Critique my new desktop layout

Wangsta

United States776 Posts

July 11 2010 09:08 GMT

For the last 3 years of college, my desktop has been occupied by a crappy single core laptop, some books, and a 10+ year old half broken lamp. I haven't really had any problems with this, since I can play music, video, SC:BW, and browse the internet fine.

...but seriously, an upgrade here is way overdue. I would like to completely renovate my desk, and below is my very long wishlist.

This is a pretty far off dream right now, but if I can stick to my savings plan and not get fired from my internship, I might actually have enough money saved up to buy this stuff by the end of summer. Hopefully...

Anyway, let me know what you guys think. Especially if you have suggestions for other stuff I could get, thanks in advance for any advice/suggestions!

Desk:
I wanted something small, clean and simple. I am plan to keep most of the big items on the floor, so my actual desk shouldn't have anything on it besides the keyboard/mouse, monitor, headphones, and some small decorations.

$70 - Desk from Staples
http://www.staples.com/Staples-Tempered-Glass-Computer-Desk/product_776958?cm_mmc=GoogleBase-_-Shopping-_-Furniture>Computer_Desks-_-776958-9153096ST&cid=CSE:GoogleBase:Furniture:Computer_Desks:776958:9153096ST
[image loading]

$30 - Floor lamp from Target
http://www.target.com/Combo-Task-Floor-Lamp/dp/B000GOW13Y
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Computer:
My laptop has served me well, but can't really play games and it stutters when playing HD videos. I wanted a quiet desktop PC that can easily play 1080p content and do some light gaming. With some help from the computer build thread, I came up the build below.

$865 - Parts for a new computer
+ Show Spoiler [Details of all parts] +

$235 - AMD Phenom II X4 955 CPU + MSI 870A-G54 Motherboard Combo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.445122

$145 - Corsair 650w PSU + Samsung 1TB 7200RPM HDD Combo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.431396

$265 - Sapphire HD5770 + Windows 7 Combo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.437534.14-102-898

$155 - GSkill 4GB DDR3-1600 SDRAM + Lian Li Lancool PC-K58W Case Combo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.432114

$65 - LITEON Blu-ray Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106326

$20 - Logitech Mini-optical Mouse
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/180-6844779-9172912?asin=B00006HMPF&AFID=Froogle_df&LNM=|B00006HMPF&CPNG=electronics&ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001

$7 - LITEON Basic Keyboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823107120

$3 - Plain black mousepad
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826999006

$150 - Sceptre 21.5" 1080p Widescreen moniter
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824112017
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Music System:
I wanted a very serious upgrade from my EMU0202 + x-head + k701 headphone setup. Some of this might seem excessive, but I a slight audiophile so it's worthwhile for me.

$675 - Audioengine A5 speakers + S8 subwoofer
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000OB16ZI/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000OABTPQ&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=04X1QASQZD5FAFJWMXXZ
http://www.amazon.com/Audioengine-AS8-Subwoofer-Watt-black/dp/B0013J1DI0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1278833666&sr=1-1-spell
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$70 - Moniter/Speaker floor stands (for the A5 speakers)
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Musician-s-Gear-SMS-6000-Monitor-Stand-Buy-1-Get-1-Free-772847-i1142212.gc
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$300 - KICAS Caliente Headphone amplifier
http://www.purityaudio.biz/products.php
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$150 - used KECES DA-151 USB DAC
* Purchased used from head-fi forums
http://www.keces.com.tw/
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$600 - used Lawton Audio LA2000 lite
* Purchased used from head-fi forums
http://lawtonaudio.com/page5.html
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Decorations/Misc.
I'd like to have some interesting things on and/or around my desk. I decided to look for some anime and japanese inspired stuff, because I love that stuff, and I also feel like they go well with the minimalistic and clean look of the other things I'm planning to buy.

$1000 - Fender American Stratocaster
http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-American-Standard-Stratocaster-Electric-Guitar?sku=515748&src=3WFRWXX&ZYXSEM=0&CAWELAID=142131435
[image loading]

$8 - Basic guitar stand
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Musician-s-Gear-Tubular-Guitar-Stand--Black-767108-i1322954.gc
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$85 - Dead Master figurine
http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10120531

$13 - FLCL Cloth Poster
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150445103449&rvr_id=&crlp=1_263602_263622&UA=WVF?&GUID=e75cc1c01220a09c19f56ee5ffbe811b&itemid=150445103449&ff4=263602_263622
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$17 - Miniature Zen Garden
http://www.amazon.com/Toysmith-Miniature-Zen-Garden/dp/B000KKRHU6/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1278836299&sr=8-6
[image loading]

