When someone asked a marketing director in the United Kingdom how much money he makes, the man laughed and said, “Not enough to justify the contents of this picture” of his computer setup.
Hey, we get it. But then we suffered immediate pangs of envy when he went on to say, “My sister works for Apple so got a sick deal on a refurbed [Mac] Studio and new Studio Display.”
Yeah, good for you, pal. No, really. We mean it!
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Marketing honcho bags killer deal on Mac Studio and Studio Display
Marketer and Redditor scribblesandthoughts (“Scrib”) showcased the dual-display Mac Studio rig in a post entitled, “Jan 2024.” Through his sister working at Apple, he acquired a refurbed M2 Max Mac Studio (32GB unified memory, 512GB SSD), which he runs with an external 4TB drive and a second external 1TB Time Machine drive.
He uses the powerful desktop to drive a new 27-inch 5K Studio Display, which he also acquired in the same envy-inducing manner as the Mac Studio, along with aa much more modest 28-inch Samsung 4K monitor mounted on an ErGear Dual Monitor Stand.
When we asked Scrib what kind of deal he got on his Apple hardware, he said he got both the Mac Studio and Studio Display for about 2,700 pounds ($3,437).
Shared resolution on 5K and 4K displays?
“Can I ask what kind of resolution you are getting on both monitors?” asked a commenter. Bear in mind, the Studio Display maxes out at 5K (5120 x 2880 pixels) while the Samsung manages 4K (3820 x 2160 pixels).
“It’s a Studio Display on the left, and a Samsung LU28R55 on the right, both running at 2560 x 1440,” Scrib replied. “I’ve found it’s the only way that it doesn’t look weird, yeah,” he added.
Both displays run at a Mac-friendly refresh rate of 60Hz, and he sets both to the same resolution to make them easier to read side-by-side. At max resolution, they would look different enough to be frustrating, given how differently various imagery and especially text would appear.
“Do you find much noticeable difference between the two?” asked someone else. “Favour either for certain tasks?”
Here’s Scrib’s reply, decidedly in favor of the pricier and more sophisticated Studio Display:
Studio Display is significantly better for brightness and colour accuracy. Which it should be, as the Samsung is a budget $250 monitor. That said, it’s 4k 60hz and does a good job for the price. But any design/visual/media work happens on Studio Display.
Is that Xbox getting enough air?
“Give that Xbox some air! Also rocking Mac/Xbox here,” noted a commenter.
It echoed a concern in a recent post about enclosing a gaming console in too tight a space, but in this case it may err too much on the side of caution.
“It’s actually an open back enclosure with about an inch gap above it,” Scrib replied. “Doesn’t overheat.”
DIY desk worth some envy, too
“Where did you got your desk or table?” asked an admiring commenter. And who could blame them? The thing is gorgeous and looks like it betrays nary a tremble upon even ferocious typing.
“Sourced and built myself, custom,” Scrib replied. “It’s a prime oak kitchen counter, sanded then wood stained and mounted on a dual motor Topsky standing desk frame.”
Studio Display: Do speakers and webcam cut it?
When someone mistook the MagSafe charger in front of the displays for a speaker, Scrib said, “Yeah, it’s just a MagSafe stand. I’m using the Studio Display speakers for my sound.” So, score a point for Studio Display. Apparently he doesn’t think he needs external speakers.
But then we have to take a point away on the next query.
“How do you find the webcam quality with all the various updates on the Studio Display?” someone asked.
“Pretty poor,” Scrib said. “Like, it’s fine for the odd work call. But it’s worse than the 24-inch iMac by a distance.” Ouch.
“That’s upsetting to hear,” the commenter replied. “My Opal C1 is terribly unreliable and was hoping for an integrated solution. Thanks for getting back to me.”
“Should say that although it’s pretty poor, it is all I’m using at the moment,” Scrib added. “I may get the Continuity Camera mount at some point.”
Cables and gameplay
“Do you manually swap the cable to play the Xbox? Or [do you] have a switch?” asked a commenter.
“I’ve got both the Mac and Xbox connected at all times (two HDMI inputs on the Samsung), so I just flick the input on the screen to swap,” Scrib replied.
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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, challenges and plans for new additions.
Not as good as Apple's Pro Display XDR, but the 27-inch Apple Studio Display packs an impressive panel coupled with a six-speaker system and studio-quality microphones.
