Since I already started talking about computers, I’ll tell you what I’m using.
This is my desktop PC:
I built it myself, as I always do; I optimized it for silence first and power second. Silence wise, it’s built in Fractal Define C case, with Seasonic FX 850 Gold PSU in hybrid mode (which means the fan is off until it is really needed), there’s a huge CoolerMaster 612 v2 CPU cooler which is massive enough that the fan doesn’t really need to spin fast unless I’m pushing it. The GPU is Asus ROG Strix 1080ti, which is silence-optimized so the fans don’t spin at all in normal use, and even under full load all you hear is a whisper.
The CPU is a i7-6700K with 32GB RAM, SSD drives and a HDD. In normal use, the HDD’s whisper is everything I hear; the fans are tuned to work below audible threshold. Under full load, the fans are set up to get rid of heat as quickly as possible, silence be damned, and the top of the case is a dust filter, so hot air can rise up via convection, and since this is an effective method, the fans are never really that loud.
This is my desk. The monitor is LG 43UD79-B, the 108cm 4K IPS unit, which is the reason why I had to upgrade the GPU; Lightroom was rendering previews very slowly in this resolution, and since this operation is GPU-driven, I got the overkill GPU, and once I did that, I said what the hell and got the Logitech steering wheel so I can use it as a racing sim. The keyboard is Roccat Suora FX mechanical RGB, the mouse is Logitech G602. The microphone is Rode NT USB unit, which I use for skype. You can see the 15″ Macbook pro on the left, and misc gadgets and remotes on the right.
The machine runs Windows 10 as host, and several virtual machines with different configurations; the main one is Ubuntu Trusty Mate which I use for writing scripts and all the Unix work. The main reason why I got such a big monitor is so that I can always have one eye on the work-related chat on the right, while I do other things on the left. Also, I like the way my photos look on a really big screen, which approximates print size of a meter in diagonal. The entire rig is hooked to a UPS, so I don’t have to worry about losing work due to power outages or spikes, which, fortunately, happen only once or twice a year on average.
Essentially, this is a rig that “just works”, and it’s where I spend most of the day.
While there are some questionable build choices from the standpoint of my personal taste, it surely is a very nice machine. Although, I must admit, I don’t think I ever saw anyone using a 43″ monitor as their daily driver. 🙂 You could probably use that bad mofo as a shield in case if a SWAT team ever tries to break into your apartment.
What I find most unnerving about today’s PC market is the lack of a good 5k monitor. The closest thing they ever made to my idea of a good monitor is Dell UP2715K. It even had a glass front panel, which is the way it always should have been. But this product is discontinued, and it was never really perfect with its clunky connectivity solution anyway. I thought they were about to make an improved successor to this model, but they never did. I have an impression that most of the current 4k monitors are not on the same level of quality as the old ones were, like Ultrasharp 1080p and 1440p models.
Also, when you look at all of those PC components you truly start to appreciate all the craftsmanship and effort Apple puts into their products from the aesthetic perspective. Most of the PC equipment is probably designed by 14 year old kids suffering from Asperger’s. Makes you wonder seeing how little taste most electrical engineers have.
The thing with that monitor is that you don’t use it the way you use a normal-sized monitor, 27″ or so. It’s too big to have the entire thing in the field of vision, so you use it the way you use your car’s windshield – you pay attention to only one small section, but you can shift focus to other sections if need be. Basically, it’s not a monitor, it’s a wall that contains your various work items, and the only time I use the full screen is when I watch a movie or run the racing sim, and then it’s actually the windshield, it’s the right size and is convincing in ways in which multiple smaller units aren’t. Basically, I got it because I noticed that my 27″ 1440p Dell wasn’t big enough to display everything I need at once, and I considered getting another 27″ monitor, but then I saw that this thing is not even that much more expensive, and solves the problem more elegantly. Of course, when I started using it it turned out that my GPU wasn’t strong enough for on-demand 4K preview rendering in the develop module in Lightroom, so I got the 1080ti, but when I beefed the system up it turned out to be quite a different beast from what I expected. You don’t perceive it as “fast”, you perceive it as smooth and effortless. Sure, a monitor (and it is a monitor, not a TV) this big has drawbacks, and is not necessarily better than a 5K 27″ unit of the kind Apple uses, but if you need workspace because you keep track of multiple things that take place, it’s quite comfortable.
As for design, I don’t know, I think it doesn’t matter in real life. In real life, my iPhone is in a wallet case because that’s practical – I have the driver’s license, ID, credit card and some cash in it and it’s basically all I need to take with me when I go out. That makes the iPhone’s aesthetics irrelevant, but it makes it useful. My Macbook is encased in a black hard shell, which makes it not look good, but I can put coffee mugs on it if I need to, and I can accidentally bang it, no harm done, which makes me more relaxed about using it, and, therefore, makes the machine more useful. So, essentially, even if I buy good looking things, I tend to ruggedize them and make them look like shit very quickly. As for the computer itself, yes, Apple makes good looking things, but they also make things that are of questionable ergonomic value. My keyboard is incredibly better than anything Apple makes. My mouse is incredibly better than anything Apple makes. Sure, some “gaming” components (read: all gaming components) look tacky, but the stuff that’s inside the computer is not visible, and the stuff that’s on the desk looks better than the multiple empty or full glasses or cups or plates or stacks of paper that usually circulate there, so, yeah, fuck me if I care. 🙂