Today’s MacBook Pro setup so excels at saving space it fits more into its little nook under a staircase than many people, including me, fit in setups without that constraint. In addition to the usual, they’ve even got multiple game systems, two printers and a book collection in there. And the user still rocks a version of my previous laptop, the great M1 Pro MacBook Pro. No doubt it’s still good for a few more years.
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Saving space: Tidy MacBook Pro setup is incredibly efficient
This solid Apple laptop from late 2021 rocks an M1 Pro chip,16-inch Liquid Retina XDR display, 16GB unified memory and a huge 1TB SSD. In silver.
- Gorgeous display
- Long battery life
- Neither latest nor greatest
Redditor valent_ex showed off the compact but complete MacBook Pro workstation in a post entitled “Little office under the stairs.” I’m amazed what he packs into it. On an Ikea desk slipped under a staircase, his M1 Pro MacBook Pro drives a compact, 28-inch Huawei MateView monitor with a BenQ Screenbar Halo light and a Logitech StreamCam webcam mounted on top. The display sits on a Balolo desk shelf. And he runs two docks — a Satechi Thunderbolt 4 dock and an Ascrono MacBook Docking Station. But all that’s really just the tip of the iceberg.
Valent is a big gamer. So their headphones are actually a headset — the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless headset, which they really like. And they’ve got Valve Steam Deck, which they said connects to the monitor as a “potato gaming station” (potato is slang for an underperforming PC). They also see action on PlayStation Portal and the cool little retro Playdate console (with hand crank!) that I wrote about a few years ago. The Playdate sits own little 3D-printed dock.
And speaking of “3D printed,” did I mention the workstation manages to not only fit in an HP laser printer, but a Bambu Lab A1 Mini 3D Printer, as well. Hell, there’s even a small library of books stacked on a shelf above the laptop and headset (which actually seems a little risky; I hope that shelf is sturdy).
And they keep the cables tidy with some under-desk cable management, courtesy of Flexispot Cable Management Mesh, a flexible version of a tray sometimes recommended for standing desks.
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This solid Apple laptop from late 2021 rocks an M1 Pro chip,16-inch Liquid Retina XDR display, 16GB unified memory and a huge 1TB SSD. In silver.
- Gorgeous display
- Long battery life
- Neither latest nor greatest
Computer and docks:
Gaming:
Display, webcam and light bar:
- 27-inch Huawei Mateview monitor
- Logitech for Creators StreamCam webcam
- BenQ Screenbar Halo LED Monitor Light
Input devices:
Audio:
Printers:
Accessories:
If you would like to see your setup featured on Cult of Mac, send some high-res pictures to [email protected] (iPhone pics usually work fine). 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.
