Maybe you can’t be bothered to fuss over cable management. But some tricks for a cleaner-looking computer setup are so easy anybody can pull them off with minimal effort. Take today’s featured MacBook Pro setup, for example.
Its owner is primarily concerned about replacing aging dual displays, and we’ll cover some advice on that. But he also gets a valuable lesson about how to present a cleaner workstation by making one simple change.
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Cable management trick: Mount your dock under the desk
Redditor Dunderfeld showcased the setup in a post entitled, “Current hybrid office at home. Some older gaming monitor[s] I’m looking to change.”
He runs a 14-inch M1 Max MacBook Pro with a 24-core GPU, a powerful configuration we see much more often on the 16-inch model. With the potent laptop he’s got a pair of Dell QHD (1440p) displays he originally bought for gaming.
For connectivity, he uses a StarTech Thunderbolt 3 dock supporting dual 4K60Hz displays on DisplayPort and HDMI, 1080p VGA, 85W Power Delivery for laptop charging, two USB-A port and one gigabit Ethernet port.
Great minds think alike
Right away, two commenters pointed out a simple trick to make the already clean setup look cleaner. You can see the StarTech dock sitting on the back of the desk in the photograph, along with some loose cables.
“Sticking that hub/dock behind/under the desk, would make it even cleaner,” one said.
“Your Thunderbolt dock would be better placed right underneath the desk just to keep things clean and uncluttered,” added another.
Dunder appreciated the idea.
“I never thought about that! I use my laptop instead of my mechanical keyboard quite often, so I might have to replace the current cable, but you’re absolutely right I should move the hub,” he said.
Methods for mounting a dock and neatening cables
People use different methods for mounting items like USB-C hubs under their desks. One would be to drill holes and install a mount to hold the item.
But for those who don’t want to drill, say, because the desktop is thin, there’s heavy-duty, double-sized foam tape, stick pads or Velcro.
Or, with a relatively small item like Dunder’s dock, a simple clamp or two might work, though their top edges would probably be visible at the edge of the desktop.
Once the dock is in place and out of sight, you can neaten up any visible cables running from it by clamping, taping or zip-tying them.
That way, cables from the monitors could remain invisible behind the arm. The one from the mechanical keyboard could run straight to the back of the desk. And the one from the laptop could dive down behind the desk (and if the mounted MacBook is turned perpendicular to the wall, that cable becomes invisible).
Replacing the dual monitors
Dunder noted the dual monitors are five years old and might need replacement in the coming year — especially because he’s changing jobs and will make more money. So he can buy the gear he’s wanted for a while.
“I’m not entirely convinced with my monitors. They are getting a bit old (I bought them in 2017) and were intended for gaming. I’m thinking of switching them for one larger monitor (a 32 inch) that has better colors and a higher resolution. Not sure which one to go for, I’m open to recommendation.”
Anytime you say something like that on Reddit, you can expect recommendations. Perhaps a flood of them. And maybe some envious snark on the side. But on this post only one straightforward suggestion appeared, surprisingly.
“I just got the Samsung M7 Smart Monitor and love it. It’s a 32-inch 4K and very reasonably priced,” a commenter offered.
Surprisingly, nobody suggested Apple’s 5K Studio Display or competing offerings from LG and Dell, either 4K or 5K. Even a 4K will be a significant upgrade coming from Dunder’s aging Dells, and there are many great options to choose from.
And prices should be dropping fairly steadily as more 5K displays come out. By the way, you can read much more about 4K and 5K monitors — or cable management, for that matter — by searching Cult of Mac or browsing the Setups section.
But there was one other comment on Dunder’s post, predictably.
“Once you do decide on new monitors, if you don’t want these lmk, I’d gladly take ’em,” someone said.
Shop these items now:
Computer and dock:
Displays and arm:
Input devices:
Furniture:
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.
