Turning My M2 MacBook Air Into The ULTIMATE Desktop Desk Setup!
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- čas přidán 27. 06. 2024
- Turning the MacBook Air M2 into a desktop comes with challenges, as this machine is a little bit different...
ALL THE GEAR IN THIS VIDEO IS LISTED BELOW 👇
I was really hoping we would see an M2 Mac Mini at WWDC this year, but because we didn't I decided to pick up the M2 MacBook Air to replace my M1 Mac Mini, and upgrade my desk setup. In this video, I go through everything in my M2 Mac desk setup, with a proper desk tour.
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PRODUCT LINKS:
Apple MacBook Air M2: amzn.to/3PtGZCG
Hagabis Vertical Stand: amzn.to/3dC3wAl
Razer ProClick Mouse: amzn.to/3CvIGdf
Logitech MX Keys Mini: amzn.to/3PrfUQE
Edifier MR4 Speakers: amzn.to/3dBAJLS
Kanto S4 Speaker Stands: amzn.to/3A6cWvw
LG 27UP850-W Ultrafine 4K Monitor: amzn.to/3Ps0w6w
ORICO Thunderbolt 3 Dock: amzn.to/3cIZzK1
Acasis USB4 Enclosure: amzn.to/3L07z5V
Western Digital SN770: amzn.to/3A6aZPI
Grid Studio iPhone Classic Kit: shrsl.com/3nsgi
Harber London Folio Macbook Leather & Felt Sleeve: shrsl.com/3nrg1
Harber London Felt Wool Desk Mat: shrsl.com/3nsgr
BenQ ScreenBar Monitor Light: amzn.to/3w7DQBH
Gove RGBIC Strip LIghts: amzn.to/3CvITx3
Vivo Monitor Arm: amzn.to/3CtYkWE
Nomad Base Station: www.tkqlhce.com/click-1004155...
Mandalorian Lego Figures: amzn.to/3Et0oyB
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0:00 Intro
0:38 Why Use The M2 Air As A Desktop?
1:42 Vertical Stand
3:10 The Problem With MacBook Ports
3:33 ThunderBolt Docking Station
4:33 LG Ultrafine 4K Monitor
6:38 Logitech MX Keys Mini
7:18 Razer Pro Click
8:11 Edifier MR4 Speakers
8:42 Speaker Stands
9:13 Desk Mat
10:17 Grid Studio Classic Kit
11:01 Conclusion - Věda a technologie
Super nice setup - and very down-to-earth yet professional videos. Certainly enjoying your channel. Keep up the great work! 👏
I really like your clean, uncluttered desk setup. I don't have the same gear (budget constraints) but I do use a couple of the same brands (Orico, LG) and they've been reliable products.
Love the organized setup. I'm currently researching ways to declutter my space, so this had some perfect timing with release. Thank you for the great info!
Glad I could help!
The lighting and everything is just perfect in this setup man! I absolutely love the orange tones 🔥
Thanks man! I’m sure I’ll keep tinkering lol
First off, yet another great video bro! Keep it going, second prefect layout of everything giving me ideas for my own setup I’m working on. Thanks!
a lot of reviewers actually praise the MX master 3 for no reason. I find it's scroll wheel to be really unpredictable and the tracking was also really laggy. Great to see someone sharing the truth with us. You my man, deserve a sub for your honesty.
gotta love that confirmation bias 😂
I had one and stopped work out of nowhere. I am using a Razer now
Omg first time I ever seen someone agreeing with me, it fkin sucks
I have a MX Mechanical mini + MX Master 3S and I absolutely love it, I would buy again
had similar experience while not using the dongle. related?
Thanks man, I've been thinking about doing something like this for my macbook air home setup. You really pointed me in the right direction. Great video!
Incredible Quality and Lighting with this Video bro🔥🔥
Love your videos, and your setup is...yes...your setup is insanely great!!!
Nice video and great setup! You did a great job putting everything together. Thanks for sharing. I got a few different ideas for my own setup!
One of the best and minimalist set up! ❤
Great looking setup.
I really enjoy your videos. Very informative, thank you.
Thanks for the inspiration, Kyle. 🤩
Great video, thanks.
Where are your speakers connected in this setup? Dock, monitor, or other?
How do you turn on your MacBook with the lid closed? Do you have to open the lid and turn on the MacBook or do you keep it in sleep mode all time when you don’t use it?
What is really great is that if you use a DisplayLink dock, like I do, you can run 2 monitors. I have 2 4K monitors running it my MacBook Air setup - one native and one through DisplayLink.
I've ordered the M2 Air over the weekend. I'm currently using an i5 Macbook with 8GB RAM/256GB Storage. Hoping it's going to be a life changing upgrade and I'll feel like I've been caught up with the future.
Nice desk setup!
this is a great workflow !!! A ton of great ideas I will definitely utilize, thanks for sharing.
Glad I can be of help!
Thanks for the video. Would help me out if you could advise on how your monitor speakers are connected? Do you think bluetooth is worthwhile? Also, the light you have on the monitor is cool, know where I can find one similar? Cheers man
I agree w/ you about the MX Master 3 mouse. I threw it away (literally) because of its scroll wheel and now use an Apple Magic Mouse with a case on top of it to make it more ergonomic.
Good video, man. I'm so torn between a Studio and a Macbook Pro. I currently have a very outdated Imac from 2014 that can't handle what I need to do these days, and I need to upgrade asap. I love the portability of the Macbook, but also really appreciate how the Studio has all of the ports already there which reduces some clutter. I sometimes imagine editing my videos at the coffee shop, a friends place, or on trips, but I'm honestly not sure how realistic that really is... Just can't seem to make a decision. You given some good arguments for the laptop option.
hey kyle! found your channel after i got a macbook really appreciate your help, also, so happy to see someone using one of my wallpapers! (i designed the hexagonal wallpaper in the intro)
oh no way! that's awesome haha.
where can download your wallpaper?, its awesome!
Can I ask you... What cables do you use? How does that configuration look? Is your laptop powered through the docking station? Thanks. This is a great setup and I'm going to take a lot of your tips and products
Great looking office.
Nice setup. Any idea how to turn on macbook in clamshell mode without having to lift up the lid and pressing the power key?
Great video! Can you use this docking station also with laptops?
Awesome setup! I went with the human centric vertical stand you showed in the video. I think it works well and looks great with my midnight M2 Air. I'm with you on having the laptop vertical and out of the way while I work on one monitor. I do have to take the laptop on the go 2-3 times a week. With one USB-C cable plugged in to a hub mounted behind my desk, it makes it so easy to grab and go when I need to.
..just the info i need to set up a year old M1 mac air...thank you!!!!
I use a plate stand for mine lol. You know, the stands for decorative plates 😂
Great video. Excellent quality and I learned something new. I wrote down the company for that desk mat. Looks like something grovemade would make. I went to their site and found some everyday non desktop products I would like like the AirTag stuff
Good luck moving forward with the channel. I need to start creating videos again. Been a bunch of months since my last one
Do you miss the touchpad and how do you feel about HDR monitors? Do you need one?
This set up is way aesthetic 🔥🔥🔥
In my suggestion I would still prefer to use the MX Master 3
Love the setup! I also have the same 27 inch leg monitor & I absolutely love it! Curious to know, what monitor stand are you using to hang it in the air? Planning on getting one for my desk setup😊
Thanks so much!
It's a Vivo monitor arm - I believe there is a link in the description if you need one. Thanks for watching!
What is the best monitor I can connect to smoothly with the base model of the MacBook air m2 chip
After a year of being told don’t buy a Mac mini I decided to give waiting and get the m2 air. One of these stands and a magic keyboard is the solution, to hocking up to my gaming and music production set up. Cheers for the idea!
Great video dude! Keep doing your thing.
Nothing personal but wanna give you an advice that I think will help your channel grow faster - try to talk without reading pre-written text. I understand that it is all about personal preferences and comfort but you definitely need to try it. Would help to get much better viewer experience. Good luck!
