Mine's unusual! I have an electric recliner with a monitor arm hanging off a cabinet, with a wireless keyboard & trackball mouse. The computer is attached to the back of the monitor....
Mine's unusual! I have an electric recliner with a monitor arm hanging off a cabinet, with a wireless keyboard & trackball mouse. The computer is attached to the back of the monitor. https://bo0.tz/u/w1IszE.png
How do you find the ergonomics of typing that way. I think it would be bad for my wrist positioning to have the keyboard that low and far away, but maybe it is my gut that is the problem.
How do you find the ergonomics of typing that way. I think it would be bad for my wrist positioning to have the keyboard that low and far away, but maybe it is my gut that is the problem.
I started out with a really thin membrane keyboard and that was definitely uncomfortable. I can imagine a full size keyboard being too far the other way, but right now I'm on the middle ground...
I started out with a really thin membrane keyboard and that was definitely uncomfortable. I can imagine a full size keyboard being too far the other way, but right now I'm on the middle ground with a small low-profile mechanical keyboard and it hasn't given me any issues. A solid desk would always still be better though, of course.
That looks interesting. Do you put the monitor between your legs or can you move the monitor and get it closer to your face? I've been interested in experimenting with a setup like this, but I...
That looks interesting. Do you put the monitor between your legs or can you move the monitor and get it closer to your face? I've been interested in experimenting with a setup like this, but I don't think my wife would go for it, so I stick to my laptop instead.
The bottom of the monitor is approximately some 15 cm above my knees. I can move it a bit forward/backward as well. Edit: This is my POV while using it https://bo0.tz/u/Aymzip.png
The bottom of the monitor is approximately some 15 cm above my knees. I can move it a bit forward/backward as well.
Let's see I've got: Primary workspace: 3x 27" 1440p monitors (the centre is a 360hz OLED, the side monitors are 165hz IPS monitors) dell monitor arms per monitor ducky shine 7 keyboard + Logitech...
Let's see I've got:
Primary workspace:
3x 27" 1440p monitors (the centre is a 360hz OLED, the side monitors are 165hz IPS monitors)
dell monitor arms per monitor
ducky shine 7 keyboard + Logitech G502 X Hero Lightspeed mouse (Logitech didn't know when to stop naming that one)
work: keychron K2 pro + some older Logitech mouse
sennheiser hd 650 headphones
motorised standing desk
10 year old microphone on an arm (there are better ones nowadays but it works)
razer kryo ultra 4k webcam: absolute overkill but there was a new hire home office peripherals grant when I started my current job and the rest of my setup was already sorted
Personal PC: Ryzen 5900X, RX 6900 XT GPU, 32GB RAM, 6.5TB of SSD storage across 4 drives, 10 gig networking , running NixOS
work PC: M3 pro MacBook. I have this wired to 2 of the same monitors but unless I do a bit of a dance for it to recognise the monitors in the right order every time it wakes up, it only works with the center monitor. My best guess is 1440p360hz is more bandwidth than tested for the apple silicon display controller, though also it works when I turn that monitor on second...)
I also have a home server with a Ryzen 5600x, 32gb of RAM, Rx 6600xt GPU and 20tb of spinning rust drives (in a raid 6, usable capacity 12tb)
Then I have two laptops, my NixOS Linux framework 13 portability/development laptop and a dell XPS 15 Windows/gaming laptop.
Oh sweet! A classic 'Battlestations' post. I'm having such nostalgia right now. Ok. My home computer setup. Here is my primary desktop workstation. Screenshot The computer is a Boxx Apexx E3_03...
Oh sweet! A classic 'Battlestations' post. I'm having such nostalgia right now.
The computer is a Boxx Apexx E3_03 workstation originally meant for CAD modeling and engineering design. ASRock H570 Phantom Gaming 4 motherboard, Intel 11th gen i9-11900K 8-core/16-thread, liquid cooled CPU, 64GB CORSAIR VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 RAM, Nvidia RTX A2000 12GB workstation graphics card, Samsung 980 Pro 500GB NVMe system drive, Seagate 18TB SATA storage drive.
I run a triple monitor setup that's kind of hodge-podged together, all TVs. Left screen is an old 19" Insignia, middle is a Samsung 43" 4K, and the right is a Toshiba 43". I went with all TVs in part for price / size ratio and also I can turn them all on/off with a single custom command on my Flipper Zero (I recorded each remote on/off IR sequence and chained them together). Logitech MX Keys S keyboard and Logitech M590 silent mouse. Bose soundbar below the monitor, unseen behind everything is my CyberPower 1500VA UPS unit, laser printer, several USB external drives for backups and one of my Netgear Gigabit switches. The mic is the Samson CO1U Pro USB and the headphones I use for monitoring are the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80 Ohm.
Oh. Steelcase Leap V2 office chair. Very important component of the workstation. So much better than my previous chair.
I run Linux Mint 21.3 Cinnamon on this one. It gets used for anything from video recording and editing for YouTube, to playing Magic Arena, to processing documentation for some of the contract tech work I do.
The actual computer hardware here is much less impressive, this is a HP Elitedesk 800 G4 mini PC. Its main purpose is to let me bring up schematic PDFs while I'm working on something. It runs MX Linux 23.4 Libretto XFCE. I have it set up with a 4 port KVM to switch between it, my RisingCam RT5109 4K microscope camera, the Rigol DHO914 oscilloscope and the cable bundle you see hanging on the left edge of the picture which is a 10ft computer cable bundle for hooking up other computers when I work on them.
I also have a kind of sandboxed wifi setup for the bench using a Netgear Nighthawk XR700 gaming router. I like it since it has a visual network map that I can log into and see a connection map of every device connected to it with device details, it's good for setting up single-use wifi networks to connect an untrusted device to that might have MDM / corporate device management & security crap on it. Happens sometimes with the devices I get at auction, more often with tablets.
The laptop is an ASUS ROG STRIX G17 17.3", Ryzen 7 4800H 8-core, 32GB DDR4 RAM, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, Kingston 1TB NVMe system drive. I set this computer up to dual-boot between Linux Mint 21.3 Cinnamon and Windows 11 for field tech work so I could make sure to be able to run whatever software a contract job called for. It is the only reason I still have anything running Windows and I still slightly resent the need.
The tablet is slightly on the older side: a Samsung Galaxy Tab Active Pro running Android 11. I got this for field survey work and chose it as it meets a number of Milspec durability and environmental requirements. I needed something that would work in extreme cold and heat (outdoor work at all times of the year) and would survive trudging through brush, woods, going over barbed wire, etc... It has worked very well for me. I keep it in a RAM mount case which lets me easily mount it in my van workstation.
Speaking of my van workstation, may as well include that. Pretty minimal, though I may do more with it in the future. I just have a bit of minor deskspace set up with a mouse and keyboard, and the RAM mount set up on my spool carrier with a multifunction USB hub attached by magnet and wire routed with zip ties. Powered from my van inverter setup. Since the tablet has Samsung DEX functionality I can switch it to 'Desktop Mode' and that lets me use the Android tablet with a regular USB keyboard and mouse easily.
Next up we have the home server project I'm working on. Pic 1 and pic 2 for that.
The server is a Dell Precision 7910 Tower Server, dual Xeon E5-2690 V4 CPUs, 14-core each, 28-core/56-thread system, 128GB ECC RAM, Nvidia Quadro M2000 graphics card, Samsung 980 NVMe 500GB system drive installed with a M.2 riser card, quad 14TB SAS drives for storage. This is an in-process project that will be my primary home server running NAS, PLEX server and FTP to start with, probably some virtual machine hosting to test different Linux distros, possibly being used for CPU-heavy tasks, though these days more and more compute tasks are being optimized for running on GPU compute architecture, so we'll see. Might mess around with locally hosted AI but I'd need to upgrade the graphics for that, or maybe pick up some surplus Nvidia Tesla cards, though from my research getting those to get utilized properly is a giant pain.
So that's me, I'm a giant tech nerd as you can see.
I am a developer / manager. My work area: 2020 Apple M1 13" MacBook Pro LG Ultrafine 27" 5K External monitor Apple Magic Mouse I use the keyboard laptop and the laptop screen, and the external is...
I am a developer / manager. My work area:
2020 Apple M1 13" MacBook Pro
LG Ultrafine 27" 5K External monitor
Apple Magic Mouse
I use the keyboard laptop and the laptop screen, and the external is placed so that it is above the laptop screen. I use Rectangle and almost always split the big monitor in half; it functions like 3 approximately equal screens.
My Desktop / Fun computer:
Windows PC - fairly run of the mill. Core i9 with a 2080ti and 64G ram.
two 27" monitors, one 2k one 4k both middle-of-the-road
monitor stand for said monitors
corsair mechanical keyboard and mouse
yeti microphone, sennheiser headphones, a nice soundbar
There are two more gaming PCs in the games room belonging to my two younger kids.
both fairly middle of the road Windows PCs. I think both are Ryzen, one has a 1080, I forget the other
mechanical keyboards and decent mice
4k monitors
I have a raspberry pi doing some home automation things (thanks @teaearlgraycold!) and a laptop that's running a minecraft server and a small home server that's doing nothing but will hopefully start actually being the media server over this holiday.
Would you mind elaborating on what the Pi is doing? I’ve got one laying around but need inspiration. I just have my main gaming PC and a (currently disassembled for upgrades) Linux server for...
Would you mind elaborating on what the Pi is doing? I’ve got one laying around but need inspiration. I just have my main gaming PC and a (currently disassembled for upgrades) Linux server for hosting Plex and modded Minecraft for friends.
I think I used it as a Pi-hole briefly but my sister lived with us at the time and I turned it off after she almost failed an online exam because it was somehow blocking the test-taking browser/app she was trying to use.
I use IFTTT to hook various smart objects up using a Webhook the Pi. I don't think this is a particularly effective way to do things, but it was very fast and I have a lifetime IFTTT account. I...
I use IFTTT to hook various smart objects up using a Webhook the Pi. I don't think this is a particularly effective way to do things, but it was very fast and I have a lifetime IFTTT account. I have some trivial things:
mostly voice commands that will run various light patterns on the smart lights
notifications when the laundry is done
I've been fiddling with some voice commands to do things with the plex server I have, such as "hey google, get the newest episode of [whatever]" but this is not currently functional
i keep a little log of how often the dishwasher runs
there are a bunch of cameras hooked up, but I haven't really done much programmatically with them
I'm planning to do something with christmas lights next year, but I just haven't gotten around to putting up smart lights yet.
There are other people here who do a lot more with home automation, like @mat. And not to ping him twice in one thread, but @teaearlgraycold (who sent me this raspberry pi quite a while ago) as well. They might be able to give you some better ideas.
My Christmas lights are not smart, but they are plugged in to smart plugs. Which means I can have a little Bluetooth button which notifies Home Assistant to turn on each of those smart plugs (with...
My Christmas lights are not smart, but they are plugged in to smart plugs. Which means I can have a little Bluetooth button which notifies Home Assistant to turn on each of those smart plugs (with a short delay between each one for that dunk dunk dunk "lights powering up" effect). This is partly so I don't have to go around the house flicking switches but mostly so when the kid gets home they can yell "Christmas mode!" and turn it all on..
I'd recommend looking into Home Assistant if you want to do more automation stuff. It's one of the best open source projects going. Half the smart stuff I buy just shows up in HA without me even doing anything (and the other half only needs a click or two). You can do a LOT just through the gui but if you want more, the templating system is a bit clunky but it is very powerful once you get a handle on it.
Big old custom built tower, on it's side, on top of an old lap top stand someone gave me eons ago. A modern flat monitor standing on top of the "tower", someone on Tildes helped me to pick out. An...
Big old custom built tower, on it's side, on top of an old lap top stand someone gave me eons ago.
A modern flat monitor standing on top of the "tower", someone on Tildes helped me to pick out.
An ancient Microsoft ergonomic ( "twisty" ) keyboard.
A cheap USB mouse, soon to be replaced due to extra-clicks, trouble selecting.
A kvm switch tying all of that together with a work lap top, also sitting on top of the "tower" laying on its side.
This is a great thread! I haven't really talked about my setup before. I have a single desk with two 27" 1440p IPS monitors. They are connected to an AV Access iDock B30 KVM Switch. The Switch...
This is a great thread! I haven't really talked about my setup before.
I have a single desk with two 27" 1440p IPS monitors. They are connected to an AV Access iDock B30 KVM Switch. The Switch controls, obviously, my keyboard (Moonlander split keyboard), and Mouse (Kingston trackball). I also have a Logitech 1080p webcam hooked up.
Work:
ThinkPad P15 Workstation Laptop
Connected with USB-C, closed, and tucked away
Home:
Custom built PC, Ryzen 5, some AMD graphics card I forget
Steinberg UR44 Interface - this has a Mackie Mix12FX analogue mixer with my synths and system audio card routred through it
Behringer Xenyx Q802USB mixer as my main audio card
MicroKorg
Korg Wavestate
Yamaha DX7
Lots of different USB midi controllers
And then I have my old desktop computer set up as a home server at the other end of the room.
How are you liking the AV Access KVM? I had not heard of the brand before, but I've been looking forever for a decent modern KVM. Have you encountered any hanging while switching?
How are you liking the AV Access KVM? I had not heard of the brand before, but I've been looking forever for a decent modern KVM. Have you encountered any hanging while switching?
I really like it so far. I think I have only had an issue once or twice and I think its because I swapped back and forth too quickly. It can run pretty hot too after prolonged usage. I think also...
I really like it so far. I think I have only had an issue once or twice and I think its because I swapped back and forth too quickly. It can run pretty hot too after prolonged usage.
I think also my issues come from Fedora and the USB-C connection to my laptop. My desktop never seems to have an issue with anything.
This is mine corner. The PC isn't actually on the photo (well, one of them is - Steam Deck). The desktop is on the other side of the room connected via 10m HDMI and 10m USB3 cable fished through...
This is mine corner. The PC isn't actually on the photo (well, one of them is - Steam Deck). The desktop is on the other side of the room connected via 10m HDMI and 10m USB3 cable fished through the conduit under the floor. The USB3 is with repeater (it must be) and connected to USB3 HUB slapped on the LCD with double-sided tape. I use this HUB to connect basically everything to PC - be it keyboard, mouse, USB sound card, USB flash drive... In fact the HUB is connected though USB switch that switches it between desktop and Steam Deck.
For my desktop I use Core i5-4790, 16GB RAM and GTX1650 in Lian-Li HTPC case from around 2010 (the actual motherboard is different from the one on the images at this moment, as is cooler, it's still Shuriken but some newer model). This PC can actually run Cyberpunk and Mafia DE at 30 fps on higher than lowest details. It's still ok for me as I play on Steam Deck more anyway.
I use mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX Red switches that was made for local brand seller. It has RGB backlight and aluminium base. I use Logitech MX Anywhere 3 mouse (I believe). I have some cheap USB sound card from China and I use (ASUS?) TUF gaming headset and Sony wired earplugs that I have for 10+ years (I don't know the specific model, might be able to find if someone is interested). I use some 10 years old 22" IPS LCD, 1080p60 that I scavenged from some relative when they got new PC. Steam Deck is connected via DVI and desktop through HDMI. It also has VGA input. Quite nice LCD in its time, although budget one even back then (around 100€). The desktop is also connected to my Pansonic plasma TV from 2011. As you can see, I don't spend unnecessary money on new stuff when old one works just fine.
My desktop OS of choice is Gentoo Linux. There is SATA SSD in the desktop with OS and Steam games but my home directory (and other users' too) is actually on my homemade NAS that acts as a server (Jellyfin, DVB-T-to-IPTV, Hime Assistant, DNS and so on...).
The photo of my corner was taken after clean-up. I didn't take it now for reasons that might be obvious to you by now :-D
Logitech 5.1 speakers system (though I use it was a 3.1)
Logitech HD Pro C920 Webcam
AT ATR2500 Mic
HyperX Cloud II Wireless headset
mauzpads mouse pad
IKEA ALEX drawers and either LINNMON or LAGKAPTEN desk
IKEA MARKUS chair
LED Desk lamp (above the central monitor).
Beneath desk foot-hammock
Trusty space heater for my cold feet
Plus you can see my Steam Deck and Steam Controller; even a PS4 controller. Because sometimes I game while I game! To the left of the tower is a Nintendo Switch that I haven't touched in months.
The secondary desk is more for work and tinkering. And apparently junk paperwork/mail.
Dell U415 again (left)
Acer 19" monitor (right)
Laptop that's open is actually my work computer, but you can see behind it is my Asus TUF gaming laptop. Sometimes my 2023 M3 Pro MBP is there instead.
Steel Series mouse pad
Logitech G502 Hero mouse
Same IKEA desk
IKEA VITTSJO laptop stand
Hidden laptop on that stand is a Dell 13" Latitude 5320 running Ubuntu.
Server underneath is not my main homelab server (that's in a rack). It's an old Dell T420. I use it once in awhile to test stuff out, but usually it's just a foot rest. I was even using it as a clothing rack at one point, lol.
Networking gear in the pic is Ubiquiti Unifi 5-port Flex Mini switch, and a Unifi AC Lite WAP. I have another Unifi U6 Lite WAP in the living room.
I have other desks in other rooms, but I haven't set those up yet as workspaces. In my previous apartment, I actually had separate desks and spaces for working and gaming.
This might be a weird thing to comment on, but I really like that your set of drawers is perfect in height to fit exactly below the lip of your desk. It makes the OCD in me happy.
This might be a weird thing to comment on, but I really like that your set of drawers is perfect in height to fit exactly below the lip of your desk. It makes the OCD in me happy.
That's actually intentional! The drawers can be used as the "legs" of the desk. Way back when I first got this desk in ln 2008, I only had two desk legs, with the drawers underneath.
That's actually intentional! The drawers can be used as the "legs" of the desk. Way back when I first got this desk in ln 2008, I only had two desk legs, with the drawers underneath.
i went from living in a 1 room dorm where my only seating options was my bed, the foot of the bed, or a chair. to a 1 bedroom flat that has different rooms for everything... so tbh i've kinda gone...
i went from living in a 1 room dorm where my only seating options was my bed, the foot of the bed, or a chair. to a 1 bedroom flat that has different rooms for everything... so tbh i've kinda gone off the deep end with my sofa setup.
sofa pointed at the slightly-too-high tv on the wall, wireless mouse and keyboard. my pc tucked to the side to be nearer the hallway as the ethernet cable i got wasnt long enough, and i already had a 10m hdmi cable. then ive got a usb hub running up through the sofa and into one of the crevices at the elbow so i can charge my phone, headset, whatever without getting up.
ive had a few people round and theyve been gobsmacked at how i live like this, only to find out they like it just as much as me. i think ive had a few posture worries but honestly i think i get more lumbar support from a combo of cushions, and its so easy to just slink to the side and lay down during videos so im never really in any position for more than 30minutes.
a great bonus of this is that my bedroom is simply my bedroom. i've never had this before. it was always having a desk in my room, or a laptop, or i was only "sitting up" away from getting back on the pc if something fun started happening on skype/discord. now theres a whole ritual around going to bed and feeling ready for it, if that makes any sense.
you have inspired me except I realized that I made a mistake in my drawing lol. My tablet monitor is actually on the left-hand (green) table, but the table is about 50% longer than the monitor is...
except I realized that I made a mistake in my drawing lol. My tablet monitor is actually on the left-hand (green) table, but the table is about 50% longer than the monitor is wide, so I do have quite a bit of "stuff that i need to organize later" (aka mess) on the end of that table. The picture is not really to scale.
I also have another monitor (yes a 6th one) that's not hooked up because i am having some graphics card issues and it's not letting me connect more than 5 screens at a time and I do not understand why (if anyone knows why this might be the case PLEASE tell me, I have an AMD card and I think I installed the driver........? despite being a programmer I am very uncomfortable with hardware and configuring drivers etc so atm I am just grateful that my computer works after I had to replace my card a couple months ago)
Depending on the graphics card, it is not uncommon for there to be more video ports than the amount of displays it can support. Depending on your GPU, it may only support 5 displays, but has more...
Depending on the graphics card, it is not uncommon for there to be more video ports than the amount of displays it can support. Depending on your GPU, it may only support 5 displays, but has more than five ports so that people will most likely have the ports they need
my gpu has 4 ports, I'm using a splitter already haha maybe it only does support 5 monitors? but I don't want to buy a 2nd card as like a "just in case" thing, I really hate doing work on my...
my gpu has 4 ports, I'm using a splitter already haha
maybe it only does support 5 monitors? but I don't want to buy a 2nd card as like a "just in case" thing, I really hate doing work on my computer so I'm very reluctant to do experimentation like this even though I'd be able to return if it doesn't work. I'd want to know 100% for certain it'll fix my problem
About the issue with the 6th monitor: can you provide details on your computer? What operating system do you use? Any details about what hardware (motherboard / video card(s)) is in the computer?...
About the issue with the 6th monitor: can you provide details on your computer?
What operating system do you use? Any details about what hardware (motherboard / video card(s)) is in the computer?
Long long ago I started off in IT support, I'm willing to throw my hat in the ring for a fellow Tilde'r.... Tilder? Tildiddlydidly? Tilditor? Ok I simply have no idea how to associativity label a fellow Tildes user.
ty i have a deep passion for shitty mspaint drawings. when I am making slightly more permanent things I turn on my tablet monitor and use pen in krita (or onenote...lol) but this was done with my...
ty i have a deep passion for shitty mspaint drawings. when I am making slightly more permanent things I turn on my tablet monitor and use pen in krita (or onenote...lol) but this was done with my mouse which tbh is my preference
my relevant system info:
os: Windows 10
gfx: AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT
mobo: ROG STRIX B550-F GAMING (WI-FI)
If the answer is that I'd need to buy a 2nd card to be able to have additional monitors, then I would buy an additional card; in an ideal world I really want 2 more screens, one to drop grafana on forever and one would be that (1) i upgrade one of my two 1080p monitors to a 4K monitor for daily use but keep the 1080p one connected for when im streaming (I don't stream that often but when I do it's coding lessons so I need the smaller screen. And changing resolution in the monitor settings is a pain and messes up my wallpaper etc).
I just saw this in another reply you gave. This is probably the answer and why Windows / your video card are having issues 'seeing' the 6th monitor, or at least that seems the most likely wildcard...
my gpu has 4 ports, I'm using a splitter already
I just saw this in another reply you gave. This is probably the answer and why Windows / your video card are having issues 'seeing' the 6th monitor, or at least that seems the most likely wildcard to me.
Your model motherboard has 2 onboard video ports - make use of those ports for the additional screens and that should work properly. Just keep whatever screen you want for high FPS gaming performance on the graphics card instead of the motherboard.
This would let you use a total of 6 video ports for 6 screens. If you keep the singe 1 port to 2 port splitter that is currently working for you, you then can go up to 7 screens.
I appreciate your passion for data output. MORE SCREENS!
I don't think my onboard graphics ports are enabled currently. I tried plugging it into the hdmi port and it didn't show up, then I unplugged an existing screen (to get it down to 5 total) and it...
I don't think my onboard graphics ports are enabled currently. I tried plugging it into the hdmi port and it didn't show up, then I unplugged an existing screen (to get it down to 5 total) and it still didn't work. To sanity check my cables I plugged it into the now-open hdmi port I had just vacated and it worked fine. Do you know if there's something I can do to make it willing to use both the card ports and the onboard ports at the same time?
Yes, or at least maybe. It may be disabled in your BIOS..... hmmmmm. Ok, there was about 20 minutes between the above aborted sentence and this one, with research in the middle. While the onboard...
Yes, or at least maybe.
It may be disabled in your BIOS..... hmmmmm.
Ok, there was about 20 minutes between the above aborted sentence and this one, with research in the middle. While the onboard graphics is something that can be enabled-to-auto / disabled / forced in BIOS, for an AMD system that is ONLY if the model AMD CPU is one that has integrated graphics, and it seems some do, and some do not.
What CPU do you have in your computer? You could reply with that and I'll check for you, or if you are comfortable finding the specifications on it you could look it up and see if it has integrated graphics or not.
"Graphics
1 x DisplayPort 1.2
1 x HDMITM 2.1 (4K@60HZ)
*Graphics specifications may vary between CPU types."
So, you'll first want to know if your CPU will allow you to take advantage of those extra video ports, sorry and my bad for suggesting something earlier which might not work.
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT. And 32gb of memory if that's relevant (I doubt it but just in case) No problem at all!!! I appreciate SO MUCH you helping me with this!! I really don't enjoy doing this kind of...
What CPU do you have in your computer?
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT. And 32gb of memory if that's relevant (I doubt it but just in case)
sorry and my bad for suggesting something earlier which might not work.
No problem at all!!! I appreciate SO MUCH you helping me with this!! I really don't enjoy doing this kind of research and it gives me a lot of anxiety to try so I'm so glad to have your help!!
