You know, the cool thing about hiding the link to this blog in the site’s footer section is that the people who do find it truly care about what I have to say. Or they’re here by mistake, and if that’s the case, I’m a tad sad…hey, that rhymed.
Nevertheless, I come to you today to tell a story that I find interesting, and if I’m being honest, that’s the most important thing. If others find it interesting, great! Kidding…duh. In all seriousness, I’ve been working on my new setup for almost a month now, and I thought the best way to cap off this entire experience was to sit down and write a long-winded and unnecessary blog article detailing every decision I made. Indulge me?
The Past
Before sitting down to write this article, my primary workstation was a 2017 iMac. A longtime dream of mine, I decided to purchase it after experiencing several problems with my MacBook Pro. I adored this machine, using it on every single one of my projects. I was even known to bring it with me on trips and vacations! Purchased as a refurbished unit from Apple’s Certified Refurbished Program, I secured the machine for just under $1,700, which was the equivalent of a small fortune to me back then. As you can probably imagine, I was a little too excited, and the six days it took to be delivered felt like an eternity. The day the machine arrived, my excitement was evident, as I quickly sequestered myself in my room to set up my dream machine.
The computer, which quickly became referred to as “my baby,” boasted a 27-inch/5K resolution panel, a 3.5 GHz Intel Core i5 processor, a 1TB Fusion Drive, a whopping 40GB of DDR4 RAM, and the iconic all-in-one design. She was an absolute beast who could easily handle everything I threw at her and more. Files from my Panasonic G7 and iPhone 12 Pro cut like butter in applications such as Final Cut Pro and Adobe After Effects, and my DJI Mavic Air files were more of the same. As Homelander would say, it was perfect.
And, as all tech enthusiasts strive for, I found harmony in my desk setup. Everything worked the way I needed it to, and the organization was on point. There was, however, something lurking in the shadows. Something that did not make itself entirely present until Apple unveiled the initial line of M1 machines.
In typical Apple fashion, the press conference and promotional videos surrounding the M1 chip and subsequent computers were top-notch. Nearly every week, I was battling my inner thoughts telling me to take the plunge. I was strong, however, and managed to stay away from any impulse-buy or alcohol-fueled decision. I would probably still have the machine if not for the fateful day at Turkey Point, wherein I crashed my beloved DJI Mavic Air into a tree. As ridiculous as it sounds, if not for that crash, I’d most likely still be using the Air as my primary drone, and thus the iMac would continue to eat the footage for breakfast. But that didn’t happen, and instead, I found myself trying to edit much larger, much more complex files with an aging machine. The performance hiccups first began shortly after the new drone started making its way into more edits, but they eventually leaked into everything from document processing to web browsing. Restarting the machine did little to alleviate the problems, and a factory reset only seemed to delay the inevitable. With each passing failure, the path forward came more into focus, ultimately showing me a path into the world of Apple Silicon.
Once the somewhat hasty decision to jump into Apple Silicon was made, other realizations quickly made themselves clear. For starters, the iMac itself was much of the desk setup, accounting for the actual computer itself, the display, and the keyboard and mouse. Any new machine, provided it isn’t an iMac, would need a new display alongside it, as well as a new keyboard and mouse. Soon, several questions popped into my head, the most crucial of which being which computer to choose and the monitor needed to go alongside it. Despite the challenges presented, I decided to snap some photos of my baby and list her on eBay without any replacements on my radar.
The Present
The choice was not always clear, especially before Apple announced the new range of M2 devices. Initially, I was going to stick with the iMac, but the smaller screen wound up being a bigger deal breaker than I thought. Plus, the iMac seems to get no love from Apple, still rocking the M1 chip that Apple first introduced years ago. And call me crazy, but I wanted something fresh. For that reason, I began looking at laptops, thinking I might want to go back to operating out of clamshell mode, but I quickly backed off of that idea. That left me with really only one option, and this particular option afforded me some headroom, too.
That option, of course, was the M2 Mac mini. The Mac mini, much like the iMac, was always a product line that intrigued me, but the performance and cost always kept me away. When Apple made the move to Apple Silicon, the Mac mini saw a dramatic increase in performance and power, making it the perfect budget option for creators and Apple nerds like me. With that out of the way, I soon found that I had some room for upgrades, and unlike others, Apple doesn’t give ANYTHING of any real value with the base configuration. So I was left with a choice, either upgrade the internal SSD or the RAM, and I chose RAM. The jump from 8GB to 16GB was about $200, and already above what I was planning to spend on the computer, so that about wrapped up what I could do with the sale price of the iMac. But I wasn’t done yet.
