Studio Display - page 2

As your Mac computer setup grows with newly added peripherals and capabilities, keeping it all connected and powered becomes a greater challenge. Enter multiport Thunderbolt 4 hubs. They offer high-speed data transfer, great options for high-resolution external displays and power for connected devices. Today’s featured MacBook Pro setup with dual displays and more takes great advantage of a cheap Thunderbolt 4 dock — the 13-port WavLink Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station. On sale currently, it goes for just $170.

With some careful modding, you can use an iMac as a display — and save more than $1,300 to get a high-end monitor similar to Apple’s pricey Studio Display.

Apple’s Studio Display is one of only a small handful of 27-inch Retina 5K displays on the market, boasting a resolution of 5,120 × 2880. Unfortunately, it costs quite a handful — $1,599. If you have an old iMac 5K sitting around, you already have a computer with the exact same display panel inside. So if you are willing to spend about $190 in parts and can convert it to a Studio Display, you can save a big chunk of change.

Here’s how you can mod it yourself — but be warned, it’s not for the faint of heart.

Today’s dual-display MacBook Pro setup sits on a desk up against a mirrored wall. In the photograph above, that let’s us see the nifty ring of colorful monitor RGB lighting built into the back of the LG UltraGear display — a decorative and functional touch included in an aging but still formidable external display for serious gamers.

In most MacBook-based computer setups people put together at home or in offices, an external keyboard stands in for the laptop’s own. That’s typically because the laptop sits open or closed on a stand, where reaching the keyboard is either awkward or impossible. Today’s MacBook Pro setup relies on a pricey and cool Realforce R3 TKL mechanical keyboard used in combination with a Magic Trackpad.

Monitor light bars are commonplace in computer setups for good reason. They often do a better job of cutting monitor glare and lighting up desks than overhead lights or simple desk lamps. But what if a desk lamp worked more like a monitor light bar? That’s what so-called architect desk lamps do. They’re often called double-headed LED lights. Attached to their own stand or clamped arm, they can arch right over a display, providing tons of light, control options and physical flexibility.

If you use a desktop computer like Mac mini or Mac Studio — or if you typically hunch over a MacBook or other laptop — it’s time to bring beautiful views to your computer setup with a big, bright external display. And with the holiday season upon us, you can monitor Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals with plenty of Amazon bargains on external displays with 4K or 5K resolution to choose from. That includes every iteration of Apple’s popular Studio Display at $300 off!

See below for the best Black Friday monitor deals we’ve seen. And don’t miss our roundup of the best Apple Black Friday deals.

Update: While most of the Studio Display options are sold out, plenty of other deals are still in effect for Cyber Monday. And some discounts are even better now.

Asus’ new ProArt 5K desktop monitor costs just half of what you’ll pay for Apple’s Studio Display but offers many of the same features. The Asus ProArt 5K PA27JCV boasts the same 27-inch screen, Retina resolution, standard framerate and P3 wide color gamut as Apple’s midrange monitor. It also comes with a built-in USB hub and KVM, which proves great if you still use a few USB-A accessories or flash drives.

Admittedly, Asus’ 5K desktop monitor misses some of the Studio Display’s premium features. The stand wobbles and the body is made of creaky plastic. Plus, the panel isn’t quite as bright as Apple’s display, and it doesn’t come with a webcam.

Still, with very similar specs — and a budget-friendly $799 list price, compared to the Studio Display’s $1,599 (or $1,999 if you dare to desire an adjustable stand) — Asus is making an offer that’s hard to refuse. Keep reading or watch our video review.

In a market where premium displays often command premium prices, Asus just made waves with its new ProArt Display PA27JCV, launching at an eye-catching $799 price point. The 27-inch 5K monitor aims to challenge the status quo of high-end displays. But Mac users should weigh its advantages against its limitations.

“Build quality is what you’d expect; it’s plastic, it creaks and wobbles, but the panel is super bright and crisp,” said Cult of Mac writer D. Griffin Jones, who acquired the monitor and plans to review it soon. For those looking for a high-quality alternative, the studio display apple offers a premium option designed specifically for Mac users. Read more about it here.

These days, folks who use their computer setups to work on media, especially video, tend to rely on some sort of studio controller to streamline workflow. Today’s MacBook Pro user and YouTube video maker takes advantage of one of the top products out there, Elgato Stream Deck. Now the company is on its newer MK.2 edition. The device gives you 15 customizable keys to control all sort of actions in your workflow, including launching apps, posting to social media, adjusting lights and audio, and more.

Doesn’t it seem like the B&H Photo Holiday Head Start sale gets going earlier every year? Just kidding, never heard of it — but it looks tempting all the same. Sorting by brand, we saw that you can scroll down the page to see miles of Apple holiday deals, bagging more than 100 great bargains on pretty much the whole range of products, from MacBooks to AirTags.

Many computer setups feature advanced camera and lighting arrangements for tasks like video streaming, but not every day do we see home rigs with teleprompters in them. Today’s MacBook Pro is an exception. The user runs a teleprompter setup with a specialized monitor and key lights. So is the user a remote correspondent on some news show? Nope, he uses the teleprompter outfit just for Zoom meetings, actually.

