I’d originally listed out the hardware and software I use in case anyone was interested, but realised how dry that was. So instead I’ve interviewed myself in the style of The Setup. Except for my gaming collection, which I’m assuming is of more interest to those who favour lists.
What hardware do you use?
PC: Chillblast Fusion Scimitar Custom Specs.
Monitor: 27″ Asus VP278H Full HD Gaming Monitor, MSI Optix G32CQ4 Curved Gaming Monitor, and an vertical Dell monitor.
Keyboard: Razer Ornata V2
Mouse: Trust GXT960 gaming mouse
Mousepad: Titanwolf XX Speed Gaming Mouse Pad
Headset: Roccat Kave XTD
My first major purchase when I started my business was a Samsung R540 laptop which is still going clinging on, but reach retirement. So I invested in a Chillblast desktop PC set-up (the Fusion Scimitar with some upgrades) to handle everything.
It’s currently hooked up to an 27″ Asus VP278H Full HD Gaming Monitor, and a Dell monitor set vertically for work, and an MSI Optix curved gaming monitor for sim racing.
Sound is currently a paid of old Logitech speakers, along with the Roccat headphones for meetings, streaming and gaming.
Everything is sat on an IKEA Utespelare gaming desk which allows me to have two chairs next to each other – one office chair for work, and an old static chair and GT Omega stand for sim racing.
My little old Argos desk has now been moved across the room, with a Raspberry Pi 400 and cheap monitor for anyone visiting who needs computer access. Or for playing around with Pi projects.
My only real complaint is the common issue with the stands on Asus monitors, as mine tends to wobble a fair bit if there’s any contact with my desk.
Then there are 2 mobile phones. My personal phone is a Motorola G3 which does everything I need pretty well, and has a decent camera for a ‘budget’ smartphone. While the work handset is an old HTC Sensation purely used for voice calls, texts and that’s about it. Both are on GiffGaff.
In the office area is also a Roland Micro Cube amp for when I get to play guitar, and shelves of books.
We also have an upstairs office in the house, where I’ve currently parked my Ikea Frederik standing desk. It’s currently holding various parts of the retro gaming collection, an old Samsung R540 laptop, and a pile of cables and other junk.
And what software?
I tend to live in Google services for Gmail, Calendar, Drive and Youtube. We use Trello for home project management, and obviously I spend a lot of time on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit, plus I upload almost all pictures to Flickr despite their new UI being worse for archiving and filing, and bookmarks go to Diigo.
Browsing is done with a mixture of Firefox and Chrome, usually with a handful of tabs open in each, and various extensions, like Aviary for screenshots, which doesn’t seem to be available anymore…
Working in a home office, often alone, means constant audio is required from Spotify, and entertainment during work breaks is provided by Youtube, iPlayer and occasionally Lovefilm.
Workwise, it’s a mix of the traditional Excel, Word etc, along with Open Office and GIMP for image editing. Most sites we work on are built using WordPress, occasionally with added eCommerce from Jigoshop, or Magento.
For social media posting, it’s a mix of Tweetdeck, Hubspot, and Buffer to maintain some separation between accounts more than anything, and for SEO there are a range of tools, but the best value has probably come from Screaming Frog.
What would be your dream setup?
I’m pretty happy with my desktop now. It’s powerful enough for everything I need, and should last a fairly long time before any upgrades are required.
It does mean the home office needs reworking – ideally a bigger desk, nicer office chair, and space for at least one additional monitor. Aside from that, I pretty much have everything I need for working at home.
My dream list does have a new laptop on it, as I need something newer and faster. But having a decent home set-up means I can go for a lower end netbook to handle meetings, presentations and occasionally working away from home.
Other than that, it’s expanding my video and photo capabilities. So a decent DLSR and an action camera of some description.
Vaping:
- Aspire Glint kit with Nautilus GT tank- MTL
- OBS Cube-X with Nautilus 2S tank – MTL
- Aspire Zelos Vape Kit with Nautilus 2 Tank – MTL
- Eleaf iStick 40w with Nautlius 2 Tank – MTL
- Innokin Pocketbox – DTL
And that gaming stuff you mentioned?
The Consoles and Gaming machines:
- Atari 2600
- Atari 2600 Jnr
- Binatone
- Commodore Amiga A500
- Microsoft Xbox
- Microsoft Xbox 360
- Microsoft Xbox One
- Nintendo Gameboy
- Nintendo Gameboy Advance
- Nintendo Gameboy Colour
- Nintendo NES
- Nintendo SNES
- Nintendo N64
- Nintendo Gamecube
- Sega Master System
- Sega Master System 2
- Sega Megadrive
- Sega Megadrive 2
- Sega Megadrive (HK Import)
- Sega Mega CD
- Sega Mega CD 2
- Sega Saturn
- Sega Dreamcast
- Sony Playstation
- Sony Playstation 2
- Sony PlayStation 3
- Spectrum 48K