Monitors
I have a setup with three monitors, all of which have high resolution but unfortunately lack good HDR capabilities.
The biggest one is Samsung S70A, 32 inches.
Price: $299
Rate: ★☆☆☆☆
Advantages: Large screen, very helpful for work.
Disadvantages: The latency is excessively high and the color accuracy is poor. Moreover, the monitor's limited connectivity options with only one HDMI and DP interface are insufficient for my setup. Furthermore, there have been issues with sound when connected to external speakers, often requiring a restart of the monitor.
The vertical one is Dell S2722QC, 27 inches.
Price: $285
Rate: ★★★★☆
Advantages: The monitor boasts excellent color accuracy and supports Thunderbolt 3, allowing for both charging🔌 and video signal transmission📽️ through a single Type-C line. This feature makes it ideal for use with MacBooks.
Disadvantages: The monitor doesn’t contain a DisplayPort interface.
The corner one is AOC Q27G2S, 27 inches.
Price: $336
Rate: ★★★☆☆
Advantages: This monitor is specifically designed for gaming and entertainment, boasting a 170Hz refresh rate that keeps me fully immersed in the battlefield. However, I do not utilize it for content reading or coding purposes.
Disadvantages: The price is too high, even for a 2K 170Hz monitor.
Computers
I own a PC and a laptop.
MacBook Pro, 14 inches.
Specifications: M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD.
Rate: ★★★★☆
Advantages: Good for computer science students. Mostly I use it in my class and the lab. I’ve been a Mac user for years.
Disadvantages: As a PhD student conducting computer system research, I have found that the Arm architecture is not suitable for my needs. Unfortunately, many of the tools required for my work are only available in x86 format and are outdated.
Self-built PC
Specifications: AMD 5700X, Nvidia 3080, AMD 6950XT, 96GB RAM, 3TB SSD, 4TB HDD.
Rate: ★★★★★
Advantages: I upgraded from my old HP OMEN 30L PC to a new one with two graphics cards for an enhanced gaming experience. Initially, I had Linux running alongside Windows in KVM, but I have since switched to using bare-metal virtualization (Proxmox) for a multi-OS setup.
Speakers
I cannot live without music🎵. If you see me sitting (or standing) in front of screens, you will hear the music!
HomePod 2 and HomePod Mini
Rate: ★★☆☆☆
Advantages: If you own an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and MacBook, you will find it incredibly convenient to control them all with your Apple devices. Having Siri at your disposal is also very useful; for example, I enjoy turning off the lights while lying in bed.
Disadvantages: This device is only compatible with Apple devices and does not have Bluetooth or a 3.5mm audio interface, making it incompatible with PCs and Android phones. Additionally, I am disappointed in the HomePod 2 as it is inferior to its predecessor.
Mackie CR3-X, 3 inches, in a pair.
Rate: ★★★★☆
Advantages: Amazing sound quality. I never use studio monitor speakers before. This is absolutely awesome.
Disadvantages: I regret not getting the passive speaker version as mine is powered by a built-in sound card. This limits my ability to create a more advanced music setup.
Input devices
Magic Trackpad
Rate: ★★★★★
If you use MacBook with a monitor, you must have a magic trackpad! Just as the name says, pure magic.
Logitech Master 2S
Rate: ★★★★☆
The best mouse I've ever used! Unfortunately, I once dropped my monitor on it, thus leaving a crack.
Logitech Master 3
Rate: ★★★★☆
This is the second-best mouse I have ever used! However, Logitech has changed the middle wheel to one with less feedback 😟
Logitech G305
Rate: ★★★★☆
Good gaming mouse with low latency and a single button for fast DPI adjustment.
Keychron K4, brown switches.
Rate: ★★★★☆
Advantages: Keychron K4 is a Bluetooth keyboard that can connect up to three devices. I was a red switches guy, but once I go brown, I can never go back.
Disadvantages: The layout is not good. I wrote a post about keymappings, and in the post, I drew the layout of this keyboard. You can check it out at: My Keymappings. The right Shift is too short and close to the upper arrow button.