Ok, I can confirm the 3800XT does not have integrated graphics, so no need to try chasing down why you can't get video out from the onboard video ports. Next, let's get back to seeing if we can do...
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT
Ok, I can confirm the 3800XT does not have integrated graphics, so no need to try chasing down why you can't get video out from the onboard video ports.
Next, let's get back to seeing if we can do this with your existing graphics card.
The RX 7800 XT uses DisplayPort 2.1, and you should be able to take advantage of DisplayPort MST (Multi-Stream Transport) which I think you already are with the 'splitter' you mentioned.
On that note: could you give me the manufacturer and model of that splitter?
Anyway, in theory you should be able to drive a bunch of displays using the MST capability with suitably compatible MST hubs. If what you have isn't already a DisplayPort 2.1 MST hub, it is possible that simply upgrading your hub will take care of this. Update, for now ignore the search for a DP 2.1 hub.
There is also a bit of playing-around we could do first. In order from least hassle / least cost first. The list below is based on the assumption that you can plug in all 6 screens through your video card (with the splitter / splitters you mentioned) and not need the onboard video ports. Note: you would want to reboot after each set of changes to make sure Windows 'sees' the changes properly.
Costs time only:
Check to see if there is a newer version of graphics driver for your card available - if so, update, then see if screen 6 works.
In some cases, the limitation may not be number of screens, but total bandwidth. If, for example, a number of screens are running at 4K resolution they will use more bandwidth - you could try setting your screens to 1080p which would have them all use less bandwidth, then see if that 6th monitor comes on.
Costs a small amount of money:
3. The 'splitter' you mentioned. If it isn't a DisplayPort 2.1 compatible hub, find a reputable brand..... hmmmmmmmmm ok, I CANNOT find one that exists???? Wow.** New plan, try multiple DisplayPort 1.4 MST hubs from Amazon to see if one works for you, and return what doesn't work.
Costs an annoying amount of money:
4. and 5. are basically the options of adding an additional graphics card (make sure you have a power supply that can handle the added load) or replacing your CPU with one of the models that has integrated graphics (make sure it is the same CPU socket type).
Hi sorry for my slow response! I've been semi afk reading a bunch of fantasy novels before the year ends (I will make a blog post with a bunch of reviews in early January) Prior to using this...
Hi sorry for my slow response! I've been semi afk reading a bunch of fantasy novels before the year ends (I will make a blog post with a bunch of reviews in early January)
Prior to using this card, I had been running two older AMD cards in parallel, and one of them blew out and I replaced the pair with this single card. Because I am an idiot I don't know which card functions and which card doesn't, but they are both Radeon RX 560 46B D5 (I think, I'm reading off the label here). Could I safely try putting these back into my computer and running (the functioning one) in parallel with my current card? And not risk breaking anything? And that would have a good chance of solving the problem?
Sorry for not mentioning this earlier, I completely forgot about this until you mentioned adding an additional graphics card, idk how I forgot this but I did lol
Don't worry about the time between posts, neither of us are 'on the clock' for this so to speak. Looks like the old video card is rated to pull ~75W. While it might be a bit close in terms of...
Don't worry about the time between posts, neither of us are 'on the clock' for this so to speak.
Looks like the old video card is rated to pull ~75W.
While it might be a bit close in terms of total power budget, I think you're OK to try adding in one of your old cards. If it works fine just at windows desktop, but has problems / shuts down when gaming, I'd first look at upgrading to a higher wattage power supply, maybe 750 or 850 watts. Don't worry about that unless you run into problems though.
As to the safety of plugging in a card that might be bad: if the rest of the system it was in (when it died) was ok, you can probably do that safely. Most likely it just wouldn't boot with the bad card in, that or it would boot but either not recognize the card in windows or just not be able to use it.
I'd say go for it. Sounds like the simple and cheap way to get additional screen outputs given you already have it on hand.
cool, so it sounds like there's no issue about compatibility with specific models of card as long as the total wattage is supported by my psu and also they're both amd?
cool, so it sounds like there's no issue about compatibility with specific models of card as long as the total wattage is supported by my psu and also they're both amd?
Yep. They... might not even both need to be AMD, though I could possibly see mixing 1 AMD card and 1 NVidia card leading to a bunch of driver troubleshooting. But anyway, yes, you should be good...
Yep. They... might not even both need to be AMD, though I could possibly see mixing 1 AMD card and 1 NVidia card leading to a bunch of driver troubleshooting.
Okay, so I tried the graphics card thing and this did not go well. Turns out, my PSU does not have a free 8-pin port, the cable that was powering both of my old cards is now powering my one single...
Okay, so I tried the graphics card thing and this did not go well. Turns out, my PSU does not have a free 8-pin port, the cable that was powering both of my old cards is now powering my one single new card. Oops!
Do you have a recommendation for a new PSU? Note, the PSU is the component I do not want to compromise on at all, and I'm probably going to build a new PC next year and would like to reuse PSU (although at that point that just means new mobo/cpu/nvme drive for os, I will likely reuse graphics cards and all my data drives, most of which I've also replaced recently). So I want relatively high-end and well reputed brand.
Here is a slightly outdated curated list of PSUs for you to look through. Looks like the last update was a year ago, but since your hardware isn't current bleeding edge that's not a problem. One...
One constant is across advice I just researched is that known brand-names aren't a guarantee - even good brands can have some bad models.
I'd say look through the list and pick one from that which has the number of connectors you need to get power to that extra graphics card. For future-proofing, probably stick with 1000 watts and up.
If you do want brand name recommendations, some brands that tend to make more good models than ones that have issues are SeaSonic, Corsair, EVGA, Thermaltake.
If you're looking for me to pick one, here is the Super Flower model taken from the high-end section of the list - it looks to have plenty of 8-pin connectors available.
Edit: if you want your future-proofing to extend to the newest / stupidly expensive cards, I'd suggest getting a power supply that has both 12VHPWR type connectors (the newest graphics card power connector type) and is ATX 3.1 certified. If you are going that far though, probably bump up to a minimum of 1200W. Just make sure it will still work with your current hardware of see if there are adapter power cables to be backwards compatible with the graphics cards you have currently.
Okay since it sounds like future proofing is complicated and not worth it and I did not want to wait around for shipping, I went to Best Buy today. The one they had in stock was Corsair RM850x....
Okay since it sounds like future proofing is complicated and not worth it and I did not want to wait around for shipping, I went to Best Buy today. The one they had in stock was Corsair RM850x. Switching over seems to have worked, but plugging a 2nd card in is not working, at all, period. I don't know what I'm doing wrong but I can't get a monitor plugged into either of my old cards to turn on.
I spent many(, many) hours on this now so I'm thinking I'm giving up. I did, during this process, upgrade one 2k monitor to a 4k monitor, so I gained some pixels at least. I think I'm going to just cope with this for the next year and build a new pc next year - I built this one in early 2021 (bought parts in Nov 2020 and then procrastinated lol) so 2024 felt too early to build an entirely new machine, but 2025 I think is reasonable.
Sorry that all your help ended up in basically nothing happening in the end but thanks for all your time, I really do appreciate it!!
oh my god there is nothing i hate more than building new computers lol, i am hoping that I can find a friend who will want to build it for me (....any tilderinos in the Chicago area?) and if not I...
oh my god there is nothing i hate more than building new computers lol, i am hoping that I can find a friend who will want to build it for me (....any tilderinos in the Chicago area?) and if not I will pay someone to do it for me (.....................................any tildevarks in the Chicago area?)
https://imgur.com/a/KC9lgcp My computer setup has nothing individually impressive, but as a whole I quite like it. Computer is a custom built: Ryzen 5 5500 Asus MOBO 32gb RAM EVGA GTX 970 I do...
My computer setup has nothing individually impressive, but as a whole I quite like it.
Computer is a custom built:
Ryzen 5 5500
Asus MOBO
32gb RAM
EVGA GTX 970
I do know the setup is not balanced, got some parts for free or on sale when my computer broke in September)
Audio:
Schiit magni and modi dac and amp
vintage passive speakers (no brand)
AKG K240 open back headphones (I believe this is the model I have)
Sennheiser HD280 pro closed back headphones that I modified with a removable cable
Sennheiser IE 100 pro IEMs
Soundcraft notepad 12fx mixer that I pull out when needing to use a mic. I also have additional stereo line inputs to route several sources on my computer to dedicated channels (and therefore dedicated knobs for adjusting).
Audio Technica AT2020V mic (identical to AT2020 except it comes with a shock mount and is silver).
Electro Voice Model 664 vintage mic (mine was probably made in the 1960s) that I have mainly used for doing concerts, but want to try it for my voice when gaming for fun at some point
Peripherals:
wired Logitech mechanical keyboard with brown switches. I am considering upgrading this at some point but it was an upgrade from membrane.
Logitech G502 wired mouse for gaming
Logitech MX Master 3 for video editing and general productivity tasks
Monitors are IPS 60hz 1080p on primary and 1600×900 for secondary. I think primary is 24", and secondary is 19.5"
The desk is something I built a few years back. It is made with iron pipes painted black and plywood that I stained. I then got cables all at the right length so cable management is quite clean. My computer sits behind the black cloth door. It stays cool, and also has a cloth back to keep airflow. My case is a large aggressive gaming aesthetic that I do not like, hence why it is hidden away. I also installed headphone and cable hooks in my desktop compartment keeping my headphones organized. Overall it is clear that audio is something I deeply enjoy, so most of the cost of my setup is spent in that
Here's what I've got going: image I'm pretty happy with what I've been able to put together in a space-constrained apartment. Definitely not a minimalist setup, and perhaps too messy for some. But...
I'm pretty happy with what I've been able to put together in a space-constrained apartment. Definitely not a minimalist setup, and perhaps too messy for some. But the clutter helps me work, IDK. Here's the gear:
16'' MBP (M2 version whatever year that was)
25'' BenQ QHD (1440) monitor (very happy with this, and I would definitely recommend BenQ monitors as great value)
Ploopy Adept Trackball (Got on the trackball train a few years ago and haven't looked back. Much easier on the wrist than a mouse for me)
There's a DOIO "Megalodon" macropad hiding in there (Use it a lot for editing and After Effects)
Audio Technica AT-LP120 turntable w/ Ortofon 2M Red cartridge
I don't even understand half of what you're boasting about, but that band up on the right side is hella cool! Edit: forgot to say, awesome cat pics. Totally unrelated tho :D
I don't even understand half of what you're boasting about, but that band up on the right side is hella cool!
Which one? Desktop/Server LARGE executive desk (had to take half an inch off the bottom of the feet to get it in the door) absolutely covered in mini-painting accessories and set aside projects....
Which one?
Desktop/Server
LARGE executive desk (had to take half an inch off the bottom of the feet to get it in the door) absolutely covered in mini-painting accessories and set aside projects.
27" 1080p 165Hz monitor
24" 1080p Dell Ultrasharp
Keychron low profile mechanical keyboard
Cheap Logitech G-Series mouse
Mini-ATX case hidden near the desk, Mid-Range gaming specs
Laptop
Lenovo X1 Nano
Usually sitting on the arm of the couch
Razer Core X eGPU hooked-up for gaming
HTPC
Connected to 55" TV in the Den/Family Room
Wireless Keyboard/Mouse Combo
Wireless Xbox One Gamepad
Mid-Range gaming specs from about 5-7 years ago, still works great, been playing Dead Space Remake on it
HTPC 2
In my basement, connected to an older 45" TV
Low-end Specs, my kids play games on this one.
Same wireless Keyboard/Mouse combo unit as the HTPC 1
Gaming Laptop for Kids
Mid-range specs from 2015
Sitting on a box with a controller connected to it
Mostly plays Minecraft, Subnautica and Lego City
I've been a PC gamer for 30+ years now and just have a tendency to keep my old hardware and repurpose it. Also, working in IT and having a general love and interest in computers, people tend to just give me stuff, so I have a lot of PC's. These are just the ones that I generally futz with on a daily basis, but there are quite a few more throughout the house being used for different purposes.
Wall art: Coffee stains from aforementioned mug. Still need to repaint that.
Cable management: Barely.
Not pictured:
PS Dual Sense Controller
Steam Deck
I'm happy with it at this point in time, although I always feel the itch to upgrade something but I'm running into the problem where a single upgrade means changing most of the parts. Any CPU upgrade means needing to upgrade the socket on the motherboard, which means swapping out the RAM too. Luckily I can easily hold off on most of that because it's still performing well with just about anything I throw at it.
