The evolution of my home office from 2019 to 2022
Published: 2021-02-15 12:01:53

---
title: "The evolution of my home office from 2019 to 2022"
description: "I present what hardware I have been using and what changed between 2019 and 2022!"
published: true
tags: ""
date: 20200330T00:00Z
series: ""
canonical_url: "https://maelvls.dev/evolution-of-my-home-office/"
cover_image: "https://maelvls.dev/evolution-of-my-home-office/mael-home-office-desk-2021.jpg"
---

In this post, I document the changes to my office setup through time.

## 2022 Update 2

I decided to move my office out of my home! I am now located in a co-working space in the city of Toulouse. It is called "HarryCow".

![](https://maelvls.dev/evolution-of-my-home-office/harrycow-2022-03-03.jpg)

## 2022 Update

![](https://maelvls.dev/evolution-of-my-home-office/mael-home-office-desk-2022.jpg)

I added a second monitor. It is the same as the one I bought in 2019.

## 2021 Second Update

![](https://maelvls.dev/evolution-of-my-home-office/mael-home-office-desk-2021-06-18.jpg)

As you can see in the above picture, I went from a Macbook Pro to a custom PC I built!! I wanted a machine purposed for Linux and with as much CPU as I could afford. I made a [gist](https://gist.github.com/maelvls/3028862dd516005403cf728f4705f4bb) with all the tips I have learned from my experience of switching from macOS to Linux.

Here is the part list (also available on [pcpartpicker](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/FcxPkX)):

| Part         | Name                                                                                        | Price (01 May 2021)  |
| ------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------- |
| CPU          | ~~AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 3.4 GHz 12-Core Processor~~ (I sent it back)                            | € 708 (street price) |
| CPU          | AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor (bought on AMD.com at MSRP)                     | € 795 (MSRP)         |
| CPU Cooler   | Noctua NH-D15 CHROMAX.BLACK 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler                                            | € 99                 |
| Motherboard  | Gigabyte X570 AORUS MASTER ATX AM4 Motherboard                                              | € 359                |
| Memory       | G.Skill Trident Z RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory                               | € 304                |
| Storage      | Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive                                        | € 219                |
| Video Card   | ~~Gigabyte Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB EAGLE~~ (I sent it back)                                 | € 858 (street price) |
| Video Card   | AMD Radeon RX 6800 16 GB (bought on AMD.com at MSRP)                                        | € 579 (MSRP)         |
| Case         | Fractal Design Define 7 Compact ATX Mid Tower Case                                          | € 133                |
| Power Supply | be quiet! Dark Power Pro 11 750 W 80+ Platinum Semi-modular ATX Power Supply                | € 243                |
| Case Fan × 4 | [be quiet! Silent Wings 3 59.5 CFM 140 mm Fan PWM](https://www.bequiet.com/en/casefans/717) | € 29 × 4             |
| Total        |                                                                                             | € 2847               |

![](https://maelvls.dev/evolution-of-my-home-office/mael-home-office-desk-2021-06-18-close-up-pc.jpg)

## 2021 Update

![My home office in 2020](https://maelvls.dev/evolution-of-my-home-office/mael-home-office-desk-2021.jpg)

