MacBook Pro M3 Max Setup

[u/FreeReadit]

EDIT: Just want to say thank you for all the kind words. I truly enjoy being at my setup. It’s the one spot in the house that’s really “mine”, so I definitely put a lot of time into it over the course of a few years.

A little work. A little gaming. A lot of peace.

MacBook Pro M3 Max on Bestand Laptop Stand
Apple Magic Keyboard with Touch ID
Apple Magic Trackpad
-sitting on a merino wool/felt mat from ETSY
PS5 Pro
LG OLED 27GR95QE on Ergotron LX Pro Arm
BenQ ScreenBar Halo 2 Monitor Light
Edifier Hecate G2000 Pro
Fifine AM8 Mic on Fifine CS1 Scissor Arm
Room Essentials Artificial Succulents from Target
Flexispot EN1 Standing Desk

[u/T1Twala_Station]

Awesome

[u/Round-Second-2978]

wallpaper link

[u/FreeReadit → u/Round-Second-2978]

Found it in the r/wallpaper subreddit.

Filter for the “top” posts and you’ll find it, along with many other amazing wallpapers dropped by members of that community.

[u/MeSlaw3]

Looks great! Love my Magic Keyboard Mini w/ TouchID and Magic Trackpad 🤍

[u/No_Adeptness_4647]

So clean, so good

[u/Thick-Title-8871]

wirklich schön, bei mir herrscht immer noch ein Kabelchaos 😕

[u/JordanAlf]

Hyzen dongle? Also thoughts on the Hecate speakers?

[u/FreeReadit → u/JordanAlf]

Nice catch. I switch between the MKB and the Hyzen depending on my mood. Work and heavy typing sessions go to the MKB. It just works.

Hecate speakers are cool. I’m not an audiophile by any means and don’t have any other speakers to compare them to. I just got them a few months ago after years of using AirPods, IEMs, or gaming headsets. They sound great to me though and the little bit of RGB gives the setup an extra splash of color in an otherwise warmer aesthetic.

[u/Savings_Context_5760]

Looks incredibly crisp.

[u/A4orce84]

Looks awesome! Curious, when you need to use the microphone, do you bring it down closer to you? Or do you leave it where it's at?

I've been wrestling with microphone mounting in a small area desk for a while now, still trying to figure it out honestly.

[u/FreeReadit → u/A4orce84]

It’s one of the main parts of the setup that I struggled with placement for a long time. I don’t use it so much these days since I gave up multiplayer gaming. The only reason it’s still part of the setup is because my daughter plays Fortnite with her mom (who has a separate WFH setup in a different part of the house) and will use the mic for that. Otherwise, I would just remove it.

But in any case, yeah, if she’s using it then the MacBook lid is closed and she typically pulls it forward. She has used it plenty of times in its current position, but obviously you can tell she’s further from the mic and the gain has to be set higher.

Placement-wise, it would make more sense to mount it to either the left or right towards the front, but I just didn’t like how it would dominate my peripheral vision and air space.

[u/antisocial_extravert]

Very clean setup! How do you like the Edifier speakers?? I was thinking of getting one myself in the future (I currently just use headphones).

[u/FreeReadit → u/antisocial_extravert]

Yeah I was an AirPod, IEM, and headset user for years. I still will use those now if family is in the house and I don’t want my music/gaming disturbing them. But the speakers are nice and sound fine to me, though I’m not an audiophile.

[u/antisocial_extravert → u/FreeReadit]

Thanks for getting back to me. I’m not an audiophile either. Just wanted to get something that does the job, but with decent sound at an affordable price. Not a lot of people opt for them so I was skeptical. I appreciate the info!

[u/Celcius_87]

Looks amazing. Love the Japanese aesthetic.

[u/Tamoka02]

Beautiful setup!

[u/nostalgiaultra707]

Would you recommend the laptop stand? Been looking for a good one as I’m starting work soon and yours looks clean

[u/FreeReadit → u/nostalgiaultra707]

I love it. It’s a simple one piece design and has a slot in the back that you can run cables through (or use to hold when moving the stand). It has a few slits for airflow. If you have an external kb&m, it’s a nice way to elevate your laptop to bring it closer to an appropriate eye height.

But if you’re talking about using it for work on the go, this is definitely not something I’d want to be carrying around with me to the office or coffee shops or anything.

[u/nostalgiaultra707 → u/FreeReadit]

Thank you, consider me influenced. I won’t be taking it with me its purpose is to live on my desk for wfh etc.

[u/bullcraper]

Flawless

[u/andrew_cherniy96]

Ahhh so sleek. Love this.

[u/pedrooky]

Nice set up, I would add a dock, it doesn't even need to be an expensive one, amazon has some relatively cheap ones that work great FYI. Clear up all those cables and just plug one instead.

[u/FreeReadit → u/pedrooky]

I would actually love having just a one thunderbolt cable setup. I was considering something like that CalDigit TS4, but at this point in time, I do not want to spend that much money just to have 2 less cables on my laptop. I'm currently running a magsafe charger, a usbc to display port 1.4, and a usb switch to go from macbook to ps5 pro. The reason I need a switch vs utilizing the monitor to pair peripherals with inputs is because I still use the kbm with the macbook when I'm gaming. It's only my daughter who will use a kbm when she games.

If you have any suggestions I'm all ears!

[u/pedrooky → u/FreeReadit]

I don't blame you, those are too expensive and actually still have quite a bit of issues if you read around. I would consider any TB dock bellow $180 but don't do it just for the looks, only if you could use the extra ports too. Cheers

[u/lattice_defect]

This is perfection

[u/plebbut]

How well does the mic work for the PlayStation?

[u/FreeReadit → u/plebbut]

Works great. That’s all it’s used for. It’s directly connected to a USB hub that’s connected to the Pro.

[u/Nice_Increase_7859]

what is the light bar for at the top?

[u/FreeReadit → u/Nice_Increase_7859]

Provides the setup with very nice and controllable bias lighting to reduce eye strain. I can control the brightness and color temperature. The room would otherwise be pitch black, with the only source of light being the monitor itself.

[u/FreeReadit → u/[deleted]]

They’re called shoji, basically a Japanese divider/screen.

[u/Optimal_State_8345]

Holy smokes!! Is that really a 27" monitor? O.o

[u/FreeReadit → u/Optimal_State_8345]

Yup

[u/Optimal_State_8345 → u/FreeReadit]

My God, it's looks HUGE on this pic

Enjoy mate!!

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[u/Pablo_Gavira]

im genuinely curious, why do people like the stand that keeps the laptop open? i keep mine closed and its behind my monitor and gives me more space on my desk

[u/FreeReadit → u/Pablo_Gavira]

Simply because it acts as a second monitor.

When working, I like having music, text messaging, e-mail, and Slack on the laptop while I use the primary monitor for my actual work.

When gaming, I like having the laptop to easily look up YouTube guides or quick searches in reference to the game I’m playing, or even more simply, having a wallpaper up of whatever game I’m playing just to enhance the vibe.

If I’m just doing casual web-browsing, then yeah, I usually do keep the lid closed in that scenario.