| Cult of Mac

How fast can you spot the MacBook Pro in this super-clean rig? [Setups]

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It's an exceptionally clean setup. Even
It's an exceptionally clean setup. Even "absurdly" so, as one admirer said.
Photo: MarsMaher@Reddit.com

If there’s one thing computer-setup fans on social media value above all else, it’s a “clean” workstation. The best ones — neither messy nor cluttered with cables — place everything just so. Today’s featured MacBook Pro setup does a nice job with that.

And it even hides the laptop as well as an iPad. See how fast you can spot them. One commenter noted it took longer than it should have.

Dual-display outfit splits the keyboard and goes mouse-free [Setups]

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How do you navigate without a mouse?
How do you navigate without a mouse?
Photo: gdeLopata@Reddit.com

Do you dream of ditching your mouse? Maybe you have the wrong one. Or maybe you’re onto something, like the software developer who works sans rodent with today’s featured M2 MacBook Pro setup featuring dual external displays in different orientations.

Instead of a mouse for input, she relies on a radically split keyboard with a trackball, plus a macropad. See those and all of the other gear in the cool setup below.

3 loaded iMacs and a PC pump up 8-display workstation [Setups]

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Three of the displays are iMacs and five are Dell 4K monitors.
Three of the displays are iMacs and five are Dell 4K monitors.
Photo: Hoa Mai

In Monday’s featured computer setup we showcased four tall displays and mentioned we sometimes see six-display setups. But how about eight displays in one setup? That’s today’s outfit.

Hoa Mai, who works in post production on documentary films in Los Angeles, sent Cult of Mac his massive setup. It features three iMacs, a PC and five Dell 4K monitors. Talk about Mission Control.

External monitor, MacBook Pro and iPad all float on one arm [Setups]

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The external display, MacBook Pro and iPad are all lined up on one mount/arm.
The external display, MacBook Pro and iPad are all lined up on one mount/arm.
Photo: ishyaboiabba@Reddit.com

Today’s featured Mac-and-gaming-PC computer setup pulls off a rare feat. It perfectly aligns three displays on one arm. The displays are a substantial external monitor, a MacBook Pro and an iPad Pro mounted vertically (yet running Sidecar).

Read on for tips on how to pull all that off, as well as tricks to using an iPhone as a mounted webcam and more.

Killer Mac Studio station sees (and hears) major AV upgrades [Setups]

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This setup has been massively upgraded for better video calls and overall sound quality.
This setup has been massively upgraded for better video calls and overall sound quality.
Photo: Santego

Cybersecurity expert Santego shared his computer setup with Cult of Mac recently, unveiling major audio-visual upgrades in the Mac Studio and ultra-wide display rig. He wanted to improve the quality of his overall sound and his video calls.

And those additions came on top of a beautifully put together setup with great connectivity, power management and backup, as well as specialized lighting and terrific input devices.

A follower of our Setups coverage, he said “You encouraged me to upgrade the space I spend 10 hours a day in working from home.”

If you’re anti-mouse and anti-trackpad, what device can you use? [Setups]

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That thing in the foreground is a Wacom Intuos Pro M tablet.
That thing in the foreground is a Wacom Intuos Pro M tablet.
Photo: happy_haircut

Some people dislike using a mouse. Others can’t fathom a trackpad. And believe it or not, some folks hate both. So what do they do to get their brilliant thoughts onto the computer screen?

Knowing it’s hard to get by in life on just a keyboard, what input device can they use in addition to it? As today’s featured computer setup illustrates, they might try using a certain tablet like it’s a cross between a trackpad and a mouse.

Mac Pro and 3-Pro-Display-XDR workstation is an AV wonderland [Setups]

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A 2019 Mac Pro is the core of this computer setup, along with a 16-inch M1 Pro MacBook (not pictured).
A 2019 Mac Pro is the core of this computer setup, along with a 16-inch M1 Pro MacBook (not pictured).
Photo: Liam Hudson

We can count the number of times we’ve come across a three-Pro Display XDR workstation in our Setups travels on less than one hand — maybe two or three times. And if you throw in a late-model Mac Pro and a pile of great audio-visual gear for professional-level videoconferencing, well, that’s even more rare.

Liam Hudson, CEO of a qualitative electronic trading company, sent his “ultimate computer setup” for at-home work to Cult of Mac. And it’s really something.

‘Old gamer’ goes with M1 Pro MacBook and Steam Deck [Setups]

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Two computers live here: a 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook and a Steam Deck for gaming.
Two computers live here: a 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook and a Steam Deck for gaming.
Photo: DefinitionStrong@Reddit.com

Everybody knows Macs don’t set the gaming world on fire, though Apple silicon has made some inroads. So while plenty of Mac users enjoy Apple Arcade and use Apple hardware to play games, many turn to other means. We’ve seen plenty a hybrid Mac – PC computer setups out there.

But today’s featured setup takes another course to gaming satisfaction. It’s owner, who describes himself as an “old gamer,” divides his time between work via an M1 MacBook Pro and gaming on a Valve Steam Deck.

Would this dual Studio Display rig be your ‘dream setup?’ [Setups]

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This is someone's dream setup. Is it yours?
This is someone's dream setup. Is it yours?
Photo: reinler@reddit.com

You look at enough computer setups online and you realize people are never really done with them. There’s always something to add. It could be some gear got held up by shipping delays, or the setup’s owner got a sudden urge to try another type of input device or some other gadget. And people often take ages to tame the cable clutter.

So you rarely see people claiming a setup’s done for good. Or it’s the best it can be. Or it’s the proverbial “dream setup.”

But sometimes they say that. Today’s setup got called a “dream setup” by its proud owner. Would you agree?

M1 MacBook Pro powers ‘cozy productivity corner’ [Setups]

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Don't worry, there's an image with a little more light below.
Don't worry, there's an image with a little more light below.
Photo: OsmiumOG@Reddit.com

We usually prefer to feature sunny or exotic or just-plain-fun computer setups on Fridays, but today a dark and brooding one caught our eye. A 13-inch M1-powered MacBook Pro and a 34-inch LG curved ultra-wide display are at its center.

But the “cozy productivity corner” also features excellent input devices, formidable audio and a rather nice standing desk.