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Mac mini - page 2

Satechi Stand & Hub for M4 Mac mini: Sleek and super-useful [Review] ★★★★

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Satechi M4 Mac mini hub and stand★★★★
The Satechi Stand & Hub for the M4 Mac mini is a sleek and practical accessory.
Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult Of Mac

The M4 Mac mini stands out as one of the best value-for-money Macs in Apple’s lineup. But it’s not perfect, with the lack of an SD card slot and USB-A ports being two major annoyances. Satechi’s Mac Mini M4 Stand & Hub with SSD Enclosure aims to address these flaws while offering a way to expand storage on the cheap.

That’s a bold pitch. So, does the accessory deliver? Here’s what I found.

Killer Mac mini rig sports color-calibrated BenQ displays [Setups]

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Mac mini setups
Lucky Mac mini! BenQ calibrates these 4K displays for accurate Mac color matching.
Photo: [email protected]

If you work with visual media in some way — like as a graphic designer or video editor — you know how important color accuracy on external monitors can be. Today’s M4 Pro Mac mini user relies on a pair of BenQ monitors specifically calibrated to match Mac colors. They’re actually made for MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, to reproduce the rich colors on the laptops’ Liquid Retina (Air) and Liquid Retina XDR (Pro) displays.

And that’s not all. The sleek and deceptively simple setup actually packs in a surprising amount of cool gear. See below.

Mac mini user ditches Studio Display for ultra-wide OLED monitor [Setups]

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ultra-wide monitor
In a back-and-forth battle, Studio Display ultimately lost out to a Samsung G8 OLED ultra-wide monitor.
Photo: [email protected]

The turf war between standard displays and ultra-wide monitors continues — sometimes within one computer setup. Today’s M4 Mac mini user went back and forth multiple times before their Samsung ultra-wide OLED display retook the crown from their Studio Display, which is now “gone.” And that’s the case despite their acknowledgement that “Studio Display is the best monitor for Mac, no discussion.”

Sometimes it’s all about the irresistible knick-knacks [Setups]

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computer setup decor
In this "after" photo, the cable management looks good, but commenters seem more interested in the cool decorative items.
Photo: [email protected]

This Mac mini and iPad Pro setup shows off a great cable management effort, complete with “before” and “after” photos. And yet all commenters wanted to know about — and I don’t blame them — are the cool knick-knacks. Mostly mood-lighting-related, they’re functional decor. And maybe everyone should have these three items in their setup!

Apple sends its final Intel Mac mini to the vintage shelf

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iPhone 6s and 2018 Mac mini go vintage.
Two classic products join Apple's vintage list.
Photo/Graphics: Apple/Rajesh Pandey/CultOfMac

The 2018 Intel-based Mac mini has officially entered Apple’s vintage list. Alongside this, the 2015 iPhone 6s also joins the list.

This means that these products will only receive limited repair support from Apple.

Old Thunderbolt displays keep up with new Studio Display [Setups]

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Thunderbolt Displays
This user loves the color reproduction on their Thunderbolt displays.
Photo: [email protected]

Have you ever run multiple displays with different resolutions? Today’s featured Mac mini setup sports older Apple Thunderbolt Displays (2.5K resolution, aka 2560 x 1440p) flanking a newer Studio Display (5K, or 5120 x 2880p). Seems like that might cause a touch of seasickness looking back and forth between them all the time — or maybe a sticky mouse cursor — but it doesn’t bother the user at all. For them, it’s all about the excellent color reproduction across the board.

These wild gaming light bars look like antennas [Setups]

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Govee light bars
Those sticks on either side of the display are Govee Gaming Light Bars just behind the Logi speakers.
Photo: [email protected]

Every so often a computer setup on social media throws me for a loop with some odd visual — and it’s often related to desirable gear. Today’s M4 Mac mini workstation looks like it keeps a pair of walkie-talkies in the mix. But they’re actually computer speakers with tall, stick-like Govee light bars for gaming sitting right behind them. The way the light bars stick up makes them looks like antennas.

Mac mini drives brilliant pair of well-mounted displays [Setups]

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Asus displays
The good-looking and symmetrical setup features a pair of Asus displays nicely mounted on arms.
Photo: [email protected]

Few things take a computer setup up a few notches more than a good monitor mount — especially when it features dual arms positioning dual displays well off the desk. Today’s M4 Mac mini setup enjoys a pair of solidly affordable 4K Asus displays mounted on a Huanuo Dual Monitor Stand with two highly adjustable arms for optimal positioning.

