In this post, I document the changes to my office setup through time.
2022 Update 2
I decided to move my office out of my home! I am now located in a co-working space in the city of Toulouse. It is called "HarryCow".
2022 Update
I added a second monitor. It is the same as the one I bought in 2019.
2021 Second Update
As you can see in the above picture, I went from a Macbook Pro to a custom PC I built!! I wanted a machine purposed for Linux and with as much CPU as I could afford. I made a gist with all the tips I have learned from my experience of switching from macOS to Linux.
Here is the part list (also available on pcpartpicker):
| Part | Name | Price (01 May 2021) |
|---|---|---|
| CPU |
|
€ 708 (street price) |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor (bought on AMD.com at MSRP) | € 795 (MSRP) |
| CPU Cooler | Noctua NH-D15 CHROMAX.BLACK 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler | € 99 |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte X570 AORUS MASTER ATX AM4 Motherboard | € 359 |
| Memory | G.Skill Trident Z RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory | € 304 |
| Storage | Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive | € 219 |
| Video Card |
|
€ 858 (street price) |
| Video Card | AMD Radeon RX 6800 16 GB (bought on AMD.com at MSRP) | € 579 (MSRP) |
| Case | Fractal Design Define 7 Compact ATX Mid Tower Case | € 133 |
| Power Supply | be quiet! Dark Power Pro 11 750 W 80+ Platinum Semi-modular ATX Power Supply | € 243 |
| Case Fan × 4 | be quiet! Silent Wings 3 59.5 CFM 140 mm Fan PWM | € 29 × 4 |
| Total | € 2847 |
2021 Update
- I switched from the Apple Magic AZERTY keyboard to a QWERTY mechanical keyboard: the Durgod Taurus K320 TKL. I chose the Cherry MX Brown switches, and I love them. It feels so much better to be typing on this keyboard. Moving from AZERTY to QWERTY was the hardest part. It took about 3 months to get as confortable as I was using the AZERTY layout. I really wanted to stop working on a "second class" keyboard layout that has poor shortcut support on most apps. The other adjustment I had to do was to go to the macOS settings and swap the Windows key with the Alt key so that the ⌘ and ⌥ keys are at in the right order.
- Two UTEBIT articulating arms that hold (1) an old iPhone 7 that I use as a secondary screen using Duet and (2) a Razer Kiyo camera.
- A Razer Kiyo camera (USB 3). I wish I had a proper DSLR camera though: the Kiyo needs a ton of light to have a good image quality.
- Two UTEBIT tabletop arms that I use to hold the flood lights.
- Two NEEWER bi-color 660 flood lights.
- A set of UTEBIT 1/4 to 3/8 screw adapters.
- 24 panels of the t.akustik WAS-7 Absorber. It greatly reduced the amount of echo/reberb in the room, and allows me to put the microphone a bit further away without losing on sound quality.
2020 Update
- Yeti Compass boom arm > Note that the boom arm is meant to carry the shock mount + the mic and since I only mounted the Yeti mic, the spring mechanism is a bit too tight which means the arm tends to go up. I unscrewed the screw in the base of the boom arm at its minimum but the tension is still too high and the boom arm tends to go up.
- Apple Magic Keyboard. I also use a Sharkoon PureWriter TKL from time to time when I want to bother my collegues with the clank-clank sound of the red switches
- USB-C hub Ugreen and AUKEY USB3 hub.
2019 Office
- LG 27UL850-W 27 inches 4K monitor
- Griffin Elevator stand
- The Flexispot standing desk E5B (B = black) with a €25 wood board I mounted on top.
- I use the Beats Solo 3 headphones. I only use it for audio output. I never use the mic in Bluetooth mode since it greatly degrades my colleague's listening experience.
- Blue Yeti USB microphone > Why a standalone mic just for Zoom? One very important aspect of the remote-only work setup is the importance of being properly understood. I take this very seriously and think that the sound quality of the mic I use every day influences how effective my meetings are. I also make a number of calls to potential candidates, which means I should sound perfect.
- Logitech K760 (wireless solar keyboard).
- Logitech MX Master Just an excellent mouse
- AUKEY mousepad XXL.
- Some random chair (I wish I could afford the Herman Miller Aeron)
And finally, here is a picture from the backyard. 🙂
Top comments (1)
I really need to post an update, my home office has changed quite a lot! A preview: