I think this is a great setup for a moderate budget. Like you mentioned, it's not a setup that you can easily purchase in one day, people will need to save up for some items. I saved up for the Keychron K2 keyboard and MX Master 3 mouse over a few months and I love them both so much. It has made my workflow so much more productive.
As a budget alternative for a student setup I can recommend the HP E24D G4 Monitor. It's a dock-monitor which means that you can plug your laptop in with a USB-C cable. Mouse, keyboard, microphone, headset and all the stuff you can connect to the monitor directly. It also has a built-in camera and microphone and costs under 200$.
Love the video, I really agree that the M1 Macbook Air can be considered a budget laptop because it's actually worth every penny. However, I think a $400 4K monitor is not considered a budget monitor unless you're a pro editor who really needs a 4K monitor. But if you're the average consumer that does not need a 4K monitor for editing, that monitor would be a complete overkill.
4K is great for productivity - allowing you to easily read small text and have multiple app windows open/decrease scaling to fit more on your screen. It also comes with USB-C functionality which instantly saves you around $150 because you won't need an additional charger, cable, or adapter to hook up your MacBook to the screen.
For students in my country to be able to afford the desk usually take them at least a year of savings. By the way it looks really good. If I am able to afford it one day in the future eventually, I would do something inspired in this setup
@@CreatedTech other countries don't have such crazy medical fees my man. Btw, you could have talked about your chair, I imagine it is one of the most important parts of any setup if we are talking about good posture.
@@Stefan-wp2qr But the majority of countries do have crazy medical fees... very few have a proper medicare system. I'm Australian and we have a good system, but this kind of surgery would be out of pocket so still expensive, not to mention the non-financial costs such as constant pain or inability to do sports you love. Regarding the chair - no IMO it's not as important as each person will prefer and fit in different types of chairs. A standing desk is universal and is one of the best ways to avoid long-term health issues as you will be standing much more often.
@@CreatedTech I'm French and I'm so grateful to be born in this country, our medical system is one of the best. But as a student, I can't even afford a macbook, a good desk or chair in the first place so... I'll get the back surgery for free I guess
As a student from Mexico, this is a little expensive for us haha but since the last year I was start to save money and buy some things month by month and now I'm near to finally can get my dream desk setup! I'm focused to obtain a standing desk because my back really starts to hurt a little, I think the vivo seems like a good choice, for the price haha
Appreciate your country because in my country these facilities are very expensive. I am a student and after working hard I was able to buy a 2015 MacBook. I wish I could have a good life like you :)
the best thing about 27 inch 4k monitors are that they are at around 163 ppi meaning this is as close as it will get to match the display quality of a macbook pro or imac, currently it is not possible to have the same 200 plus ppi like the mac on a monitor without going into 8k territory and a premium price tag
A great budget option for the MX Master mouse is the M720 Triathlon! It also has Bluetooth and can switch between 3 devices and has an infinite scroll, it just doesn’t charge via usb c it need a battery but overall an amazing mouse Edit: it also doesn’t have a separate side scroll but that’s not always necessary for most people
Yeah I use and love the M720 Triathlon! I actually consider the fact that it uses a AA battery a benefit, because it can last up to 2 years on a single one, and I use rechargeable AA batteries anyway. The USB-C charging mice are advertised to only last 30 days or so between charges which can be annoying if you realize it ran out of juice at the start of your workday.
@@ash.mystic Not to mention the Logitech software that comes with the M720 Triathlon that I am using right now is awesome! I have the first mouse button set to like tweets on Twitter and the second mouse button to go back on Twitter!
You will love it. I had an m1 MacBook pro but returned it for the air instead. $400 less and zero performance difference at all. Battery life is unreal too.
@@daz_online not really same m1 chip only difference is Touch Bar and it’s better for gaming but who’s going to game on a Mac so the statement Mac Pro is better is false you slave
I'm a professional dev of 15 years and i basically use this same gear. The M1 flies. The lower-end chips are so quick now that the biggest bottleneck is usually the brain or distractions.