Cables run like tentacles into the different rooms of my house from one relatively powerful computer. It is a bit Beneath a Steel Sky. I have custom global keyboard shortcuts that I press to...
Cables run like tentacles into the different rooms of my house from one relatively powerful computer. It is a bit Beneath a Steel Sky. I have custom global keyboard shortcuts that I press to switch to another room. Each room has at least one "station" with a keyboard (usually K400 or similar) and a monitor or TV.
When I use my laptop or phone I'm usually connected to it by ssh, nomachine, or freerdp.
I love these kinds of threads, not because I'm particularly proud of my setup, but because it gives me ideas for how to improve it. Mine's rather simple: Desk from Wayfair (couldn't find the exact...
I love these kinds of threads, not because I'm particularly proud of my setup, but because it gives me ideas for how to improve it. Mine's rather simple:
Desk from Wayfair (couldn't find the exact desk, but it's an L-shape with some drawers and shelves.
3 monitors - 1x32" 4K in the center, then 2x24" monitors rotated vertically. All monitors are on a mount, some are duct-taped because I inherited them.
CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 Dock
Work computer - Macbook Pro M2
Personal computer - Framework laptop 13 running Fedora
Pok3r RGB keyboard; Logitech MX Master mouse
One side of my desk has some 3M glossy material stuck on the surfact that is designed to use as a whiteboard (when junk isn't cluttering that area).
Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920
I'm lucky enough to live in a 3-bedroom house with my wife but without kids (we both work remote), so my "office" closet is filled with repurposed computers. Basically, just personal pet projects, like a Plex Server and other self-hosted alternatives that I'm trying out at any given time.
I've always been weirdly fond of workstation/battlestation specs and pics! Here's mine (my phone camera can't seem to process the neon light but I promise it's way less intense in-person). Not...
I've always been weirdly fond of workstation/battlestation specs and pics! Here's mine (my phone camera can't seem to process the neon light but I promise it's way less intense in-person). Not pictured are the million zip ties and velcro straps used for cable management. I set up everything during the pandemic while working from home and have slowly upgraded various parts. It became my gradschool station once I was back in the office full time and now that I've graduated, it's mostly for gaming and occasional media editing. The desk is a random 40" one from amazon, which is unfortunately about as wide as I can go without encroaching on the window or a/c unit.
PC: Ryzen 7 7700/RX 7800xt build in a walnut Fractal North case
Monitor: BenQ MOBIUZ EX2710Q. 27" 1440p ips panel. Just upgraded from 1080p a few weeks ago and it's so crisp!
Chair: Random mesh model from FLEXISPOT. Surprisingly nice
Keyboard: i-rocks K71M plus a cheapo wireless one connected to the Switch dock
Mouse: Logitech G305
Headphones: AKG K371 running through an AIYIMA dac/amp combo
Mic: Antlion usb modmic or Blue Snowball
Speakers: Creative Pebbles
Controller: 8bitdo Ultimate
Misc: wireless remote wall switch to control the lamps/lighting
My actual at-work workstation is an iMac (not generally my preference but boss likes Apple) paired with a RK ROYAL KLUDGE RK96 board I've slapped some custom caps onto. I also use an aging 14" Dell Latitude paired with a 15" portable monitor when I work marching band contests
Work Setup 13" 2023 Macbook Pro Nulea M508 King Wireless Trackball Mouse Keychron K2 keyboard Dual monitors, with laptop on a stand for 3 screens total Gaming Setup 2023 ASUS ROG Strix G16 gaming...
Work Setup
13" 2023 Macbook Pro
Nulea M508 King Wireless Trackball Mouse
Keychron K2 keyboard
Dual monitors, with laptop on a stand for 3 screens total
Gaming Setup
2023 ASUS ROG Strix G16 gaming laptop
Logitech MX Master mouse
Redragon K652 keyboard
Currently just using the laptop's screen
Xbox controller when I need it
Things are all a bit mixed up right now. Ideally I'd have a single desk with a single setup, with me just swapping laptops around as needed. But when my kids were born I had to give up my office for a nursery. And then as they got older (which is to say louder), I couldn't work in the living room anymore, so I had a shed installed in the backyard and use it as an office. But I don't want to be away from my family 24/7, so obviously the gaming stuff has to stay up at the house while the work stuff needs to be in the shed. The kids started school this fall, and the shed's heat is terrible/expensive, so I'm currently doing both from a tiny desk in my living room, which isn't ideal.
Ha, I have a very similar gaming setup: ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition laptop Redragon K580 keyboard Steel series Rival 5 mouse (but I'm about to replace it with a Logitech due to wheel issues)...
Ha, I have a very similar gaming setup:
ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition laptop
Redragon K580 keyboard
Steel series Rival 5 mouse (but I'm about to replace it with a Logitech due to wheel issues)
Xbox controller
I mostly use the laptop docked to an old 27" monitor I've had for ages, but I did originally buy it so I could move around the house. It's not super practical as a mobile setup though since it basically has to be plugged in for any gaming.
I'm usually the weirdo on these topics. Both my personal and work laptops are 13" Lenovos, though different models and operating systems. I hate dealing with wires and using multiple monitors, so...
I'm usually the weirdo on these topics.
Both my personal and work laptops are 13" Lenovos, though different models and operating systems. I hate dealing with wires and using multiple monitors, so the only peripheral I have is a wireless mouse and the only accessory is a folding stand to angle the keyboard. I work from home 99% of the time as a database/systems developer/vaguely-IT-ish person.
What makes it slightly comical is that I share a desk/study with my (non-techie, non-WFH) partner who has a gaming PC with an absolutely monstrously large case, a huge primary monitor, and a smaller secondary monitor. So all day I've got my little work setup squeezed around this behemoth that I never touch, sometimes also pulling out my personal laptop to put some TV show on.
Mine! Mine! Mine! I had built my own desk earlier last year, but it lacked depth (which I intended, except... I forgot to consider how the monitors would play into the stability). It didn't have...
Mine! Mine! Mine!
I had built my own desk earlier last year, but it lacked depth (which I intended, except... I forgot to consider how the monitors would play into the stability). It didn't have the boosted back shelf, which actually (the shelf, that is) works out with the third monitor not working for the monitor arm I originally had for it.
System76 15" Gazelle laptop with Pop!_OS Logitech MX Ergo trackball cheap mono single earbud I have the laptop on a tilted laptop stand, and I usually hold it in my lap as I semi-recline on a day...
System76 15" Gazelle laptop with Pop!_OS
Logitech MX Ergo trackball
cheap mono single earbud
I have the laptop on a tilted laptop stand, and I usually hold it in my lap as I semi-recline on a day bed. The trackball lies beside me on the bed, as the most convenient option for this kind of setup. Fortunately trackballs are my preferred mouse anyway. I can't use a standard mouse without eventually causing wrist pain, and some years ago (with a more standard desk setup) I went through a LOT of ergonomic mice and setups to finally settle on trackball as the kind that causes me no issues.
I use a single earbud because I need to keep an ear open for the rest of the house. It means I can't fully immerse myself in games, but I was never much of an audio person anyway.
The laptop has a full keyboard with numpad, but the keys are crowded together such that, even having owned the laptop a few years, I can't instantly feel my way to the arrow keys, Home/End/PgUp/PgDn, and so on. So I recently got textured sensory stickers and cut them to fit on strategic keys, which helps a great deal. Also I may actually use some of these stickers for their intended purpose, because it does feel soothing to run my fingers along them.
I'm a little envious of @bo0tzz's setup, because it sounds like a more sophisticated version of mine. And I do wish I could bring my screen closer to my face (or just have a bigger one, like theirs).
I spent a good year lying on the couch with a laptop, and my current setup is a significant upgrade over that, so if you have the option I'd certainly recommend it. I spent some time inbetween...
I spent a good year lying on the couch with a laptop, and my current setup is a significant upgrade over that, so if you have the option I'd certainly recommend it. I spent some time inbetween with a jerryrigged monitor arm over the top of the couch backrest, which mostly did the job but was a little too high up to really be comfortable.
For audio, have you considered open-ear headphones? They should give you both ears while still being able to hear the outside world.
An upgrade isn't really in the cards for me right now, but someday maybe! Fortunately I tend to be pretty comfortable as I am. This setup also allows for the occasional repositioning to lie on my...
An upgrade isn't really in the cards for me right now, but someday maybe! Fortunately I tend to be pretty comfortable as I am. This setup also allows for the occasional repositioning to lie on my front with my laptop in front of me, for sleepier computer use.
I haven't considered open-ear headphones, but mostly because this solution works for me. It's best to avoid cluttering up the day bed with too much stuff, and if I have to get up real quick it's easy to just yank the single earbud out (it's wired, so it stays attached to the laptop) and go. I also look more available and not like I'm shutting out the rest of the house, which is an effect that shouldn't be discounted. I do appreciate the suggestion, though, since it hadn't occurred to me before. It could be worth thinking about if using them could fit into the routines here.
As someone with both open back and closed back headphones, it is nice having both for my use case. I decide on which to wear depending on my mood and what is happening around me. I would recommend...
As someone with both open back and closed back headphones, it is nice having both for my use case. I decide on which to wear depending on my mood and what is happening around me. I would recommend open backs if you need to be aware of your surroundings. A good affordable entry pair would be the AKG K240, which is what I have
Open/closed back is the more common term I have heard for headphone types. I believe it refers to the outer shell of the headphones, whether it is a solid exterior or if it is a grill
Open/closed back is the more common term I have heard for headphone types. I believe it refers to the outer shell of the headphones, whether it is a solid exterior or if it is a grill
Just my laptop, a 14” M4 MacBook Pro. Before that I was using a M1 MacBook Air. I use software to use the touchpad for keyboard layers and custom gestures
Just my laptop, a 14” M4 MacBook Pro. Before that I was using a M1 MacBook Air.
I use software to use the touchpad for keyboard layers and custom gestures
Main Setup Desk: Fully (RIP) Jarvis 72”x30”/42”x27” bamboo standing L-desk (shared with gaming setup) Personal machine: 16” M1 Max MacBook Pro 64GB/4TB Work machine: 16” M4 Max MacBook Pro...
Secondary monitor: ASUS ProArt PA278CGV (27” 2560x1440 144hz IPS w/VRR)
Keyboard: Keychron Q60 w/Diced Fruit Banana tactile switches (this rotates out periodically)
Pointing devices: Apple Magic Trackpad (left) and GameBall Trackball (right)
Dock: CalDigit TS4
Audio: JDS Labs Element II DAC/amp
Headphones: Sennheiser HD6XX + AirPods Pro 2
Notes:
My line of work is software development which influenced choices for both personal and work machines. Specs on personal machine might seem overkill but I bought it at a massive discount back when the M2 generation had been out for a long time and the M3 revision was imminent.
Monitors and work laptop are on VESA arms that allow them all to sit at perfect heights and not take up desk space.
Switching between machines is done by switching which of the two is plugged into the thunderbolt dock because last I was shopping, all available Thunderbolt/USB-C KVMs had some kind of major drawback and were way more expensive than a high quality TB4 dock. At first had concerns about wearing out the TB4 input port on the dock but it’s held up great.
Keyboard: Archetype Minerva w/U4 Boba Gum linear switches
Audio: Schiit Fulla 2 DAC/amp
Speakers: Edifier R1280DBs
Headphones: For rhythm games, Moondrop Aria Snow Edition earbuds, for other things Senn HD6XX’s shared with work setup
Controller: 8bitdo Ultimate Bluetooth/2.4Ghz
Notes:
Was overkill when I built it, is still overkill, and will probably continue to be for the foreseeable future. Might actually downgrade the CPU to a 5800X3D when it’s next on sale and sell the 5950X on eBay.
Misc
Study laptop: Lenovo ThinkPad Nano Gen 1 base spec model (love the size, don’t love fan noise and battery life)
Tablet: 12.9” iPad Pro M1 (killer tablet, but I think I liked the 11” size better, might trade in next gen)
What I don't understand in many of these threads is that many people talk about their work computers as if they get a choice in the matter. Is everyone just a freelancer, or are their jobs...
What I don't understand in many of these threads is that many people talk about their work computers as if they get a choice in the matter. Is everyone just a freelancer, or are their jobs unusually flexible with what they'll purchase for their employees?
Seems like an absolute nightmare for a company to manage if every employee has their own bespoke hardware configuration.
In the US it’s not too unusual for software engineers at small to midsize companies to be given a high level of flexibility when it comes to choice of machine. At minimum it’s choice of laptop...
