Uses

Table of Contents
Unless there’s a good argument, always prioritize quality over price, and rarely ever quantity
This is the rule I’ve always look back to when looking for something. Living off of this really saves me in a lot of aspects. Always keep in mind that there’s always a tradeoff when buying something, always.
Money might be the only thing you’ll save if you’re aiming for cheap or unreliable stuff. You’ll not only lose on quality, but also your time, energy, sometimes even health, and other stuff you wouldn’t normally think about.
Imagine buying something that only lasts for a week at most for let’s say $1, compare that to the same product but better quality and perhaps reusable for let’s say $10. Sure, you’ll save some money early on, but as time goes on, the $10 product gives off more value for the money you spent on it. Its drawback is that you need to invest a lot more early on when you’re buying it.
This might not make much sense right now, but take a look at the top item on my Desktop Workstation list and it’ll make much more sense why I’m emphasizing on quality right now.
Desktop Applications
Code & Text Editor
This is my code editor for almost all the projects I do. I’ve been using this since late 2017 to early 2018, right after I’ve finished my first semester as a CS student. Although it is quite heavy, it’s perfect for any small to big projects, especially if you tend to change languages and workflows quite frequently.
This is my alternative text editor for a quick and easy edit to a single file, something that only needs minor editing and not much time to spend on.
Browser
I don’t think this is quite important, but I’ll still include it since I’ve spent some time researching this as well.
No question, best browser for Front-end Developers. If you play a lot with CSS styling like flex and grid, this is the perfect browser for you, especially if you write pure handwritten CSS from scratch.
Although FFDE is great for developing, you should also debug it in other browsers since CSS code won’t be applied the same on every browser, let alone their versions. Chromium Edge exceeds my expectations, it seems to perform better and less resource intensive than other chromium based browsers. We don’t need to install it either since it comes with Windows 10 now, so less setup to do.
Terminal
It’s just plain built-in command prompt from Windows. I’ve tried the beta version of the new Windows Terminal and I’m not a big fan of it. WSL and SSH works just fine in cmd, plus it works as an integrated terminal for VS Code too so I don’t really have any reason to use other terminal. I’ve modified the fonts to use Fira Code so it looks a bit nicer and more accustomed to my workflow.
Fonts
- Fira Code - main monospaced font
- Inconsolata - alternative monospaced font
- Karla - main headings font
- Rubik - main default font
Desktop Workstation
Chair
2015-??
| Generic Office Chair2020-06
| Secretlab TITAN 2020 PRIME PU Leather - Stealth
Chair, is in my honest opinion, the most important aspect of your workstation. You know well about that famous sleeping mattresses advertisement quote, which speaks something like
You spend 1/3 of your life sleeping, so do it well
I believe and agree with that since I’ve experience having my mattress changed and could never imagine going back to having those rough nights. But, as someone who spends the 2/3 rest of his life mostly sitting in front of the desk, I say The Chair is even more important to get it right than your mattress. Not only it is important for your health and fitness, it will tremendously boost your productivity while still being able to stay comfortable for a long time and reduce fatigue.
I almost went for DXRacer Valkyrie series, that was on my wishlist for some time but all red model is out of stock. I’m so grateful it is because I redid my research for 2020 and finally settled on Secretlab TITAN series. I didn’t go for the OMEGA series, partially because it’s out of stock and I badly need an upgrade ASAP, but other than that I thought there’s no harm in getting a bigger version of the same chair. Most reviews about Secretlab chairs I read recommends TITAN series too for its better lumbar support and an additional head pillow.
You might need to do your own review to figure out what’s best for you too, especially if you’re the type that needs to try it for themselves first for these kinds of things. With that aside, here’s my take on this chair. Almost all the reviews I read at the time suggests Secretlab to be the best at this market, I rarely see DXRacer on the list and always see Secretlab on it. It looks super well-built too with massive cushions which I needed the most. The most convincing review I read that settles it was a one year review of it and its following update after 3 years.
Stitching looks new, the seat base does not have any stretching, there is no fading at all, IT STILL LOOKS NEW!
This really sold me because the chair I have previously was totally busted with absolutely no cushion remaining after less than a year, and it really took a toll on my right shoulder and spine’s health. It hinders my productivity too and I can’t work on something without feeling tired and fatigued after just an hour.
One last to thing to consider is that these so called Gaming chairs are usually geared more towards its looks than to focus on the ergonomics. I settled with Secretlab because they have an official distributor here which I can trust its quality and authenticity, while other brands don’t. Of course if you’re truly a professional or for some reason doesn’t like the looks or branding on these Gaming chairs, you should definitely go for Herman Miller chairs. I didn’t because it didn’t have an official distributor here, was too expensive, it didn’t suit my workstation style, and it’s too office-y looking.
Monitor
2012-07
| Lenovo L2062wA
20-inch secondary monitor. Repurposed from the old 2012 setup which still uses VGA cable, thankfully my graphics card is pretty outdated too so it still supports VGA connection.
2020-01
| Dell Ultrathin S2419HM
24-inch main monitor.
Keyboard
This is a good keyboard, there’s no argument to it. Brown switches is what fits me the most, it gives you that really nice tactile feedback unlike any other switches, and it doesn’t sound as loud or annoying as blue or razer switches. But, I realized that even though it’s nice to have a number pad, I rarely find myself using it and makes it more of a wasted space where I could’ve have more mouse space.
Even though it’s only been around 2 years and I didn’t even use it that often before 2020, most of the keys are already chattering, like TAB
, A
, and some other ones. It’s quite frustrating and I can’t seem to fix it by blowing it with canned air, so I might have to replace the switch by de-soldering it from the PCB.
