Computers
An overview of all the devices and software that I use for work and play, including technical details and my reasoning around each decision.
Hardware
Laptop: Framework 13" 11th gen
Framework may not make the best computers, but they are without a doubt in my mind the best company making computers right now. I bought my Framework in 2021, believing it would last me a years longer than any other laptop brand, as Framework continues to release upgrades for it. I have since upgraded the motherboard and memory from Intel i3 to AMD Ryzen 7640U, and from 32GB DDR4 to 64GB DDR5.
| Component | Item | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Hostname: | Asi | |
| OS: | Arch Linux x86 | |
| CPU: | AMD Ryzen 7640U | |
| RAM: | 2x32GB CORSAIR Vengeance SODIMM 5600MHz | https://amzn.to/4lwpl2y |
| Storage: | Western Digital WD_BLACK 1TB SN770 NVMe | https://amzn.to/4lwKCJr |
Desktop: Mini ATX
I built this PC for about $650 after moving to Montana (I did not bring my other tower) so I'd have a machine capable of playing games with my brother and friends online. I learned that 16GB is hardly enough RAM to play most games, and would go 32GB if I could do it again.
| Component | Item | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Hostname: | Hrunting | |
| OS: | Arch Linux x86 | |
| Case: | Cooler Master NR200 Mini-ITX | https://amzn.to/3RONd3H |
| Motherboard: | Gigabyte A520I AC | https://amzn.to/3EiKkVS |
| CPU: | AMD Ryzen 5 4500 (12) @ 4.208GHz | https://amzn.to/3GmVIjZ |
| GPU: | AMD ATI Radeon RX 6600/6600 XT/6600M | |
| RAM: | 2x8GB Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3600MHz | https://amzn.to/3GarJvD |
| Storage: | Western Digital WD_BLACK 1TB SN770 NVMe | https://amzn.to/4lwKCJr |
| PSU: | MSI MAG A550BN 550w | https://amzn.to/3ROOZlq |
Desktop: ATX
This was the first PC that I had ever built during lockdown 2020 as a means to play games. It quickly turned into my main workstation. It originally had Windows 10 installed. It was my first Windows computer (I had always been using Mac before that), and I have Microsoft to thank for convincing me to switch to Linux full time.
| Component | Item | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Hostname: | Zulfiqar | |
| OS: | Debian Unstable | |
| Case: | Corsair 4000D Airflow ATX Case | https://amzn.to/4lCc9tc |
| Motherboard: | ASUS AMD AM4 ROG X570 Crosshair VIII Hero ATX | |
| CPU: | AMD Ryzen 5 3600x (12) @ 4.400 GHZ | https://amzn.to/3Yxs7KZ |
| GPU: | EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 | |
| RAM: | 2x16GB Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro DDR4 3200MHz | https://amzn.to/4ihtVPo |
| Storage: | Western Digital 1TB WD Blue | https://amzn.to/3RMGs2q |
| SAMSUNG 860 QVO 1TB Solid State Drive | https://amzn.to/4jStxIv | |
| PSU: | Corsair CX Series 750w | https://amzn.to/4imhnGz |
| Cooling: | Noctua NH-U14S, Premium CPU Cooler 140mm | https://amzn.to/3XXYthP |
| 3xNoctua NF-A12x25 LS-PWM 120mm | https://amzn.to/43SKE8f |
Mini: Framework Cooler Master
After upgrading my original Framework laptop, I used the old mainboard, memory, and storage and fitted it into a Cooler Master case sold by Framework, which I have since been using as a portable retro gaming emulator, mostly seeing use in my living room and by my niece and nephew.
| Component | Item | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Hostname: | batocera | |
| OS: | Batocera 41 | https://batocera.org/ |
| Case: | Framework Laptop 13 Cooler Master Mainboard Case | https://frame.work/products/cooler-master-mainboard-case |
| CPU: | Intel Core i5-1340P | |
| RAM: | 2x16GB CORSAIR Vengeance SODIMM 3200MHz | https://amzn.to/4jpUfHS |
| Storage: | Western Digital WD_BLACK 1TB SN770 NVMe | https://amzn.to/4lwKCJr |
Systems/Emulators I run on this:
- NES
- Super NES
- Gameboy Color
- Gameboy Advance
- Nintendo DS
- Nintendo 3DS
- Nintendo 64
- Gamecube
- Playstation 1
- Playstation 2
- Dreamcast
- Steam
Software
Software that is installed on at least one of my computers. My use of this software does not equal endorsement, but consider my rating as a good starting point.