In the US it’s not too unusual for software engineers at small to midsize companies to be given a high level of flexibility when it comes to choice of machine. At minimum it’s choice of laptop size/specs (given that the spec choices are relevant to the work being done) but I’ve seen situations that allow custom built Linux towers and the like.
This is possible because there’s an implicit understanding that the employee is responsible for maintaining the machine and keeping it running because they have the technical acumen to do so. With custom builds for instance if a component fails the employee just expenses it and handles the installation themselves.
Main: late 2013 mbp w/ a magic trackpad and a keychron v5 on a 23" Asus PB258 1440p monitor. The laptop itself is on a VESA mounted tray with the lid open, but a light magnet so the screen is off...
Main: late 2013 mbp w/ a magic trackpad and a keychron v5 on a 23" Asus PB258 1440p monitor. The laptop itself is on a VESA mounted tray with the lid open, but a light magnet so the screen is off
Secondary: w11 box with a Ryzen5 and an rtx3060 controlled via Barrier (nKVM) w/ an MSI G241 1080p monitor -- this is only for gaming and media. I also have an Epomaker EK21 keypad that has a volume knob that is remapped for media controls etc and also an old HP IR receiver and MCE remote.
I have a generic standing desk that never gets lifted.
Home Corner desk Basic secondary monitor Logitech mechanical keyboard Logitech gaming mouse MacBook Pro 16" with M3 Max Sony MDR 7506 studio headphones Arturia Minilab Mk2 MIDI controller Final...
Home
Corner desk
Basic secondary monitor
Logitech mechanical keyboard
Logitech gaming mouse
MacBook Pro 16" with M3 Max
Sony MDR 7506 studio headphones
Arturia Minilab Mk2 MIDI controller
Final Fantasy XIV
When I work from home, I just set my Mac aside and plug my work Mac in
I have a Thinkpad T15P. It's getting a little old now but it still does everything I need in a reasonable amount of time. That's really it for things I touch regularly, most of my computing these...
I have a Thinkpad T15P. It's getting a little old now but it still does everything I need in a reasonable amount of time. That's really it for things I touch regularly, most of my computing these days exists to make my life easier without me being too involved in it.
I have a RPi 4 which runs Home Assistant. That manages a lot of my house stuff. Heating (including smart trvs in most rooms), solar (the inverter does a fair bit of processing but it reports to home assistant) , car charging, various other devices like the dehumidifier, the heat pump in my wife's outdoor office (complete with mm wave radar to turn off if she leaves the room and forgets to do it manually). I don't like remembering to have to turn stuff on or off..
There's a RPi Zero which exists entirely to read our shared Google Calendar and display the week's events on a little eink screen. It also runs a webserver for a set of neopixel Christmas lights which get pattern config over http (the lights have a ESP32 microcontroller which I guess makes them a computing device too). I keep meaning to add a feature where I can add reminders to the calendar display over the web or by voice via home assistant. "House, remind me I need to send Kid to school with their Christmas jumper tomorrow"
I have another RPi Zero which manages the greenhouse. It really just monitors temperature and humidity and runs a fan or heater depending to keep the environment reasonably ideal for whatever my wife is growing this season. The code for that was fun to write because there was a lot of hysteresis to account for, which was obvious in retrospect but did cause quite a lot of issues along the way.
Handful of other RPi Zeros around in various states of "I'll finish this one day" including a kiln controller (temperature comtrol/ramping); a jukebox; a camera robot and probably a few other things I have forgotten.
We have an OSMC Vero 4k for providing TV to the TV, although since the TV got smarter and had iPlayer and YouTube and so on built in, we do use that a lot less. Still do some watching of actual files from local storage though.
I technically own a tablet but I rarely use it and it's almost exclusively used by the kid for various games
I do play Townscaper occasionally.
PS5 for gaming on the rare occasions that I have time/energy for that.
I recently upgraded thanks to getting a new job; this is my first time having a proper PC build/workstation since the mid-2010s I believe. PC: Win10 IoT LTSC | Intel i7-12700K | 64GB RAM | 4TB...
I recently upgraded thanks to getting a new job; this is my first time having a proper PC build/workstation since the mid-2010s I believe.
PC: Win10 IoT LTSC | Intel i7-12700K | 64GB RAM | 4TB NVMe | RTX 4060 Ti
Monitors: 27" 1080p curved x2 (One a Samsung I got for free, the other an Asus)
Keyboard: Unicomp New Model M
Mouse: Logitech M575 Trackball Mouse
Sound: $30 Soundbar
I have a big wooden table that I situated a rotating recliner in front of. The desktop tower's on the far end of the table, followed by my two monitors. The soundbar's suspended from a shelf I keep above the table, and I have an old breakfast-in-bed table I place the keyboard/mouse on when I'm using them; otherwise they're kept on the main table. My work laptop's off to the opposite end; I have a USB switcher so I can use the same keyboard for both computers as needed. The work laptop is just a 15.6 inch Chromebook on a stand, so I turned up the magnification so I don't have eyestrain on it.
The recliner's definitely unorthodox, but I have an irrational fear of using hydraulic single-pole office chairs and didn't want to spend more than $300. So far, it's actually not been a bad arrangement. I also keep one of those footpedal under-desk exercise bikes, which it turns out is the perfect height to accompany the recliner when it's not actively reclining.
Overall, my use-case for my personal PC is 40% Gaming/25% Gen AI experimentation/35% Creative (writing and image editing mostly.) Most games I like would run just fine on my old-old GTX770, but the beefy GPU is futureproofing as well as so I can run local AI models.
I also have a 'travel laptop' which is a Dell Latitude 5400 I've put Q4OS (Debian-derivative distro meant to emulate the 'spirit' of Windows XP) on, and a project laptop that's an old Dell Latitude D620 I want to hollow out and upgrade to modern specs. It runs alright right now for what it is (I upgraded the CPU to a 64-bit model for software compatability and increased the RAM by half a gig, but it's hard limited by the motherboard), but I -adore- the form factor of the D620 and love how durable it is.
My current home office setup I work from home and I remodeled my office completely in August of 2023, to this. For years I went back and forth between wanting as much Computer in my life as...
I work from home and I remodeled my office completely in August of 2023, to this. For years I went back and forth between wanting as much Computer in my life as possible, but also wanting as much simplicity as possible, and could never really make up my mind. I went from my previous 3-monitor giant workstation setup with more peripherals than a Microcenter clearance aisle, to this after redoing the paint and all furniture, and I really feel like I have the balance I'm looking for.
Main setup:
PC: MINISFORUM HX99G Mini PC, with Ryzen 9 6900HX and RX 6600M, 32GB RAM+1TB SSD
Monitor: 34" LG 34BK95U-W UltraWide 5K LED Monitor with HDR 600
Audio: Bose Mini Soundlink II for both mic and speaker
Camera: Some $20 generic USB webcam
KB + M: Logitech MX Master series combo
OS: Zorin Linux 17.2
Secondary setup:
iPad Pro on magnetic stand (top shelf on right) with generic stylus, and Magic Keyboard and Trackpad (mounted on pegboard), also have folds-to-stand folio case
I was a little skeptical about going from a large, top-of-the-line gaming PC to a mini PC, but around the same time that I started to realize that I don't game enough to justify a huge rig, a good friend of mine bought one of these HX99Gs to build a Steam console with Chimera OS and couldn't stop raving about it. I took the plunge and I couldn't be happier--I do game a bit if not that much, and this plays everything I care about at either Ultra or pretty damn close with good framerates, minus the ability to handle ray tracing or more than a little HDR. I also switched to using Linux full-time for work and personal stuff last year and it's been a big quality-of-life improvement but you can read my screeds about that in my post history.
The Bose is, yeesh, very close to 10 years old now but kicks absolute butt at sounding notably better than most low-to-mid-tier speaker setups in a footprint about the size of a current iPhone. Also takes calls so I don't need to wear a headset when I'm on video conferencing for work. The webcam is a generic UPnP no-name camera I paid less than $20 for on Amazon but it works great--twice this past year I bought fancier, more expensive webcams and ended up returning them because they weren't better than this one. Logitech's MX series has always been my go-to for peripherals, my last MX Master mouse is still kicking and is well over a decade old, so I upgraded to this set when I remodeled the office. I know mechanical keyboards are all the rage but the thing is I'm on calls on my PC a lot and I need a keyboard that is quiet, or the mics pick it up.
I use the iPad and my keyboard + trackpad when I travel, as I've learned I typically don't need more than that and it's more than capable for any of the things I would expect to do away from my desk. Not pictured but I do also have an older Dell Xeon workstation laptop that I use when I travel for work if I think I'll need more oomph, but I find I never need it.
Mine's unusual! I have an electric recliner with a monitor arm hanging off a cabinet, with a wireless keyboard & trackball mouse. The computer is attached to the back of the monitor.
https://bo0.tz/u/w1IszE.png
How do you find the ergonomics of typing that way. I think it would be bad for my wrist positioning to have the keyboard that low and far away, but maybe it is my gut that is the problem.
I started out with a really thin membrane keyboard and that was definitely uncomfortable. I can imagine a full size keyboard being too far the other way, but right now I'm on the middle ground with a small low-profile mechanical keyboard and it hasn't given me any issues. A solid desk would always still be better though, of course.
That looks interesting. Do you put the monitor between your legs or can you move the monitor and get it closer to your face? I've been interested in experimenting with a setup like this, but I don't think my wife would go for it, so I stick to my laptop instead.
The bottom of the monitor is approximately some 15 cm above my knees. I can move it a bit forward/backward as well.
Edit: This is my POV while using it https://bo0.tz/u/Aymzip.png
I ran with a similar setup for a while! I have since switched to a normal desk, but I do miss it at times...
Let's see I've got:
Primary workspace:
I also have a home server with a Ryzen 5600x, 32gb of RAM, Rx 6600xt GPU and 20tb of spinning rust drives (in a raid 6, usable capacity 12tb)
Then I have two laptops, my NixOS Linux framework 13 portability/development laptop and a dell XPS 15 Windows/gaming laptop.
And a steam deck is the latest addition.
Pictures so we can appreciate the beauty? I love seeing cool setups.
For privacy reasons I'm going to have to decline.
No problem, I understand.
Oh sweet! A classic 'Battlestations' post. I'm having such nostalgia right now.
Ok. My home computer setup.
Here is my primary desktop workstation.
Screenshot
The computer is a Boxx Apexx E3_03 workstation originally meant for CAD modeling and engineering design. ASRock H570 Phantom Gaming 4 motherboard, Intel 11th gen i9-11900K 8-core/16-thread, liquid cooled CPU, 64GB CORSAIR VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 RAM, Nvidia RTX A2000 12GB workstation graphics card, Samsung 980 Pro 500GB NVMe system drive, Seagate 18TB SATA storage drive.
I run a triple monitor setup that's kind of hodge-podged together, all TVs. Left screen is an old 19" Insignia, middle is a Samsung 43" 4K, and the right is a Toshiba 43". I went with all TVs in part for price / size ratio and also I can turn them all on/off with a single custom command on my Flipper Zero (I recorded each remote on/off IR sequence and chained them together). Logitech MX Keys S keyboard and Logitech M590 silent mouse. Bose soundbar below the monitor, unseen behind everything is my CyberPower 1500VA UPS unit, laser printer, several USB external drives for backups and one of my Netgear Gigabit switches. The mic is the Samson CO1U Pro USB and the headphones I use for monitoring are the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80 Ohm.
Oh. Steelcase Leap V2 office chair. Very important component of the workstation. So much better than my previous chair.
I run Linux Mint 21.3 Cinnamon on this one. It gets used for anything from video recording and editing for YouTube, to playing Magic Arena, to processing documentation for some of the contract tech work I do.
Now we move on to my Lab Bench workstation and computer.
The actual computer hardware here is much less impressive, this is a HP Elitedesk 800 G4 mini PC. Its main purpose is to let me bring up schematic PDFs while I'm working on something. It runs MX Linux 23.4 Libretto XFCE. I have it set up with a 4 port KVM to switch between it, my RisingCam RT5109 4K microscope camera, the Rigol DHO914 oscilloscope and the cable bundle you see hanging on the left edge of the picture which is a 10ft computer cable bundle for hooking up other computers when I work on them.
I also have a kind of sandboxed wifi setup for the bench using a Netgear Nighthawk XR700 gaming router. I like it since it has a visual network map that I can log into and see a connection map of every device connected to it with device details, it's good for setting up single-use wifi networks to connect an untrusted device to that might have MDM / corporate device management & security crap on it. Happens sometimes with the devices I get at auction, more often with tablets.
