Sunday, July 9, 2023

My Final Desk Set Up

Finally I think I have my desk set up just the way I like it.  My entire desk set up includes...

  • A 6' long folding table.  Yes, I do need all of the space, I don't know how I would function with a "normal"-sized desk.
  • A 14" Lenovo Yoga 9i i7 laptop.  It is the perfect size for taking with me when I leave the house and along with a monitor, it makes for the perfect computer when working at home.
  • A 22" Samsung 1080p monitor.  I love the bigger screen when I have a lot of work to do.  I was thinking about a 4k monitor but they mostly come in larger screen sizes (27"-34"+) and also, when the monitor is not far away from my face, a big 4k UHD monitor gives me a headache.
  • A cheap sound bar from Amazon.  The brand is Votntut which I've never heard of but it was under $20 and sounds better than the speakers on my laptop.  If I find that I use my speakers a lot (mostly I am writing, not editing videos and audio), I may invest in better speakers. 
  • A rechargeable light that perches on my monitor and helps me look better in videos.  Again, it was a no-name brand from Amazon but it has adjustable lights and hopefully it lasts as long as my meetings do (it doesn't plug in, only recharges when you are done using it...we will see how well this works).
  • A 1080p webcam from Amazon.  The brand is emeet (again, never heard of this brand) but it was under $30 and seems to work fine.
  • A tiny desk lap from Dollar Tree.  Occasionally I need extra light to read documents or something and I didn't want a big desk lamp so this tiny lamp is bright, very adjustable, and it only cost $1!
  • An AM/FM/SW radio that I found at Ross for $20.  Occasionally I like to listen to the radio when I am working so when I saw this, I grabbed it.  It was cheap, a nice size, and sounds great!
  • The headphones are JBL 660NC headphones that I have had for a while.  I think they sound amazing and they cost about $60 on sale and I think they are way better than my $150 Sony headphones.
  • The headphone holder is a clear picture frame from the Dollar Tree.  Why pay $20 for an "official" headphone hanger when this does the job?
  • A basic Logitech wired keyboard that cost $13.  It is wired which I like because there is less latency, and since I am not taking the keyboard anywhere, it is fine that it is connected by USB to the hub.
  • A basic Logitech mouse.  I bought a new, cuter Logitech mouse but this old one seems to have a bit more weight to it which makes it feel better in my hand.
  • A cheap mouse pad.  Giant mouse pads seem to be very popular now but this normal-sized mouse pad gets the job done just fine. 
  • Finally a hub (which you can't see in the picture) that came from Amazon (again it was a cheap, no name brand) ties the whole system together; it is what everything--computer, monitor, keyboard, mouse, webcam--are all connected to.  And of course a power strip to plug everything in to.

2 comments:

  1. Don't the camera and light both need to be situated in the middle of the screen? I would think it would make shadows on one side of your face to have one in the center and one off the side. It looks like you have everything you need and at a reasonable cost to you.

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  2. Yes I am definitely still trying to get the lighting/video part of my meetings right!

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