today’s featured setup is the first we’ve seen with the recently released LG DualUp monitor in real-world use. It features an unusual 16:18 aspect ratio. Here it’s paired with an older LG display and a Mac Studio.
And this setup also includes Steve Jobs. Play some “Where’s Steve?” (not Waldo) and see if you can spot him.
Today’s featured computer setup displays an innovation we’ve seen from time to time, but not as often as we’d expect. It’s a custom keyboard wrist rest built to fit a Magic Trackpad or other trackpad in its middle section.
This one’s on the tall side, suitable for a mechanical keyboard. The developer who had it made to his specifications finds it — and the Magic Trackpad 2 — more than adequate for his needs.
Apple has said many times it won’t produce a touch-screen Mac because that’s what iPads are for. But Sidecar functionality can make an iPad a touch-screen extension of a Mac, where you can drag and drop elements and work with them using Apple Pencil or your fingertips.
Today’s featured MacBook Pro setup mounts a big 5K display and an iPad Pro right next to each other. In the photograph, you can see the desktop wallpaper running right onto the tablet’s display through Sidecar (more on that below).
And who doesn’t love an all-Apple audio arsenal? This setup rocks paired OG HomePods, AirPods Max on a cool charging stand and AirPods, too.
Sometimes you see one thing that seems quietly radical about a computer setup, only to find out it’s full of even weirder tweaks.
Today’s featured setup is a good example. It hides a Mac mini behind a display. But in front of the display, a wildly split mechanical keyboard surrounds a Magic Trackpad turned backward — on purpose!
Some of the best computer setups look a little boring at a glance. But that’s just because they include only essential gear and they keep it well lit and free of cable (and other) clutter.
Today’s featured M1 MacBook Air setup is a good example. And that’s not to say it’s plain or overly simple. You can see that in the well-thought-out gear list below, which features 19 items.
Curved ultra-wide displays are all the rage lately, and it’s no wonder why. What a fantastic amount of real estate. But it can be worrisome buying one if you’re not sure how it will look with your Mac’s resolution and scaling options.
Today’s featured computer setup pairs a beast of a 16-inch M1 Max MacBook with a brilliant 40-inch LG 5K UltraWide curved display. Let’s look at how well it’s working and what some of the issues can be.
Graphic designer and illustrator Terry Smelker’s workstation includes many interesting elements, like a specialized drawing tablet and a multimedia controller he uses along with his tricked-out MacBook Pro. But even if you’re not curious about his setup proper, get a load of that Apple gear collection! Fortunately, he provided plenty of photographs.
“I’ve always been a huge fan of Apple’s design aesthetic,” he told Cult of Mac. And that started him on his collection of vintage Apple products, which complements the rest of his gear.
Will you rue the day you choose the wrong color peripherals? Will you ask strangers on social media to help you fix the problem? The owner of today’s striking M1 MacBook Air-based computer setup did just that.
But if you ask us, they could just take solace in the setup’s strengths. Those include an epic OLED smart TV and some top-shelf, professional-level audio gear, plus a cool Edison desk lamp.
But we’ll share some good advice we saw about the keyboard issue. Read more below.
