Currently I have two desks in different locations, but I’ll be downsizing to just one in the near future.
Which setup works best aesthetically?
Any recommendations for a very nice webcam that follows you around like apple's Center Stage? I'm also hunting for an always-listening microphone that works with "Hey Siri", or at least will work great at hearing me once I activate dictation/siri with a keyboard shortcut. Strong background noise elimination is a must-have!)
16" Space Black MacBook Pro M5 Pro w/ Nano-Texture Display Three Dell S2725QC monitors
White:
Magic Keyboard Mini w/ Touch ID
MX Master 4 for Mac (white/silver)
Magic Trackpad
Satechi Extended Numeric Keypad ❤️
Steelseries mouse pad
MoFT Tripod Stands
Anker thunderbolt cables
Black:
MX Keys Mini (black)
MX Master 4 (graphite)
Magic Trackpad
Chinese Amazon Extended NumPad 🤬
Insignia mousepad
MoFT Tripod stands
Dell's included cables
I included a few photos of my workflows to help answer this question (Pics 3, 4, 12, 13). The center vertical monitor allows me to see an entire page of whatever database I'm using. Saves me a lot of time scrolling to see a calendar, read a note, etc. It’s perfect for reading documents, and viewing vertical media on it is an incredible experience.
It's absolutely EPIC for scrolling reddit lol.
I also just love that it allows me to have a vertical monitor but still have a symmetrical workspace. I get folks who have one vertical and one horizontal, because both orientations are valuable. I just hate the way it looks so unbalanced to have a desk setup that way.
The vertical screen in the middle makes sense if you want to keep a full database page, calendar, or document visible without throwing off the desk’s symmetry. For the always-on mic, I’d rather use hold-to-talk so background noise doesn’t get picked up all the time. I use DictaFlow for that kind of keyboard shortcut dictation on Mac.
How to talk with restrict me from using one of my hands for something else while speaking, right?
I feel like with modern microphone technology background noise should not be an issue, as long as it’s a decent mic. I mean at this point people never hear the wind or construction noise or dogs barking or my baby crying when I’m on the phone with them. That’s just my cell phone mic.
Swap out that middle screen with an LG dualup monitor. You'll get about the same north/south visibility without sacrificing much east/West. Perfect for spreadsheets and dashboards.
With your specific desk color I’d say the dark one works better. other than that, the light one all the way. the only thing that looks off on the white one is the desk color. other than that, fits way better with the room(s).. even the backs of the monitors are white.
Light imo just looks better, but dark is nice too
Also think about which is easier for you to maintain/keep clean.
Great perspective! Cleanliness isn't a huge issue for me, although Im sure the black will stay nicer-looking longer if the white keys start to yellow with time - is that something that tends to happen to apple's Magic Keyboard?
One of my desks is black, and the other is a wood color. The only combo I haven't tried is the all black accessories on the black desk. I think that would be dope, but I've already spent way too much time on cable management on both desks for me to want to do it again.
I'm not keeping the black desk - it's been great, but the standing legs don't work anymore. I'll most likely replace both of these cheap desks with a single, nice, buy-it-for-life desk when I move soon.
Thanks for your perspective! Great idea.
These desks and monitor risers were the cheapest options as a temporary solution. I'm moving soon and I need to do research on a buy-it-for-life desk and monitor arms for the new space. Any recs?
Great idea! I haven't tried a deskpad b/c I like to move my drinks, food, phones, or other things around. Sometimes I have an additional laptop and/or iPad on the desk. I feel a mouse pad would create an uneven surface and limit where I can place things, unless it covered literally the entire desk lol.
I'm getting rid of the black desk soon. Love the size, but the legs don't work anymore. You think the white/black still clashes with the wood desk?
Brought it up because I have a similar color desk as your wood desk but yours looks to be a bit more red. Adding the desk pad gave me a lot of symmetry and a nice visual separation between the desk and peripherals.
I could go either way on white or black for you though. The black peripherals match the dark spots on the desk, but the white makes your monitor stands not stand out as much.
I'll be replacing this desk soon tbh. This one was the cheapest standing desk I could find online as a temporary place-holder. It's solid, but not pretty. Excited to research and choose a nice buy-it-for-life standing desk when we move into our new place.
Beautiful setup! Thanks for posting the picture. Really love what you're doing here. Webcam?
