Mac Pro has always occupied a rarefied tier in the Apple universe — a machine for serious professionals, well-heeled enthusiasts and the kind of person who actually needs 96GB of RAM. Whether it’s the iconic cylindrical “trash can” from 2013, the stainless-steel-handled cheesegraters of the early 2000s, or the current M2 Ultra tower that starts at $7,000 and can climb past $12,000 with upgrades, the Mac Pro commands attention wherever it appears. Feast your eyes on the top 9 Mac Pro setups from Cult of Mac‘s archives.
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Top 9 Mac Pro setups
Cult of Mac‘s Setups section has diligently catalogued the coolest, most impressive and occasionally most eccentric user workstations for years. And in that time, Mac Pros have surfaced in some truly remarkable configurations. We’ve combed through the archives to bring you nine of the most striking setups in which Apple’s flagship desktop plays a starring — or at least scene-stealing — role.
From a jaw-dropping M2 Ultra rig paired with a Pro Display XDR to a triple-tower command center that practically runs its own camera network, these are the Mac Pro setups that made us stop scrolling and start dreaming.
9. 5-computer workstation boasts gargantuan 57-inch display
Photo: [email protected]
A digital marketer assembled one of the most technically dense workstations ever featured by Cult of Mac — five computers strong. It’s anchored by a single 57-inch curved Samsung G95NC ultra-wide display with 7680×2160 resolution (the equivalent of two 27-inch 4K monitors placed side by side, bezel-free). A Mac Studio, M4 Pro Mac mini, vintage trash-can Mac Pro and two Windows PCs all share the screen via a pair of Cable Matters USB-4 switches for KVM-style switching. The Mac Pro drives an RX 6800 eGPU behind a black tower enclosure, giving it a second wind for demanding tasks. Klipsch bookshelf speakers paired with a subwoofer, a Rode PodMic and Sennheiser open-back headphones round out a setup that functions simultaneously as an AI research station, music rig and daily driver.
Read more: 5-computer workstation boasts gargantuan 57-inch display
The new Mac mini is smaller, lighter and 50× more adorable. It's super-powerful and by far the best deal in computing right now.
- Powerful M4 Pro chip
- 512GB storage
- 24GB unified memory
- Compact desktop design
- Headphone jack on front
- BYODKM (bring your own display, keyboard and mouse)
This big display is equivalent to dual 27-inch 4K UHD monitors. The 1000R curved gaming monitor features a 240Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, DisplayPort 2.1 support, Quantum Mini-LED, DisplayHDR 1000 and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro (LS57CG952NNXZA, 2023).
- Massive screen real estate
- Great for gaming
- Fast refresh rate and response time
- Pretty pricey
This pair of compact but powerful bookshelf speakers achieves peak power of 200 watts. Each speakers features a 4-inch spun-copper IMG woofer and a 1-inch LTS tweeter mated to a Tractrix Horn.
- 50W continuous power, 200W peak
- Pair with subwoofer for more bass
- Amazon marks them "frequently returned" despite good reviews and 4.7 rating
8. Two ‘trash can’ Macs form core of nerdy workstation built to last
Photo: XTJ7@Reddit
A German programmer and photographer turned longevity into an art form with a dual-trash-can workstation that refuses to quit. His two 2013 Mac Pro cylinders — one a six-core with 2TB SSD and 64GB RAM, the other a six-core with 1TB SSD and 32GB RAM — run alongside a screaming AMD Ryzen 3700X gaming PC for a triple-computer setup managed by an Aten KVM switch. Dual 32-inch Dell U3219Q 4K displays on a monitor arm provide the visual real estate, while an Android tablet serves as a control center. Waiting at the time on a new Mac mini with 64GB RAM and a next-generation chip, he wrote, “I hope my trusty trash cans will last just a little while longer.”
Read more: Two ‘trash can’ Macs form core of nerdy workstation built to last
This is a classic trash can Mac Pro from 2013 with quad core 3.7GHz Xeon (ME253LL/A), 64GB RAM an d512GB SSD.
This display with 4K resolution (UHD, 2160p) features an LED screen, a 5-to-8ms response time, a 60Hz refresh rate and a stand.
Pairing automatically with your Mac, Magic Keyboard delivers a remarkably comfortable and precise typing experience. It’s also wireless and rechargeable, with a long-lasting internal battery.