I have this exact monitor and use it with my M1 Air and it's fantastic! No issues whatsoever since I directly connect the USB-C cable to the laptop, without using a dock. I don't particularly like the stand, but that's no big deal. Also in the beginning, I had some issues with the resolution sometimes after waking from sleep, but that seems to be fixed in some recent Big Sur update.
@@yerzhant701 I use it in scaled mode with "looks like 2560x1440". Everything is way too large if you use it in normal mode (1080p@2x) in macOS. I also have the 5K iMac from work and even though the 4K LG has less pixels, it doesn't look worse in my opinion even though I'm normally extremely picky about these things. (You do notice it if you use them side-by-side, but since one is work-only and one is personal-only, it wasn't a problem for me.)
@@stefandesu Hello, I don't speak English, so I do this from the translator. One question, when the MacBook is connected to the monitor, will it not always be charging? And if so, wouldn't that affect the battery of the macbook? is that I have the macbook air M1 but only that, I'm just seeing how I could put together my setup Thanks
I was looking at so many videos for a an affordable student MacBook setup for so long and here you come out with a video about it right when I was about to give to the higher prices. Thank you :)))
Almost bought the desk on Amazon but want to quickly note if you have to travel or move your desk, you are literally going to need a lot of patience taking it apart and traveling. So I definitely recommend buying a cheap desk for student work and investing in a better desk for a more permanent place
It's actually really easy to move. Just take off the wood desk top and move top and legs separately. Even if you have to disassemble the base it takes no more than about 10 minutes!
I literally spent weeks trying to find a USB-C monitor at a lower price point that had everything I needed, as I couldn't afford the DELL UltraSharp you recommended. Then literally a week after I settled on a monitor you posted this. Luckily I happened to settle on the exact same monitor, great minds think alike!
Overall a very thoughtful video and perhaps the only thing I would also consider - find sources for refurbs, reconditioned, open box, etc that can help with the budget for those with fewer funds to work with in this desktop build. I admit I would rather invest a bit more and add RAM to the laptop.
I just love that minimalist set up, with all the Covid working from home that some of us have to deal with at the moment I’m definitely going to use this video as inspiration so that I can set up my own home office. Thanks for another great video Liam.
You see the thing is I’m not a university or college student sooo I don’t know if I need a setup like this yet I’m still year seven so a good setup for me will probably be my bed right now cause we don’t have any assignments where we have to right a lot but thanks I will use this in the future
I really want to make this setup and im saving up to make it. Thanks for the awesome video it gave me great idea and it looks absolutely amazing! I have a MacBook Air M1 2020 so this is perfect!
So how did you connect the MacBook to the monitor? Just a USB C cable which charges the battery constantly? Please let me know anyone! Love an Aussie video
Hey, I wanted to ask what that laptop stand was, as *the link in the description is to a different stand*, and I really like the one you showed in the video
Do you use black magic resolve for editing? I'd say use final cut Pro, it's lightning fast on the m1 series. (And apple doesn't seem to care about a very simple exploit about using the 90 day trial and putting it in the trash and taking it out and ur 90 days will be back again... if u search for a little, there is a simple command for this too. This is not even a crack, cracks involve involve partially illegal stuff, and using the trash is definitely not illegal and nor is using a command to speed the "move to trash" and "restore".)
recommend an ultrawide monitor for mac air m1, and how can I connect it? I also want to connect a mouse, keyboard, webcam and sound card, what should I buy?
Thanks Liam for the useful video! I actually went and bought that lightbar right after seeing it here!! I'll be studying next semester and this will definitely come in handy for those late-night study sessions :D Such a cool, sleek design compared to those worth more than $100!! Even the BenQ monitor light at $160 struggles to have that uniform design. Also: . . . Discord gang represent :D
I have both the BenQ and the Baseus lightbar - the BenQ is certainly better but not worth almost 3x the cost of the Baseus... Any lightbar however is a great upgrade! I wish I had one of these 5 years ago...
