So, you went out and bought one of those fancy new MacBook Pros or MacBook Airs with M1 and you want
to turn it into a full desktop experience? Well, have I got something to show you!
Ahh, crap!
Hey Im Jerry and behind me I have a lot of stuff
but it all starts with the new MacBook Pro M1. I have the 16GB model with 1tb of storage
and I really do love this machine, despite a few faults. These machines really are faster in most
things for day to day work and I wanted to see if it could replace my imac for my desktop use.
The MacBook pro is sitting on a Gray Aluminum Laptop Stand from Surmount Way that I got from
Amazon. This stand is very sturdy with a solid base and can be adjusted in a number of ways.
Buy loosening the knob on the side you can raise and lower the stand……. The pilar can
swivel left and right……..and the platform can tilt quite a bit to accommodate any angle you need.
The platform also has rubber pads on the flat part and on
the front lip where the laptops rests against it…
The color of this stand is Gray and it matches pretty well with the MacBook Pro
and other items on the desk. You can also get the stand in silver and from a number of other
companies. If this stand is not available there are plenty of other companies welling
the exact same item under their own name…..I know because I accidentally bought a silver
one from a different company…..twice…..and it comes in the same packaging and design.
I prefer using a stand like this compared to something like a clamshell stand
because I still want to be able to use touch-id for unlocking and for using applepay.
Connected to the MacBook via a single Thunderbolt cable is the BenQ PD3220U display.
This is a 32 inch, 4k monitor and I really love it. You have the option to connect via
thunderbolt, displayport or HDMI and it has usb ports and a headphone jack on the side.
The display is a very modern looking display with slim bezels all around and it sits on top
of a gray aluminum base. Just like the laptop stand you can adjust the height,
tilt and swivel but you can also rotate the entire display 90 degrees if you want.
The display and colors out of the box look amazing. It comes pre calibrated from the factory
and is in a P3 color mode by default. It also has different color options including M-Book
mode with tries to replicate how Apple calibrates its monitors and does a really good job of that.
I went a step further and used a SpyderX Elite to calibrate both of these monitors
so that I know I can use either one for my videos and know that the result will be the same.
One issue I do have with this monitor right now
is that there is some kind of compatibility issue between the M1s and this display
when using Thunderbolt or display port. Unless I use HDMI I am limited to 30hz which does suck
and it feels a bit choppy. I am hoping that Apple or BenQ can get this resolved soon but
in the mean time I can use a second adapter from the MacBook and get 60hz using HDMI.
On top of the display is a BenQ Screenbar task light……This
little thing is a game changer for working late nights or in rooms with
not so great lighting……..This light shoots light down and away from the monitor
to light up your workspace without casting light or glare on the monitor its self. ….it perfectly
lights up my keyboard and mouse area, and makes it really easy to read something in front of you.
The Screenbar sits on top of the monitor with a counter weight and gets power from
a USB port or power adapter. The mount is pretty flexible and can be used with
most monitors from very thin to thicker displays like this one is in the middle.
On the top you have buttons to change the brightness and color temperature
or you can use the auto mode to automatically change the brightness based on ambient light.
The light makes working at night so much better and seems to soften the blast of light coming
from the display. It also makes a fine night light and makes this really cool dramatic look.
The speakers on the 12” MacBook pro are good, but
there are no where near as good as the iMac speakers for desktop use.
I saw a few people over the years using the Kanto YU2 speakers so looked into them.
These Kanto speakers look great.
I went with the Matte Gray but there are other colors like black, white,
red and Bamboo. They have a very solid weight to them and include separate tweeters and drivers.
There are 3 things that make these speakers perfect for me. First, they have a USB DAC.
This allows me to connect to them over USB, rather than a second audio cable,
and I can control the volume from the MacBook without any other volume
knobs I need to worry about. …..Speakers that use aux in have the potential for
overamplification between device volume controls and speaker volume controls.
Second, these speakers connect to each other using standard speaker wire
which means I can make the cable as long or short as I need
depending on where I place the speakers, and how I want to hide the wires.
Third, They sound pretty good. They have way more volume than the MacBook’s speakers
and more range than the imac’s speakers. They can definitely fill the room with loud
music or be turned up for watching movies without getting distorted.
As bad as it is to listen to your own voice,
these speakers do a pretty good job at reproducing voice for editing.
One issue I have had with these speakers is that if I disconnect the MacBook for a while
and then plug it back in, I have found that the speaker volume is sometimes set
very loud.=….Like I can turn the volume down, disconnect, and when I connect again and hit
play on something the volume is nearly maxed out. I don’t know if this is just
the MacBook being confused about audio level or what. Not a huge deal but something I noticed.
Below the monitor I have a cheap Samsung Qi charger from 2019
so I can just drop my phone on it when needed and a CalDigit TS3 Thunderbolt dock.
This dock from CalDigit has everything I need for a desktop experience. On the front you have an SD
card reader, Audio in and out and a USB C and USB A port…….on the back you get 4 USB A ports,
a USB C 3.1 Gen 2 port, Thunderbolt out, Ethernet and optical audio out.
This dock allows me to connect everything I need like my speakers and an SSD,
and the front port allow for things I connect and disconnect regularly like SD cards and headphones.
For keyboard I prefer the Apple Magic Keybaord. I just like how the keys feel and work.
Because it is essentially the same keyboard as what is on the MacBooks its super simple
to move from one to the other without having to relearn or fight your muscle memory.
You could forgo the eternal keyboard and monitor stand and just use the MacBook in
front of you but I much prefer the physical keys to the touchbar. I do hope that Apple updates
the keyboard to include the new dictation, and sleep buttons like they did n the new Air M1.
I have the silver and white keyboard only because I had it already. I like the space gray keyboards
but those only come in the extended versions and I like to keep it as compact as possible.
To the right of my Magic Keyboard is the Logitch MX Master 3 mouse.
I recently purchased this mouse to replace the Magic Mouse and I really like it. Just like the
inertial scrolling on the Magic Mouse you can set the scroll wheel on the MX Master 3 to be
free rolling and it can work very similar………on the side is the left right scroll wheel which
is not free scrolling but MacOS does seem to recognize it as having some inertia and
things like Final Cut will scroll left and right with ease.
There are additional buttons for replicating some gestures in MacOS
and forward/back buttons. One thing that I found refreshing
was having different buttons for different tasks rather than doing everything on the
touch pad of the Magic Mouse. I am not sure what it is but maybe its just like spreading the load
and not relying so much on one finger. I also found with the Magic Mouse that I always had to
leave my middle finger hovering over the magic mouse because if I rested it on the
Magic Mouse and did a left click with my index finger it would register a right click. With
the Logitech I can rest my finger on the right button and have no issues.
On the left side of the keyboard is the Magic Trackpad. After 8 months of using the trackpad
on the iPad Pro and MacBooks I found some things are just easier with gestures so
I keep the Magic Trackpad for things like zooming and switching between desktops.
These 3 input devices are all sitting on the Moko desk mat.
This is a poly urethane leather desk mat that is very inexpensive at about $15.
It is 32” by 16” and has plenty of room for everything to fit comfortably.
There is enough grip on the mat to keep the keyboard and trackpad where I put them
but also smooth enough for the mouse to slide on…. This
mat is waterproof for drinks and actually double sided…..
There are a number of colors to choose from and I was going to get black or brown
but I went with the orange because everything else on the desk is black,
gray or silver and I wanted something that stood out a bit more. Im not a fashionable
person so let me know below if there is a different color I should get instead.
The only other things up here are my Eero wifi,
which is the basic 3 pack eero that replaced my Google wifi, and my Lars Ulrich bobble head.
Everything we have talked about is sitting on an Ikea Skarsta desk that is 63” wide.
It is a manual sit stand desk that is pretty sturdy and cheap for what it is.
The desktop its self is white and not super durable so
I covered it in a vinyl film from D-C fix and that film is Baltimore tobacco I think.
On the back of the desk is a Lifx Z stater kit LED strip.
It’s a lot like the hue stips and you can change the color and brightness with the Lifx app.
So all of these items need a lot of cords and power so underneath I attached some
cable management trays that Caleb from DSLR Shooter recommended and some power
strips. It doesn’t look pretty but as Caleb says..”life is too short for cable management”
One thing I know I am missing out of all of this stuff is some decent Studio headphones and
no, I am not paying 500 whatever for the Apple studio pods max or whatever they are called.
That’s dumb….unless you see me reviewing them in the future. For now I still have these 15$ skull
candy headphones from an airport kiosk….and that’s probably why my audio is not so great.
So, when you look at all of this stuff its not a bad setup. A great computer attached
to a fantastic monitor, speakers, ….all the ports you might need. This type of setup is
a bit cumbersome though when you add in all the power outlets you need and the mess of cables.
Not to mention potential issues like being limited to 30 hz or strange volume settings.
Then you have to consider if you want the laptop in a stand like I have, or open in
front of you to type on, or in clamshell mode somewhere. You have plenty of options at the sake
of simplicity and its never going to be as clean as something like the iMac desktop experience
where everything is included in a simple all in one design……As Matt from Yay Computer says,
“Turning a MacBook Into a desktop computer is an exercise in imperfection….
But….if you like the challenge there are a lot of options to do it.
So, what do you think? Are you a laptop person who likes to mount up at a desk with
a similar solution or do you prefer a more elegant all in one solution for a desktop
and maybe have a laptop for mobile use. Let us know below. Id also like to know what you
think of this setup and if you are interested in seeing a comparison between this and an iMac. If
you are still trying to decide between an M1 Air and M1 Pro check out this video right over here
then hit the thumbs up button if you liked it, hit subscribe if you want, and Ill see you next time.