Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Post Your Mac Setup: Past & Present (Part 20)
- Thread starter stridemat
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
New MacStudio M2 Max and Apple Studio Display (and EOS R3 and some L-series lens):
Last edited:
My Mrs Has her editing suite set up in a Harry Potter Themed Office. (if you are a minimalist look away now!)
Bit much for me, but she loves it.
Mac Studio Max 32/512 (6tb external SSD For Storage)
Macbook Air 15 M2 8/256 Onsite editing and review
Lenovo P32p-20 4k Editing Monitor
Bit much for me, but she loves it.
Mac Studio Max 32/512 (6tb external SSD For Storage)
Macbook Air 15 M2 8/256 Onsite editing and review
Lenovo P32p-20 4k Editing Monitor
Made some changes to the desktop recently.
Dear Luna Lovegood comes to my mind when I see this pic, she's my favorite character from the series
Great set up by the way,
Finally got my 27" iMac to replace my PC/Hackintosh.
(I know the desk looks dirty, but it isn't really. It's just a plank of wood on top of a smaller desk, and it get stained so easily and no matter how hard I try to clean it, it just won't go away)
Anyways that iMac is a gamer changer. I know it's 10 years old at that point but jeez it just doesn't look or feel like it. It already did come with 32GB of RAM, so I split the Fusion Drive to install Ventura on the PCIe SSD, and that thing just flies.
EDIT: Updated the setup with a 3rd screen I had lying around. The internal 1TB HDD died in the meantime. It's a bummer but I'm not exactly surprised as it was the original 10 years old HDD. So I'll get a USB 3 2.5" enclosure and put a 2TB HDD I have lying around for storing files, music library, photo library and downloads. I think I'll be able to get by with the 128GB SSD storing just the OS and apps.
Thankfully I haven't lost anything, as I have every backed up on two different HDD + iCloud Drive.
(I know the desk looks dirty, but it isn't really. It's just a plank of wood on top of a smaller desk, and it get stained so easily and no matter how hard I try to clean it, it just won't go away)
Anyways that iMac is a gamer changer. I know it's 10 years old at that point but jeez it just doesn't look or feel like it. It already did come with 32GB of RAM, so I split the Fusion Drive to install Ventura on the PCIe SSD, and that thing just flies.
EDIT: Updated the setup with a 3rd screen I had lying around. The internal 1TB HDD died in the meantime. It's a bummer but I'm not exactly surprised as it was the original 10 years old HDD. So I'll get a USB 3 2.5" enclosure and put a 2TB HDD I have lying around for storing files, music library, photo library and downloads. I think I'll be able to get by with the 128GB SSD storing just the OS and apps.
Thankfully I haven't lost anything, as I have every backed up on two different HDD + iCloud Drive.
Last edited:
Past - 7th Oct 2022
Present - 3 Sept 2023
Moved to smaller lodgings for the time being, so now my Mac Mini M1 (8 GB RAM, 1TB SSD) sits on a smaller desk. Everything is plugged in to a DYNAMIX UPS under the desk.
Just acquired a small Magic Keyboard with fingerprint recognition to replace the wired keyboard I have had for five or six years. It is a useful upgrade that complements the Mac Mini M1 quite nicely, one way and another.
I'm liking my third Mac Mini since the my 2005 original. The M1 is more than adequate for my simple needs (writing and some photography, as well as general communications and entertainment; I don't have a TV). It is almost silent in use, but I do hear the fan at very low volume when there is no other ambient sound (live in the countryside). I am thinking to install a shelf under the desk to put it on, which would probably eliminate that.
It is supplemented with an iPad. My 2017 MacBook Air is stashed present. If I do get on the road again it will need a new battery to make it useful again.
My old flip-phone (brand unknown) fell to pieces after only three and a half years of very light use (disappointing). It usually sat on my desk; I prefer go out and about sans mobile phone. I replaced it with a Nokia flip-phone a few months ago. I like it for the small amount I use a phone, but the battery life has turned out to be disappointing; often just a day or two (should be a couple of weeks or so). The shop told me it is a known fault, so it is going in for repair under warranty tomorrow.
Present - 3 Sept 2023
Moved to smaller lodgings for the time being, so now my Mac Mini M1 (8 GB RAM, 1TB SSD) sits on a smaller desk. Everything is plugged in to a DYNAMIX UPS under the desk.