Sorry i am a bit of track rn why do i „need“. Monitor when i can work on the MAC ? Like what tasks do i do with what? For what i use the mac then ? 😅 Other than that great video :)
Products featured in this video:
⮕ M1 MacBook Air: geni.us/m1air
⮕ Standing Desk: geni.us/sitstanddesk
⮕ Laptop Stand: geni.us/mstand
⮕ LG 27” 4K Monitor: geni.us/lg27inch4k
⮕ Budget Widescreen Monitor: geni.us/lg29w
⮕ Lightbar: geni.us/screenlight
⮕ Keyboard: geni.us/keychronk6
⮕ Leather Desk Mat: geni.us/leatherdeskpad
⮕ Anker USB-C Hub: geni.us/ankerhub8in1
⮕ Logitech Wireless Mouse: geni.us/mxmouse
What camera did you use to film this video?
What's the chair
Coming from a fucked up third world country the only thing I can afford for now is a street cat but, well, this set up is really inspiring. Congrats!
I feel u bro
🇳🇬?
You are not alone mate 🇮🇩
Same here. You can’t even find a ikea table here. Life is not fair and so fucked up.
tínhamos q ser brasileiro ne cara
I think this is a great setup for a moderate budget. Like you mentioned, it's not a setup that you can easily purchase in one day, people will need to save up for some items. I saved up for the Keychron K2 keyboard and MX Master 3 mouse over a few months and I love them both so much. It has made my workflow so much more productive.
As a budget alternative for a student setup I can recommend the HP E24D G4 Monitor. It's a dock-monitor which means that you can plug your laptop in with a USB-C cable. Mouse, keyboard, microphone, headset and all the stuff you can connect to the monitor directly. It also has a built-in camera and microphone and costs under 200$.
Great suggestion
Love the video, I really agree that the M1 Macbook Air can be considered a budget laptop because it's actually worth every penny. However, I think a $400 4K monitor is not considered a budget monitor unless you're a pro editor who really needs a 4K monitor. But if you're the average consumer that does not need a 4K monitor for editing, that monitor would be a complete overkill.
4K is great for productivity - allowing you to easily read small text and have multiple app windows open/decrease scaling to fit more on your screen. It also comes with USB-C functionality which instantly saves you around $150 because you won't need an additional charger, cable, or adapter to hook up your MacBook to the screen.
Agreed. I’d rather get a 1440 with 144hz or more [IPS, P3, sRGB] panel than a 4k, IF I’m on a budget.
@@navixaxa5023 its a Mac btw
4K now is a must cuz of how M1 macs sucks with anything not 4k it’s along long story however Dell is hella expensive and cheaper 4k panels exists
4k is very helpful for relieving eye strain when reading text that is now a bit more blurry.
“ Saves your neck and back “ okay I’m in
What about my p*ssy and my crack?
@@fadhilhussain8344 😂😂😂😂
As a student only thing that i can afford is that desk, lmao
$200 now to save $50,000 on medication and surgery when you're 40 with debilitating back pain!
For students in my country to be able to afford the desk usually take them at least a year of savings. By the way it looks really good. If I am able to afford it one day in the future eventually, I would do something inspired in this setup
@@CreatedTech other countries don't have such crazy medical fees my man. Btw, you could have talked about your chair, I imagine it is one of the most important parts of any setup if we are talking about good posture.
@@Stefan-wp2qr But the majority of countries do have crazy medical fees... very few have a proper medicare system. I'm Australian and we have a good system, but this kind of surgery would be out of pocket so still expensive, not to mention the non-financial costs such as constant pain or inability to do sports you love.
Regarding the chair - no IMO it's not as important as each person will prefer and fit in different types of chairs. A standing desk is universal and is one of the best ways to avoid long-term health issues as you will be standing much more often.
@@CreatedTech I'm French and I'm so grateful to be born in this country, our medical system is one of the best. But as a student, I can't even afford a macbook, a good desk or chair in the first place so... I'll get the back surgery for free I guess
As a student from Mexico, this is a little expensive for us haha but since the last year I was start to save money and buy some things month by month and now I'm near to finally can get my dream desk setup! I'm focused to obtain a standing desk because my back really starts to hurt a little, I think the vivo seems like a good choice, for the price haha
0:20 thank you for including most important tool man! idk how people forget this.
0:28 thanks for making me feel included!
Appreciate your country because in my country these facilities are very expensive. I am a student and after working hard I was able to buy a 2015 MacBook. I wish I could have a good life like you :)
They will never understand another countries) They way of thinking - if you are homeless just buy a house!
The moment i saw the macbook i knew the video is not for me. My idea of a budget setup is a laptop on table/floor/lap.
the best thing about 27 inch 4k monitors are that they are at around 163 ppi meaning this is as close as it will get to match the display quality of a macbook pro or imac, currently it is not possible to have the same 200 plus ppi like the mac on a monitor without going into 8k territory and a premium price tag
A great budget option for the MX Master mouse is the M720 Triathlon! It also has Bluetooth and can switch between 3 devices and has an infinite scroll, it just doesn’t charge via usb c it need a battery but overall an amazing mouse
Edit: it also doesn’t have a separate side scroll but that’s not always necessary for most people
Or even the M590 if you prefer a quieter mouse.
I have one and I can confirm it is great! A little BT delay but I deal with it on my M1 Mac. USB receiver probably doesn’t have that issue
Yeah I use and love the M720 Triathlon! I actually consider the fact that it uses a AA battery a benefit, because it can last up to 2 years on a single one, and I use rechargeable AA batteries anyway. The USB-C charging mice are advertised to only last 30 days or so between charges which can be annoying if you realize it ran out of juice at the start of your workday.
@@ash.mystic Not to mention the Logitech software that comes with the M720 Triathlon that I am using right now is awesome! I have the first mouse button set to like tweets on Twitter and the second mouse button to go back on Twitter!
@@Salty_Biscuitz88 nah that’s sucks tiny and not ergonomic at all
Where is that chair from, looks nice and comfortable
Stockholm High Back Chair (Dark Grey) from Officeworks
Thank you for this video. I'm a college student and I was looking for student set up. And I just ordered M1 MacBook Air after seeing your videos.
For anyone getting into a proper desk setup, i definitely agree this is a great selection of items Liam. These kit will definitely last a long while!
How about your chair ? Would love to know more info on that
Just a cheap one from a random office store. I am thinking about getting a more expensive one soon, but the standing desk was more important to me!
@@CreatedTech was it Officeworks?
I’m about to get me a MacBook Air so this is great for me. Great content tho
You will love it. I had an m1 MacBook pro but returned it for the air instead. $400 less and zero performance difference at all. Battery life is unreal too.
@@rbasi25 pro is better 😂
@@daz_online not really same m1 chip only difference is Touch Bar and it’s better for gaming but who’s going to game on a Mac so the statement Mac Pro is better is false you slave
you really going to spend so much ?
@@bowen89 bootcamp a pro and you can play pretty much any game you want
I'm a professional dev of 15 years and i basically use this same gear. The M1 flies.
The lower-end chips are so quick now that the biggest bottleneck is usually the brain or distractions.
I can relate to this. Not nearly as experienced as a developer, but now that I have an M1 MBP it’s now the outside world that slows me down.
I have this exact monitor and use it with my M1 Air and it's fantastic! No issues whatsoever since I directly connect the USB-C cable to the laptop, without using a dock.
I don't particularly like the stand, but that's no big deal. Also in the beginning, I had some issues with the resolution sometimes after waking from sleep, but that seems to be fixed in some recent Big Sur update.
Are there any font/icon/iface issues? As there's an opinion that 2560x1440 for 27" is a better choice.
@@yerzhant701 I use it in scaled mode with "looks like 2560x1440". Everything is way too large if you use it in normal mode (1080p@2x) in macOS. I also have the 5K iMac from work and even though the 4K LG has less pixels, it doesn't look worse in my opinion even though I'm normally extremely picky about these things. (You do notice it if you use them side-by-side, but since one is work-only and one is personal-only, it wasn't a problem for me.)
@@stefandesu Thanks for the prompt and detailed reply.
@@yerzhant701 For sure! I happened to see it so shortly after you replied.