Next we move on to my field computers.
The laptop is an ASUS ROG STRIX G17 17.3", Ryzen 7 4800H 8-core, 32GB DDR4 RAM, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, Kingston 1TB NVMe system drive. I set this computer up to dual-boot between Linux Mint 21.3 Cinnamon and Windows 11 for field tech work so I could make sure to be able to run whatever software a contract job called for. It is the only reason I still have anything running Windows and I still slightly resent the need.
The tablet is slightly on the older side: a Samsung Galaxy Tab Active Pro running Android 11. I got this for field survey work and chose it as it meets a number of Milspec durability and environmental requirements. I needed something that would work in extreme cold and heat (outdoor work at all times of the year) and would survive trudging through brush, woods, going over barbed wire, etc... It has worked very well for me. I keep it in a RAM mount case which lets me easily mount it in my van workstation.
Speaking of my van workstation, may as well include that. Pretty minimal, though I may do more with it in the future. I just have a bit of minor deskspace set up with a mouse and keyboard, and the RAM mount set up on my spool carrier with a multifunction USB hub attached by magnet and wire routed with zip ties. Powered from my van inverter setup. Since the tablet has Samsung DEX functionality I can switch it to 'Desktop Mode' and that lets me use the Android tablet with a regular USB keyboard and mouse easily.
Next up we have the home server project I'm working on. Pic 1 and pic 2 for that.
The server is a Dell Precision 7910 Tower Server, dual Xeon E5-2690 V4 CPUs, 14-core each, 28-core/56-thread system, 128GB ECC RAM, Nvidia Quadro M2000 graphics card, Samsung 980 NVMe 500GB system drive installed with a M.2 riser card, quad 14TB SAS drives for storage. This is an in-process project that will be my primary home server running NAS, PLEX server and FTP to start with, probably some virtual machine hosting to test different Linux distros, possibly being used for CPU-heavy tasks, though these days more and more compute tasks are being optimized for running on GPU compute architecture, so we'll see. Might mess around with locally hosted AI but I'd need to upgrade the graphics for that, or maybe pick up some surplus Nvidia Tesla cards, though from my research getting those to get utilized properly is a giant pain.
So that's me, I'm a giant tech nerd as you can see.
Main imgur page that has all the pictures in one list.
I am a developer / manager. My work area:
I use the keyboard laptop and the laptop screen, and the external is placed so that it is above the laptop screen. I use Rectangle and almost always split the big monitor in half; it functions like 3 approximately equal screens.
My Desktop / Fun computer:
There are two more gaming PCs in the games room belonging to my two younger kids.
I have a raspberry pi doing some home automation things (thanks @teaearlgraycold!) and a laptop that's running a minecraft server and a small home server that's doing nothing but will hopefully start actually being the media server over this holiday.
Would you mind elaborating on what the Pi is doing? I’ve got one laying around but need inspiration. I just have my main gaming PC and a (currently disassembled for upgrades) Linux server for hosting Plex and modded Minecraft for friends.
I think I used it as a Pi-hole briefly but my sister lived with us at the time and I turned it off after she almost failed an online exam because it was somehow blocking the test-taking browser/app she was trying to use.
I use IFTTT to hook various smart objects up using a Webhook the Pi. I don't think this is a particularly effective way to do things, but it was very fast and I have a lifetime IFTTT account. I have some trivial things:
I'm planning to do something with christmas lights next year, but I just haven't gotten around to putting up smart lights yet.
There are other people here who do a lot more with home automation, like @mat. And not to ping him twice in one thread, but @teaearlgraycold (who sent me this raspberry pi quite a while ago) as well. They might be able to give you some better ideas.
My Christmas lights are not smart, but they are plugged in to smart plugs. Which means I can have a little Bluetooth button which notifies Home Assistant to turn on each of those smart plugs (with a short delay between each one for that dunk dunk dunk "lights powering up" effect). This is partly so I don't have to go around the house flicking switches but mostly so when the kid gets home they can yell "Christmas mode!" and turn it all on..
I'd recommend looking into Home Assistant if you want to do more automation stuff. It's one of the best open source projects going. Half the smart stuff I buy just shows up in HA without me even doing anything (and the other half only needs a click or two). You can do a LOT just through the gui but if you want more, the templating system is a bit clunky but it is very powerful once you get a handle on it.
I'll check it out!
Big old custom built tower, on it's side, on top of an old lap top stand someone gave me eons ago.
A modern flat monitor standing on top of the "tower", someone on Tildes helped me to pick out.
An ancient Microsoft ergonomic ( "twisty" ) keyboard.
A cheap USB mouse, soon to be replaced due to extra-clicks, trouble selecting.
A kvm switch tying all of that together with a work lap top, also sitting on top of the "tower" laying on its side.
This is a great thread! I haven't really talked about my setup before.
I have a single desk with two 27" 1440p IPS monitors. They are connected to an AV Access iDock B30 KVM Switch. The Switch controls, obviously, my keyboard (Moonlander split keyboard), and Mouse (Kingston trackball). I also have a Logitech 1080p webcam hooked up.
Work:
Home:
And then I have my old desktop computer set up as a home server at the other end of the room.
How are you liking the AV Access KVM? I had not heard of the brand before, but I've been looking forever for a decent modern KVM. Have you encountered any hanging while switching?
I really like it so far. I think I have only had an issue once or twice and I think its because I swapped back and forth too quickly. It can run pretty hot too after prolonged usage.
I think also my issues come from Fedora and the USB-C connection to my laptop. My desktop never seems to have an issue with anything.
This is mine corner. The PC isn't actually on the photo (well, one of them is - Steam Deck). The desktop is on the other side of the room connected via 10m HDMI and 10m USB3 cable fished through the conduit under the floor. The USB3 is with repeater (it must be) and connected to USB3 HUB slapped on the LCD with double-sided tape. I use this HUB to connect basically everything to PC - be it keyboard, mouse, USB sound card, USB flash drive... In fact the HUB is connected though USB switch that switches it between desktop and Steam Deck.
For my desktop I use Core i5-4790, 16GB RAM and GTX1650 in Lian-Li HTPC case from around 2010 (the actual motherboard is different from the one on the images at this moment, as is cooler, it's still Shuriken but some newer model). This PC can actually run Cyberpunk and Mafia DE at 30 fps on higher than lowest details. It's still ok for me as I play on Steam Deck more anyway.
I use mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX Red switches that was made for local brand seller. It has RGB backlight and aluminium base. I use Logitech MX Anywhere 3 mouse (I believe). I have some cheap USB sound card from China and I use (ASUS?) TUF gaming headset and Sony wired earplugs that I have for 10+ years (I don't know the specific model, might be able to find if someone is interested). I use some 10 years old 22" IPS LCD, 1080p60 that I scavenged from some relative when they got new PC. Steam Deck is connected via DVI and desktop through HDMI. It also has VGA input. Quite nice LCD in its time, although budget one even back then (around 100€). The desktop is also connected to my Pansonic plasma TV from 2011. As you can see, I don't spend unnecessary money on new stuff when old one works just fine.
My desktop OS of choice is Gentoo Linux. There is SATA SSD in the desktop with OS and Steam games but my home directory (and other users' too) is actually on my homemade NAS that acts as a server (Jellyfin, DVB-T-to-IPTV, Hime Assistant, DNS and so on...).
The photo of my corner was taken after clean-up. I didn't take it now for reasons that might be obvious to you by now :-D
My main workspace, in my bedroom.
Main desk:
Plus you can see my Steam Deck and Steam Controller; even a PS4 controller. Because sometimes I game while I game! To the left of the tower is a Nintendo Switch that I haven't touched in months.
The secondary desk is more for work and tinkering. And apparently junk paperwork/mail.
Server underneath is not my main homelab server (that's in a rack). It's an old Dell T420. I use it once in awhile to test stuff out, but usually it's just a foot rest. I was even using it as a clothing rack at one point, lol.
Networking gear in the pic is Ubiquiti Unifi 5-port Flex Mini switch, and a Unifi AC Lite WAP. I have another Unifi U6 Lite WAP in the living room.
I have other desks in other rooms, but I haven't set those up yet as workspaces. In my previous apartment, I actually had separate desks and spaces for working and gaming.
This might be a weird thing to comment on, but I really like that your set of drawers is perfect in height to fit exactly below the lip of your desk. It makes the OCD in me happy.
That's actually intentional! The drawers can be used as the "legs" of the desk. Way back when I first got this desk in ln 2008, I only had two desk legs, with the drawers underneath.
i went from living in a 1 room dorm where my only seating options was my bed, the foot of the bed, or a chair. to a 1 bedroom flat that has different rooms for everything... so tbh i've kinda gone off the deep end with my sofa setup.
sofa pointed at the slightly-too-high tv on the wall, wireless mouse and keyboard. my pc tucked to the side to be nearer the hallway as the ethernet cable i got wasnt long enough, and i already had a 10m hdmi cable. then ive got a usb hub running up through the sofa and into one of the crevices at the elbow so i can charge my phone, headset, whatever without getting up.
https://i.imgur.com/h0P6E51.png
ive had a few people round and theyve been gobsmacked at how i live like this, only to find out they like it just as much as me. i think ive had a few posture worries but honestly i think i get more lumbar support from a combo of cushions, and its so easy to just slink to the side and lay down during videos so im never really in any position for more than 30minutes.
a great bonus of this is that my bedroom is simply my bedroom. i've never had this before. it was always having a desk in my room, or a laptop, or i was only "sitting up" away from getting back on the pc if something fun started happening on skype/discord. now theres a whole ritual around going to bed and feeling ready for it, if that makes any sense.
you have inspired me
except I realized that I made a mistake in my drawing lol. My tablet monitor is actually on the left-hand (green) table, but the table is about 50% longer than the monitor is wide, so I do have quite a bit of "stuff that i need to organize later" (aka mess) on the end of that table. The picture is not really to scale.
I also have another monitor (yes a 6th one) that's not hooked up because i am having some graphics card issues and it's not letting me connect more than 5 screens at a time and I do not understand why (if anyone knows why this might be the case PLEASE tell me, I have an AMD card and I think I installed the driver........? despite being a programmer I am very uncomfortable with hardware and configuring drivers etc so atm I am just grateful that my computer works after I had to replace my card a couple months ago)
Depending on the graphics card, it is not uncommon for there to be more video ports than the amount of displays it can support. Depending on your GPU, it may only support 5 displays, but has more than five ports so that people will most likely have the ports they need
my gpu has 4 ports, I'm using a splitter already haha
maybe it only does support 5 monitors? but I don't want to buy a 2nd card as like a "just in case" thing, I really hate doing work on my computer so I'm very reluctant to do experimentation like this even though I'd be able to return if it doesn't work. I'd want to know 100% for certain it'll fix my problem
About the issue with the 6th monitor: can you provide details on your computer?
What operating system do you use? Any details about what hardware (motherboard / video card(s)) is in the computer?
Long long ago I started off in IT support, I'm willing to throw my hat in the ring for a fellow Tilde'r.... Tilder? Tildiddlydidly? Tilditor? Ok I simply have no idea how to associativity label a fellow Tildes user.
Also your drawing is a masterpiece.
ty i have a deep passion for shitty mspaint drawings. when I am making slightly more permanent things I turn on my tablet monitor and use pen in krita (or onenote...lol) but this was done with my mouse which tbh is my preference
my relevant system info:
If the answer is that I'd need to buy a 2nd card to be able to have additional monitors, then I would buy an additional card; in an ideal world I really want 2 more screens, one to drop grafana on forever and one would be that (1) i upgrade one of my two 1080p monitors to a 4K monitor for daily use but keep the 1080p one connected for when im streaming (I don't stream that often but when I do it's coding lessons so I need the smaller screen. And changing resolution in the monitor settings is a pain and messes up my wallpaper etc).
I just saw this in another reply you gave. This is probably the answer and why Windows / your video card are having issues 'seeing' the 6th monitor, or at least that seems the most likely wildcard to me.
Your model motherboard has 2 onboard video ports - make use of those ports for the additional screens and that should work properly. Just keep whatever screen you want for high FPS gaming performance on the graphics card instead of the motherboard.
This would let you use a total of 6 video ports for 6 screens. If you keep the singe 1 port to 2 port splitter that is currently working for you, you then can go up to 7 screens.
I appreciate your passion for data output. MORE SCREENS!