- Pairs automatically with Mac
- Comfortable and precise typing experience
- Wireless and rechargeable
- Long-lasting internal battery
- No RGB backlighting
- No multidevice pairing
7. Developer shows Mac Pro is not Apple’s only ‘cheese grater’
Photo: [email protected]
OK, this isn’t a Mac Pro setup, but at a glance you might think it is. The modern Mac Pro’s perforated stainless-steel casing has earned it the “cheese grater” nickname since its 2019 debut. But this developer’s setup posed a cheeky visual challenge to that claim — Apple has put holes in plenty of other things over the years, too. The setup itself is a striking, personality-packed workstation. Beyond the headline gag, the rig is a well-appointed professional powerhouse, with thoughtful peripheral choices and a developer-focused workflow.
Read more: Developer shows Mac Pro is not Apple’s only ‘cheese grater’
This powerful Apple laptop features a 16-inch Retina display, M1 Max chip with 10‑core CPU and 32‑core GPU, 32GB RAM, and a 1TB SSD, in space gray.
There's no better monitor for your Mac than Apple's 32-inch Pro Display XDR. Apple even sells a variant with a nano-texture glass that helps cut down on unwanted glare.
- Incredible 6K resolution
- Generous screen space
- Nano-texture glass option
- Expensive, and options add more cost
6. Trash can Mac Pro bathes in vintage Apple posters’ glory
Photo: Michael De Jong
What sets this setup apart isn’t just the rare sighting of a late-2013 trash-can Mac Pro in active use. It’s the spectacular visual context surrounding it. The workstation features two perfectly leveled, curved gaming monitors and a suite of capable gaming peripherals. But the real showstoppers are the vintage Apple promotional artworks adorning the walls. A revised version of the landmark Ridley Scott-directed “1984” Super Bowl ad poster — with an iPod photoshopped into the original image — looms large above the monitors. An early iPod touch promotional poster overlooks the scene from the upper left. It’s a setup that doubles as an Apple history museum.
Read more: Trash can Mac Pro bathes in vintage Apple posters’ glory
Logitech's popular mouse for either hand features ultrafast magnetic scrolling, 4000DPI sensor, USB-C, Bluetooth. Pale gray color.
This ultrawide IPS display features 21:9 aspect ration, high-def resolution (FHD, 2560 x 1080), VESA, HDR 400, AMD FreeSync and a three-wide virtually borderless design.
5. Composer makes beautiful music with 2013 Mac Pro and big Cinema Display
Photo: Travis Lohmann
This setup belongs to a composer who refuses to let the aging trash-can Mac Pro slow him down. Paired with a massive Apple Cinema Display, the cylindrical Mac Pro anchors a music production workstation loaded with high-end audio gear. There’s a Universal Audio Apollo Twin audio interface, a Presonus Faderport for Logic Pro X automation and an OWC Thunderbay Mini 4 housing four SSDs packed with sample libraries. The desk also hosts a pair of Neumann KH 120A active studio monitors for pristine near-field playback. The composer inputs via a custom-made Mr. Suit tenkeyless mechanical keyboard and a Kensington Expert Wireless trackball mouse.
Read more: Composer makes beautiful music with 2013 Mac Pro and big Cinema Display
This model of Apple's classic display features a glossy, LED-backlit screen with 2560x1440 pixel resolution, a built-in FaceTime HD camera and three USB 2.0 ports.
If you want to make great music, try what Cult of Mac named the best audio interface for Mac under $1,000.
- Superior sound
- Vintage hardware emulation
- Low latency
- High cost
4. M3 MacBook Pro setup also features old ‘trash can’ Mac Pro
A Harvard data science student calling themselves a “broke undergrad” assembled this impressively resourceful multi-machine workstation using a combination of new and very old gear — nearly all of it funded through scholarships, grants and school stipends. The lineup includes a 2023 M3 MacBook Pro for serious coding and coursework, a 2013 trash-can Mac Pro for parallel number-crunching and a 2018 Intel MacBook Pro for additional tasks, plus an iPad Pro and a PlayStation 5. What makes this setup remarkable isn’t the spending — it’s the ingenuity. The student leveraged Mac Pro’s still-surprising parallel-processing capability for data science workloads while keeping everything under budget with well-chosen secondhand gear and ergonomic Logitech input devices.
Read more: M3 MacBook Pro setup also features old ‘trash can’ Mac Pro
The renewed 16-inch Apple laptop features an M3 Pro chip, 36GB RAM and 512GB SSD storage. Space black color.
- Powerful M3 Pro chip
- Ample unified memory
- Not the latest model
MX Vertical's ergonomic design can reduce muscle strain because you hold it in a natural, "handshake" position. Works with macOS, iPadOS, Windows, Chrome OS and Linux.
