Not every computer setup flaunted and much-admired on social media is an Apple silicon powerhouse with an ultra-fast M1 or M2 chip. Today’s featured setup leans on a 6-year-old iMac and a MacBook Air almost twice as old as that.
But with the help of an impressive-yet-affordable audio gear list and a trio of gaming systems, the rig gets the work and play done. And don’t miss the beefed up iPod classic in the mix.
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Affordable iMac-based setup sees no need for M1 or M2 machines
Redditor OptimalOutrage (“Opo”) showcased the affordable setup in a post entitled, “It Ain’t Pretty But It Is Mine.”
You won’t see any Apple silicon here. Instead, the setup runs on aging, work-a-day Macs. One is a 2017 iMac and the other is a roughly 11-year-old MacBook Air.
And a number of commenters disagreed about how pretty the setup is, given the “It ain’t pretty” title.
“It ain’t pretty?!? Are you blind? This is Beautiful,” one said.
But most commenters simply applauded the workstation’s workmanlike modesty.
“So refreshing seeing a setup like this and not another M1/M2 with huge curved monitor and all white+black office supplies,” a commenter said. “There’s a something really authentic about people like you with well used Apple products who still love and utilize what they have as best they can!”
And others felt the same way. The comments section of the post reads almost like a backlash against Apple silicon. At the very least, it’s proof there’s still appreciation for older working Macs and affordable setups out there.
“Agreed,” said a commenter. “This setup has personality, it’s useful, organized and pretty. Congrats!”
“Agreed!” another person enthused. “I was sick of seeing M1/M2 setups, love affordable and nice setups like this.”
Big on audio production and gaming
Opo mentioned they use the setup in part for audio production, including drum and bass tracks. You can find the music on Spotify under the name Kicking Nines.
The audio gear list leans to the affordable side, but by no means is it “cheap.” It includes M-Audio speakers, an M-Audio Fast Track audio interface, Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones for casual listening and AKG headphones for audio production.
For gaming, Opo sports three systems — Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Those’ll keep you busy.
Modded iPod classic packs mondo storage
And when it comes to audio, there’s more. Opo also prizes a custom-modded iPod classic with a whopping 500GB of storage. Production iPod classics topped out at 160GB.
“You inspired me to finally get around to replacing the dying HDD in my 5th Gen iPod,” a commenter said.
Change the color of the drive icon
“Woah how’d you change the color of the drive icon?” another commenters asked. “That’s sick.”
“If you right click the icon (or any icon) and select ‘get info’ it’ll bring up and new window, you can drag and drop a .PNG icon file onto the existing icon and it will update it to the new one,” Opo explained.
Shop these items now:
Computers:
Gaming:
Input devices:
Audio:
- M-Audio speakers
- M-Audio Fast Track audio interface
- Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones
- AKG headphones
- iPod classic
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, challenges and plans for new additions.