GUI
| Application | Category | Use Case | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signal | Communication | I treat the cellphone I get texts and calls on like a land line, and look at it every 12-36 hours. Signal is installed on the devices I use regularly, and provides the most enjoyable texting and calling experience for me. | ★★★★★ |
| Discord | Communication | I only use this because everyone else does, and that it (somehow) provides the best in market group voice call and screen sharing, with organized text chat. | ★★ |
| Librewolf | Browser | A supposedly more secure Firefox fork where 20% of websites don't work as intended. | ★★★ |
| Obsidian | Notes | The only note taking app that I use. Available offline, and syncs to my cloud so my notes are available on all devices. | ★★★★★ |
| Proton-pass | Utility | Password manager provided by my email provider. | ★★★★ |
| Proton-vpn | Utility | VPN provided by my email provider. | ★★★★ |
| VLC | Media | Easy for watching .mkv with subtitle support. | ★★★★★ |
| qBittorrent | Torrenting | Once getting search plugins working in qBittorrent, it is unmatched. | ★★★★★ |
| Lutris | Gaming | Provides me with game emulation, and ability to boot non-steam games such as Battle.net. | ★★★★★ |
| MusicBrainz Picard | Organization | Allows me to organize my music into directories by Artist/Album/Track # - Song.ext. | ★★★★ |
| Nitrogen | Desktop | Wallpaper setter. | ★★★ |
| i3-wm | Desktop | Tiling windows manager. | ★★★★★ |
| Xfce4 | Desktop | XFCE comes ootb with software I prefer, such as appfinder, appearance, screenshooter, display settings, and more. I do not use its desktop, panel, or windows manager. | ★★★★★ |
| Thunar | Desktop | File explorer. | ★★★★ |
| Pavucontrol | Media | Volume mixer. | ★★★★ |
| dmenu | Desktop | Application launcher. | ★★★★★ |
| Noisetorch | Audio | Noise suppression. | ★★★ |
| Plexamp | Media | For playing the music hosted on my Plex server, via my NAS. | ★★★ |
| Kdenlive | Media | Video editing software. | ★★★ |
| Godot Engine | Development | Open source game engine. | ★★★★★ |
| OBS Studio | Media | Screen recording. | ★★★★★ |
| Reaper | Media | Digital audio interface for making a fun tune here and there. | ★★★ |
| scrpy | Utility | Display and control my android devices on my computer. | ★★★★★ |
| Smile | Utility | Emoji picker. | ★★ |
| Galculator | Utility | Calculator. Very hard to mess this up. | ★★★★★ |
| Filezilla | Networking | SFTP/FTP provider, mostly used to file transfer to/fro my NAS when it's not mounted. | ★★★★★ |
| Darktable | Media | Photo editing software that wishes it was half as good as Light Room. | ★★★ |
CLI
| Application | Category | Use Case | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| neovim | IDE | What I write code in these days | ★★★★★ |
| yt-dlp | Media | Downloading audio and video from various platforms like YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, etc. | ★★★★★ |
| ffmpeg | Media | Video and audio processing, used for trimming video, and sometimes making videos from images and audio. | ★★★★★ |
| ImageMagick | Media | Mostly used for compression and filetype conversion. | ★★★★★ |
| Espanso | Productivity | Text expansion and automation | ★★★★★ |
| tmux | Utility | Terminal multiplexer that I use mostly with neovim. | ★★★★★ |