Kanto speakers sculpt Mac mini rig’s sound [Setups]

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Kanto speakers
Kanto's Ora speakers are compact for small spaces, but provide ample clear sound.
Photo: Cult of Mac/Kanto/[email protected]

The M4 Mac mini comes with a built-in speaker, but it’s more for alert sounds, calls and the like rather than high-quality music streaming. So today’s M4 Mac mini user does the necessary thing and adds an external sound system. This one includes nice Kanto speakers on rising stands and a powerful Kanto subwoofer under the desk.

Turn your M4 Mac mini into a small-but-mighty ‘Mac Pro’ [Setups]

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Mac mini stand - Mac Pro
The M4 Mac mini disguised an a toddler Mac Pro sits to the left of the displays.
Photo: [email protected]

In my lengthy travels among computer setups displayed on social media, I saw a cool Mac mini case a while back that made the compact M4/M4 Pro desktop computer look like a little Mac Pro. I wondered if it’d catch on as a cool, must-have accessory, but then I never saw it again — until now. Today’s featured M4 Pro Mac mini setup sports one of the snazzy and functional cases in a dual-display workstation.

Look bad on video? Try this weird lighting trick. [Setups]

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Ulanzi lights
This slick setup's lighting arrangement is unusual.
Photo: [email protected]

Today’s M4 Mac mini setup jumped out at me not because of the powerful little desktop or the gorgeous-but-distracting display wallpaper, but because of all you can see riding on top of the monitor. It features a typical monitor light bar with a pronounced webcam riding on top. But look to the corners and notice something I’ve never seen: two separate LED light panels — Ulanzi lights — mounted there to make the user look better on video calls.

Studio Display beats down Samsung ultra-wide monitor [Setups]

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displays for Mac mini
Here's the ultra-wide Samsung 1440p monitor used with Mac Mini.
Photo: [email protected]

Apple’s 27-inch 5K Studio Display continues to impress users — aside from its steep price tag. Lots of folks look for affordable alternatives. Today’s Mac mini user owns a Studio Display, but he wanted to try an ultra-wide Samsung Odyssey G8 OLED display. Well, guess what. He keeps going back to the Studio Display. See below for all the reasons why.

Smoothly integrate 2 Macs in 1 workstation [Setups]

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dual Mac setup
The dual-Mac setup with newer machines is a pretty rare find.
Photo: [email protected]

Sometimes even an advanced user runs into roadblocks getting their computer setup where they want it. Today’s Mac mini and MacBook Air setup, owned by a French software developer, relies on cable swaps to switch between devices on a big external display. But some straightforward Mac functionality and the addition of one piece of hardware could make things much easier.

Mac mini and potent 20-in-1 dock power killer workstation [Setups]

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dock for Mac mini
A powerful and well-equipped M4 Pro Mac mini and iVanky Thunderbolt 4 dock power this great setup.
Photo: [email protected]

These days, a well-equipped new Mac mini and a good docking station buy you loads of computing power and connectivity to plenty of peripherals for years to come. Today’s M4 Pro Mac mini workstation features a fine dock for Mac mini in the iVanky FusionDock Max 1 (even though the Thunderbolt 4 dock with a whopping 20 connection options was designed for MacBooks).

Gorgeous workstation goes big on premium audio gear [Setups]

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WiiM Ultra
It's a beautiful computer setup full of beautiful audio gear.
Photo: [email protected]

A physically beautiful computer setup is a wonder to behold. And one loaded with primo audio gear truly turns me green with envy. So today’s PC setup with desktop and laptop machines got my attention both for its aesthetic and the fact that it sports a raft of cool components. They include a very useful item I’ve never seen before: a WiiM Ultra Music Streamer and Digital Preamp.

M4 Mac mini user loves his Samsung ultra-wide monitor [Setups]

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Samsung ultra-wide monitor
The user loves using his M4 Mac mini with the Samsung ultra-wide 4K display.
Photo: [email protected]

In the world of computer setups, I see lots of people with two displays, loads of people with one ultra-wide display and tons of people arguing over which is best. Today’s M4 Mac mini user loves his Samsung ultra-wide monitor, which is one I haven’t seen often. But it looks like a keeper for both Mac and PC setups. And it’s deeply discounted right now.

Should you mount speakers sideways on stands? [Setups]

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Yamaha studio monitor - pair
Yamaha HS7 studio monitor speakers far outstrip the small speaker inside a Mac mini.
Photo: Yamaha

Today’s Mac mini setup really pumps up the clear audio with Yamaha studio monitor speakers, suitable for the user’s music production. They mount the speakers on stands, which is great. But they mount them sideways, which is … odd. And despite having those, they love their HomePod mini for most uses.