I don't think my onboard graphics ports are enabled currently. I tried plugging it into the hdmi port and it didn't show up, then I unplugged an existing screen (to get it down to 5 total) and it still didn't work. To sanity check my cables I plugged it into the now-open hdmi port I had just vacated and it worked fine. Do you know if there's something I can do to make it willing to use both the card ports and the onboard ports at the same time?
Yes, or at least maybe.
It may be disabled in your BIOS..... hmmmmm.
Ok, there was about 20 minutes between the above aborted sentence and this one, with research in the middle. While the onboard graphics is something that can be enabled-to-auto / disabled / forced in BIOS, for an AMD system that is ONLY if the model AMD CPU is one that has integrated graphics, and it seems some do, and some do not.
What CPU do you have in your computer? You could reply with that and I'll check for you, or if you are comfortable finding the specifications on it you could look it up and see if it has integrated graphics or not.
Reference: ROG STRIX specs on your board which has:
"Graphics
1 x DisplayPort 1.2
1 x HDMITM 2.1 (4K@60HZ)
*Graphics specifications may vary between CPU types."
So, you'll first want to know if your CPU will allow you to take advantage of those extra video ports, sorry and my bad for suggesting something earlier which might not work.
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT. And 32gb of memory if that's relevant (I doubt it but just in case)
No problem at all!!! I appreciate SO MUCH you helping me with this!! I really don't enjoy doing this kind of research and it gives me a lot of anxiety to try so I'm so glad to have your help!!
Ok, I can confirm the 3800XT does not have integrated graphics, so no need to try chasing down why you can't get video out from the onboard video ports.
Next, let's get back to seeing if we can do this with your existing graphics card.
The RX 7800 XT uses DisplayPort 2.1, and you should be able to take advantage of DisplayPort MST (Multi-Stream Transport) which I think you already are with the 'splitter' you mentioned.
On that note: could you give me the manufacturer and model of that splitter?
Anyway, in theory you should be able to drive a bunch of displays using the MST capability with suitably compatible MST hubs. If what you have isn't already a DisplayPort 2.1 MST hub, it is possible that simply upgrading your hub will take care of this. Update, for now ignore the search for a DP 2.1 hub.
There is also a bit of playing-around we could do first. In order from least hassle / least cost first. The list below is based on the assumption that you can plug in all 6 screens through your video card (with the splitter / splitters you mentioned) and not need the onboard video ports. Note: you would want to reboot after each set of changes to make sure Windows 'sees' the changes properly.
Costs time only:
Costs a small amount of money:
3. The 'splitter' you mentioned. If it isn't a DisplayPort 2.1 compatible hub, find a reputable brand..... hmmmmmmmmm ok, I CANNOT find one that exists???? Wow.** New plan, try multiple DisplayPort 1.4 MST hubs from Amazon to see if one works for you, and return what doesn't work.
Costs an annoying amount of money:
4. and 5. are basically the options of adding an additional graphics card (make sure you have a power supply that can handle the added load) or replacing your CPU with one of the models that has integrated graphics (make sure it is the same CPU socket type).
Hi sorry for my slow response! I've been semi afk reading a bunch of fantasy novels before the year ends (I will make a blog post with a bunch of reviews in early January)
Prior to using this card, I had been running two older AMD cards in parallel, and one of them blew out and I replaced the pair with this single card. Because I am an idiot I don't know which card functions and which card doesn't, but they are both Radeon RX 560 46B D5 (I think, I'm reading off the label here). Could I safely try putting these back into my computer and running (the functioning one) in parallel with my current card? And not risk breaking anything? And that would have a good chance of solving the problem?
This is my power supply
Sorry for not mentioning this earlier, I completely forgot about this until you mentioned adding an additional graphics card, idk how I forgot this but I did lol
Don't worry about the time between posts, neither of us are 'on the clock' for this so to speak.
Looks like the old video card is rated to pull ~75W.
While it might be a bit close in terms of total power budget, I think you're OK to try adding in one of your old cards. If it works fine just at windows desktop, but has problems / shuts down when gaming, I'd first look at upgrading to a higher wattage power supply, maybe 750 or 850 watts. Don't worry about that unless you run into problems though.
As to the safety of plugging in a card that might be bad: if the rest of the system it was in (when it died) was ok, you can probably do that safely. Most likely it just wouldn't boot with the bad card in, that or it would boot but either not recognize the card in windows or just not be able to use it.
I'd say go for it. Sounds like the simple and cheap way to get additional screen outputs given you already have it on hand.
cool, so it sounds like there's no issue about compatibility with specific models of card as long as the total wattage is supported by my psu and also they're both amd?
Yep. They... might not even both need to be AMD, though I could possibly see mixing 1 AMD card and 1 NVidia card leading to a bunch of driver troubleshooting.
But anyway, yes, you should be good to proceed.
Okay, so I tried the graphics card thing and this did not go well. Turns out, my PSU does not have a free 8-pin port, the cable that was powering both of my old cards is now powering my one single new card. Oops!
Do you have a recommendation for a new PSU? Note, the PSU is the component I do not want to compromise on at all, and I'm probably going to build a new PC next year and would like to reuse PSU (although at that point that just means new mobo/cpu/nvme drive for os, I will likely reuse graphics cards and all my data drives, most of which I've also replaced recently). So I want relatively high-end and well reputed brand.
Here is a slightly outdated curated list of PSUs for you to look through. Looks like the last update was a year ago, but since your hardware isn't current bleeding edge that's not a problem.
One constant is across advice I just researched is that known brand-names aren't a guarantee - even good brands can have some bad models.
I'd say look through the list and pick one from that which has the number of connectors you need to get power to that extra graphics card. For future-proofing, probably stick with 1000 watts and up.
If you do want brand name recommendations, some brands that tend to make more good models than ones that have issues are SeaSonic, Corsair, EVGA, Thermaltake.
If you're looking for me to pick one, here is the Super Flower model taken from the high-end section of the list - it looks to have plenty of 8-pin connectors available.
Edit: if you want your future-proofing to extend to the newest / stupidly expensive cards, I'd suggest getting a power supply that has both 12VHPWR type connectors (the newest graphics card power connector type) and is ATX 3.1 certified. If you are going that far though, probably bump up to a minimum of 1200W. Just make sure it will still work with your current hardware of see if there are adapter power cables to be backwards compatible with the graphics cards you have currently.
Okay since it sounds like future proofing is complicated and not worth it and I did not want to wait around for shipping, I went to Best Buy today. The one they had in stock was Corsair RM850x. Switching over seems to have worked, but plugging a 2nd card in is not working, at all, period. I don't know what I'm doing wrong but I can't get a monitor plugged into either of my old cards to turn on.
I spent many(, many) hours on this now so I'm thinking I'm giving up. I did, during this process, upgrade one 2k monitor to a 4k monitor, so I gained some pixels at least. I think I'm going to just cope with this for the next year and build a new pc next year - I built this one in early 2021 (bought parts in Nov 2020 and then procrastinated lol) so 2024 felt too early to build an entirely new machine, but 2025 I think is reasonable.
Sorry that all your help ended up in basically nothing happening in the end but thanks for all your time, I really do appreciate it!!
No problem, sorry you didn't get the outcome you were working towards. I hope you have fun building your new rig next year.
oh my god there is nothing i hate more than building new computers lol, i am hoping that I can find a friend who will want to build it for me (....any tilderinos in the Chicago area?) and if not I will pay someone to do it for me (.....................................any tildevarks in the Chicago area?)
Huh. Going to send you a PM.
I love the drawing!
https://imgur.com/a/KC9lgcp
My computer setup has nothing individually impressive, but as a whole I quite like it.
Computer is a custom built:
Audio:
Peripherals:
The desk is something I built a few years back. It is made with iron pipes painted black and plywood that I stained. I then got cables all at the right length so cable management is quite clean. My computer sits behind the black cloth door. It stays cool, and also has a cloth back to keep airflow. My case is a large aggressive gaming aesthetic that I do not like, hence why it is hidden away. I also installed headphone and cable hooks in my desktop compartment keeping my headphones organized. Overall it is clear that audio is something I deeply enjoy, so most of the cost of my setup is spent in that
Here's what I've got going: image
I'm pretty happy with what I've been able to put together in a space-constrained apartment. Definitely not a minimalist setup, and perhaps too messy for some. But the clutter helps me work, IDK. Here's the gear:
Since you made it this far, here's a bonus cat pic
I don't even understand half of what you're boasting about, but that band up on the right side is hella cool!
Edit: forgot to say, awesome cat pics. Totally unrelated tho :D
Oh yeah thanks! Lego jazz band set, a fun build
Which one?
Desktop/Server
LARGE executive desk (had to take half an inch off the bottom of the feet to get it in the door) absolutely covered in mini-painting accessories and set aside projects.
27" 1080p 165Hz monitor
24" 1080p Dell Ultrasharp
Keychron low profile mechanical keyboard
Cheap Logitech G-Series mouse
Mini-ATX case hidden near the desk, Mid-Range gaming specs
Laptop
Lenovo X1 Nano
Usually sitting on the arm of the couch
Razer Core X eGPU hooked-up for gaming
HTPC
Connected to 55" TV in the Den/Family Room
Wireless Keyboard/Mouse Combo
Wireless Xbox One Gamepad
Mid-Range gaming specs from about 5-7 years ago, still works great, been playing Dead Space Remake on it
HTPC 2
In my basement, connected to an older 45" TV
Low-end Specs, my kids play games on this one.
Same wireless Keyboard/Mouse combo unit as the HTPC 1
Gaming Laptop for Kids
Mid-range specs from 2015
Sitting on a box with a controller connected to it
Mostly plays Minecraft, Subnautica and Lego City
I've been a PC gamer for 30+ years now and just have a tendency to keep my old hardware and repurpose it. Also, working in IT and having a general love and interest in computers, people tend to just give me stuff, so I have a lot of PC's. These are just the ones that I generally futz with on a daily basis, but there are quite a few more throughout the house being used for different purposes.
https://imgur.com/a/dMcYaa1
Not pictured:
I'm happy with it at this point in time, although I always feel the itch to upgrade something but I'm running into the problem where a single upgrade means changing most of the parts. Any CPU upgrade means needing to upgrade the socket on the motherboard, which means swapping out the RAM too. Luckily I can easily hold off on most of that because it's still performing well with just about anything I throw at it.
Cables run like tentacles into the different rooms of my house from one relatively powerful computer. It is a bit Beneath a Steel Sky. I have custom global keyboard shortcuts that I press to switch to another room. Each room has at least one "station" with a keyboard (usually K400 or similar) and a monitor or TV.
When I use my laptop or phone I'm usually connected to it by ssh, nomachine, or freerdp.
I love these kinds of threads, not because I'm particularly proud of my setup, but because it gives me ideas for how to improve it. Mine's rather simple:
I'm lucky enough to live in a 3-bedroom house with my wife but without kids (we both work remote), so my "office" closet is filled with repurposed computers. Basically, just personal pet projects, like a Plex Server and other self-hosted alternatives that I'm trying out at any given time.
Ooo I love that idea! Beats the random post-its I leave everywhere
I've always been weirdly fond of workstation/battlestation specs and pics! Here's mine (my phone camera can't seem to process the neon light but I promise it's way less intense in-person). Not pictured are the million zip ties and velcro straps used for cable management. I set up everything during the pandemic while working from home and have slowly upgraded various parts. It became my gradschool station once I was back in the office full time and now that I've graduated, it's mostly for gaming and occasional media editing. The desk is a random 40" one from amazon, which is unfortunately about as wide as I can go without encroaching on the window or a/c unit.
My actual at-work workstation is an iMac (not generally my preference but boss likes Apple) paired with a RK ROYAL KLUDGE RK96 board I've slapped some custom caps onto. I also use an aging 14" Dell Latitude paired with a 15" portable monitor when I work marching band contests
Very pretty! Thank you for sharing it. I like how much art you have integrated into your space.
Thanks! It's in the corner of my living room so I wanted it to look nice (though I know my idea of "nice" is a little quirky to some folks)
Work Setup
Gaming Setup
Things are all a bit mixed up right now. Ideally I'd have a single desk with a single setup, with me just swapping laptops around as needed. But when my kids were born I had to give up my office for a nursery. And then as they got older (which is to say louder), I couldn't work in the living room anymore, so I had a shed installed in the backyard and use it as an office. But I don't want to be away from my family 24/7, so obviously the gaming stuff has to stay up at the house while the work stuff needs to be in the shed. The kids started school this fall, and the shed's heat is terrible/expensive, so I'm currently doing both from a tiny desk in my living room, which isn't ideal.