Thanks for the thorough review. You don't experience any lag while editing? I've seen another video where the person was testing to see if it's a capable laptop for editing and the part where he edited in LR on the monitor didn't seem good. I have a 4k BenQ and edit only photos. They are 61 megapixel though. But I need a laptop too to replace my Mac Mini
Nice setup. I swapped my intel based MacBook Pro for the M2 Air. Very happy with it
I have just made the same upgrade
@@davidtydeman1434 it’s a good machine. It’s held up well
Great video as I have return home after two year to find my 2013 iMac no longer support current adobe apps. So now with Apple raising the prices on the few iMacs they have available i'm looking to use my Apple air M2 laptop as a desk top.
Do you have a solution if I want to connect the MacBook to a dual monitor setup - do you need a 2 in 1 hdmi or something like that? Great video btw :)
This is awesome thank you! One question though. You did not mention webcams.
I have a Logitech webcam with an internal mic.
Will external speakers not generate an echo through the webcam's mic?
Do you have any recommendations?
Thanks again!
Coming from a windows PC, how do you connect the studio monitors to your setup? Thanks!
Love the video! I'm using mine for coding and main work in general, just wondering how did you manage the overheating problem when connecting to an external monitor? Or did you have this issue at all? I'm looking into adding a monitor to my setup but haven't done so because of the heat issue 🙃
no issues with overheating at all. The warmest the machine gets is during heavy edits in Final Cut Pro or 3D using Blender
Which M2 Air model are you using for development? (how much RAM & how much internal storage?)
Great video, Kyle. Quick question about the Razer Pro Click: I was under the understanding that the Pro Click has limited functionality with Macs (since the Razer mouse software is apparently only available on Windows). Did you find there was anything about the Pro Click that you had to compromise on as a Mac user?
Not really, but I'm not much into customization or anything. I just want something that works.
Air Candy 😍
Hello Kyle, I was thinking about doing what you did to replace my old iMac desktop. After watching your video I went the same route as you did. I basically have the exact setup as you except I went with a Benq monitor. I do have a question for you. When I sleep my Macbook I occasionally hear a popping sound from the attached speakers. Do you experience the same issue? I have tried several different things to stop the popping noise but can’t find a solution.
Amazing !!!! Wallpaper please ????
Where did you get the minutos stand and what model is it, can you please share that information.
Thanks
2:27 if you ever heard of Daiso, a Japanese product store in the US, I bought a vertical stand there for $2, You can even open the lid if you want.
Hi, following your look at the Mac mini I am wondering if I have made a mistake in my new setup. I am moving from iMac to an updated setup. I have purchased an Apple studio display and ordered a new MacBook Pro with m2 chip. I already have a 2020 MacBook Pro and intended to part exchange foe the new MacBook Pro. Already I am finding the lack of ports a nuisance and have just sort your advice on anew dongle. I am an amateur photographer and have Adobe subscription. So updating is a must. Sorry this is so long . Should I return MacBook Pro and purchase Mac mini and keep my older MacBook???
Hi, nice setup! do bt speakers work on clamshell mode? I use with my M2 a bt magic keyboard + bt magic trackpad + bt edifier speakers, and I was wondering if all of theses would still work in that mode or if I will have to use an audio jack. Thanks!
awesome video!
my 4k is on the way, hope I can be more productive, my prev monitor is 24" 1080p
Congratulations on the setup!
Why not a MX Mechanical mini or Nuphy Air 75?
I reviewed the MX Mechanical, it's alright, but still prefer the MX keys. Just personal preference.
Did you use the Ethernet port on the Orico Thunderbolt Dock? Does it work well? It works very slowly for me. I have a line at 100 Mb/s, but the port only allows me to navigate at 9 Mb/s. What about you? Thank you
Great video, Kyle! May I ask which MacBook Air M2 you decided to go for? Cheers!
I got the 512gb ssd with 16gm ram. Anything lower I wouldn’t consider due to performance reasons
Since, it consumes power when connecting to the monitor, do you plug the charger in when connecting to the monitor?