@@stefandesu Hello, I don't speak English, so I do this from the translator. One question, when the MacBook is connected to the monitor, will it not always be charging? And if so, wouldn't that affect the battery of the macbook? is that I have the macbook air M1 but only that, I'm just seeing how I could put together my setup
Thanks
been using the same portable laptop stand. it's sturdy even for heavier laptops because it's made from alloy. highly recommended
which one is it he dosent mention the name ??
@@allenlopez9508 and link is to a different stand.
I was looking at so many videos for a an affordable student MacBook setup for so long and here you come out with a video about it right when I was about to give to the higher prices. Thank you :)))
I think I just found the perfect minimal setup... thank you for sharing it!
Almost bought the desk on Amazon but want to quickly note if you have to travel or move your desk, you are literally going to need a lot of patience taking it apart and traveling. So I definitely recommend buying a cheap desk for student work and investing in a better desk for a more permanent place
It's actually really easy to move. Just take off the wood desk top and move top and legs separately. Even if you have to disassemble the base it takes no more than about 10 minutes!
@@CreatedTech ok :)
I literally spent weeks trying to find a USB-C monitor at a lower price point that had everything I needed, as I couldn't afford the DELL UltraSharp you recommended. Then literally a week after I settled on a monitor you posted this. Luckily I happened to settle on the exact same monitor, great minds think alike!
Any issue with MacBook recognizing the Monitor ?
@@iwineyard no not at all. Plug the USB C cable into the monitor and into the MacBook then it works straight away.
I wanna know what chair that is!
sameeee by the looks of it kinda looks expensive tho
Yoo that light bar tho 😻
Came for monitor recommendations, stayed for the cat
Dude Liam those shots are actually insane! The production quality is superb!!!!
Great info... Thank you. Question, what laptop stand is that? The link in your description shows a totally different stand. Thank you.
Your content is awesome, as someone who is going to secondary school the setup is just for me :)
this is extremley overkill for secondary school unless your in year 10 or 11
Perfect desk set up for students. Just webcam is missing. Nowadays it is must for students.
soo you're not gonna share the link to the monitor stand?
I like the way he use word 'buy to invested'. Brilian 😁👍
watching this with my 8 gen its really great quality
I would've liked to see a chair recommendation. Great video!
Notion is awesome, thanks for the video insp!
This is my dream setup.
Currently, I miss the desk and the monitor. Slowly getting there tho.
Thanks for the inspiration!
What’s about the usage of Speakers? 🔊
Quite a few people don't use speakers and prefer to use headphones (like me). I left this category blank because of this.
@@carbongo I'd recommend buying over-ear headphone rather than on-ear ones.
I want your chair buying link
Overall a very thoughtful video and perhaps the only thing I would also consider - find sources for refurbs, reconditioned, open box, etc that can help with the budget for those with fewer funds to work with in this desktop build. I admit I would rather invest a bit more and add RAM to the laptop.
I just love that minimalist set up, with all the Covid working from home that some of us have to deal with at the moment I’m definitely going to use this video as inspiration so that I can set up my own home office. Thanks for another great video Liam.
oh yeah i’m definitely copying this setup, thanks for compiling a somewhat affordable list
YES to the K6 and MX3.. easily switches for use from the MB to the IpadPro..
Just what I was looking for, thank you!🙌🏼
Love it, great choice!
Love it, I really liked the laptop mount.
Thanks for sharing! Looking for a USB-C Monitor to charge the new M1 setup!
You see the thing is I’m not a university or college student sooo I don’t know if I need a setup like this yet I’m still year seven so a good setup for me will probably be my bed right now cause we don’t have any assignments where we have to right a lot but thanks I will use this in the future
I came for the chair. What chair is that?
can you tell the model of chair in thumbnail?
I really want to make this setup and im saving up to make it. Thanks for the awesome video it gave me great idea and it looks absolutely amazing! I have a MacBook Air M1 2020 so this is perfect!
Any ideas for chairs?
Bro I am in love with your chair. Can you please tell me from where did you bought it?
What chair is seen in the video? can you send the link please?
