Your IT Setup Must Haves

[DalekSec]

I know the title sounds like a sales pitch! It's not (or is it(no it's really not))

 

Just an idea for a fun thread, what is on your list of musts for your personal IT Setup. Here's mine:

 

A Keyboard with a num pad and media controls, i don't understand how people can type numbers fast without a num pad! And media controls make music listening 100x easier!

 

A mouse with at least 2 thumb buttons. I use these constantly for web browsing going back and forward in pages and binding them in games.

[Steve21]

You missed the decent speakers! No bass no good!

 

Steve

[DalekSec]

You missed the decent speakers! No bass no good!

 

Steve

 

I don't have any speakers in my home setup! I have 7.1 headphones! Room music wise i have a homepod

[localzuk]

3 monitors & a back-lit keyboard.

[tg12]

A stash of snacks close by.

[dobbyit]

A computer mascot figure

[Davit2005]

Min of 2 screens for me in preference to a single bigger Ultra-Wide, just bought a backlit keyboard. The keyboard and mouse need to be wired as I switch between different workstations to do work (work related) or creative stuff.

 

Decent speakers/headphones for the creative stuff are a must but for work just headphones can do.

 

Comfy chair for WFH.

[Protec]

At least 2 x 1080p monitors 24" size. A decent keyboard (nothing fancy, just functional) - Microsoft Keyboard 600. As for mouse, something basic like a Logitech M100. As for speakers, Logitech Z625s are good however not a must. Most speakers will be fine for system sounds and listening to music.

 

I do miss thumb buttons on my mouse but I can live without them.

 

A mouse pad is a must.

[Chrisbf1]

A decent Webcam, possibly Huddle.

[theofarrer1]

For me, I’ve got two monitors, my webcam, and then a Logitech keyboard and mouse which can both switch between 3 devices at a click of a button- a huge benefit when it comes to working at the same desk with a work laptop, personal desktop and occasionally a personal laptop

[free780]

3 words for WFH.

Wired Ethernet Connection.

[3s-gtech]

A dedicated GPU with some muscle

SSDs

Backlit keyboard (and now I have a mech keyboard, that’s preferable)

Decent sound system

[Katy]

At least 2 decent monitors (like... 24"+), if I can a MS Comfort Curve 3000 keyboard (they don't make them any more ). Gotta be a standard "MS Business Basic" mouse - the ones with buttons on the side, they just get in the way, especially with it in my left hand. Wired ethernet is a must, and enough power to run a few VMs, and a decent enough graphics card to handle a few games. Chuck in a decent chair and some nice speakers and we're done.

[hardtailstar]

3 words for WFH.

Wired Ethernet Connection.

 

My Wifi is solid not had any down time or issues with three people working from home

 

My current desk set up is

 

Laptop

Docking station

External DVD drive

External HDD

Wireless phone charger stand

Screen

Mixer

Microphone

Headphones

Keyboard with num pad and media controls

Logitech MX master mouse

Pen

Notepad

highlighter

Google Home

[dhicks]

Just an idea for a fun thread, what is on your list of musts for your personal IT Setup.

 

I have a lovely home setup in the front room with a genuine, original IBM Model M keyboard, classic Microsoft mouse and a 32" TV / monitor, all connected up to a NUC with enough CPU and RAM to be able to handle whatever is needed. Of course, as soon as everyone started working from home my girlfriend nabbed that setup, so I'm in the bedroom on a laptop balanced on an old Ikea console table. To be fair, as with most of Ikea furniture, the table is really well designed and manages to be compact and stable while still having enough space to use a laptop on, with a 4-gang power strip, the laptop power supply, a powered USB hub and a USB sound interface strapped to the bottom so there's just the one power cable to connect when I get it all out in the morning. A handy added feature of this setup is that I can wander in to the front room for a hug at any point during the day, which is a feature not generally available in the modern workplace.

[Rob_D]

Going a different rout.

Always have stardock fences, and at least one Mass Effect game installed.

[DalekSec]

I forgot the most obvious one for me...

 

RGB

[FN-GM]

Wow - I feel like im very boring. All I have is a laptop!

[Protec]

I have an old Microsoft Intellimouse in my spaghetti junction drawer. It's one of the old white ones.

 

I have used "gaming" peripherals in the past but have been utterly disappointed with them. Back in 2015 I treated myself to a (rather expensive) Corsair Sabre RGB mouse and after around 1 year the sensor failed and it started to get inaccurate and make the pointer randomly jump around - particularly annoying when it would fling the pointer into the corner and cause me to press the cross! It was a very comfortable mouse and looked good so I bought another one thinking it was just a one off. The second one did the same after around a year too. I now refuse to buy gaming peripherals and have found the cheap office grade stuff is better. In fact my Logitech M100 has been going strong since Christmas 2019 and I'm sure it will for many years.

 

I remember a few years ago, Tesco Direct closed and there was this trolley thing full of computer related things. There was Corsair K63s for £20 and a Logitech G213 for £15! That must have been some sort of mistake! I got all 3 and sold a K63 on eBay for £70. I used the other K63 for myself but wasn't keen on the height or layout of the keyboard so stopped using that. My current Keyboard is a Microsoft Keyboard 600 and it's much better in my opinion and great for touch typing too.

[chaplic]

I guess my key thing is two laptops... often one client device and one my own, I just find my work flows better. Home Office has two 27" 4k screens (hooked up to said laptops) and an ultrawide on its side for reviewing documents and code.

[mrbios]

Mechanical keyboard, typing on a normal old fashioned keyboard just doesn't feel the same anymore.

 

I've actually got the exact same keyboard on my work and home PCs, except the work on has cherry mx blue, and home has cherry mx brown. It's fortunate i have my own office as the blue would drive anyone else working in the room mental

[jmak]

A door that closes.

[jthompson]

Far less bothered than I used to be about any kind of setup at home: I have an aging MBP and for home working I've just borrowed an AIO from school. That said, I do still enjoy the cherry blues on my keyboard at work I find that software has a greater bearing on my comfort level. Things like AutoHotkey and Vivaldi's mouse gestures make up for having vanilla hardware without the 'pro' extra features.

 

Backlit keyboard would be essential on any new laptop, however!

[howartp]

Dual monitors with dual inputs, plus Splashtop to/from every PC in the house, church and work.

 

Currently 19" as I can't fit 21" in my desk space without rearranging. Unfortunately my monitors at work are now 24" widescreen which makes remote working with 19" square a pain.

 

Main PC is dual output to the 1st inputs, second PC and MacMini are both single output hooked to the 2nd inputs.

[Norphy]

I don't care about backlit keyboards, personally. I don't look at my keyboard that often...

 

My essential setup

 

1) Since getting them last week, decent noise cancelling headphones

2) At least one monitor with 2560x1440 resolution or better

3) Logitech MX Master mouse

4) A spare power adapter for my laptop

5) A copy of EpocCam or similar so I can use my phone as a webcam, I'm truly fed up with NoseCam™ on my laptop

6) A laptop stand, so that the top of my laptop screen is about at my eye level.

7) Various zany backgrounds for Teams meetings such as the bridge of the Enterprise, the café from 'Allo 'Allo and the Simpson's couch

 

/edit

 

8) A decent wireless access point, instead of the built in crud that comes with the Virgin Media SuperHub 3.0

Edited February 19, 2021 by Norphy