Ha, I have a very similar gaming setup:
I mostly use the laptop docked to an old 27" monitor I've had for ages, but I did originally buy it so I could move around the house. It's not super practical as a mobile setup though since it basically has to be plugged in for any gaming.
I use a 4 foot IKEA shelf atop matched-height stacks of old textbooks as my monitor stand.
I'm usually the weirdo on these topics.
Both my personal and work laptops are 13" Lenovos, though different models and operating systems. I hate dealing with wires and using multiple monitors, so the only peripheral I have is a wireless mouse and the only accessory is a folding stand to angle the keyboard. I work from home 99% of the time as a database/systems developer/vaguely-IT-ish person.
What makes it slightly comical is that I share a desk/study with my (non-techie, non-WFH) partner who has a gaming PC with an absolutely monstrously large case, a huge primary monitor, and a smaller secondary monitor. So all day I've got my little work setup squeezed around this behemoth that I never touch, sometimes also pulling out my personal laptop to put some TV show on.
Mine! Mine! Mine!
I had built my own desk earlier last year, but it lacked depth (which I intended, except... I forgot to consider how the monitors would play into the stability). It didn't have the boosted back shelf, which actually (the shelf, that is) works out with the third monitor not working for the monitor arm I originally had for it.
My work laptop is Dell Windows junk.
That is a very pretty monitor setup, thank you for sharing it!
Thanks!
I have the laptop on a tilted laptop stand, and I usually hold it in my lap as I semi-recline on a day bed. The trackball lies beside me on the bed, as the most convenient option for this kind of setup. Fortunately trackballs are my preferred mouse anyway. I can't use a standard mouse without eventually causing wrist pain, and some years ago (with a more standard desk setup) I went through a LOT of ergonomic mice and setups to finally settle on trackball as the kind that causes me no issues.
I use a single earbud because I need to keep an ear open for the rest of the house. It means I can't fully immerse myself in games, but I was never much of an audio person anyway.
The laptop has a full keyboard with numpad, but the keys are crowded together such that, even having owned the laptop a few years, I can't instantly feel my way to the arrow keys, Home/End/PgUp/PgDn, and so on. So I recently got textured sensory stickers and cut them to fit on strategic keys, which helps a great deal. Also I may actually use some of these stickers for their intended purpose, because it does feel soothing to run my fingers along them.
I'm a little envious of @bo0tzz's setup, because it sounds like a more sophisticated version of mine. And I do wish I could bring my screen closer to my face (or just have a bigger one, like theirs).
I spent a good year lying on the couch with a laptop, and my current setup is a significant upgrade over that, so if you have the option I'd certainly recommend it. I spent some time inbetween with a jerryrigged monitor arm over the top of the couch backrest, which mostly did the job but was a little too high up to really be comfortable.
For audio, have you considered open-ear headphones? They should give you both ears while still being able to hear the outside world.
An upgrade isn't really in the cards for me right now, but someday maybe! Fortunately I tend to be pretty comfortable as I am. This setup also allows for the occasional repositioning to lie on my front with my laptop in front of me, for sleepier computer use.
I haven't considered open-ear headphones, but mostly because this solution works for me. It's best to avoid cluttering up the day bed with too much stuff, and if I have to get up real quick it's easy to just yank the single earbud out (it's wired, so it stays attached to the laptop) and go. I also look more available and not like I'm shutting out the rest of the house, which is an effect that shouldn't be discounted. I do appreciate the suggestion, though, since it hadn't occurred to me before. It could be worth thinking about if using them could fit into the routines here.
As someone with both open back and closed back headphones, it is nice having both for my use case. I decide on which to wear depending on my mood and what is happening around me. I would recommend open backs if you need to be aware of your surroundings. A good affordable entry pair would be the AKG K240, which is what I have
Is the "back" part significant? Does open back have a different definition from open ear?
Open/closed back is the more common term I have heard for headphone types. I believe it refers to the outer shell of the headphones, whether it is a solid exterior or if it is a grill
Just my laptop, a 14” M4 MacBook Pro. Before that I was using a M1 MacBook Air.
I use software to use the touchpad for keyboard layers and custom gestures
Main Setup
Notes:
My line of work is software development which influenced choices for both personal and work machines. Specs on personal machine might seem overkill but I bought it at a massive discount back when the M2 generation had been out for a long time and the M3 revision was imminent.
Monitors and work laptop are on VESA arms that allow them all to sit at perfect heights and not take up desk space.
Switching between machines is done by switching which of the two is plugged into the thunderbolt dock because last I was shopping, all available Thunderbolt/USB-C KVMs had some kind of major drawback and were way more expensive than a high quality TB4 dock. At first had concerns about wearing out the TB4 input port on the dock but it’s held up great.
Gaming Setup
Custom tower:
Ryzen 5950X CPU
EVGA RTX 3080 Ti GPU modded w/Noctua fans
ASUS X570 ProArt Creator motherboard
32GB 3600Mhz G-Skill RAM
Fractal Meshify 2 Compact case
Noctua NH-D15 cooler
Monitor: Alienware AW2721D (27” 2560x1440 240hz G-Sync IPS)
Mouse: Logitech G604 Lightspeed
Keyboard: Archetype Minerva w/U4 Boba Gum linear switches
Audio: Schiit Fulla 2 DAC/amp
Speakers: Edifier R1280DBs
Headphones: For rhythm games, Moondrop Aria Snow Edition earbuds, for other things Senn HD6XX’s shared with work setup
Controller: 8bitdo Ultimate Bluetooth/2.4Ghz
Notes:
Was overkill when I built it, is still overkill, and will probably continue to be for the foreseeable future. Might actually downgrade the CPU to a 5800X3D when it’s next on sale and sell the 5950X on eBay.
Misc
Your gaming build is very similar to mine. That X3D cache may actually help performance in some games.
Yeah that seems likely. Might be easier to cool too which means less noise which is always welcome.
That 5950X partially functions as my personal spaceheater. It's probably cheaper than my radiators too.
What I don't understand in many of these threads is that many people talk about their work computers as if they get a choice in the matter. Is everyone just a freelancer, or are their jobs unusually flexible with what they'll purchase for their employees?
Seems like an absolute nightmare for a company to manage if every employee has their own bespoke hardware configuration.
In the US it’s not too unusual for software engineers at small to midsize companies to be given a high level of flexibility when it comes to choice of machine. At minimum it’s choice of laptop size/specs (given that the spec choices are relevant to the work being done) but I’ve seen situations that allow custom built Linux towers and the like.
This is possible because there’s an implicit understanding that the employee is responsible for maintaining the machine and keeping it running because they have the technical acumen to do so. With custom builds for instance if a component fails the employee just expenses it and handles the installation themselves.
I have a generic standing desk that never gets lifted.
Home
Office
I have a Thinkpad T15P. It's getting a little old now but it still does everything I need in a reasonable amount of time. That's really it for things I touch regularly, most of my computing these days exists to make my life easier without me being too involved in it.
I have a RPi 4 which runs Home Assistant. That manages a lot of my house stuff. Heating (including smart trvs in most rooms), solar (the inverter does a fair bit of processing but it reports to home assistant) , car charging, various other devices like the dehumidifier, the heat pump in my wife's outdoor office (complete with mm wave radar to turn off if she leaves the room and forgets to do it manually). I don't like remembering to have to turn stuff on or off..
There's a RPi Zero which exists entirely to read our shared Google Calendar and display the week's events on a little eink screen. It also runs a webserver for a set of neopixel Christmas lights which get pattern config over http (the lights have a ESP32 microcontroller which I guess makes them a computing device too). I keep meaning to add a feature where I can add reminders to the calendar display over the web or by voice via home assistant. "House, remind me I need to send Kid to school with their Christmas jumper tomorrow"
I have another RPi Zero which manages the greenhouse. It really just monitors temperature and humidity and runs a fan or heater depending to keep the environment reasonably ideal for whatever my wife is growing this season. The code for that was fun to write because there was a lot of hysteresis to account for, which was obvious in retrospect but did cause quite a lot of issues along the way.
Handful of other RPi Zeros around in various states of "I'll finish this one day" including a kiln controller (temperature comtrol/ramping); a jukebox; a camera robot and probably a few other things I have forgotten.
We have an OSMC Vero 4k for providing TV to the TV, although since the TV got smarter and had iPlayer and YouTube and so on built in, we do use that a lot less. Still do some watching of actual files from local storage though.
I technically own a tablet but I rarely use it and it's almost exclusively used by the kid for various games
I do play Townscaper occasionally.
PS5 for gaming on the rare occasions that I have time/energy for that.
I recently upgraded thanks to getting a new job; this is my first time having a proper PC build/workstation since the mid-2010s I believe.
PC: Win10 IoT LTSC | Intel i7-12700K | 64GB RAM | 4TB NVMe | RTX 4060 Ti
Monitors: 27" 1080p curved x2 (One a Samsung I got for free, the other an Asus)
Keyboard: Unicomp New Model M
Mouse: Logitech M575 Trackball Mouse
Sound: $30 Soundbar
I have a big wooden table that I situated a rotating recliner in front of. The desktop tower's on the far end of the table, followed by my two monitors. The soundbar's suspended from a shelf I keep above the table, and I have an old breakfast-in-bed table I place the keyboard/mouse on when I'm using them; otherwise they're kept on the main table. My work laptop's off to the opposite end; I have a USB switcher so I can use the same keyboard for both computers as needed. The work laptop is just a 15.6 inch Chromebook on a stand, so I turned up the magnification so I don't have eyestrain on it.
The recliner's definitely unorthodox, but I have an irrational fear of using hydraulic single-pole office chairs and didn't want to spend more than $300. So far, it's actually not been a bad arrangement. I also keep one of those footpedal under-desk exercise bikes, which it turns out is the perfect height to accompany the recliner when it's not actively reclining.
Overall, my use-case for my personal PC is 40% Gaming/25% Gen AI experimentation/35% Creative (writing and image editing mostly.) Most games I like would run just fine on my old-old GTX770, but the beefy GPU is futureproofing as well as so I can run local AI models.
I also have a 'travel laptop' which is a Dell Latitude 5400 I've put Q4OS (Debian-derivative distro meant to emulate the 'spirit' of Windows XP) on, and a project laptop that's an old Dell Latitude D620 I want to hollow out and upgrade to modern specs. It runs alright right now for what it is (I upgraded the CPU to a 64-bit model for software compatability and increased the RAM by half a gig, but it's hard limited by the motherboard), but I -adore- the form factor of the D620 and love how durable it is.
My current home office setup
I work from home and I remodeled my office completely in August of 2023, to this. For years I went back and forth between wanting as much Computer in my life as possible, but also wanting as much simplicity as possible, and could never really make up my mind. I went from my previous 3-monitor giant workstation setup with more peripherals than a Microcenter clearance aisle, to this after redoing the paint and all furniture, and I really feel like I have the balance I'm looking for.
Main setup:
Secondary setup:
I was a little skeptical about going from a large, top-of-the-line gaming PC to a mini PC, but around the same time that I started to realize that I don't game enough to justify a huge rig, a good friend of mine bought one of these HX99Gs to build a Steam console with Chimera OS and couldn't stop raving about it. I took the plunge and I couldn't be happier--I do game a bit if not that much, and this plays everything I care about at either Ultra or pretty damn close with good framerates, minus the ability to handle ray tracing or more than a little HDR. I also switched to using Linux full-time for work and personal stuff last year and it's been a big quality-of-life improvement but you can read my screeds about that in my post history.
The Bose is, yeesh, very close to 10 years old now but kicks absolute butt at sounding notably better than most low-to-mid-tier speaker setups in a footprint about the size of a current iPhone. Also takes calls so I don't need to wear a headset when I'm on video conferencing for work. The webcam is a generic UPnP no-name camera I paid less than $20 for on Amazon but it works great--twice this past year I bought fancier, more expensive webcams and ended up returning them because they weren't better than this one. Logitech's MX series has always been my go-to for peripherals, my last MX Master mouse is still kicking and is well over a decade old, so I upgraded to this set when I remodeled the office. I know mechanical keyboards are all the rage but the thing is I'm on calls on my PC a lot and I need a keyboard that is quiet, or the mics pick it up.
I use the iPad and my keyboard + trackpad when I travel, as I've learned I typically don't need more than that and it's more than capable for any of the things I would expect to do away from my desk. Not pictured but I do also have an older Dell Xeon workstation laptop that I use when I travel for work if I think I'll need more oomph, but I find I never need it.