- 4,000 DPI tracking decreases hand movement
- Rechargeable
- Takes a bit of getting used to
- Not as easy to click as traditional mice
3. Try not to trip over all the Mac Pros in this guy’s office
Photo: [email protected]
If they’re lucky, any typical Mac enthusiast owns one Mac Pro. This user boasts three — a trash-can Mac Pro he uses as a daily driver, a classic 5,1 dual-CPU cheesegrater and a 4,1 model with a bad PSU he’s working to restore. He’s a self-described refurbisher of old Apple hardware, treating vintage Mac Pros the way others treat classic cars. His daily workflow, driven primarily by an M3 MacBook Pro paired with a 35-inch LG ultra-wide display he nabbed for $200 at Costco, runs alongside a PC laptop forced on him by his employer.
Read more: Try not to trip over all the Mac Pros in this guy’s office
This 35-inch curved ultra-wide screen features QHD resolution (3440p x 1440p), sRGB 99% Color Gamut, HDR 10, USB-Type C, AMD FreeSync and a 3-side virtually borderless design.
- Lots of screen real estate
- Good color coverage
- Not the biggest or best resolution available
2. Triple Mac Pro rig could serve as camera network command center
When three Mac Pro towers aren’t enough, add racks of high-capacity Ubiquiti Network Video Recorders, heavy-duty routers and a cascading array of Gigabit switches. That’s precisely what this anonymous but clearly formidable power user assembled. The centerpiece is a trio of 2019 Mac Pro machines, one of which sports an Intel Xeon Gold 6212U processor, 96GB of RAM, a 256GB Apple SSD and a 1TB NVMe PCIe adapter card. The other two feature 16-core Xeon CPUs, 64GB RAM and 2TB SSDs. Stacked alongside three Ubiquiti UNVRs with 4TB drives running continuous NFS for Proxmox, two UDM SE failover routers and multiple Gigabit switches, this workstation is beyond bragging rights territory — it’s an infrastructure.
Read more: Triple Mac Pro rig could serve as camera network command center
This device lets you add up to 60 cameras to your system, remotely access your camera streams and recordings for free and store your footage locally (not on a cloud server). Works with UniFi Protect application.
- Like the brain of your camera network
- Local storage
- Allows remote access to streams
- Not cheap
This 13-inch laptop features an M2 chip, 13-inch Retina Display, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD storage, a backlit keyboard with Touch Bar, a FaceTime HD Camera and more.
1. In our dreams: Studio Displays flank Pro Display XDR in M2 Ultra Mac Pro rig
Photo: [email protected]
This is the setup that made commenters ask if the owner works at “the money factory making commerce.” The user assembled one of the most coveted Mac workstation ever featured on Cult of Mac. It’s a high-end M2 Ultra Mac Pro paired with a Mac Studio backup machine, a 32-inch 6K Pro Display XDR at center stage, and two 27-inch 5K Studio Displays flanking it. The total price tag clears $20,000 without breaking a sweat. The Mac Pro’s PCIe NVME expansion cards keep things tidy under the hood. The user noted that all three glossy screens produce beautiful, glare-free results in a windowless room.
Read more: In our dreams: Studio Displays flank Pro Display XDR in M2 Ultra Mac Pro rig
Get supercharged Apple silicon with the Apple Mac Pro. Featuring the M2 Ultra 24-Core CPU, Mac Pro allows creative professionals to tackle the most demanding workflows with speed and efficiency.
- Apple M2 Ultra 24-Core CPU
- 60-Core GPU, 32-Core Neural Engine
- 8 x Thunderbolt 4 Ports
- Choice of memory and storage capacity
- Expensive
This 2023 machines features an M2 Ultra chip with 24-core CPU and 60-core GPU, 64GB integrated memory and 1TB SSD.
- Tons of computing power
- Plenty of storage space
- Relatively small footprint
- Want smaller? Try Mac mini
There's no better monitor for your Mac than Apple's 32-inch Pro Display XDR. Apple even sells a variant with a nano-texture glass that helps cut down on unwanted glare.
- Incredible 6K resolution
- Generous screen space
- Nano-texture glass option
- Expensive, and options add more cost
David Snow, an expert on Apple hardware and software, writes on a variety of technological and cultural topics for Cult of Mac. They include Apple news, technology buying guides, and features about computer setups and Apple TV shows and movies.
With 30 years of experience covering technology and other subjects, he has written and edited for numerous print and online publications, including CMP Media, TechTV.com, CNET, Wired News, Red Herring magazine, Law.com, The National Law Journal and Law Technology News magazine. Among other roles, he served as executive editor of the Law.com network of websites and editorial director, technology, for ALM Media.
Snow graduated with a B.A. from Syracuse University with majors in magazine journalism and psychology. While there, he worked as a reporter for The Daily Orange newspaper and associate editor of Equal Time magazine.
Founder of the blog At the Waterline, he can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) via @atthewaterline and on Mastodon via @dsnow.
