If you’re out there pimping your computer setup on a Mac social media list, but you don’t have a Mac, what do you do? Well, you could flex your Hackintosh laptop and surround it with some Apple gear to make things look good.
Redditor GrandeNJR took that route with his recent post, “Not a real Mac (Hackintosh), but do my other Apple products make up for it?” Or at least he appeared to take that route.
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Surprise, surprise
As it turns out, he has no other Apple gear, except perhaps an iPhone. And maybe an iPad, though he doesn’t list it. He just implied “other Apple products” in his headline.
Nevertheless, other Redditors seemed to accept the post as a normal part of the Mac Setups subreddit. And GrandeNJR pledged that an M1 Mac is in his future.
“Hackintosh counts in my book,” said a commenter. “I like this!”
“Haha great!” replied GrandeNJR. “My next machine will most definitely be one of the Apple Silicon Macs, been daily driving macOS on mine and haven’t looked back since.”
Hackintosh laptop and landscape and portrait monitors
In his setup, GrandeNJR sports a 2018 Huawei Matebook X Pro i5 laptop running macOS Monterey (that unauthorized use is what makes it a “Hackintosh”). The machine sits on a Soundance Laptop Stand.
He uses the laptop to drive a 29-inch LG UltraWide IPS monitor as his primary display, horizontally, and a 24-inch LG HD IPS monitor vertically, as his secondary display.
The two monitors are not especially large by today’s standards, but they certainly make a big difference as additions to a 13-inch laptop screen.
The 29-inch display features 2560 x 1080 pixel resolution and a 75Hz refresh rate. Newer versions add HDR 10 support, which is a higher standard for brightness. The 24-inch has 1980 x 1080 pixel resolution and the same refresh rate.
A Baseus Monitor Light Bar keeps the eye strain down while lighting up the desktop a little bit.
Practical peripherals
Keeping with the theme of, whoops, not many Apple products at least right now, GrandeNJR goes with an Epomaker SK64s mechanical keyboard with hot-swappable keys and RGB backlighting. We can forgive the lack of a Magic Keyboard for something like that, certainly.
Along with the keyboard, he’s got a Logitech MX Master 3 Advanced Wireless Mouse handling input and navigation.
To help smooth out the networking and connectivity in the setup, GrandeNJR turns to a Baseus 17-in-1 USB-C hub. A Remax RP-W12 wireless charger helps keep gadgets juiced.
Finally, a GoLiveMic PodPro 700 microphone is in the mix.
Shop these items now:
Computer:
Huawei Matebook X Pro i5 laptop running macOS Monterey
Monitors:
29-inch LG29WK600-W UltraWide IPS Monitor (primary)
24-inch LG24MK600M HD IPS Display (secondary)
Peripherals:
Epomaker SK64s mechanical keyboard
Logitech MX Master 3 Advanced Wireless Mouse
Networking and charging:
Audio:
GoLiveMic PodPro 700 microphone
Furniture and decor:
If you would like to see your setup featured on Cult of Mac, send some high-res pictures to info+setups@cultofmac.com. 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 or challenges.