Thanks for video. Pro Tip: for guys like me who always wanted to do this setup but didn’t know the practicalities (connections, sleep settings, power settings, mouse blue tooth vs wired connections, mouse and connector compatibility etc) You would have gotten 3x views if you had quickly spliced in how to make the actual connections and settings. Until recently I was under the impression that once you closed a MacBook, it went to sleep, or blacked out all monitors etc etc. after watching this video, I can INFER some things, but it would have been better if this was a practical guide step by step video. 👍
Technology Connections has 1.2M views in such a video. that about $12,000 in yt revenue
Do you own research like everyone else 😂 or make your own 3x more views video. No brainer brotha.
Using a vertical stand to dock the laptop, will it harm the display in the long run? How is your experience with this? Really cool setup BTW!!! 😊
No, won’t hurt it at all
What brand is that wallpanel for your accessories?
What’s that light standing beside
If I may ask, does the MacBook stutter when doing a heavy duty work when connected to the 4K screen? Thanks
anyone know how i can get the mac to be closed and still manage to use it from the monitor? anytime i close it the screen freezes on wherever the macbook was at, i can move the cursor around but can't do anything else until i open the laptop again
Beautiful! I have a very similar setup. But I use a dark MX Keys Mini and dark mouse. Because whites need to be cleaned often and mice turn yellow. But this Razer is only available in white :( So Logitech Anywhere 2S best mice for me :) I don't like MX Master - can't live without side clicks on the wheel.
Are you Edifier speakers connected to your monitor or docking station in this setup?
What HDMI cable is best?
How did you customised the keys in razer pro click mouse. razer doesn't provide new synapse driver for mac
Do a performance test with the M2 air with your workflow and compare that to the m1 Mac mini. I'd be interested in the performance differences
What do you use to video calls? Webcam?
How do I set the MacBook up so I can close it and only use my monitor as the only display?
hi mate , what cable do you use for connect your monitor to mac? i have a xiaomi curve 34" and have problem for connecting to my mac
What’s the perfect resolution? I should set my Mac on the 4K LG monitor? Thanks it’s not perfectly looking right now. I tried a few different settings. And I still get a little blur I think.
Is it easy to use if you have want to connect both mach and the pc ?
who makes your monitor light?
Love the setup man. And thanks for bringing that ORICO dock to my attention, saves me a tonne compared to the CalDigit. That is assuming it pushes enough power for an M1 Pro.
CalDigit is pretty sick tbh, not gonna find between than their hubs. Their Element hub is fantastic if you wanna save some cash, making a premium USB hub video that drops next week
@@KyleErickson Thanks for the heads up. BTW just wondering, did you already have the dock? Or is there another reason you're not using the monitor instead?
@@ZacHarvey I use a thunderbolt 3 external SSD that I need it for to get those speeds
@Kyle Erickson Gotcha. Thanks for replying so quick. Just trying to make my way through my Black Friday shopping list 😀
What the overall price for this setup or an estimate of what it would cost
My favorite thing about my m1 MacBook is the keyboard.. is that keyboard similar? If not what do you recommend? I’m in the process of getting rid of my gaming pc as I am now focusing more on my kids and fishing and want to go the docking route and beginning my IT transition from the army. Thanks man for the great video
it's similar in that it's a chiclet keyboard, and the keys are relatively the same size. The key travel is a touch more on the Logitech, but it's definitely my favourite keyboard for mac.
@@KyleErickson thanks man.. love your set up to
I just changed rooms in my house for my office. I have been thinking of painting it. I like the gray color of your walls. Can you share the color and supplier?
it's called Carbon Copy! Behr paint (lucky I had an old can in the room next to me)
Having the mac always plugged in will not damage the battery?
Great advice - I'm a big fan of your reviews. Question though..... The LG monitor in this video, does it have a built in webcam for Teams calls? I can't seem to find out from the Amazon spec. Yours hopefully....
It does not!
Thanks dude!
Do you have a webcam recommendation to fit with this M2 desktop set up? PS get well soon fella
i plan to buy a MacBook Pro M2 max ( but I'm waiting cos I have a Mac Studio and I cross my fingers that Apple will unveil an M2 max Mac Studio with update IO at WWDC in a week) and I have a serious question for those who have used MacBook Pro 24/7 on a desktop mode either in clamshell mode or not hooked up to an external display , I wonder if Mac OS handles the battery cycles well , should I unplug it once a month or more ? ( the issue I would have is that It will be the studio display that will power it , not sure I can bypass that with magsafe )... if some of you guys have advices , please let me know, Thx a lot for your review.