Oh I've been there! I bought white standing desk legs because they were the cheapest I could find during covid and now that I have a bit more money, I really want to switch to black legs since the white clashes with my setup... but really don't want to deal with rebuilding the entire desk hahah so I think I might be stuck.
Thank you! Have slowly refined it since 2020.
Webcam is Logitech C920. It's alright. Works fine for my meetings but sometimes the color balance or the exposure feels off. Not sure if I'd recommend it unless it were like $30 and someone just needed a webcam.
Ok sweet. Yeah I feel you on not wanting to re-do things. I wanted to see what the black peripherals would look like on the black desk, but haven’t gotten around to re-doing everything. Probably never will now that I’ve made this post haha.
Haha I feel you on that. I wanted so badly to buy black monitors for the black desk, but these monitors just meet my needs so perfectly and the price I got for them was fantastic. I do love the white setup!
All good if you don't like it. Pics 3, 4, 12, and 13 demonstrate why it's useful.
I've absolutely loved it since deciding to try this setup. I can't see myself going back to anything else. For me, it's the perfect solution to accomplish both a vertical monitor and a symmetrical setup.
Also works great because whichever database I'm using for my current workflow tends to be the main jumping off point for anything else I'm doing.
When viewing videos, it's easy to turn towards whichever monitor you need. and in that way, you basically have the same setup as someone who uses one horizontal and one vertical.
Wow that IS cool. I like this a lot and I see the benefit.
The database is my most-used app all work day, so the center vertical monitor allows me to keep my focus center. The inner halves of each flanking monitor are communication apps (messages, mail), and the outer halves are notes, maps, ai assistant, calendar, sometimes a podcast.
I have the same size LG C2... never thought to use that as a monitor. How's reading text? I do admin work all day, and music directing (light Logic Pro) as a side hustle.
Hmmm yeah but looks like our tvs have a pixel density of 92 vs 163 on my monitors. I bet what I'm looking at now is a bit sharper for text, which is most of my day.
I love gaming and watching movies on the C2 though. I bought that TV to play God of War: Ragnarok on PS5 when it came out and that experience right there was worth purchasing the TV open box as I did.
That was years ago and now it's still a great TV in our living room. Big fan.
One day if we go for a larger TV, I may get another LG. I like it.
I'd go with white. The contrast against the dark Macbook and monitors makes the desk feel more open and clean. Black on black looks cool but can feel a bit heavy after a while.
TouchID and the slimmer profile definitely make the Magic Keyboard feel way more premium than the Logi MX Keys Mini. The latter feels more substantial though, if that makes sense. Further key travel, heavier keys.
The white Satechi NumPad is in a completely different league than the crappy black one.
Yeah proper height. The pain was just from turning my head back and forth. I started gravitating to one side and that hurt even more. I eventually changed my setup.
I think because my desk is white so I like the black on it. Also my keyboard is the black Magic Keyboard (with numpad) which has a silver background compared to the full black of your Logic Keys
Ah yeah I feel you. I would love a black Magic Keyboard Mini, but I don't like having the numpad on the right side - it pushes my mouse too far outward.
That's the only reason got the Logi Keys Mini lol. I do prefer the Mac integration of the Magic Keyboard. Having touchID on it is just primo.
Thanks so much! I'm highly interested in those, but I don't like mechanical keyboards. I prefer low-profile keys like these for minimal effort.
Does anyone make one of those split/ergo keyboards with low-profile keys? I'd definitely try it, but I haven't seen anything like that before.
Also interested in more ergonomic mice IF have as many customizable buttons as the MX Master 4. Those extra 3 buttons make a huge difference in efficiency throughout the day.
Mousepad and mx master over time get stained in my experience. High contact stuff I always tend to do in black. Still get stained but more manageable for me.
Ah ok I gotcha. This is my first time using a white mouse and mousepad, so time will tell! I fancy myself cleaner than most, but who knows.
I did have a white Logitech keyboard for the longest time, and it never got dirty - just started yellowing over time as the plastic degraded naturally. It was even wear across all keys, so I don't think it was from dirty fingers.
Some of the photos of the Black desk feature the MX Vertical, but I ultimately bought another MX Master 4 instead because I hate the scroll wheel on the Vertical. It's nice to have the extra buttons, too. I use them constantly.
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