| Cult of Mac

MacBook Pro drives ‘minimal’ and moody space-gray rig [Setups]

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There's plenty going on this
There's plenty going on this "minimal" computer setup.
Photo: JVillaPhoto@Reddit.com

People love their “minimal” computer setups, but everyone has a different idea of what that means. Today’s featured M1 MacBook Pro setup is on the spare side — not to mention beautifully photographed — but it actually has a lot going on.

From the powerful laptop and 4K display to the big-time external storage, backup power and extensive smart lighting, the setup’s more than a match for its owner’s photo editing work.

Stormtrooper head haunts Stream Deck-enabled MacBook Pro rig [Setups]

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The stormtrooper hemet is custom-made and the Stream Deck uses customized shortcuts.
The stormtrooper hemet is custom-made and the Stream Deck uses customized shortcuts.
Photo: thethomasedarby@Reddit.com

Attractive or fun decor can really give a computer setup an edge. Real plants. Vintage Apple gear. Epic Lego sets. Today’s featured MacBook Pro setup sports a detailed replica stormtrooper helmet from Star Wars.

It overlooks a Darth Vader-worthy 49-inch Samsung curved gaming display and an Elgato Stream Deck, which is associated with video streaming tasks but can also do a lot for productivity in general through shortcuts.

Maxed-out Mac Studio drives ‘dream setup’ Down Under [Setups]

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This handsomely compartmentalized setup gets its computing power from a maxed-out Mac Studio and a MacBook Pro.
This handsomely compartmentalized setup gets its computing power from a maxed-out Mac Studio and a MacBook Pro.
Photo: vincesuarez@Reddit.com

With all the computer setups showcased on social media, it takes something special to earn the description “dream setup.” Today’s featured Mac Studio Ultra and M2 Max MacBook Pro setup, which hails from Australia, could be a contender.

Why? Well, when you combine two of Apple’s newest and most powerful computers with a Studio Display and put them in a beautifully laid out workstation with great cable management and premium audio, you’ve got a real ripsnorter (to put it like an Aussie might).

Bizarre LG DualUp display beguiles another Mac fan [Setups]

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Another oddly shaped LG DualUp monitor finds a home in a Mac setup.
Another oddly shaped LG DualUp monitor finds a home in a Mac setup.
Photo: StijnVDS@Reddit.com

When the eccentric LG DualUp display came out, its nearly square, 16:18 aspect ratio raised eyebrows. But the monitor is kind of like two displays in one, so it’s making inroads into computer setups like today’s featured MacBook Pro workstation.

The user wanted a Studio Display, but he finds the DualUp an economical alternative and then some.

Dream job leads to ultimate home workstation [Setups]

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Maybe the right job will land you a tricked out MacBook Pro, Studio Display and all the other treats in this setup.
Maybe the right job will land you a tricked out MacBook Pro, Studio Display and all the other treats in this setup.
Photo: webjac@Reddit.com

Wouldn’t it be great if the right job opened the door to building a killer computer setup? It happened for design and product lead Jaime Creixems.

Today’s featured setup is his M1 Max MacBook Pro and Studio Display-driven wonderland, complete with excellent audio equipment and fun sidelights like Lego sets.

eGPU helps keep Intel Mac mini afloat in shipshape workstation [Setups]

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An Intel Mac mini sits atop Satechi hubs to the left of the LG 4K display. An eGPU with a potent graphics card stands to the right.
An Intel Mac mini sits atop Satechi hubs to the left of the LG 4K display. An eGPU with a potent graphics card stands to the right.
Photo: Hal Howell

Retired Navy Chief Petty Officer Hal Howell recently shipped his computer setup to Cult of Mac for inspection, so to speak. He emailed photos and words, anyway.

He runs an Intel Mac mini with an outboard engine of sorts on it for extra graphics processing power, plus Satechi USB-C hubs with extra ballast (er, storage).

Check out the full manifest of the Navy man’s gear below.

Souped up MacBook Pro centers super-symmetrical setup [Setups]

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There's nothing like a warmly lit, super-symmetrical setup.
There's nothing like a warmly lit, super-symmetrical setup -- especially if it has two Studio Displays.
Photo: drewbiez@Reddit.com

When it comes to computer setups, social media loves symmetry. People often praise perfectly symmetrical setups and plenty of folks kind of freak out if anything’s even slightly askew, often supplying their own joking references to obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD.

In today’s warmly lit and well-organized workstation, a high-spec MacBook Pro drives dual Studio Displays. And pairs of other items in the room contribute to the overall symmetry.

Could this MacBook Pro rig be any more Apple? [Setups]

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Even the wall art above the Studio Display is Apple -- a deconstructed iPhone.
Even the wall art above the Studio Display is Apple -- a deconstructed iPhone.
Photo: 17parkc@Reddit.com

Some computer setups are more Apple-ish than others. Apple-y. Apple-centric. Today’s featured M1 Max MacBook Pro outfit welcomes a new Studio Display to replace a recently “retired” 20-inch Cinema Display, and that’s just the start of the Cupertino madness.

Almost everything else in the setup is Apple, too. The input devices, the audio gear — even some of the wall art. And what’s in the book collection? The Cult of Mac hardcover book.

M1 MacBook Pro conducts ‘ultra-minimalist’ home audio ensemble [Setups]

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Does this computer setup look
Does this computer setup look "ultra-minimalist" to you?
Photo: linked-teaparty@Reddit.com

Some computer setups are simply music to our ears — almost literally, in some cases. Today’s featured setup sees (and hears) an M1 MacBook Pro playing frontman to a band that includes a few pieces of key audio hardware and software as well as dual curved ultra-wide external displays.

And whether or not it’s “ultra-minimalist,” as stated by the user — it’s not, by almost any definition of computing minimalism — it appears relatively spare and effective.

Keep the iPad front and center or ditch it? [Setups]

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Would you keep the iPad Pro in the middle of the setup like that?
Would you keep the iPad Pro in the middle of the setup like that?
Photo: pincoded@Reddit.com

Some people like a lot screens in their computer setup, others like to be glued to one and one only. In today’s featured computer setup, the user wrestles with the question of whether to keep his iPad Pro front and center, right in front of the external display, or just leave it out. Meanwhile, a MacBook Pro sits off to the side in clamshell mode.

Because the user asked for opinions on social media, he got them. Lots of them. But it proved to be a tricky question to answer definitively.