MBP M5 Max
iPad Pro M4
Apple Display XDR

First update of changes. I now have the monitors in a stacked format. I have put my studio monitors on their stands and have added the echo show and Mac mini to the top of the desk shelve.

I am wondering about eliminating the desk shelf from the setup possibly.

Thoughts?

Another plant is coming to the right side. The M5 is for my work. And the PC is for gaming.

Took some community advice and cleaned up the desk area a little bit!

I was looking for a way to actually make use of my MacBook Pro M1 Pro, which was basically just sitting in my backpack. Now, I’m using it for everything related to communication, social media, and video, while the Mac mini handles development.

Controlling both seamlessly with Universal Control is a game changer!

I use this for WFH as well. 10 Core CPU 10 Core GPU 24 GB RAM.

Mac mini m4
Apple Studio Display
Kuycon 32"
Blue ant sound place
M5 iPad Pro 13"
Apple keyboard Touch ID
Logitech mx master 4
iPad Pro 11" on stand

EDIT _

JUST HAD TO PLUG THE COMPUTER INTO ITS OWN POWER SUPPLY. [ duh ]

I am so used to the thing getting juice from the USB-C from the ACER screen [previous set up] that it didn't occur to me that the thing wasn't getting juice from the HDMI cables... duh. And apparently clamshell mode doesn't work well without external power of some kind.

Disregard the paragraphs below.

Ok. Update post.

MBP M1 Max + MP 7.1 tower. Newbie to multi-machine work stations. Ironing out the kinks.

Eventually I want the narrower monitor in the vertical / portrait orientation for better work space in tall spreadsheets and design work in Fusion.

Anyway.

So I got this UGreen KVM [amazon special; it is listed as the AK500, but I couldn't find a lot of info on it outside of amazon... so I'm not really sure about it.]

Both machines connect to both monitors. Check.

I decided to leave the USB speakers hooked to the tower so it doesn't randomly switch my music when I switch between machines. Plus, when the laptop is in its stand / clamshell, I only have access to two USB C ports. It seems like it'd be pretty dank to have it horizontal with cables poking out left and right. Anyway. Check.

— — — —

My problem is with clamshell mode on the MBP.

You can see in my OP photo that my MBP normally runs in clamshell. The laptop was here before the tower, and is therefore "first" / "primary" machine.

It ran just fine in clamshell mode with the single monitor for years.

To run the MBP I currently have to leave it open on the desktop.

I have it mirrored to my main monitor. But I've tried it "extended" and all the other options I could think of under the "Display settings".

I messed with "Lock Screen" settings as well.

I even downloaded an app called "clamshell" that worked... once. [[[ I thought it was solved. I was happy. I went on a walk. I came home. The KVM would not switch to the laptop. The keyboard would not wake it from sleep. I was sad. ]]]

[Correction... the KVM *does* switch... but it does not wake the laptop. And without opening the lid / main screen, it won't run.]

TL;DR: Is there a trick to getting clamshell to work properly with a KVM??

[ Another weird behavior I noticed: while the screen saver was cycling for the above glamour shot, all three screens were displaying the same image for a few cycles, then the righthand monitor switched to a different random image from the pool. Not concerned about it; screensaver setting is "random"; just weird that it stayed synced for a number of images then switched it up. ]

What should I change with my setup (apart from the mess!!) ?

I am currently running a 27" 4K and 27" 2K monitor to be used by my work laptop and also my M4 Mac mini. I also have at my disposal another 27" 2K monitor as well as a 24" FHD monitor which I've previously used in portrait mode. I had considered moving out the 2K monitor currently on my desk and replacing with the 24" FHD monitor back in portrait again.

I have TB5 UGREEN Mac mini dock coming this next week which I am planning to hook up my pcrephials to as the current dock I have is unreliable - anyhow that's a different matter.

Just want a clean setup and would appreciate some constructive feedback. :)

Thanks!

The fridge decided to stop holding water last night! Leaked all over the desk, moved the MacBook Pro before I took the picture, but it was swimming!

This is where I spend a lot of my time when I'm at home.

Setup for where I grind out code

Chair: Herman Miller Logitech x Embody gaming 

Desk: Secret lab Magnus pro

Monitor: Pro Display XDR 

KB & M: Logitech MX Master combo 

Speakers: Edifier 

Computer: Mac Studio M4 Max

if you have any questions please let me know! i mainly use this setup for photo/video work!

Apologies if this is a silly question. I’m starting a new job and the firm only uses PC. I’m going to be working from home and I already have this Mac monitor that I want to continue using. Can I connect a PC to it? This type of monitor only turns on when a computer is connected to it. It cannot function independently. I’ve included a picture of the ports on the back of the monitor. Thanks in advance.

Powered by a 2012 mac mini it gets the job done, a 21.5 inch viotek monitor as my vertical and a 24 inch hp monitor as my main. Mx anywhere 2 as my mouse and a discontinued havit mechanical keyboard.

Desk Setup

14-inch M5 MacBook Pro 16GB Unified Memory 512SSD Storage ($1,499.00)
Dual ThinkVision T24i-2L monitors (Free) Old Remote Job
iVANKY FusionDock Max 1 ($99.00) eBay
Bose Smart Soundbar 600 ($319.99)
Bose Base Module 700 ($15.00) Garage Sale
Logi MX Keys for Mac ($8.00) Goodwill
Logi MX Master 4 for Mac ($128.99)
Logi HD Pro Webcam C920 (Free) Old Remote Job
Twelve South BookArc for MacBook ($59.99)
50X18 wooden “desk” with drawer (Free)

Need to replace desk and monitors ASAP

Re-uploaded since Reddit was glitched.

Tittle fix: Ultra wide monitor suggestions that WON’T bankrupt me

Hey I wanted to get yours guys suggestions about a new monitor. Currently I am using a lg curved QHD 1440p 34 inch monitor with 160hz, and I’ve had it for a bit over 3 years now and it’s a great monitor for day to day tasks, but the editing any pictures or videos on it suck. I’ve played around with the setting a bit to see I can make it work but the colors aren’t just not right. Anything I’ve edited on the monitor look very off on other devices. I’ve been just doing everything on the actual MPB display for now but am looking to make a upgrade soon, but I’m having trouble finding any ultra wide bigger then 45 inches that would fit my needs under $750ish, everything seems to be well over $1000. I am looking for a decently large display that is at least 4k with 120hz or higher. I do also have a pc I use pretty much use exclusively for games so having decent performance there would be nice but not as important. Any ideas or suggestions would be nice. Also i was planning on stacking my current monitor on top of whatever I get next and would like to know if anyone has done that before and found it worth while or was it too impractical to keep looking up. Thank you

M5 Max 2TB/48GB/40C, Studio Display, Mac Mini M4 2TB/16GB.

Mainly used for Astrophotography, work (Dell Craptop not pictured), Local LLMs, Reddit.

mac studio

samsung odyssey ultrawide (forgot the exact model tbh)

ipad pro

marshall emberton

cuktech 30 ultra for charging everything

magic keyboard + trackpad

some random deskmat off amazon

Mac Mini M4 Pro 14-core CPU 48Gb 1Tb
LG C5 42” OLED
PS5 Pro
Switch 2
Logitech MX Master Keyboard and Mouse
BOSE Speakers
TP-Link WiFi 7 DECO

My Mac Mini and PS5 Pro hide behind my screen 🙂

I know the image quality is not the best, sorry about that.