$150 - Misc. Anime Artbooks
http://store.animebooks.com/bacryartofsa.html
http://store.animebooks.com/artoftotoro.html
http://www.amazon.com/Groundwork-FLCL-Fooly-Cooly-Gainax/dp/B0025NYBQO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278838022&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Die-Sterne-Genesis-Evangelion-Japanese/dp/4048536524

Preview:
I'm thinking about setting things up something like this. Basically, monitor, figurine, zen garden, mouse, and headphones (forgot to draw) on the table (keyboard on the sliding tray) and everything else on the floor.

Jayde

Marshall Islands104 Posts

July 11 2010 09:14 GMT

I very much like your idea of clean and simple. I wish I could keep my desk a little more clean, but I keep getting cables and adapters everywhere T_T

Also, you might want to edit your OP because I believe it broke the layout.

Rainmaker5

United States1027 Posts

July 11 2010 09:16 GMT

There are going to be a lot of wires around so make sure you have the power-strip in a place where everything doesn't get tangled. Besides that it looks good.

Wangsta

United States776 Posts

July 11 2010 09:24 GMT

I've been reading some articles about tempered glass and I'm getting a bit worried about the desk.

Is it possible that vibrations from the subwoofer + weight of stuff on top of the desk could cause the tempered glass to shatter after a few years?

Damian

Germany335 Posts

July 11 2010 09:25 GMT

1000 $ for a guitar just as decoration ? Also get a bonsai tree !

Julmust

Sweden4867 Posts

July 11 2010 09:33 GMT

that desk will take 4-5 years off your shoulder. look into another one because having the keyboard down there and the mouse on a diffrent level WILL fuck your shoulders and back up.

JohnColtrane

Australia4813 Posts

July 11 2010 09:34 GMT

i dunno g, your lamp isnt very masculine... im joking

looks pretty good

Saechiis

Netherlands4989 Posts

July 11 2010 09:34 GMT

A woofer underneath the table seems like a good idea until you're trying to find out where to put your feet . Also why get pedestals for your speakers when you can just get a bigger desk for less money and put them on there? You can never have enough deskspace

Seems pretty sweet for the rest, glad you're putting some thought into it!

Wangsta

United States776 Posts

July 11 2010 09:51 GMT

Thanks for the replies, I might need to find a different desk, but I'd like to see if the keyboard could maybe fit on top of the desk without making things too cluttered. Is it practical to be viewing a monitor like that from ~3 feet away though? I've been using a laptop exclusively for years so I don't really know what it feels like to look at a larger screen for long periods of time...

Regardless of what desk I use though, I would still use pedestals to hold my speakers. Putting speakers directly on top of a table degrades their sound quality because of reflections from the table surface; and it also seems like it would be very difficult to get good speaker placement on the small space of a table (A5s are almost a square foot in size)

Ahzz

Finland780 Posts

July 11 2010 09:52 GMT

#10

On July 11 2010 18:33 Julmust wrote:
that desk will take 4-5 years off your shoulder. look into another one because having the keyboard down there and the mouse on a diffrent level WILL fuck your shoulders and back up.

definately. The picture the author posted didn't seem comfortable to spend long hours in in the least especially if we take to account that you play SC. IMO first priority is that it feels comfortable to game with, and after that comes the rest (because if its good to game with, it's prolly going to be good otherwise too.

moon`

United States372 Posts

July 11 2010 09:59 GMT

#11

Those headphones and anime figurine thing are freakin' baller.

CoL_DarkstaR

Germany649 Posts

July 11 2010 10:03 GMT

#12

I really hate people for getting such expensive guitars as a decoration. Hell, i would murder to own an original fender stratocaster. Otherwise i guess it looks cool.

phosphorylation

United States2935 Posts

July 11 2010 10:05 GMT

#13

eh i dont think u are really asking for critique here, any more than "hey tl, look at the expensive audio gear i am gonna get"

Wangsta

United States776 Posts

July 11 2010 10:10 GMT

#14

On July 11 2010 19:05 phosphorylation wrote:
eh i dont think u are really asking for critique here, any more than "hey tl, look at the expensive audio gear i am gonna get"

Isn't that the point of blogging?

This is also a good way to keep track of all these links. I have to save them anyway since I can't afford this stuff yet, might as well share it on a blog incase anyone else is looking to buy something similar.