As a consequence of owning an iMac, I was left without a monitor and in need of a replacement. I found a couple of viable replacements, but the price was WAY too high to justify. I managed to find a few clearance monitors from Best Buy, but of course, they wouldn’t ship to me! Luckily, this website called Amazon exists, and I was able to find an LG monitor on sale for $250. With that out of the way, all I needed to do was find a mouse.
A challenge I was not prepared for, however, was the challenge of finding a monitor replacement. I had no idea how expensive monitors still were, despite the prices of televisions dropping considerably in recent years. Despite this, I did manage to find a few monitors from companies such as Best Buy and B&H Photo, but they would not ship to my address. I suppose I should have known, considering the items were on clearance, but it was still a kick in the face. I was determined, however, and decided to scroll endlessly through Amazon one night, and there it was: a brand new LG 27” monitor, complete with HDR certification and 4K resolution - all for $225. Perhaps the only downside to this monitor is the lack of USB-C, although, with the Mac mini configuration I chose it isn’t as big a deal as I anticipated. I quickly jumped on the deal but was quickly reminded of one more piece of the puzzle I had yet to find. A mouse.
Unlike other aspects of this search, I was looking for mice pretty much every day. It was a nonstop research binge, trying to find the option that would work best for me and my workflow. Despite the critics, I loved my Magic Mouse, especially the gesture-based scrolling when using apps like Final Cut Pro and Pixelmator Pro. I wanted to switch things up, however, and given my prior experience with the Logitech MX Master, I decided to direct my search that way. A strong contender was the MX Vertical, which not only looked interesting but also seemed like it would provide me some comfort, but the price and spotty reviews ultimately kept me away. It was not until I was on page three of my Amazon search that I found the Logitech G604, an ultra-precise mouse intended for gaming. Complete with the Logitech G-Hub software, this mouse promised to be as customizable as the MX Master mouse, and perhaps even better. The best part? The mouse was on sale for $60 rather than the original $99. After reading and watching some reviews, I decided to add it to my ever-growing cart.
With that final decision made, the only thing left to do was check out. The total from Apple was easier to stomach than the total from Amazon, as everything kept slowly increasing the overall cost of this project. Nevertheless, I paid, and when I did, a part of my soul left my body and slapped me in the face. The last bit of “adversity” I faced during this process was the delivery times — everything arrived individually, one day at a time. I can already hear what you’re thinking, but trust me it sucked. With each passing day, I’d have to decide whether to set up everything without the computer or stare at everything as it began collecting dust on my bare desk. I chose the former. Once everything arrived, however, much of the excitement I felt when first setting up my iMac came rushing back. It was a lot of fun.
Getting everything set up and running was only half of the battle, however, as I still had a lot of work to do in terms of cables and cable management. I wanted to avoid as many cables as possible with this setup, so I took a few preventative and future-proofing measures to ensure I’ll never have to deal with cables again. The first thing I did was mount a power supply underneath my desk for everything to tap into. Rather than plugging everything directly into the wall, this affords me some headroom for some desk improvements down the line. It also keeps all of the cables away from the floor, thus preventing my dogs from chewing on them or cables from getting caught in something. Further, I mounted cable raceways to several sections of the desk, allowing me to funnel my network and other power cables without having to deal with them drooping down. Lastly, I decided to have this new computer live solely on a hardwired connection, thus, the Wi-Fi setting is turned off. It does make getting files via AirDrop impossible, but if I truly need something, I can always toggle it on.
The Future
I plan on keeping this machine for a long while, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t left some room for some upgrades down the line. A consequence of Apple Silicon is that none of the components are user-accessible or upgradeable, so parts like the RAM and GPU cannot be changed later. This sucks, but it isn’t the only path we can take when making upgrades to this setup. Unlike the iMac, many of these upgrades simply would not have been possible, whether it was due to the weight of the computer or the way the old cables were managed. Nevertheless, there’s a fair amount I have planned for the coming months and years.