Hey, so I recently discovered your channel and you convinced me to buy the orico docking station for my apple macbook pro m1 Max. for the monitor, I bought the benq pd2725u display and after a couple of weeks, I started to notice flickering issues. I've contacted benq and have done possibly everything to attempt to resolve the flickering but it hasn't been fixed. So my question for you is, do you have similar issues with the monitor that you use? I'm considering on buying it since your setup is almost like mine and I'm assuming yours works perfectly fine with no flickering issues?
I didnt have any issues at all! I used the Orico dock for 6 months to power my Mac and used the DisplayPort on it for my ultrafine 4K with the provided cable that came with the monitor without any problems. If you’re running the display from your dock, I’d try using the same cable if possible to your Mac and seeing what happens. I know that’s not always the case, but definitely wanna see you resolve your issue properly!
Hey Kyle a quick question, isnt it better to get a stand with cooler? im afraid to use that way and get my mac overheated
I'm not sure why it would overheat - it's designed to work with an external monitor, and it will throttle if it gets too hot. I've been using mine like this since new, no issues.
Hello Congratulations Cool 👍👏👏👏
I prefer one monitor too. In my case, I use a LG 4K on a MacBook 💻 Pro.
Logitech MX Master's scrollwheel autoswitching can be disabled in Logitech Options
Yes, but only if you want free spin or smart shift mode, not if you want completely ratchet style scrolling. In any case, the scroll functionality is not great to begin with.
How I use the MacBook M2 in Vertical? In the settings does not show.
Could you share this wallpaper?
🆒 😎 Setup..,. By the way where can I get that honeycomb wallpaper. 🙂
Not sure man, I found this on the information super highway somewhere! Been thinking about making a wallpaper set soon though for everyone
@@ibrahimsafwat Thanks brother! 👍🙂
I have a m2 mac mini but it wont recognize my speakers that are connected to the thunderbolt port!? Cant find a solution yet
Is the macbook constantly powered or only when the monitor is turned on?
hi! i’m thinking about doing a desktop desk setup soon and I don’t have a monitor, will a vizio tv do the job or what do you recommend? thank you in advance, God bless you!
postdata: your setup looks great! ✨
The only time I would ever use a TV is if it was OLED, otherwise its not going to look good
@@KyleErickson Alright, thank you very much. Have a great day! ☺️
so how you turn on and off your Macbook?
Where is your desk from I am looking for a good desk
Love the setup very clean and looks great. Gave me some good ideas for myself as i do really love the new midnight version of the M2 air which has made things hard on picking a color. But I know me and I’m very anal about keeping my devices clean and looking new so fingerprints and nicks on the body would drive me nuts, so I’ve been leaning towards the starlight as well. I’ve actually come to really love that color lately and think i might get an ipad mini in the same color and possibly a new Apple Watch and maybe iPhone in the future. But right now I’m too in love with the blue on my iPhone 12. I usually lean towards the space gray and darker colors so we’ll see. I have a space gray Apple Watch and iPad 9, along with my blue iPhone with blue case and AirPods Pro with a matching blue case and matching blue silicone case on my watch as well….anyways great video. Can’t wait for the next one!
Wow what a nice and cozy set-up. I building my Macbook AIR M2 set-up, I also want to use the Clamshell mode, but some people say that can be turn into a overheat issue, since there is no active cooling system. I work mostly with Photoshop and Illustrator, currently running a 32`inch 4k display. Do you think it will be a problem use it in clamshell mode? Thanks!
I can just speak from personal experience - I have used this machine in clamshell mode since right before I made this video, 8 hours a day, 0 issues.
My question exactly. Thanks for asking and thanks for answering. Great video!
Did you go for the 24GB RAM ? thank you for your videos
I just went for 16
I have the same monitor and wanted to connect it to a doc that would work with my MacBook Air and iPad, is it better to use display port or usb c, because I’ve heard things only work using the provided usb c cable, what’s the different between display port and usb c, thanks
as long as your monitor is supported the same on both DisplayPort and USB-C, either are fine!