Redditor jackwong343 knows how to keep his work computing and his personal use separate — even within a clean, spare and capable computer setup. It all starts with an M1 MacBook Pro for work and an M1 Mac mini for play, and never the twain shall meet.
Redditor Parmg100 runs his M1 MacBook Pro with enough displays to make most Mac owners do a doubletake. He said he manages to connect five displays, including two ultrawide monitors. Naturally, Redditors showed some curiosity about how he does it, given the MacBook Pro’s limitation on connecting external displays.
Redditor 1st_thing_on_my_mind posted about replacing the main machine in his computer setup. He swapped out a 2017 27-inch iMac stacked with 64GB of RAM in favor of a 2020 MacBook Air flexing 16GB of integrated memory. “THATS A DOWNGRADE” hollered one commenter.
And yet the switch pretty much worked out for 1st_thing.
Redditor MalTheNotSoGentleman said he posted a photo and description of his iMac-based computer setup with three computers and three displays because of a paucity of RGB-lit Mac setups on Reddit. So now there’s at least one more. And it comes pretty loaded.
Redditor MacSources, aka Nicholas Calderone, is a photographer, writer, editor and co-founder of MacSources.com. He runs a Mac mini at the center of his formidable dual-monitor computer setup. The workstation’s audio and storage components seem particularly epic.
Sometimes we go looking for a cool computer setup to write about and end up wowed by a mere accessory. In this case, it’s a 3D-printed stand for five Apple products, styled to look sort of like a cross between a Mac Pro and a Pro Display XDR.
Given the dominance of PCs in the gaming world for various reasons, it’s refreshing to see somebody purpose-building a Mac computer setup for gaming. Sweden-based Redditor Raka_ny put one together with an M1 Mac mini, an M1 MacBook Air and assorted peripherals.
Along with a photo of an extremely spare, or even bare, computer setup, Redditor Leftover_Waffle titled their recent post with the question, “Do you guys like minimalism?” Then they walked away and let the comments pour in.
Thad K, a 63-year-old project lead and analyst for a U.S. Department of Energy contractor for the past 37 years, recently won an Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2 Bluetooth speaker from Cult of Mac. The little speaker had no idea what a legion of tech equipment it was about to join — 69 pieces of gear in Stockton, California.
There’s a lot to like in Redditor Couchchimp’s computer setup, not the least of which is a bust of Albert Eistein that serves as a headphone stand. Not just “serves” — it’s actually a purpose-built headphone stand. That’ll smarten things up nicely.
Remember those heady days of WWDC 2021, when Apple Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi performed a magical drag-and-drop demo of Universal Control that made the near-future world of macOS Monterey seem especially cool? Oh, yeah. It was just last month.
Anyway, Redditor kinky_unicorn certainly remembers it. They recreated Federighi’s workstation from the video, took a photo of it and posted it on Reddit, after all.
When a computer setup is as clean and spare as Redditor whatsyourname’s, the eye tends to go to the most unusual item. In this case, it’s probably the colorful keyboard cover on the MacBook Pro, making it look like some other model of laptop.
And, of course, what did commenters most want to talk about in the setup? That thing. Naturally, a little bit of a debate ensued. Should you use a keyboard cover on a MacBook at all?
When a Reddit post draws big interest, it typically gets dozens of comments in a few days. Such is the case with leroy_pylant’s post about 3D printing his own Magic Tray for Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad. It generated 76 comments over five days, with a lot of inquiries about how to get the thing.
Redditor N3oPuff drew some attention on the social media platform with a setup photo that flaunts mind-blowing gear not so much as it does natural beauty. It definitely brings to mind the old real estate maxim: “location, location, location.” But an M1 Mac mini always helps.
In fact, it could be the perfect Setup for a summer Friday.
Redditor madeitinthewild makes beautiful music up in Canada. Or he makes music, anyway. Jazz music. You can tell by the assortment of saxophones next to his M1 MacBook Air- and iPad Air 4-based mini music studio. That, and he said so.
“Remember to always practice safe Sax,” came the obligatory jazz-joke comment.
“No way I live on the edge,” replied madeitinthewild, kinda true to his Reddit handle.
Redditor mnsl0826 decided to save some space by standing up his M1 Mac mini vertically at the base of his monitor, rather than laying it flat. It worked for him, but posting about it on Reddit generated heaps of concern about whether you’re supposed to do that.
It sounds like the setup to a punchline: A strapping young Mac mini, a yoked gaming PC and an elderly Power Mac G4 walk into a podcasting primer. Then what happens?
Well, if we’re talking about Redditor omgaporksword’s recent setup post, you learn a few OS-switching tricks, share some old-school Mac nostalgia and see how to position your USB microphone using a boom arm.
There is no punchline and there are no laughs. But please, people. Not everything is about humor. Except maybe omgaporksword’s Reddit handle.
Redditor floridatastic, who probably dwells in The Sunshine State, said they spent a while as a “serial lurker” on the macsetups subreddit. But after rebuilding a home workstation centered on an M1 MacBook Air, the time came to to take the gear public.
Gorgeous, high-definition monitors hold a place of honor in many a computer setup. And sometimes it’s several displays, actually. But we rarely come across one of the most amazing monitors out there: the Apple Pro Display XDR. Why? Well, it costs $6,000, for one thing. Or, if you’re lucky, not quite that much.
So if you’re not a wealthy or financially irresponsible person, what’s a reasonable alternative to the Pro Display XDR?
Working student Chris Reed told Cult of Mac he put a year of work into his “slow build” home office and computer setup. In that year he strove to achieve a clean and balanced look, and, judging by his pics and comments, it seems he got there.
Reed said he wanted to go with dual monitors rather than a wide screen display to save some money. He’s pleased with his choice of 32-inch Samsung 1080p curved monitors, run along with his 2020 MacBook Pro and his iPad Pro.
Redditor DeviantSubrbanKid, based in the Philippines, knows how to impress a few computer setup mavens on social media. Make the workstation clean, tasteful and functional. And then add some weird or interesting touches.
Many people have a thing for clean, simple computer setups where distractions are minimized and productivity — of whatever type — is maximized. Redditor CosmicCrispApple seems to find a Zen-like state simply by emphasizing the color white with some black contrast on the desk.
But it’s really not that simple. You also have to keep things, well, simple. And if you do it right, your setup can look and feel as light as air.
A lot of folks eagerly await new MacBook Pro models, preferably with updated M1 chips. You know, the ones not introduced at WWDC as predicted? In the meantime, plenty of people are snapping up the affordable and reportedly fabulous M1 Mac mini. We’ve seen it over and over again in our far-flung travels among Setups online.
Some computer setups are a little like Manhattan. When you have nowhere else to build horizontally, the only way to go is vertical. Hence the monitor tower seen in Redditor xelferz’s MacBook Pro-and iPad Air-based workstation.
Pressed into the corner of a narrow room with a vaulted ceiling, xelferz’s setup stacks a 34-inch LG ultrawide display on top of a 49-inch, curved ultrawide LG display. A webcam sits on top of the lower screen. The whole thing looks a bit like a tree.
Sure, it may be overstating things to call Redditor gnophy a former “Mac hater.” After all, he only said he used to be “anti-Mac” and he “couldn’t get along with the OS.”
Well, good news for Apple. He’s finally been assimilated. And it only took many, many years to subdue the software engineer and musician.