Just acquired a small Magic Keyboard with fingerprint recognition to replace the wired keyboard I have had for five or six years. It is a useful upgrade that complements the Mac Mini M1 quite nicely, one way and another.
I'm liking my third Mac Mini since the my 2005 original. The M1 is more than adequate for my simple needs (writing and some photography, as well as general communications and entertainment; I don't have a TV). It is almost silent in use, but I do hear the fan at very low volume when there is no other ambient sound (live in the countryside). I am thinking to install a shelf under the desk to put it on, which would probably eliminate that.
It is supplemented with an iPad. My 2017 MacBook Air is stashed present. If I do get on the road again it will need a new battery to make it useful again.
My old flip-phone (brand unknown) fell to pieces after only three and a half years of very light use (disappointing). It usually sat on my desk; I prefer go out and about sans mobile phone. I replaced it with a Nokia flip-phone a few months ago. I like it for the small amount I use a phone, but the battery life has turned out to be disappointing; often just a day or two (should be a couple of weeks or so). The shop told me it is a known fault, so it is going in for repair under warranty tomorrow.
Last edited:
Nice setup! I have a late 2014 iMac that had the same Fusion Drive. Now split like yours, and the Apple 128GB blade is fast enough even running OCLP and Ventura 13.5.1. Suggest using a USB 3.0 external SSD as a Backup system, just in case. That internal SSD is also 10 years old. I have two SATA SSD drives (Crucial MX500 512GB) in Orico enclosures that work well for backup and each has a backup system installed too on a separate volume.
Thanks !
Well that's exactly what I'll do, I'll get a USB 3.0 2,5" enclosure that will be always plugged in and be used to store large files/music library.
About backup, I'll CCC my system drive on a HDD that I will periodically update and store in a drawer. And even if that happens to fail, I have everything important backed up in my 2TB iCloud Drive, so if my system broke, I'll just do a internet recovery and reinstall Catalina.
I think my 1TB HDD is dying tho, I mean, it sometimes randomly disconnect and disappear, on disk utility, system report and also tried on a Linux live usb just to be sure.
But the strange thing is I've checked its health with DriveDx and it shows that its in good health. So, I think that maybe the SATA connection inside has become loose somehow
In the meantime I won't trust it to store anything.
I might, at some point, when I'll be confident enough, replace that 1TB HDD by a 1TB SATA SSD. But until then, I think a external HDD will do the trick just fine as I won't be running any apps from it.
Just for reference, here is the Orico enclosure I bought (Amazon Japan site) https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/ORICO-USB3-1-Gen2-10Gbps-2139C3-G2/dp/B09X5PC3C5?th=1
Came with two cables, and it is so easy to set up.
You can make a Volume on the external SSD for a bootable system, and another volume for a CCC backup. Works very well indeed in the iMac. As far as I can tell without any benchmarks, it feels just as fast when booted from the external drive, although it actually must be quite a bit slower.
The collection ⚡️ Handoff is a beautiful thing.
Gonna start working on cable management next. It’s a standing desk, so it’s been tricky to make sure the cables in place don’t overextend when rising.
At home I'm holding the holy grail 4 times. One is my project iMac ready for a M1 Mini and the other three are working flawlessly. Two of them still have their original box. Don't know what I should do with them lol.
This is my current modest setup. The centre-piece is hidden away under the desk - my gem of a Mac Pro 2009. Unfortunately, it's a little broken and doesn't power on. But I will look to fix this soon.
Then I have my MBP M2 16" 1TB. As you can see, I still have the trusted 2009 Cinema Display and keyboard.
I'm hoping to revamp the room soon as it's an absolute mess, and once done, I'm going to get a little more creative on and around the desk 😁
Then I have my MBP M2 16" 1TB. As you can see, I still have the trusted 2009 Cinema Display and keyboard.
I'm hoping to revamp the room soon as it's an absolute mess, and once done, I'm going to get a little more creative on and around the desk 😁
After getting the Mac Pro to power up, you may want to tackle cable management...
Damn it! Do you know how long I spent tackling those cables for those shots!!! 🤣After getting the Mac Pro to power up, you may want to tackle cable management...
When I worked at a help desk years ago, we made sure that cables were neat and tidy, tucked away and hidden most of the time. My set up at home was a complete mess!! My rationale was I did it for a living and didnt want to deal with it at home.I've done it myself... I have a good idea.
Love those speakers the Yamaha hs5 correct? can't see exactly what are you using to connect them to your Macbook? Thanks!