I love this keyboard but it might be too wide for me, I don’t want to replace it yet since most of the keys are still functioning well, and I’ve grown accustomed to the feeling of this switches. Perhaps when the time comes, I’ll try to find a TKL or 60% to replace this while still having a brown switch as my future keyboard replacement. I already have my eyes on the POK3R and Ducky keyboards, but having the media keys are nice too. I guess we’ll save that decision for when that time comes.
Mouse
2015-02
| Logitech G502 Proteus Core
Speaker
2012-07
| Altec Lansing VS4621
It’s not in their website anymore, tbf its a pretty old product so I think they’re not producing more of it either. But, at the time of writing, it still held up really nicely and I have no complaints with it. Gives a clear surround sound feel and good bass. It’s at least way better than the built-in monitor speakers or other budget speakers.
Webcam
2020-01
| Logitech C922 Pro Stream Webcam
I might’ve foreseen this and saved myself big time, but I really can’t imagine what would happen if I didn’t bought this webcam early 2020. I didn’t have any webcam for my desktop setup for years and I’ve always wanted this ever since 2015, even though I don’t really have any use for it at that time. I’m not even sure what I’ll do after I bought this too, I just felt like I needed to complete my desktop setup since I’ve neglected it for quite some time after I started college. But, now that I’m commuting every day to campus and back home, I did my research here and this is the best I could get for my situation. I wanted to have Windows Hello so badly on my PC, but it seems unnecessary to get Logitech BRIO 4K just for that, especially when I won’t use it for its full potential. Though, anyone with an unlimited budget or just need to have it for conferences should definitely get that over C922. An even better option is to use an actual camera linked to your PC, but I feel that’s pretty excessive if you’re not a content creator.
Drawing Tablet
2018-12
| One by Wacom CTL-472/K0-CX
Desk Lamp
2019-03
| Xiaomi Yeelight YLTD02YL
Laptop Workstation
Laptop
2011-??
| MacBook Pro 152014-09
| HP Envy 15-k024tx2018-02
| Dell XPS 13 9370
I can’t say much about this, by far the best laptop I can recommend to have for casual users. Excellent battery life, compact and lightweight form factor, powerful internals. You can always plug in an e-GPU at home for any gaming or GPU intensive usage since you shouldn’t be playing on the go or at work either right.
Charger Adapter
2018-04
| AUKEY 56.5W PA-Y10 - Unconventional shape and size, doesn’t fit well with other plugs2018-10
| AUKEY 74.5W PA-Y13 - Too heavy and bulky, inconvenient to carry around and use2019-08
| BASEUS 60W CCFSG - Doesn’t perform well when all plugs are used, and quite big2019-09
| SlimQ 65W Adapter ~1.5 months to arrive
Truly a little giant. It charges my laptop at its optimal 45W and could still fast-charge my phone in that compact and lightweight design.
USB-C Adapter
2018-10
| AUKEY USB-C Hub CB-C17
Main dongle for wireless mouse and USB-A file transfers. I haven’t been disappointed in Aukey products before, and the same thing goes for this USB-C Hub with its ethernet port. Good build quality and lightweight.
2018-05
| Dodocool USB-C Hub DC30
Secondary dongle with more complete package for an HDMI output and SD card readers. Quite heavy and big so I don’t always take it on the go.
Wireless Mouse
2018-10
| Logitech Silent Plus M331
A nice and lightweight mouse to carry and use. Its small but comfortable to the touch and provides a really nice and muffled sound with a tactile feel when pressed, it’s amazing.
Raspberry Pi Server Setup
2020-01
Raspberry Pi 4 Model B (4GB) - Personal Home Server
2020-01
| ORICO NS400U3 4-Bay Hard Drive Enclosure2020-01
| 1 x 4TB WD RED WD40EFRX
2018-11
Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ (2GB) - DHCP Server + Pi-Hole Network-wide Ad Blocking
2019-10
| 3.5-inch LCD TFT Touch Screen SPI Display
Other Gear
Phones
2015-??
| Samsung Galaxy S5 (Black 16GB)2017-??
| Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge (Gold 32GB)2020-02
| Samsung Galaxy S10+ (Black 128GB)
Bags x Slingbacks
2017-05
| 7ven Messenger ~1 year to arrive2018-02
| CYCOP DaySling ~2 months to arrive
Power Banks
2017-??
| UNEED QuickBox 12000mAh UPB12Q32018-05
| Anker PowerCore Speed 20000mAh A1278H112018-10
| UNEED QuickBox 100000mAh UND-UPB101PD
Wireless Chargers
2018-10
| Anker PowerPort Qi A25110122019-01
| Anker PowerPort Wireless 10 A25130112019-05
| Anker PowerPort Wireless 10 / PowerTouch 10 A2512H11
Wireless Headsets
2018-04
| Jaybird X3 - Wired connection between the two earbuds really hinders the neck movement2019-05
|Samsung Galaxy Buds- Lost the charging case in the train 😢2020-03
| Samsung Galaxy Buds+
Truly wireless is really the way to go. I’ve tried a lot of wireless earbuds from Jaybird X3 all the way to Sony WF-1000XM3, and Galaxy Buds compatibility with Samsung’s phone is just so seamless, it’s way too convenient. It fits my ear so well too, lightweight, hard to budge out, quite reasonable battery life for one whole day of use, and lastly the case is a perfect fit for the small pocket in my jeans, the one inside the big pocket on your right thigh, and it’s the only one that’s small but large enough to fit without slipping out or hinder your leg movement.
Wireless Keyboards
2017-08
| Iofree: Mechanical Typewriter ~8 months to arrive
Video Logging Equipment
2019-03
| Flexible Tripod OCTOPUS MZ-305