Table of Contents
The Hardware I Use
My Main PC
- CPU: Ryzen 5 1600 w/ Stock Cooler
- RAM: 2x8GB + 2x4GB (24GB) G.Skill Ripjaws V and Ripjaws 4 respectively
- GPU: PowerColor Red Dragon RX 580 4GB
- PSU: EVGA SuperNova G2 Gold 650W
- Motherboard: AsRock AB350M Pro4
- Case: Deepcool Kendomen Black ATX Mid
- Storage:
- Boot Drive: Samsung 970 Evo 250GB NVMe SSD
- Additional Storage: HGST Deskstar 5K4000 4.0TB 5700RPM HDD
- Windows Boot: Crucial MX300 275GB SATA SSD
- Windows Games: Samsung 860 Evo 250GB SATA SSD
- Monitors: 2x ASUS VP239H-P 23" 1080 IPS
You can see the original build that I did, along with the cost for each item in Canadian dollars at the time that it was purchased, by clicking this link to a PCPartPicker build list. RAM prices at the time (November, 2017) were absolutely horrendous.
Laptops
I own a Thinkpad T440s (I don’t actually mind the trackpad) which I purchased second-hand off of eBay for a grand total of $215 USD after shipping/etc with the following specifications:
- CPU: Intel i5-4300U
- RAM: 4GB Soldered + 4GB Samsung DDR3L SO-DIMM
- GPU: Intel Integrated Graphics
- Storage: Crucial 250GB SATA SSD
- Screen: 1080p IPS
I also bought a T420s which tends to get a bit more use:
- CPU: Intel i5-2520M
- RAM: 2x4GB DDR3 SO-DIMM
- GPU: Intel Integrated Graphics
- Storage:
- Crucial 128GB SATA SSD
- Kingston 120GB SATA SSD
- Screen: 1600x900 TN
Tablets
- Dell Venue 11 Pro 7130 - Used mostly as a portable display for when I need to reference things like datasheets or D&D rulebooks.
- CPU: Intel i5-4300Y
- RAM: 8GB DDR3
- GPU: Intel Integrated Graphics
- Storage: 128GB SATA M.2 SSD
- Screen: 1080p w/ Touch
- With dock and keyboard
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite - Used for reading PDFs; kept entirely offline.
- 1GB RAM
- 8GB Storage
- With protective folding case
Phone
My daily carry cellphone is a Doro PhoneEasy 612. I describe it in more detail in this blog post about switching to a flip phone.
I also own an Android phone which I purchased in 2015 and which is still going strong more than 5 years later. I haven’t even had to swap the battery yet.
- ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser
- 3GB RAM
- 16GB Storage
- Runs LineageOS with no Google stuff added
OPNSense Router
It has more horsepower than a router typically needs, but it also does more than a typical router. For example, it runs intrusion detection software which scans every packet. It also typically only draws 15-20W and stays very quiet. Here are the specifications:
- HP SFF Desktop PC w/ Proprietary Motherboard/Case/PSU
- CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 CPU @ 3.30GHz (4C/4T)
- RAM: 2x2GB DDR3
- Storage: 160GB Fujitsu 2.5" SATA-II HDD
Virtualization Server
This is one of my old laptops. I’ve owned it for at least 7 years if not longer and I’m pretty sure it was my second laptop ever.
- Lenovo V570 Laptop (missing display)
- CPU: i5-2450M @ 2.50GHz (2C/4T)
- RAM: 12GB DDR3 SO-DIMM
- Storage: Seagate Momentus 500GB 5400RPM
- Backup Storage: Seagate Expansion 8TB External HDD
Git Server
Purchased for $20 including a case from a local seller.
- PineA64+ (Original, not LTS)
- CPU: Allwinner A64
- RAM: 2GB DDR3
- Storage: 32GB SanDisk Ultra SD Card