- I switched from the Apple Magic AZERTY keyboard to a QWERTY mechanical keyboard: the [Durgod Taurus K320 TKL](https://www.amazon.com/DURGOD-Mechanical-Interface-Tenkeyless-Anti-Ghosting/dp/B07B8J6C3C). I chose the Cherry MX Brown switches, and I love them. It feels so much better to be typing on this keyboard. Moving from AZERTY to QWERTY was the hardest part. It took about 3 months to get as confortable as I was using the AZERTY layout. I really wanted to stop working on a "second class" keyboard layout that has poor shortcut support on most apps. The other adjustment I had to do was to go to the macOS settings and swap the <kbd>Windows</kbd> key with the <kbd>Alt</kbd> key so that the <kbd>⌘</kbd> and <kbd/>⌥</kbd> keys are at in the right order.
- Two [UTEBIT articulating arms](https://www.amazon.com/UTEBIT-Upgraded-Articulating-Friction-Adjustable/dp/B07H77KB7R/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=UTEBIT+Desk+Mount+Metal+Tabletop+Light+Stand+Adjustable&qid=1615567111&sr=8-6) that hold (1) an old iPhone 7 that I use as a secondary screen using Duet and (2) a Razer Kiyo camera.
- A [Razer Kiyo](https://www.razer.com/streaming-cameras/razer-kiyo) camera (USB 3). I wish I had a proper DSLR camera though: the Kiyo needs a ton of light to have a good image quality.
- Two [UTEBIT tabletop arms](https://www.amazon.com/UTEBIT-Shooting-Adjustable-Aluminum-Tabletop/dp/B08PYY95LJ/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=UTEBIT+Desk+Mount+Metal+Tabletop+Light+Stand+Adjustable&qid=1615567111&sr=8-3) that I use to hold the flood lights.
- Two [NEEWER bi-color 660 flood lights](https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Pieces-Bi-color-Video-Light/dp/B06XW3B81V).
- A set of UTEBIT 1/4 to 3/8 screw adapters.
- 24 panels of the [t.akustik WAS-7 Absorber](https://www.thomann.de/gb/the_takustik_was7_absorber_8erset.htm). It greatly reduced the amount of echo/reberb in the room, and allows me to put the microphone a bit further away without losing on sound quality.

## 2020 Update

![My home office in 2020](https://maelvls.dev/evolution-of-my-home-office/mael-home-office-desk-2020.jpg)

- [Yeti Compass](https://www.bluedesigns.com/products/compass) boom arm
  > Note that the boom arm is meant to carry the shock mount + the mic and since I only mounted the Yeti mic, the spring mechanism is a bit too tight which means the arm tends to go up. I unscrewed the screw in the base of the boom arm at its minimum but the tension is still too high and the boom arm tends to go up.
- Apple Magic Keyboard. I also use a [Sharkoon PureWriter TKL](https://fr.sharkoon.com/product/PureWriter%20TKL) from time to time when I want to bother my collegues with the clank-clank sound of the red switches
- USB-C hub Ugreen and AUKEY USB3 hub.

## 2019 Office

![My home office in 2020](https://maelvls.dev/evolution-of-my-home-office/mael-home-office-desk-2019.jpg)

- [LG 27UL850-W 27 inches 4K monitor](https://www.amazon.com/LG-27UL850-W-Display-DisplayHDR-Connectivity/dp/B07MKT1W65/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8)
- [Griffin Elevator stand](https://griffintechnology.com/products/elevator)
- The [Flexispot standing desk E5B](https://www.amazon.co.uk/FlexiSpot-Adjustable-Electric-Standing-Automatic/dp/B071G2NSRP/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?keywords=flexispot%2BE5B&qid=1563776981&s=electronics&sr=8-1-fkmr0&th=1) (B = black) with a €25 wood board I mounted on top.
- I use the [Beats Solo 3](https://www.beatsbydre.com/headphones/solo3-wireless) headphones. I only use it for audio output. I never use the mic in Bluetooth mode since it greatly degrades my colleague's listening experience.
- [Blue Yeti](https://www.bluedesigns.com/products/yeti) USB microphone
  > Why a standalone mic just for Zoom? One very important aspect of the remote-only work setup is the importance of being properly understood. I take this very seriously and think that the sound quality of the mic I use every day influences how effective my meetings are. I also make a number of calls to potential candidates, which means I should sound perfect.
- [Logitech K760](https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Wireless-Solar-Kebyoard-iPhone/dp/B007VL8Y2C) (wireless solar keyboard).
- [Logitech MX Master](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Logitech-Master-Wireless-Bluetooth-Windows/dp/B00ULNAOMA) Just an excellent mouse
- AUKEY mousepad XXL.
- Some random chair (I wish I could afford the Herman Miller Aeron)

<!--
## Cool software stuff

- USB overdrive (the default macOS mouse acceleration drives me crazy; also
  allows me to invert up/down scolling for the mouse only; I keep "natural
  scrolling" turned on in the system settings)
- HyperSwitch for switching between windows with <kbd>alt+tab</kbd> (<kbd>cmd+tab</kbd> only allows to switch between apps)
- iTerm 2 + zsh + antigen + async prompt theme (agkozak-zsh-prompt) + tons
  of stuff around command line
-->

And finally, here is a picture from the backyard. 🙂

![Backyard](https://maelvls.dev/evolution-of-my-home-office/at-maels.jpg)