The centerpiece of any setup, aside from the machine powering it, is the desk. My desk is pretty awesome if I do say so myself. I love the way it looks, and the legs scream modern. Despite my admiration, I have always been attracted to the idea of having a height-adjustable desk. Sometimes, simple things like changing your perspective can be all you need to figure out the solution to a problem or to see something differently. Luckily, my desk seems primed for a leg retrofit, as all I would have to do is swap out the current legs I am using for adjustable ones. Even though I think the current legs are flawless, the benefits of a sit/stand desk are all too evident, and I can’t foresee myself being able to quell my desire any time soon. Plus, with the power supply mounted underneath the desk, all of my equipment can be moved without having to worry about cables getting caught or in the way. It is a no-brainer, isn’t it?
For the machine itself, I likely run out of internal storage within the next month or so, especially if I stop making an effort to clean it of unnecessary files. To help remedy this, I have found several USB hubs designed specifically for the Mac mini, and one, in particular, has a hidden SSD enclosure for added storage. Storage is the name of the game in the video world, so that upgrade will be one of the most vital. Not only does it have this hidden enclosure, but it also has several ports at the front of the hub, allowing me to plug my devices into the front of the machine rather than hunting for the right angle at the back. While this storage is going to come in handy, it is worth noting that it won’t be the fastest in the world, especially in comparison to the internal drive, but it should be plenty fast enough for some of the larger, more permanent files to reside. As if this weren’t an already awesome idea, the hub itself does not go to sleep when the computer does, so the SSD is not constantly being mounted and unmounted. This seemingly solves one of the most glaring and pressing issues with this setup, but only time will tell if it truly works the way I need it to.
The most exciting bit of future-proofing I started planning for happens to be something that isn’t flashy, alluring, or sexy. No, it happens to be just about the most boring thing you can talk about: more storage. Unlike my personal files, all of my video files live on external drives. To do this, I use several Samsung T5 portable SSDs, all of which have varying levels of storage and speed. Having to juggle between the three different drives, especially with the lack of ports on the base M2 Mac mini, is far less than ideal. The first remedy would be to upgrade the editing workflow I use, and that is exactly what I plan on doing. Instead of using the T5 SSDs for editing, I’d be switching to another form of SSD from Samsung in conjunction with a multi-drive reader. These drives, while a bit more expensive, are far faster and more secure than the T5 SSDs, but they require a different kind of connection to play well with my computer. And since the goal is to have four of these drives working in unison, I knew I needed to find some kind of case or multi-card reader. I managed to find one that houses up to four drives and allows RAID configurations. Setting up a RAID configuration with these drives would ideally improve the speed of these drives, but most importantly, provide a rolling backup or redundancy should one of the other drives fail. The last bit of awesomeness from this project? There’s only one cable for all four drives, which allows me to keep the other ports open, which with this Mac mini, is just as important as anything else.
But what about the Samsung T5 drives? Surely they can’t just be sitting on a shelf somewhere collecting dust, right? Well, they’re still going to be in use, just a different kind of use. One of the drives (probably a 500GB one) is going to be repurposed to be an external drive for my Xbox Series X, because why not? I figured I’d be able to store some smaller games and DLC files externally, to improve performance. Time will tell how this theory pans out. As for the other two SSDs, they are going to continue to be used as backup locations for certain files, but rather than being an offline device, I’ll be connecting them to a NAS. A NAS, or network-attached storage device, is a form of storage that, as the name implies, is attached to your network. This means the volumes are accessible via a remote connection. To accomplish this, I’ll be using a Libre Computer Le Potato running Raspbian Lite, OpenMediaVault, and Plex Media Server. This process and the SSD change mentioned above will happen simultaneously, as the old drives must be formatted to be read properly. There are some technical details I’m deciding to leave out, but once it is up and running, it’ll be pretty cool.
A QUICK ASIDE: I may make a post detailing how I’ve been using RPI3 to improve certain aspects of my desk setup and smart home. Stay tuned.
The Conclusion
How does one conclude a nearly 3,000-word blog post about the various upgrades I made in and around my desk setup? I guess I should start by saying thank you if there are any of you. This was a lot of fun to write, rewrite, erase, and write again, and I hope someone found some kind of inspiration for their setup in mine. Like most things, this setup is constantly evolving, but I plan on regularly posting updates as these changes happen. As for other articles, I have several planned surrounding HomeKit, and the recent changes I’ve made to my family’s smart home, as well as some more cinematic videos. Thanks again for reading through my long-winded and not-so-interesting updates. I appreciate you. Talk soon.