Mac mini may be Apple’s smallest desktop computer, but that doesn’t make it meek. It’s anything but meek, in fact. Today’s M2 Mac mini setup is the user’s first Apple rig, and the computer, working alongside a recent 12.9-inch iPad Pro, drives an impressive 35-inch LG ultra-wide display.
This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.
Mac mini setup: Little desktop drives LG external display in user’s first Apple rig
Redditor KSen420 (“Sen”) showcased the workstation in a post entitled, “My first Macsetup.” As many commenters on the post noted, it’s a clean and solid computer setup that appears wonderfully complete for a first attempt.
The M2 Mac mini sits under a white desk shelf on a white desk driving a 35-inch LG 35WN75CN-B curved ultra-wide external display. Visible in the dark photograph — but only just — you can see a 2020 12.9-inch iPad Pro sitting on a stand to the right of the monitor.
The display rests on a Worldlift arm, which makes it easy to move around. A mount like that keeps the monitor off the desk, too, creating more space for other items.
M2 Mac mini models made quite a splash
Photo: Apple
M2 Mac mini and M2 Pro Mac mini came out in January 2023 to positive reviews focused on M2’s remarkable power. The base M2 features an 8-core CPU, a 10-core GPU up to 24GB unified memory and 100GB/s memory bandwidth. The M2 Pro Mac mini sports specs up to 12‑core CPU, 19‑core GPU, 32GB unified memory and 200GB/s memory bandwidth.
“After living with the new Mac mini for over a month, I can confidently say this is a fantastically powerful machine within the reach of independent creators, small businesses and schools,” Cult of Mac‘s reviewer said of the Pro model in a 5-star review. The post’s headline called M2 Pro “Apple silicon for the rest of us,” as opposed to much pricier models in the Mac Studio and Mac Pro lineups.
Ultra-wide 1440p display
And we noticed the display is a bit unusual compared to many we see in our Setups coverage. In this M2 Mac mini setup, it’s a 35-inch ultra-wide (not 34 inches) monitor featuring 3440 x 1440p resolution monitor with sRGB 99% color saturation and HDR10 and AMD FreeSynch technologies. And it features a 100Hz refresh rate and a 5ms response time. Its USB-C hub offers a stout 90 watts of power delivery for a computer.
And if you like the moody wallpaper showing on the display, you can find it here, Sen said.
Shop these items now:
Computers:
Display:
Input devices:
Audio:
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.
Apple's small-but-mighty base-level desktop computer features an M2 chip with 8‑core CPU and 10‑core GPU, 8GB unified memory, 256GB SSD storage and Gigabit Ethernet.
