{"id":44353,"date":"2024-12-27T09:35:26","date_gmt":"2024-12-27T09:35:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alananna.co.uk\/blog\/?p=44353"},"modified":"2024-12-24T09:55:59","modified_gmt":"2024-12-24T09:55:59","slug":"two-screens-one-macbook-pro-and-a-minimalist-office-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alananna.co.uk\/blog\/2024\/12\/two-screens-one-macbook-pro-and-a-minimalist-office-dream\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Screens, One MacBook Pro, and a Minimalist Office Dream"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

New Office<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The technology giants\u2019 marketing has worked again. Having bought the last of the Intel generation of Apple Macintosh computers\u2014a specced-out Intel i9 iMac about five years ago\u2014I\u2019ve been feeling a little left behind. At the time, Apple was about to transition to their own Apple Silicon \u2018M series\u2019 of chips. Rather than take the plunge, I stuck with the tried-and-tested Intel series of processors. But now, Apple is onto the fourth generation of their M series, and the latest round of machines with the new M4 processors and \u2018Apple Intelligence\u2019 looked very enticing. My Intel-based Mac now felt old-fashioned, so it was time for an upgrade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My Previous Setup<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

My setup before the upgrade was an i9 iMac with its gorgeous 27\u201d 5K display, 96GB of RAM, and a 1TB internal drive. This was connected to two external 24\u201d monitors, giving me a three-screen setup, plus several external drives (totaling 15TB of storage). While functional, the external monitors were mismatched and a little dated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, Apple no longer offers an iMac that meets my needs. The 24\u201d screen is too small, and the maximum 32GB of RAM wouldn\u2019t be sufficient. I was going to have to move away from the convenience of the all-in-one iMac.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choosing New Monitors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Since I wasn\u2019t sticking with an all-in-one computer, I needed at least another 27\u201d monitor. Replacing my two older 24\u201d monitors was also on the cards. My idea was to get two 27\u201d 4K displays to pair with the new computer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Initially, I had my eyes on the Alogic Clarity range with a dual monitor arm for mounting. However, I came across the LG UltraFine range on Ergo stands and decided they were a better alternative. The Ergo stands were built-in, saving some money, and the screens were 32\u201d instead of 27\u201d. Two of these would provide more screen real estate than my previous setup\u2014an upgrade in all respects. They were also considerably cheaper than the Alogic Clarity monitors. With the monitors sorted, it was time to choose the Mac itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The New Mac<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The new M4 Mac Mini was tempting. It had pretty much everything I needed in a tiny package. However, by the time I upgraded the processor, RAM, and hard drive, it wasn\u2019t as cheap as its base-model pricing suggested. Apple\u2019s costs for RAM and SSD upgrades are notoriously high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I considered waiting until June for the Mac Studio release, which promised to be a beast of a machine\u2014but it would, of course, be more expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then there was the laptop option, essentially a return to the all-in-one concept in a portable format. I had been using desktops for years because they traditionally offered more \u2018bang for your buck\u2019 and better performance. Historically, laptops were limited by the need to balance power with battery life and cooling. However, the new M-series chips are so power-efficient that laptops now have the same processors and power as their desktop counterparts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why a Laptop?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A laptop brought the additional advantage of portability. While I would use it mainly at my desk tethered to a dock and external monitors, I liked the flexibility of taking it with me or using it on my lap in the lounge. The price difference between a desktop and an equivalently specced laptop wasn\u2019t too drastic. A MacBook Pro with the same M4 Pro processor, 48GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD was \u2018only\u2019 about \u00a3480 more than a Mac Mini with the same specs. For that price, the laptop included a 14\u201d XDR display, battery, keyboard, trackpad, and webcam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea of a 14\u201d MacBook Pro paired with two 32\u201d displays became increasingly attractive. In the end, that\u2019s exactly what I decided to go for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Final Setup<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To complement the MacBook Pro, I also bought a CalDigit TS4 Dock. This dock allows me to connect the two external displays, all my external hard drives, other USB peripherals, speakers, and power supply through a single Thunderbolt cable to the MacBook Pro. This setup makes it easy to disconnect when I want portability. The dock also includes a 2.5GB Ethernet port, which was important to me since the MacBook Pro lacks an Ethernet socket. While Wi-Fi gives me decent speeds (around 300Mbps), Ethernet boosts this to about 1.2Gbps\u2014a nice bonus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s my new office setup:<\/p>\n\n\n\n