Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Recommendations for desk setup for MacBook Air

J

jackgbanks

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 26, 2011
23
0
Hi Everyone,

So I've finally decided that I'm going to get a maxed out 11" Air next month for when I go to uni in September - it's light and portable which means it should be a doddle for carrying to lectures etc.

But now the dilemma (I'm sure that's not how you spell it but that's how the correction comes up) is what I'm going to use it with.

The 11" screen is fine and dandy for when I'm taking notes/in the library, but for when I'm in my room I'd like a nice external monitor.

So basically, I'm asking for some recommendations for a decent sized (at least 20") external monitors that I would be able to hook the Air up to and, if possible, also a PS3.

Also, any suggestions regarding to a desk setup would be great; keyboards, mice, USB drives, stands would be great :)

Thanks in advance!

Jack
 
Just about any external monitor these days will suit your needs. It's a question of compatibility with the mini display port on your MBA. There are a number of adapters that go from mini disply to HDMI - check those out. Then, simply find a large monitor with HDMI from a reputible company and away you go. HDMI also works with your PS3.

I suggest the Apple wireless keyboard. Mine has been going strong for years, very happy with it. I'm not a fan of Apple's bluetooth mouse. If you are going to be utilizing the gestures in OSX Lion, I'd suggest Apple's wireless trackpad.

Try getting away from USB drives. Open a free Dropbox account and invite some friends (you'll get more storage that way). If you must have a USB, you can pick up high capacity ones on the cheap these days.

I have the BookArc stand from Twelve South. Great stand indeed!

Hope this helps a bit.
 
If an Apple 27" display is too much, you can consider one of the smaller nice displays offered by Dell and NEC. You can use the DisplayPort or HDMI port on the display. Surely, you need an adapter since the newest Air has only Thunderbolt for video out.
 
Well, as previously mentioned, the (new) Apple display is fantastic... but very expensive!

Any good monitor will work great, for the air and the PS3. Just make sure it's got good resolution (e.g. 1080, maybe more although I'm not sure how the PS3 will work with that), and has a HDMI or DVI connection, since both of those connections will work with the air and the PS3 (you'll still need an adapter for the air). With the PS3 in mind though I'd lean towards HDMI for simplicity's sake.

For mice and keyboards, I do really like Apple's keyboard (wireless) as well as the magic mouse. But for mice, there are many mice that work well with mac, and you'll already have the trackpad for gestures and whatnot...

Usb drives are pretty straightforward though. Not sure what kind of suggestions you want there. I'll say this though, the first thing I look at with drives is the warranty. The longer the better! (it'll give you a probability based indication of quality).

And finally, like the previous poster mentioned, dropbox is is awesome! Works great, simple and unobstrusive, I highly recommend it.
 
So basically, I'm asking for some recommendations for a decent sized (at least 20") external monitors that I would be able to hook the Air up to and, if possible, also a PS3.

Also, any suggestions regarding to a desk setup would be great; keyboards, mice, USB drives, stands would be great :)

Thanks in advance!

Jack




Do you have a budget for the monitor? Apples' thunderbolt display is very good, and with mini display port to HDMI I reckon that should work with a PS3 but I dunno for sure the problem with it is it is rather expensive. Otherwise anything with a HDMI port will do the job

unless you want 2 screens a stand is not necessary just put your macbook air in clamshell mode and put it behind the screen.

keyboards- apples keyboard is good or a logitech Dinovo mac version
mice- apple wireless trackpad(if you like it on the air) or a logitech one
 
The ultimate solution would be Apple's new Thunderbolt Display... however, this will not work with a PS3 because the source has to be Thunderbolt. Also, it's pretty pricey.

I'd suggest a 1920x1200 monitor with a built-in TV tuner. I used a Samsung T240HD 24in my first year. The resolution is amazing when hooked up to a computer (with that extra 120 pixels compared to 1080p). It also served well for my 360 and PS3 (since it supported 1080p too). And with the TV tuner, I could also (obviously) watch TV. It also had built-in speakers, which a lot of regular computer monitors don't have. It was only $300 back then (2 years ago), so there should be some decently cheaper options nowadays.
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back