Milo Kahney, author at Cult of Mac

Desk space and a monster monitor are keys to this magician’s productivity [Setups]

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MacBook Pro Setup
A big desk, an enormous screen, and a minimalist philosophy make for a productive setup.
Photo: Allan Hagen

Allan Hagen is a New York-based professional magician and amateur photographer with a serious setup. His favorite part of the setup is the big, stunning Antoccino Desk by RH Modern, which helps him concentrate.

“A big desk with a fairly minimalist setup really lends itself to focusing on the tasks at hand,” he said.

A tiny office corner becomes a tiny workspace [Setups]

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MacBook Pro Setup
This is where Larsson "vibes at night."
Photo: Andreas Larsson

Andreas Larsson is a Sweden-based security technician who converted a tiny corner of his office into a bonafide workspace. He had limited space to work with so he tried to squeeze every inch out of it. His friend, who works at an office furnishing company, custom-built a desk to span 46 inches — the entire length of his office.

This setup has a minimalism level well over 9,000 [Setups]

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MacBook Air Setup
A slab of wood, some peripherals and a giant monitor are all you really need for a great setup.
Photo: Mike Leardo

When we published a Setups post with the headline “This desk has a minimalism level of over 9,000,” consultant Mike Leardo felt compelled to send in his own rig to show what peak minimalism really looks like.

You can’t get more minimalist than this — mouse, keyboard and screen.

This setup will make Luddites want to scream [Setups]

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Mac Pro Setup
Anthony Ivanovsky's setup features a Mac Pro for work and a gaming PC under the desk.
Photo: Anthony Ivanovsky

Anthony Ivanovsky is a Toronto-based marketing expert and IT manager who has a knack for gadgets, both big and small. In his setup, an MSI Optix MAG341CQ 34-inch UltraWide Curved Gaming Monitor immediately draws the eye. And at $500, it costs considerably less than other ultrawides on the market.

On the left-hand side of his desk, standing like a monument, is the commanding Mac Pro. He uses this beast of a machine for video editing, photo editing and for his day job working for a tech startup. Aside from the base Radeon 580X, he also has two additional Radeon VII graphic cards, which may seem like overkill until you learn that he also runs three different YouTube channels.

A gaming monitor is the linchpin of this gamer-friendly setup [Setups]

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Mac mini setup
This rig conveniently mixes fun with work.
Photo: Merényi Márk

The heart of Merényi Márk’s setup is a 2018 Mac mini. Even though it’s a base-line model, this little Mac that could executes every task he throws at it.

Márk recently ditched his LG UlraWide Monitor and replaced it with an LG 32UK550-B 32-inch 4K VA Monitor, which is made for gaming. He prefers the standard 16:9 aspect ratio of his new monitor when playing on his Xbox. In terms of fewer viewing angles that come with a VA (Vertical Alignment) panel, he sits right in front of it, so it’s not an issue. And he “expected far worse viewing angles and colors from [a VA panel],” so it came as a “pleasant surprise” to him that it’s so good.

This desk has a minimalism level of over 9,000 [Setups]

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MacBook Pro Setup
No clutter equals no distractions.
Photo: u/TDMarsh

Tyler Marsh has a setup that would make even Marie Kondo proud. He has nothing on his desk besides a couple of family photos and a scented candle, which both spark joy.

The linchpin of Marsh’s rig is an LG 34-inch UltraWide Curved Monitor. It’s the only thing in the setup that isn’t minimalist. He uses the massive screen to run a 2017 MacBook Pro for personal use. He also has a Lenovo ThinkPad T480 14-inch Business Laptop as his work machine.

This designer’s setup is built around Macs old and new [Setups]

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MacBook Pro Setup
This setup combines new and vintage Apple products.
Photo: u/jhoule1394

COVID-19 forced Jeff Houle to work remotely, which was not a problem since he prefers his personalized WFH desk rather than his drab office desk. Houle is an avid collector, whether it is Disney pins (see the cork board) or old Apple products.

But when it comes to Macs, he does not just collect them. He finds unique ways to reuse them. He held on to his iBook G4 and iMac G4 (which he got at a swap meet for $10) to play old games like the original Sim and Oregon Trail — where he probably found the iBook.

When you want a desk done well, build it yourself [Setups]

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MacBook Pro Setup
That's how you build a desk on a budget.
Photo: @alexknollphoto

Alex Knoll is a professional photographer with some serious carpentry skills. When he couldn’t find a desk he liked that matched his budget, he decided to just build one himself. He sketched a plan on his iPad with the Procreate app and bought himself a few long slabs of pine and got to work. With a set of $100 table legs he bought from TableLegs.com, the total cost of the materials came out to roughly $300.

This is The Orville special-effects quarantine battlestation

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Mac Pro setup
A setup built for a pro.
Photo: Brandon Fayette

Brandon Fayette is VFX supervisor for The Orville, Hulu’s hilarious Star Trek-esque sci-fi comedy show from Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane. Since screen space is vital to Fayette, he runs a triple-monitor rig.

The headliner is a Dell 49-inch UltraSharp Monitor. Its 32:9 aspect ratio means that he needs to find a wide panoramic pic for his screen saver. Next to the UltraSharp, Fayette uses a Wacom Cintiq 27QHD 27-inch monitor. This uber-precise monitor boasts a 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution, which is four times the pixel density of a standard HDTV.

Fayette’s third monitor is an Eizo CG277-BK 27-inch ColorEdge Professional Monitor. With its amazing image quality, it was specifically designed for professional colorists.

This Mac Pro setup is pro to the max

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Mac Pro Setup
A Mac Pro with the Pro Display XDR always makes for an incredible setup.
Photo: @tldtoday

When the new Mac Pro was released, Jonathan Morrison knew that meant one thing, it was time to change his setup. So he abandoned his MacBook Pro and started from scratch. He now runs a scintillating Mac Pro through a scintillating 32-inch Pro XDR Display. And because he is a Tech Youtuber, he also has the Pro Stand. He says that the Mac Pro is overkill for the stuff that he is doing but he loves how quiet it is.