maelvls dev blog

maelvls dev blog

Systems software engineer. I write mostly about Kubernetes and Go. About

30 Mar2020

The evolution of my home office from 2019 to 2022

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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):

PartNamePrice (01 May 2021)
CPUAMD Ryzen 9 5900X 3.4 GHz 12-Core Processor (I sent it back)€ 708 (street price)
CPUAMD Ryzen 9 5950X 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor (bought on AMD.com at MSRP)€ 795 (MSRP)
CPU CoolerNoctua NH-D15 CHROMAX.BLACK 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler€ 99
MotherboardGigabyte X570 AORUS MASTER ATX AM4 Motherboard€ 359
MemoryG.Skill Trident Z RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory€ 304
StorageSamsung 980 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive€ 219
Video CardGigabyte Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB EAGLE (I sent it back)€ 858 (street price)
Video CardAMD Radeon RX 6800 16 GB (bought on AMD.com at MSRP)€ 579 (MSRP)
CaseFractal Design Define 7 Compact ATX Mid Tower Case€ 133
Power Supplybe quiet! Dark Power Pro 11 750 W 80+ Platinum Semi-modular ATX Power Supply€ 243
Case Fan × 4be quiet! Silent Wings 3 59.5 CFM 140 mm Fan PWM€ 29 × 4
Total€ 2847

2021 Update

My home office in 2020

  • 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

My home office in 2020

  • 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

My home office in 2020

  • 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. 🙂

Backyard

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