Looking at computer setups proudly flaunted on social media sometimes leads to cases of crippling envy. You may have some top-notch Apple gear, but you probably don’t possess treasures like those of today’s world-beating user: a new, high-end M2 Ultra Mac Pro, a Mac Studio, a Pro Display XDR and two Studio Displays. Sheesh. An M2 Ultra Mac Pro with Pro Display XDR is way over the top, but this rig adds another killer desktop machine as backup, plus a pair of Studio Displays!
Enviable M2 Ultra Mac Pro with Pro Display XDR setup also flaunts 2 Studio Displays (and a Mac Studio)
Redditor ClassicalTechnology (“CT”) showcased the swanky setup in a post entitled, “M2 Mac Pro, XDR Display and two Studio Display setup.” So he drives a trio of premium Apple screens — a 32-inch, 6K resolution Pro Display XDR flanked by two 27-inch 5K resolution Studio Displays — using an immensely powerful M2 Ultra Mac Pro desktop machine. That’s $20,000+ on a desk, that is.
“Mac Pro has tons of PCIe NVME cards that leaves my desktop less cluttered, am liking the triple screen setup, too — but would look more minimal with just the XDR, of course,” CT wrote.
We don’t often write about Mac Pro in setups because we rarely see the famous cheesegrater — especially new models. As Apple says, “M2 Ultra puts our most powerful CPU in every Mac Pro. Its GPU with massive unified memory does things other GPUs can’t. And its Media Engine has the performance of seven Afterburner cards built in. Now pros can tackle the most demanding workflows with unprecedented speed and efficiency.”
These days, Mac Pro starts at $7,000. But if you want to, you can max it out with a 76-core GPU (rather than the starting 60-core unit), up to 192GB unified memory, up to 8TB SSD storage, a Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad (in addition to the included Magic Keyboard) — for about $12,500. In CT’s case, he adds a $6,000 Pro Display XDR and two $1,600 Studio Displays, plus other peripherals.
Of course some fun must be had
And of course commenters had a bit of fun with the sheer majesty of the setup’s over-the-top computing power — and costs.
“Perfect setup to watch YouTube [and] play Minecraft on,” one said.
“And word processing! And desktop publishing!” added another.
“Nah, just Wordle,” quipped a third, truly bringing home the withering understatement.
Another person cited development work as a good job for such a setup, while a fourth tossed in a funny question directed toward CT’s possibly above-average net worth and how he got it: “Do you work at the money factory making commerce?”
Why Mac Pro instead of Mac Studio?
Photo: Apple
For the record, CT did not answer any questions about what they do for a living. But they were happy to answer questions about the gear, including the pricey cheesegrater.
When a commenter asked “glossy or matte?” about the displays, CT replied, “All 3 are glossy, I don’t have any windows in there — so not much glare.”
Another person wondered why CT would have a Mac Pro at all, because other powerful Macs — Mac Studio, Mac mini and even top MacBooks — provide more than enough computing power for most people. But he hit on one key point that turned out to be the answer to his question.
“My main question is why the Mac Pro instead of the Studio, though?” they asked. “Awesome setup, don’t get me wrong, but that’s the question I have every time I see a Mac Pro. Do you use PCIe SSDs?”
“I have a Mac Studio too, but it cannot come close to filling the role the Mac Pro can do,” CT replied. “I have a massive amount of NVME PCIe SSds in it, including stuff like the Sonnet 8×4 PCIe card with 8 NVME, etc. [And]I tried the same with the Mac Studio, but the cost and cable clutter of external Thunderbolt devices was just not good. Noisy externally, too. The PCIe is quiet and faster in the Mac Pro, even with bandwidth considerations. Oh, and all of the PCIe cards went straight from my 2019 Mac Pro and worked great with the M2 Ultra Mac Pro, too.”
“Yeah makes complete sense, then,” the commenter agreed. “PCIe SSDs are the only reason to get a Pro instead of a Studio!” To that another commenter appeared to exclaim, “Sheesh.”
Use case for 3 displays
“What’s your use-case for the Studio Displays?” asked another commenter.
“I’ve gone back-and-forth between two or three displays, but three actually works out fairly well,” CT replied. “On the right display I’ll keep something like my email open and maybe some stocks information throughout the day, and on the left one I’ll have some thing like activity monitor or my music. Finder in the left, too, if I’m working on a video or Photoshop. And then in the middle one, I’ll focus on whatever I’m working on.”
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If you would like to see your setup featured on Cult of Mac, send some high-res pictures to [email protected]. Please provide a detailed list of your equipment. Tell us what you like or dislike about your setup, and fill us in on any special touches, challenges and plans for new additions.