It’s another thrilling Monday, so we thought we’d sex things up with everybody’s favorite scintillating subject — cable management. Sarcasm aside, it’s high on the list of things folks only love having done, not planning (and dreading) or actually doing (in half-assed ways). Anyone who’s ever been forced to clean their room can relate. So today’s easily digestible tidbit comes from a MacBook Pro user offering one simple and effective MacBook Pro cable management tip.

Run by a software developer, today’s M1 Pro MacBook Pro setup doesn’t just rock two external displays. It also features a very cool input-device duo — the mouse we see more than any other in setups, which is the Logitech MX Master 3S wireless mouse, and the super-cool NuPhy Air96 V2 Wireless Mechanical Keyboard.

If you use a desktop computer like Mac mini or you typically hunch over a MacBook or other laptop, it’s time to bring beautiful views to your computer setup with a big, bright external display. And with Amazon Prime Day in full swing July 16 and 17, you have plenty of Prime Day deals on external displays with 4K or 5K resolution to choose from. See below.

UPDATE: We first ran this post for July Prime Day, and now we’ve updated it with great external monitor deals for Prime Day October 8 – 9, including 24-inch 1080p displays and portable screens, too. And Wednesday saw more updates, like an even lower price on Studio Display with Standard Glass (more than $300 off!). And other deals below got sweeter, too. And though prices on some items fluctuate, Amazon has extended many deals beyond Wednesday.

While the dual display setup has become so commonplace it seems standard, debate still rages over exactly what works best. In today’s MacBook Pro setup, a developer experiments with single- and dual-display configurations before coming to the conclusion, on the way to their one true configuration, that size really does matter more than most other considerations.

Many users out there on social media can’t seem to get enough external displays into their computer setups. Sometimes we see as many as six big screens. But don’t forget a simple way you can always add another small screen. Namely, don’t just add your MacBook open on the desk or on a stand. Include your iPad, too. Today’s M1 MacBook Air user proudly has his M4 iPad Pro mirror on Studio Display as it sits in the mix on a Twelve South stand.

When a MacBook Pro perched his Studio Display on a generic stand and then asked for recommendations for alternative risers for Studio Display, some Apple users reacted a bit brusquely. That’s simply not done, they seemed to say, presumably because Apple provides adjustability options as part of the purchase process. But plenty of commenters responded to the question with practical advice, below.

Macs have gained ground in the gaming world with the rise of Apple silicon chips, as those M-series chips massively boost performance. But sometimes you just want to play on a console rather than your computer. Today’s MacBook Air user switches to Xbox One for gaming. And he gave simple advice, below, to curious commenters who wanted to know how he gets the system to work with his Studio Display. He describes his method below.

Looking at computer setups proudly flaunted on social media sometimes leads to cases of crippling envy. You may have some top-notch Apple gear, but you probably don’t possess treasures like those of today’s world-beating user: a new, high-end M2 Ultra Mac Pro, a Mac Studio, a Pro Display XDR and two Studio Displays. Sheesh. An M2 Ultra Mac Pro with Pro Display XDR is way over the top, but this rig adds another killer desktop machine as backup, plus a pair of Studio Displays!

In the battle of 5K resolution displays, it’s Studio Display against a small-but-growing army of foes (at least for Mac fans). Today’s M1 MacBook Pro user looks to replace a 1440K gaming display with either a Samsung ViewFinity S9 curved 5K monitor or with Apple’s well-liked but somewhat-pricey Studio Display. The advice she got leaned heavily toward Apple.

Classic keyboard designs continue to reign supreme in computer setups, but a split keyboard makes for a more ergonomically healthy choice. Some split keebs look just a little different than a regular keyboard. But some, like the one in today’s M2 Mac mini setup, look almost alien. This one has two completely separate halves that the user places on either side of a Magic Trackpad 2.

In today’s enviable computer setup, a software engineer drives a Studio Display with an M2 Pro MacBook Pro. But among other impressive peripherals connected in the rig we found a great version of one of Cult of Mac‘s Best Audio Interfaces for Mac. An interface serves as a bridge between your Mac and external audio sources like microphones and musical instruments to make the most of recording and mixing. 

What would the computer setup that has everything — in fact, two of many things — be missing? Well, in the case of today’s dual MacBook Pro workstation, it’s not excellent audio gear. Not only does it double up on high-end laptops, Studio Displays, Trackpads and more. It also mounts powerful Yamaha HS7 speakers and an AKG condenser microphone to help provide a fabulous soundtrack.

We’ve seen quite a few instances of stacked external displays in setups, but today’s M2 MacBook Pro rig might be the first time we’ve seen Studio Displays mounted that way. With all the questions commenters asked about the workstation, the user ended up laying out quite a few points about why it works great.

The main complaint about Apple’s 5K Studio Display is price — at about $1,600, it’s financially out of reach for many people. And 5K monitor competitors like LG only bring the cost down a few hundred bucks. So how about saving some dough by making your own DIY Studio Display? The owner of today’s M3 Pro MacBook Pro setup did just that, crafting dual 27-inch 5K monitors for several hundred dollars less than buying production models.