Computers

07-01-22

M1 MacBook Air

My primary computer is an M1 MacBook Air (Gold) with 16GB of memory and 256GB SSD. The battery life and display are incredible. The screen is a little small for my liking but I wasn’t willing to shell out the extra grand and a half for the 16" MacBook Pro.

At home, the MacBook docks to a single 27" 1440p IPS monitor as well as my peripherals (see below) via a Plugable USB-C dock. I use a Uni USB-C Hub for connecting storage and devices.

Dell Optiplex 3040 Micro

I picked up this Optiplex for super cheap to originally use as a Minecraft server. It briefly saw use as a home server but now sits unused. It’s going to be used as a test server when I get the time to set it up again. It has an i5-6500T, 16GB of memory and dual 512GB SSDs.

Raspberry Pi 3 B+

The Pi simply runs PiHole and nothing else.

Peripherals

Mouse

I’ve been committed to using a trackball for a few years now and I could never go back to a mouse for desktop use. The Logitech M570 is great. I tried the M575 refresh and MX Ergo but still prefer the shape of the original M570.

Keyboards

I love keyboards so much that I started an Etsy store for them. I primarily use the Con Corne, a monoblock Corne keyboard that I designed. It has 35g Silent Alpaca switches which are by far my favorite. When I’m on the go, I use a Corne LP with 25g tape-modded Purpz.

I also use my HHKB Pro 2 from time to time. It was my first ever mechanical keyboard and I adore Topre so much I’m willing to use the standard ANSI layout instead of my preferred 42-key keymap. It has 55g Realforce domes, lubed purple Type-S sliders and original silencing rings, essentially making it a 55g HHKB Type-S and not the 45g standard HHKB it started as.

Headphones

I’ve tried quite a few headphones but settled on the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pros (250ohm) connected to a FiiO E10K. I prefer the boosted bass and in-your-face treble over clinical and neutral sound. I came from 770 Pros but the treble is noticeably harsher with the closed-back model and I no longer use them.

I also have a pair of cheap Koss Porta-Pros with YAXI pads and FAAEL Snow Lotus since IEM tips are not comfortable to my ears.

Desk/Chair

I have a height-adjustable IDASEN frame with a GERTON (discontinued) tabletop, both from IKEA. I don’t stand but do adjust height if I’m writing or soldering so I don’t have to crane my neck.

My chair is a generic office chair (presumably from Amazon) I found in like-new condition sitting next to the dumpster. It was missing a wheel and assembled incorrectly, but after a few dollars and half an hour of time I fixed the issues. This chair will definitely be replaced in the future, but it works for now.

A BenQ Screenbar lights up the work surface of my desk.

Software

coming soon