I've been putting this setup together for years, one part at a time, and it's finally at a point where I'm not itching to change anything. That probably won't last. But for now, here's what I'm working on, gaming on, and dragging out to the garage in 2024.
§01The desktop
This is the main machine. Windows 11, does everything from gaming to design work to whatever project I've talked myself into that week.
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X. 12 cores, still holds up fine. I have no reason to upgrade and I'm slightly annoyed about it.
- Cooler: DeepCool AK620 WH. Quiet, cheap for what it does, white to match the case.
- GPU: MSI GTX 1070 Ti 8 GB. Yes, still. It runs what I play. When it stops, I'll deal with it.
- RAM: Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro, 32 GB (2 x 16) DDR4 3600 C18. The RGB was not a priority. It came with the kit.
- Storage: This is where it gets out of hand.
- Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB NVMe — boot drive and daily apps
- WD Black SN750 1 TB NVMe — games
- WD Red Plus 8 TB — backups and big files
- Seagate BarraCuda 4 TB — media library
- Seagate 1 TB — a drive I keep meaning to retire, full of "miscellaneous"
- PSU: Corsair SF750 Platinum. An SFX unit in a full case is a bit odd, but it's what I had and it's never given me a reason to swap it.
- Case: Lian Li O11 Dynamic Mini, Snow Edition. Looks good on the desk, easy to work in, and I like being able to see the build.
§02Microsoft Surface Laptop 7
The laptop for going places. Windows 11 Pro on ARM, which sounded like a gamble and has mostly not been one.
- CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite
- GPU: Adreno, about 3.8 TFLOPS. Fine for light editing and video, not for gaming.
- RAM: 16 GB LPDDR5X
- Storage: 256 GB NVMe. Tight, but it's not the machine where things live.
- Display: 13.8-inch, 2304 x 1536, 120 Hz. This is the part that sold me.
- Battery: Microsoft says up to 20 hours. I've never had to think about it, which is the whole point.
§03Lenovo ThinkPad T440p
The laptop I'm willing to get dirty. When I'm under a car or in the shop with sawdust everywhere, this is what comes with me. I would never bring the Surface out there.
It runs Windows 11 Pro on hardware that has no business running Windows 11 Pro, and I've modded it enough that it's more "mine" than anything else I own.
- CPU: Intel Core i7-4712MQ
- GPU: Intel HD 4600. It shows things on the screen.
- RAM: 16 GB (2 x 8), no-name sticks
- Storage: Samsung 860 EVO 250 GB
- Mods:
- Fingerprint reader from a T460s
- Trackpad from a T450, because the original was awful
- Extended battery
- Innolux N140HCG-GR2 glossy panel — the stock screen was the single worst thing about this laptop, and this fixed it
If you're curious, I wrote about getting rid of the Wi-Fi whitelist on this thing back in 2022.
§04Google Pixel 6a: The Daily Driver
My phone is a Pixel 6a. It takes good photos, it gets updates, and I don't think about it. That's all I want from a phone.
§05Why it all works
None of this is the newest or fastest gear, and that's kind of the point. The desktop does the heavy lifting, the Surface handles the travel, the ThinkPad takes the abuse, and the phone stays out of the way. Everything has a job, nothing is precious, and I know exactly what to fix when something breaks. That's the whole setup. Nothing fancy, just stuff that works.