MacBook Pro drives ‘minimal’ and moody space-gray rig [Setups]

People love their “minimal” computer setups, but everyone has a different idea of what that means. Today’s featured M1 MacBook Pro setup is on the spare side — not to mention beautifully photographed — but it actually has a lot going on.

From the powerful laptop and 4K display to the big-time external storage, backup power and extensive smart lighting, the setup’s more than a match for its owner’s photo editing work.

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M1 MacBook Pro drives BenQ display in ‘minimal’ and moody space-gray setup

Photo editor and Redditor JVillaPhoto (“JVP”) showcased the spare and beautiful setup in a post entitled, “Minimal WFH Setup – MacBook Pro 16″ (M1).” You can tell he’s a photographer from the quality of the photographs.

“Finally been able to work on my (ever-evolving) dream setup,” JVP said. “Got started about a month ago and this is the progress so far! The room itself is quite bare and I plan on fixing that accordingly, but wanted the main station to be ready beforehand.”

And if that’s a “minimal” setup, as the post’s title says, then sign us up for minimalism. Many people think of minimal setups as little more than a laptop on a stand with an external keyboard, but there’s actually a lot going on in JVP’s rig. The gear list below has 18 items in it.

JVP’s 2022 16-inch M1 Max MacBook Pro (32GB unified memory, 1TB SSD) drives a 32-inch BenQ 4K display that he uses mainly for photo editing.

Protective cases and proper mounts

The MacBook, wrapped in a Supcase Unicorn Beetle case, rests on a HumanCentric Laptop Mount Tray on an Amazon Basics arm. The display swings on an Ergotron HX monitor arm.

And the MacBook isn’t the workstation’s only computing device. JVP also includes a 10.5-inch MacBook Pro from 2017 in an Otterbox Defender case.

Apple input devices, big-time storage and power

The Magic Keyboard mini and Magic Mouse 2 sit on a nice leather Satechi desk mat that rests on a Impresa tempered glass blotter. And it’s all held up by a  Fully Jarvis standing desk.

And you know a setup means business when it includes big time external storage and an uninterruptible power supply. JVP, who works with photography, has a Synology NAS DS723+ 2-Bay DiskStation to store his work and a Cyber Power UPS to keep the system running in case of a power outage.

Smart lighting by Govee

And finally, a great setup — “minimal” or not so much — needs good lighting. That’s especially true when it belongs to a photographer.

JVP rocks Govee smart lighting, including desk light bars, monitor light bars and a smart LED bulb in the ceiling fixture.

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Computers, cases and mounts:

• 16-inch M1 Max MacBook Pro
• Supcase Unicorn Beetle case
• Amazon Basics Monitor Arm
• HumanCentric Laptop Mount Tray
• 10.5-inch iPad Pro (2017)
• Otterbox Defender case

Display and mount:

• 32-inch BenQ SW321 Monitor
• Ergotron HX Monitor Arm

Input devices:

• Magic Keyboard
• Magic Mouse 2

Storage, power and accessories:

• Satechi Desk Pad
• Impresa Tempered Glass Blotter (20in x 36in)
• Synology NAS DS723+ 2-Bay DiskStation
• Cyber Power Uninterruptible Power Supply

Lighting and furniture:

• Govee RGBIC Gaming Light Bars (H6047)
• Govee Monitor Light Bars (H6056)
• Govee Smart LED Bulb
• Fully Jarvis Standing Desk – Dark Bamboo

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.