Good luck finding the Mac mini in this workstation [Setups]

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Mac mini mounted on back of monitor
You can see this user works with an iPad. But where's the Mac mini?
Photo: [email protected]

It’s a fun game for a Friday: Find the Mac mini in today’s featured setup photo, above. Or maybe it’s not so fun, because you’re doomed to failure. It’s not visible because the user mounted it on the back of his 5K Samsung ViewFinity S9 external monitor (which just happens to look just like its ultimate foe, Apple’s 5K Studio Display).

“It’s interesting to see how minimalist every Mac user seems to go with their setups,” noted a commenter. So our user quipped, “Apple store energy, hehe.”

Save big on M4 MacBook Pro or Mac mini refurbished by Apple

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Apple refurbished M4 MacBook Pro and Mac mini
An Apple refurbished Mac costs 15% less.
Photo: Cult of mac

Refurbished M4 MacBook Pro and M4 Mac mini units in a wide range of configurations can now be purchased at considerable savings directly from Apple.

These computers launched only a few months ago, and refurbished units cost as much as 15% less than new ones.

Future-proof connectivity with up to 46% off blazing-fast HDMI cables

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great deals on HDMI 2.1 cables
Get some HDMI 2.1 cables to go with your Thunderbolt 4 and 5 cables.
Photo: Anker

Need faster cables in your Mac setup? Amazon just put up a limited-time sale on Anker’s various sizes of certified ultra-high-speed HDMI 2.1 cables, which are great for connecting high-resolution displays, or almost any gear where you want to transmit high-quality audio and video. The cable size with the biggest discount reaches a staggering 46% off.

Polk Audio system brilliantly boosts Mac mini’s sound [Setups]

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Polk Audio Reserve R100 bookshelf speakers
The Mac mini setup's bookshelf speakers are just the top of the Polk Audio iceberg. The man shed's home theater audio gear is incredible, too.
Photo:

In today’s featured setup from the Pacific Northwest, Polk Audio boosts Mac mini sound with bookshelf speakers on the desk as well as a subwoofer under it. But that’s not the extent of the user’s devotion to Polk, an admired longtime brand we rarely, if ever, see in setups coverage. The Mac mini setup is just one part of a magnificent man shed. The other part is a home theater festooned with more than enough Polk Audio hardware for stellar surround sound.

M4 Mac mini lives in a killer backyard shed conversion [Setups]

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Mac mini in
This M4 Mac mini setup shares a converted shed with an epic home theater.
Photo: [email protected]

I’ve seen a few amazing man caves and she shacks while covering cool computer setups for Cult of Mac, but not many can compete with the home of today’s M4 Mac mini setup. The user converted a backyard shed nestled in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. So now the man shed M4 Mac mini setup doubles as a home theater sporting a gargantuan screen. You can find all the gear in the links list below for both the computer and home theater setups.

Cool new case helps make M4 Mac mini portable

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WaterField Designs Shield Case for Mac mini
Shield Case looks like a stylish and practical way to tote M4 Mac mini, along with cables and an AirTag.
Photo: WaterField Designs

The ruggedly handsome new Shield Case brings true portability to the small-but-mighty M4 Mac mini and its accessories, WaterField Designs said Tuesday. It’s the latest in the company’s long line of cool cases for Apple gear.

“We designed the Shield Case for professionals who take advantage of the portability of Apple’s most compact desktop computer yet,” said Gary Waterfield, the San Francisco-based company’s owner. “The M4 Mac mini’s reduced size makes it an ideal candidate for mobile use, but its unique dimensions require thoughtful protection.”

Pairing tiny M4 Pro Mac mini with giant curved display [Setups]

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curved ultra-wide display
Today's M4 Pro Mac mini setup user loves this Dell ultra-wide display -- but with one downside.
Photo: Dell

No matter how delightfully small and incredibly powerful the new M4 Pro Mac mini may be, it’s helpless without an external display of some sort. Today’s Mac mini setup pairs the tiny beast with a gigantic pal — a curved ultra-wide display from Dell spanning 40 inches. And the mini shares the monitor and Logitech input devices with a Windows laptop.

First-time Mac owner KVM-switches between M4 Pro mini and Windows laptop [Setups]

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Mac Windows KVM switch
The first-time Mac users loves their new M4 Pro Mac mini and used a KVM switch to use the same peripherals with a Windows laptop. And that bit sticking up in front of the display is a mounted MagSafe charger, by the way.
Photo: [email protected]

From time to time in computer setups coverage I come across a first-time Mac user, and their delight at having switched from Windows to Mac is often obvious. And that’s true of today’s M4 Pro Mac mini user, but they still need to work on a Windows laptop regularly. So they installed a Mac-Windows KVM switch in their setup to easily use the same peripherals with either machine with just the click of a button, as described and shown below.