Hardware

Computers

Sherlock

Sherlock is what I call my personal Desktop PC. It’s a custom-built PC running dual-boot Windows 11 / some flavor of linux.

Component	Item
CPU	AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 16-core, 32-Thread
GPU	AORUS GeForce RTX™ 3080 MASTER 10G (rev. 3.0)
RAM	G.SKILL Trident Z Neo 16GB x4 (64GB Total)
Motherboard	ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero AMD AM4 X570S Zen 3
CPU Cooler	ASUS ROG Ryujin 240 RGB AIO Liquic CPU Cooler 240mm Radiator
Case	Lian-Li Case O11D Mini -W Mid-Tower White ATX/Micro-ATX/Mini-ITX
Case Fans	Lian Li UNI Fan SL 120 White
Hard Drive	Primary: Samsung 980 PRO SSD 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe Gen 4
Hard Drive	Secondary: Samsung 980 PRO SSD 500GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe Gen 4
Power Supply	Cooler Master V850 SFX Gold Full Modular, 850W, 80+ Gold
Custom Cables	Etsy CoolerMaster PSU Cables - White

---

M3 MacBook Pro - Nov 2023

This is the M3 MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3, Nov 2023).

Intel MacBook Pro - Mid 2015

This is the Intel MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015).

Monitors

I have 3 monitors currently, But I am actually only using the CRG9 at the moment. This helps me stay more focussed. Though it is annoying never being able to share my whole screen on meetings since it’s so huge, I am forced to switch between sharing individual apps.

• Samsung 49” 120hz CRG9 [5120x1440p]
• VioTek 27” Curved [1920x1080p]
• HP P224 21.5” 60hz [1920x1080p]

I’ve always wanted to try a single 4k or 5k display with a normal aspect ratio (not super-ultrawide), but being on MacOS and having my current window manager (Hammerspoon/GridLayout) I am really settling into this CRG9

Peripherals

Microphone

I just received the Rode NT-USB+ Microphone and I sure love it. I used to use the Logitech Yeti X, but after a few years it lost it’s luster, and for good reason.

The Logitech Yeti X requires the Logitech G HUB program running for anything magical to happen. All digital processing is done via the G HUB application. On top of this, there is no settings sync between computers, which means I’ve always had to install G HUB on each computer, tweak EVERY LITTLE SETTING to hopefully get things to match between computers. It was just a hastle…

With the Rode NT-USB+ Microphone, ALL processing happens within the mic. That means I have all my mic settings and functions no matter what device I plug it into, and does not require a running program on the computer either.

Keyboard

I currently rock the ZSA Moonlander MRK I and LOVE it. I use a custom DVORAK keyboard layout.

ZSA comes with their ORYX layout editor, which I use create my configuration for my layout.

There is a lot about my keyboard config that lends itself to my workflow tooling like [hammerspoon/gridlayout] for my window manager (f13 and f16 keys).

Originally I wanted to buy the Kenesis Advantage360 Professional but it was sold out at the time and I didn’t want to wait, so I went with the Moonlander. I’m VERY happy with the Moonlander, but if I needed to buy another keyboard I’d be torn between the two, Unless ZSA comes out with a MRK II that fixes some of my issues with the Moonlander, then it’d be a no-brainer for me.

Than brings me to….

Keyboard Issues

I do have some issues with the Moonlander as it is.

1. Portability. Why am I required to use an alan wrench in order to loosen / collapse the thumb clusters in order to store the keyboard in it’s travel case?
2. I wish the Moonlander was able to tent more with the stock configuration. I know this is probably a hard problem to solve, but 3D printing your own custom tent kit is just not an option for everyone. I think there’s a place where you can buy a nice metal tent kit, but it seems bulky and doesn’t lent itself to my first issue above in regards to being portable.

Mouse

I use the Logitech MX Master3 and have for about 3 years now. Every now and then the horizontal scroll doesn’t seem to want to work right, but with my workflow becoming more and more mouse-independent, I could probably use any mouse since I rarely reach for it.

Webcam

I currently have 2 webcams. One is my main one, and the other I have that I used to play with extra OBS scenes / angles for streaming.

• Logitech C925E Business
• Logitech C922 Pro

Both of these cameras are okay. I would only consider upgrading if I wanted something that was 1080p 60hz or better.

Speakers

I have used the Creative T100 Speakers for a few years now and they have some pretty stellar sound. No complaints here.

Headphones

I use the Sony WH-1000XM5’s. I’m a big fan of noise cancelling headphones since my office is pretty noisy. The room next-door is our HVAC, I have a portable A/C unit, walking pad, air purifier, and children all make a lot of noise which necessitates noise-cancelling vs. open-ear style headphones.

My last pair that I used for YEARS was the Bose QuietComfort 35 II headphones which were great, but just getting old and worn.

Homelab

My homelab is mostly contained within a 42U Enclosed server rack that contains the following hardware:

• Ubiquity UDM Pro
• Dell PowerEdge R720xd x2 E2690v2 256GB ECC 1800mhz RAM
• Raspberry Pi 4b 8GB RAM

ProxMox

I run ProxMox VE on my Dell PE R720xd that I configure and deploy with terraform and ansible stored in my Github TechDufus Home.io repository. Here I store all the config needed to configure ProxMox itself, as well as any VMs to be stood up and deployed.

Software

This is a big topic. If you would rather simply dive into my config, I store ALL of my environment config, installed apps, etc etc… in my Github Dotfiles. There you will find a lot of documentation around how I’m configuring my environment, as well as the actual config itself.

Just seeing my config doesn’t really bode will with understanding contextually ‘how’ I work, just what’s installed. I hope to paint a picture with this section with a high-level workflow with my core tools, and most used tools that I have.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION…