- Updates:
- 2018-05-17: Updated my setup description that was outdated and covered the situation of 2014. Meanwhile, I maintain a comprehensive list of software I use. Therefore, I removed most references to software from this page.
- 2020-02-09: Updated my setup:
- 5TB HDD → 8TB HDD
- Dell P2418D, 23.8", WQHD 2560×1440 (instead of Dell UltraSharp U3014 30" with WQXGA 2560×1600)
- Business hardware
- 2021-07-02: general update of all sections: 2nd TFT, USB switch, sound setup, home LAN, tablet, D6000, …
- 2022-03-06: second 24"; Brix GB-BRR7H-4800 instead of intel NUC; 16 TB HDD
- 2023-04-08: new DIY-computer replacing Brix GB-BRR7H-4800; new Turris router
On this page, I summarize my IT set-up according to the last update time-stamp above.
At home
At home, I am working on an DIY computer I built early 2023 because my previous computer had severe hardware issues that ended up in 2-10 randomly distributed hardware freezing events per month. This troubling computer was a Brix GB-BRR7H-4800 (powered by a AMD RYZEN R7-4800U; 32GB RAM; Samsung 980 500GB SSD MZ-V8V500BW for the OS) running Xubuntu LTS GNU/Linux (I couldn't make Debian stable boot on the UEFI) with a Xfce desktop manager.
It got replaced by a computer built according to the hardware setup from the computer magazine heise c't end of 2022 (around 950€):
- CPU: Intel Core i5-13500, 6C+8c/20T, 2.50-4.80GHz
- Impressive power to performance ratio with a TDP of only 65 Watts.
- CPU cooler: Scythe Mugen 5 Rev.C
- What a beast - I never saw something like this before (but I rarely see large CPU coolers)
- RAM: 2× Kingston ValueRAM DIMM 16GB, DDR4-3200, CL22-22-22
- Much more cost-efficient than the new DDR5 RAM my board is able to digest.
- Power supply: Seasonic Focus PX 550W ATX 2.4
- Semi-passive mode as long as I don't exceed 55W → so more or less always passive.
- Motherboard: GIGABYTE B660M Gaming X DDR4
- The version without on-board WiFi.
- Case: Fractal Design Define 7 Mini Black Solid
- This case is truly amazing!
- SSD: Samsung SSD 980 PRO 2TB, M.2 (MZ-V8P2T0BW)
- The largest Samsung Pro I could get and it's blazing fast.
- my old 16TB HDD: Toshiba Enterprise Capacity MG08ACA
- For large but seldomly used data.
- GNU/Linux Debian 12 (bookworm)
- Currently, it is Debian testing, soon becoming the new Debian stable.
The neat thing about that configuration is that it is absolutely silent. Although not entirely passive, I can not hear any sound coming from that device except when the HDD is working. I could reduce this to a minimum after moving all the frequently used data to the large SSD.
I really do love this machine: it's absolutely silent, consumes around 20 Watts in idle mode, is rock stable and performs faster than I need. I guess I'll never switch back to a small form-factor computer with its small fans, producing high-pitch sounds, driving me crazy.
I type on a pimped Kinesis Advantage2 keyboard using a customized US international QMK layout. I've used other keyboards as well.
You can learn about the software I'm using on this page.
I'm using a Kensington Orbit Trackball and I do prefer over a mouse.
In 2019, I switched from my Dell UltraSharp U3014 30" display with its enourmous screen estate at 2560×1600 (100 ppi) to a smaller 23.8" Dell P2418D with a high-density resolution (WQHD 2560×1440, 123 ppi). In 2021, I extended with a 24" Dell P2421DC at the same resolution. Both TFTs are mounted on a Logilink Dual BP0041. One is landscape, one is in portrait mode.
My sound is processed via a Nobsound Mini Bluetooth 5.0 Digital Power Amplifier which I'm using via its USB interface (not Bluetooth). This ultra-small amplifier drives a pair of Paradigm Studio ADP-590 speakers. I can not express how cool this sound setup is: cheap (except the speakers) and really good quality.
My microphone is a Blue Yeti Pro (USB) on a Rode Microphones PSA1 stand.
When being away from home, I do have a lenovo X260 notebook running Xubuntu LTS.
For scanning documents, I am using a Konica Minolta Bizhub C224e copy machine as well as my old Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500m via VueScan.
My main router is a Turris MOX Classic running its up-to-date version of OpenWRT. The initial setup assistent is really good but its web UI shows many bugs. I prefer the LuCI web-UI. It provides an Internet gateway, firewalling services, additional ad-blocking, local DNS and DHCP. This main router connects to a TP-Link TL-SG2424 24-port-Switch and I do have two TP-Link TL-WA901ND running OpenWRT in bridge mode to provide a decent WiFi network in the house. I provide WiFi to the outside of our house using a TP-Link Pharos Serie CPE210 Outdoor WLAN Access Point running OpenWRT.
My digital camera is my Google Pixel 4a. I stopped using dedicated digital compact cameras years ago because even my old OnePlus5 produced significant better images compared to my Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ31 or a Lumix TZ80 of a friend of mine.
I own a BOOX Onyx Note Air 10.3" e-ink Android Tablet. It is perfect for active reading (highlighting, adding notes and drawings) and reading e-books and PDF of all kind in general. I use it also to read my news feeds via the NewsBlur app. It has a battery life in weeks and an optional background light for reading in bed.
In the living-room, there is a Epson EH-TW6600 V11H651040 projector for watching movies. Content is provided by an older Raspberry Pi running OpenELEC and KODI.
Business
My business notebook is a lenovo T490 (i7-8665U, FHD 1920×1080, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD). It is running Xubuntu 22.04 LTS.
Since I'm working in home office, I use my two 24" TFTs via a Lenovo Thunderbolt 3 Dock.
Keyboard, mouse, microphone and amplifier are plugged in to a NIERBO USB Switch Hub 3.0. This hub connects to my personal computer as well as to the Thunderbolt dock. This way, I can switch between the two machines by pressing the button on the switch and manually changing inputs on my two TFTs. That's a poor man's KVM switch which may be optimized even further but so far, I didn't care.
Future plans
Currently, I am still very satisfied with my overall setup.
With my current job, I don't need to use Microsoft Windows any more except an installation for working with MS Office 365 within a virtual environment.
Back in the days, when I was using OS X on my Mac Mini 2009, I was not satisfied with OS X: plugging in my FW800 backup disk corrupted my FW800 3TB disk fifty percent of the time. Apple did not give me an update path from 10.5 to a supported system. I was losing support for tools like the OS itself, Chrome, Flash, and so forth. Current Apple OS X versions I do not like either because of strategic decisions such as the heavy use of cloud-based services I want to avoid to protect my privacy.
What about you?
I really enjoy listening to other peoples setup. There is so much to learn from other users' stories. And there are great sources of stories out there. Further more, I happily attend show-and-tell sessions at events like the Grazer Linuxtage and/or give talks about my setup.
If you want to share your setup with me and/or this blog, please drop me a line (email below or comment below).
- 2021-07-04: DrOps sent me a link to his HW setup description with nice photos and interesting special purpose keyboards.