Small desk plus small room does not equal small setup [Setups]

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A small desk and a small room need not necessarily mean a small setup.
A small desk and a small room need not necessarily mean a small setup.
Photo: vostok91@Reddit

After toiling for many months to get it right, Southeast Asia-based Redditor vostok91 finally finished fitting a vibrant computer setup on a small desk in a small room. The result may be a small setup compared to some, but that doesn’t make it a “small setup.” It’s plenty feisty.

A 15-inch MacBook Pro paired with an LG 32UL950 Ultrafine 4K LED Monitor make up the setup’s core.

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Tough choice on monitor size

Vostok91 indicated in the post that choosing monitor size wasn’t easy. In a small space, a few inches can make a difference. And that difference can be between comfortable and cramped in the room as well as on the screen.

I spent weeks trying to decide,” vostok91 wrote. “Went into stores to physically check them out and ultimately landed on the 32-inch because I needed the screen real estate for my video editing work and felt that the 27-inch was too small for my needs.”

Mechanical keyboard and a Magic Mouse?

A slick Keychron K2 Mechanical Keyboard with Gateron Brown Switches for smooth and fast keystrokes plus a Magic Mouse and trackpad round out the setup, basic computing-wise.

When a commenter expressed doubt over anyone using both a mechanical keyboard and a Magic Mouse, vostok91 had a ready answer.

“I’m a video editor so I use the Magic Mouse solely for the gesture controls when scrubbing through my editing timelines,” they said.

Space-saving lighting for a small desk

Commenters were curious about the screen bar light over the monitor. Some due to unfamiliarity with the concept and others because they chose a pricier option than vostok91.

“It’s a nice light that casts down on the desk without taking up desk space or creating a glare on the monitor,” vostok91 explained. “I needed one to get light to the middle of my desk but didn’t want a big swinging arm lamp to go over my monitor.”

The video editor added the analogy of a piano player using a similar light to illuminate the keys during a performance.

“Puts light where you want it and nowhere else,” vostok91 wrote.

Another space-saving lighting option in the room is a lightstrip.

Audio choices

Vostok91’s setup is wired for pretty good sound. A Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Studio USB Audio Interface works for recording and mixing, and a Sony SRS-XB31 Bluetooth speaker and a pair of IK Multimedia iLoud Micro Speakers pump sound into the room.

And finally, shout outs where shout outs are due: vostok91 noted that groovy wallpaper onscreen, in case you like it and wish you could find it, is by Paweł Czerwiński.

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If you would like to see your setup featured on Cult of Mac, send some high-res pictures to info+setups@cultofmac.com. Please provide a detailed list of your equipment. Tell us what you like or dislike about your setup, and fill us in on any special touches or challenges.

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