written by owen on 2021-Sep-15.

I haven't updated my desk setup in what seems like 13 years due to the fact that web programming is light weight and so the latest setup is not a necessity. Plus the constrains of older hardware keeps my work focused on efficiency and longevity rather than constantly chasing the new fad - its not easy keeping a web app running for 20 years without letting the project go off budget then die.

On to the tour

Last year I bought a new 24mp camera (yet to review) which resulted in an avalanche of spending. It prompted the need to move to 64bit Windows which also required new hardware. After some months of research I went with a Micro PC from refurbished Lenovo Thinkcenter (SSD, DDR3, Wifi, Core i5, mic+headphone jacks) for roughly $200 USD, CPU+mouse+kb only. I kept my old keyboard 16 years ago because I like the button placement and I use the DOS copy/paste shortcuts (look it up). So I have to buy an PS/2 to USB adapter to get that working. Mouse died so upgraded to a wireless mouse.

Micro PC means I needed an external CD drive (not pictured) and a SD card reader for transferring pictures from the camera at USB3 speeds because the 24mp raw pictures are so large it still takes 20minutes to transfer 32gbs. The micro PC is very quiet most of the time but it does get a bit hot which causes the fans come on if you max out the CPU. The VESA mount monitor arm I had from the prior year when I bought the 24" 16:10 monitor that I use in portrait mode (more productive because you spend less time scrolling up and down but harder to edit widescreen content). $250 USD AOC Monitor is connected by a 16" DVI cable - hard to tell the difference coming from VGA. Resolution is 1200x1920.

I plan to mount the CPU on the underside of the table as soon as I find an appropriate bracket that is easy to install under the desk. Finding one is proven rather difficult considering that it has to both hold the CPU while not restricting access to the ports or air flow.

The office chair is a $150 amazon chair that developed a broken wheel so I upgraded the wheels to these cool looking roller blade wheels which are super smooth and quiet - from amazon as well. Cable management is basic stuff as well; hooks from the hardware store, replacing long cables with shorter cables where possible etc. The table is custom built with some badly placed holes which I cover with black table mats.

All in all its a pretty basic setup. I never play games on PC nor edit video and laptops are kinda meh so this setup works well for me. I am pretty satisfied with it so far although I am getting a bit annoyed with the chair.

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