| Cult of Mac

WFH gear to get when the boss pays for it [Setups]

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An M2 Max MacBook Pro and a 42-inch OLED display? Yes, please.
An M2 Max MacBook Pro and a 42-inch OLED display? Yes, please.
Photo: Swagdaddy123456@Reddit.com

Oh, what a joy to go computer-setup shopping — when your employer readily agrees to pay for everything. Today’s featured M2 Max MacBook Pro setup, which features a gorgeous 42-inch OLED smart TV as a display, came into being that very way.

Check out the setup’s gear, below, and see if that’s what you’d buy if your boss handed you a blank check.

You paid how much for that Pro Display XDR? [Setups]

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A Pro Display XDR typically costs about $5,000, but this user got his for quite a bit less.
A Pro Display XDR typically costs about $5,000, but this user got his for quite a bit less.
Photo: hungmale420@Reddit.com

In a world of shockingly expensive Apple products, one magnificent items stands supreme — Pro Display XDR. If you’re among the legion of Apple fans who can’t quite crack open their wallets wide enough for a $1,600 Studio Display, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

Today’s MacBook Pro setup sports a Pro Display XDR that came at a shocking price, too — shockingly good, that is, all things considered.

Mac mini drives affordable ‘DIY Studio Display’ [Setups]

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The user learned how to convert the 5K iMac display from a video.
The user learned how to convert the 5K iMac display from a video.
Photo: fromthecouv@Reddit.com

It’s great that Apple put out a high-quality display that costs a lot less than the $5,000 Pro Display XDR. But the Studio Display, at $1,600, is still too pricey for many folks. If you’d rather have a 5K display for way less than a grand, today’s featured M2 Pro Mac mini setup is for you if you’re willing to do some work.

Following an instructional video included below, the user converted a 5K iMac to a 5K standard USB display for about $700.

Nursing student completes MacBook Air rig at super-low cost [Setups]

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This nursing student's setup is quite affordable.
This nursing student's setup is quite affordable.
Photo: LevitatingSponge@Reddit.com

Many computer setups check all the functionality boxes at a cost of thousands of dollars. But who doesn’t love a complete setup that comes in at bargain-basement cost? Today’s featured MacBook Air workstation seems to cover all the bases without breaking the bank for the user, a nursing student.

How is the setup so affordable? In large part, because it relies on lesser-known brands and, in some cases, older equipment.

Could this be the perfect pair of displays? [Setups]

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The user, a developer, finds a Studio Display paired with an LG DualUp monitor ideal for his work.
The user, a developer, finds a Studio Display paired with an LG DualUp monitor (left) ideal for his work.
Photo: ElSigi999@Reddit.com

Any conversation about “perfect” displays might just start and end with Apple’s Pro Display XDR. But not everyone is rich enough to buy one of those 6K monitors, which cost $5,000 or more. So the popular 5K Studio Display might have to do, along with something complementary.

One option graces today’s featured MacBook Pro setup. It recently swapped out ultra-wide and 4K monitors for a Studio Display and and the eccentric LG DualUp. They seem especially well-suited to certain types of workers.

Mac mini drives 3 displays in wild winged formation [Setups]

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That's not a display configuration you see every day.
That's not a display configuration you see every day.

Just when you thought you’d seen every arrangement of displays known to computer setups, something comes along to surprise you. Today’s featured M2 Pro Mac mini setup puts a portrait-mode display at center and two landscape-mode displays sticking out like wings on either side of it. It’s kind of odd how rarely seen it actually is.

Another rarity is the user’s amazing assortment of audio components, including an unusually big “Schiit stack.”

Top 20 items to boost your setup for less than $50 [Setups]

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In my case, the great sub-$50 adds were a wrist rest (wood or memory foam), a laptop stand and a monitor light bar.
In my case, the great sub-$50 adds were a wrist rest (wood or memory foam), a laptop stand and a monitor light bar.
Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac

Computer setups aren’t all about the main machine and displays that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. Plenty of smaller, less-expensive items turn out to be crucial — like gadget stands, USB-C hubs, the perfect mouse, smart light strips, desk mats and much more.

Today’s featured setup is a tribute to all the little things that make a difference — even double-sided tape.

Dual Studio Displays present problems [Setups]

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How could two beautiful displays be any trouble?
How could two beautiful displays be any trouble?
Photo: mcaptuo023@Reddit.com

A computer setup sporting a Mac Studio desktop computer and two Studio Displays is a marvel to be envied. And yet, the two gorgeous displays in today’s featured workstation present some problems, believe it or not.

They make the user wish Apple would just make a widescreen monitor.

Coder’s dual MacBooks look badass in teardown skins [Setups]

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Are those MacBooks at left stripped of their cases?! Nope.
Are those MacBooks at left stripped of their cases?! Nope.
Photo: FX2000@Reddit.com

What’s better than having two MacBook Pro laptops in your computer setup? Having the two powerful machines wrapped in cool-looking skins that confound and excite onlookers, of course.

Such is the case with today’s dual-MacBook Pro, dual LG-display workstation that the user depends on for coding and videoconferencing.

Behind-desk lighting takes MacBook Pro rig to ‘next level’ [Setups]

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A light strip -- in this case one from Nanoleaf -- can make a big difference.
A light strip -- in this case one from Nanoleaf -- can make a big difference.
Photo: TjDeAdPoOl@Reddit.com

A humble light strip can have a huge impact on a computer setup and even the room it’s in, providing functional lighting as well as setting a mood with white or colored lights at different temperatures (cool, warm, etc.). Today’s featured MacBook Pro setup uses nothing but a Nanoleaf Essentials light strip behind the desk and a Xiaomi monitor lamp to light its way. And they do so to great effect.

Read more about the lighting below, plus the setup’s use of a Sonos Bluetooth speaker for audio and an iPhone with Continuity Camera for effective videoconferencing.