Pharma tech lead runs a fit and oh-so-clean WFH rig [Setups]

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Marc Drucker's WFH setup saves some cable clutter by using the monitor as a USB hub.
Marc Drucker's WFH setup saves some cable clutter by using the monitor as a USB hub.
Photo: Marc Drucker

Marc Drucker serves as an associate director and technical lead for a pharmaceutical company in Menlo Park, California. Having shifted fully to working from home, he found his computer setup — his WFH rig — running so well and looking so clean, he decided to send it in to Cult of Mac.

Among the words he used to describe his WFH rig were ideal and perfect. We talked to him about what works so well for him in his workstation and included his answers, below.

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Drucker, 52, finds a a lot to love in his M1 MacBook Pro-based setup. First of all, he likes his desktop clean, unfettered by too many cables, and he found a way to make that happen. How? Well, sometimes it’s about picking the right display.

He loves his Logitech peripherals for their customization capabilities in his WFH rig. He uses a Brio webcam, an MX Keys extended keyboard and an MX Master 3 mouse.

And, for a warm, personal touch, he tossed in some Funko Pop! figurines from the hit Broadway show Hamilton.

Q: What do you like most about your setup?

A: The things I like are so numerous. I have shifted to a fully WFH and this allows me enough screen real estate that I don’t need a second monitor.

The clean look of it, with no wires, [results from] using the monitor as the USB hub. Its Thunderbolt connection to the MacBook Pro is awesome.

The Logitech mouse and keyboard are great for customization, which includes mapping keys per app so when using Zoom or Teams I can quickly and easily mute/unmute or turn my camera on and off. Because I WFH and take all my meetings here using my AirPods, having an easy way to keep them charged was a must.

Drucker likes the customization his Logitech keyboard and mouse offer.
Drucker likes the customization his Logitech keyboard and mouse offer.
Photo: Marc Drucker

All in all this is truly my ideal desk set up.

Q: What are the primary uses of your setup? You mentioned it’s your WFH rig — what do you do for a living? And personal uses?

A: So I do work from home and have a bunch of teleconferences (really all MS Teams video meetings) as I am a permanent remote employee. This set up is used a bit for personal stuff as the NAS is used as a DVR and home media storage device. I chose to go super wide monitor as I liked the clean aesthetic as opposed to dual monitors. As you can tell I am keen on aesthetics as I wanted as clean a look as possible.

Note I forgot to mention [in the initial gear list] that I have the Brydge doc for the MBP to allow for easy connecting and disconnecting when I use the laptop as an actual laptop.

Q; Anything you’re not quite satisfied with? How would you fix it?

A: Honestly the set up is perfect with one MINOR nit. The doc for my phone/AirPods has an exposed wire that just drives me a little mad. :) I am considering getting a mat and wiring it into the keyboard tray or something.

Q: Fill us in on any special touches you’ve added or items you realized you could live without so you ditched them.

A: I have gone through a lot of different things until I found this ideal setup. The webcam was the last purchase because it allows for customization of the field of view and enhanced lighting so I don’t need a ring light or something.

The speakers are a little overkill but they have amazing sound and, again, the aesthetic just works. I recently got the Hamilton Funko Pops (Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr) that warm it up a little.

Q: When you bought the gear, were there tough choices, picking one thing over another? Any regrets?

So I have had other hardware prior to this final setup. I used Cult of Mac, and other websites [and] reviews to assist in a lot of the decision-making.

Q: Anything you’re hoping to add later? Upgrades? More storage? (Speaking of which, you already have a lot — what do you use it for?)

A: See [below] for the storage (it is a [Synology DiskStation RAID with 12TB). The only final upgrade would be a more elegant phone/AirPods charging solution.

Drucker keeps both work and personal items in his 12TB of storage.
Drucker keeps both work and personal items in his 12TB of storage.
Photo: Marc Drucker

Shop these WFH rig items now:

Computer and dock:

Monitor and webcam:

Input devices:

Power and storage:

Audio:

Decor:

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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