So how did you connect the MacBook to the monitor? Just a USB C cable which charges the battery constantly? Please let me know anyone! Love an Aussie video
What about that office chair? It looks pretty comfortable! Where’s that from?
What was your chair? I would like to look at it and learn about price info.
What chair is seen in the video? can you send the link please?
Hey, I wanted to ask what that laptop stand was, as *the link in the description is to a different stand*, and I really like the one you showed in the video
Yooooooo this setup looks lit!
Looks Awesome!
This video is awesome!
My setup is similar, with few differences, and few additions I am yet to make.
Gotta have a cat in the office set up! 😸
Can you please put a link for the monitor stand, I can’t find a good one?
I don't have a link as it's just a basic one from IKEA, I couldn't find it on my country's IKEA site.
@@CreatedTech it’s fine, thank you for the help!
I use Roost laptop stand, I believe it's nice and light.
Do you use black magic resolve for editing? I'd say use final cut Pro, it's lightning fast on the m1 series. (And apple doesn't seem to care about a very simple exploit about using the 90 day trial and putting it in the trash and taking it out and ur 90 days will be back again... if u search for a little, there is a simple command for this too. This is not even a crack, cracks involve involve partially illegal stuff, and using the trash is definitely not illegal and nor is using a command to speed the "move to trash" and "restore".)
the chair ;-; what's it called ?
Very Nice Video! Can you tell me what kind of Chair do you use ? Its Probably not Budget Friendly but it look very nice and ergonomic. Thank You :)
What chair is seen in the video? can you send the link please?
recommend an ultrawide monitor for mac air m1, and how can I connect it? I also want to connect a mouse, keyboard, webcam and sound card, what should I buy?
What’s the chair?
can you please drop the link to your chair
the minimal setup is my dream setup. sadFace
Nice minimal affordable desk setup!
I don't understand how he connected all this, what kind of cord does he use?
I would love to change the standing desk, the monitor and the IKEA monitor stand
how did he connect the monitor??? what kind of cable does he use???
Great video! Love it. But, I don’t believe you linked the monitor stand/drawer organizer ! Maybe I missed it
thank you so much for this amazing, very helpful, and budget-wise video! deserve all the best mate!
Yall can try Logitech G502 Lightspeed Wireless for the unlimited scroll
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
I have the same 4K monitor. It's great.
is charging through monitor safe ?
Yep it draws low voltage compared to the provided charger, and because its low voltage its always safe!!
I realy like your setup, the only thing i miss is the speakers.
great video
Can you plug in a webcam to the monitor and join zoom calls with the laptop closed instead of using laptop camera ?
That is beautiful damn
Apologies if this was asked already, what brand / model of chair is that in your video?
What type of chair do you use?
Great content! What kind of chair is that by the way?
This is the kind of set up i want!! 🔥🔥
What’s the brand of that chair ?
Can you tell me the name of the chair pls :D
I'm here for the chair 💺 what's it called and where
Chair?
Thanks Liam for the useful video! I actually went and bought that lightbar right after seeing it here!! I'll be studying next semester and this will definitely come in handy for those late-night study sessions :D
Such a cool, sleek design compared to those worth more than $100!! Even the BenQ monitor light at $160 struggles to have that uniform design.
Also:
.
.
.
Discord gang represent :D
I have both the BenQ and the Baseus lightbar - the BenQ is certainly better but not worth almost 3x the cost of the Baseus... Any lightbar however is a great upgrade! I wish I had one of these 5 years ago...
Great review for a budget minimalist desk. What is the size of your table?
Can you mount the LG on a monitor arm? If so do you need an adaptor for a VESA mount?
Love it... I am gonna put tab s7+
Does anyone know of the specific model of the standing desk he was using?
Sorry i am a bit of track rn why do i „need“. Monitor when i can work on the MAC ? Like what tasks do i do with what?
For what i use the mac then ? 😅
Other than that great video :)
budget and affordable in a sentence along with Mac and student? don't think that works. Maybe a student in Switzerland :D. Cool vid
Wish me luck, I’m about to build something simulator but way cheaper with an 2014 MacBook Pro.