Also, about the guitar comments, I've been playing for quite a white now so I am certainly not buying a new guitar just for decoration. I always keep a guitar next to my desk because it's simply the best way to get myself to practice regularly.

paper

13196 Posts

July 11 2010 10:17 GMT

#15

Miniature rock gardens are tacky as hell D:

Plus, you're gonna knock that shit over or get random shit in it. Or get random shit in it and then knock that shit over.

Shatter

United States1401 Posts

July 11 2010 11:21 GMT

#16

On July 11 2010 19:17 paper wrote:
Miniature rock gardens are tacky as hell D:

Plus, you're gonna knock that shit over or get random shit in it. Or get random shit in it and then knock that shit over.

I think spilt Mountain Dew would be the perfect addition to the rock garden

. That set up is pretty awesome. But I agree on the desk, I used to use a desk when I was younger with uneven height on mouse and keyboard and when I switched it was so much better to have them level.

Boblion

France8043 Posts

July 11 2010 12:09 GMT

#17

600$ headphones , 85$ anime figurine and a 150$ 21,5" screen is LOL

haduken

Australia8267 Posts

July 11 2010 13:49 GMT

#18

Yeah bro, seriously, i know you are into music and all but for that kinda of setup you might you know wanna invest in like a bigger desk and a more comfortable chair?

haduken

Australia8267 Posts

July 11 2010 13:50 GMT

#19

and is that monitor height adjustable?
I personally would not go for a screen with glossy covers.

geometryb

United States1249 Posts

July 11 2010 15:06 GMT

#20

get rid of zen garden.
get 2 24 inch monitors.
get a nice chair

shieldbreak

United States406 Posts

July 11 2010 15:10 GMT

#21

Everything looks fine except for that desk. It doesn't look too sturdy. Oh and FLCL fucked with my mind while I watched it so that poster brings back some memories. Other than that good job.

serenidite

Korea (South)505 Posts

July 11 2010 15:32 GMT

#22

i dunno but i really want that strat .

LuMiX

China5757 Posts

July 11 2010 17:16 GMT

#23

wangsta plays guitar too i'm sure! not just "for decoration" ...

NarutO

Germany18839 Posts

July 11 2010 17:22 GMT

#24

The desk doesn't fit the other parts tbh.

xmShake

United States1100 Posts

July 11 2010 17:53 GMT

#25

1. Lose the zen garden. Tacky and you're obviously going to knock it over eventually if you have it on the front of your desk like that.

2. Desk is a bad choice for ergonomic reasons, since your keyboard and mouse are not on the same vertical level (this would drive me insane), and since you will be looking down at the monitor unless you're extremely short. Get a simple desk (essentially just a table) with a height around what would be most comfortable to put your mouse and keyboard on. Then, get a monitor mount and put your monitor on the wall at eye level. I see waaaaaaaay too many people with that desk anyway.

3. Room layout in general is bad. We need to know the size of your room and what other furniture is going to be in there. Location of any windows is also important if you don't have really thick blinds covering them all the time. Having everything lined up against 1 wall is a bad idea and looks retarded when everything is crowded on one side of the room. For example, monitor directly below or near the poster is distracting and looks busy when you seem to be going for a more sleek look considering your desk choice. The light will be more functional if you move it to an opposite corner of the room so that it does not fuck with your monitor if your monitor is glossy. Your subwoofer will distribute sound more evenly throughout the room if located in a corner.

4. You're going to need cable management of some kind if you do stay with that glass desk, or intend to keep a "simple and clean" feel at all. Here are many good articles that can help you with this. http://lifehacker.com/search/cable management/

5. If you haven't bought your computer case yet, a Lian-li case would fit your room theme more than your current case. Also consider multiple monitors, they're amazing. The only other problems I can see if that that lite-on keyboard is a piece of shit (I had one), and that you should probably get a higher dpi mouse. Starcraft 2 ain't like BW, you actually can use your native monitor's resolution.

Edit: i just saw that you're in a dorm, some of my advice doesn't make much sense if you have roommates and shit, but it doesn't sound like this is the case. Also, I doubt they'll let your mount your monitor on the wall so try to get something to raise the height of your monitor instead (I'm not sure what to do about this, a desk attached single monitor arm would probably work best.)

Empyrean

17030 Posts

July 11 2010 17:53 GMT

#26

So you're getting a $70 desk but $600 headphones?

:/

Disregard

China10252 Posts

July 11 2010 18:01 GMT

#27

On July 12 2010 02:53 Empyrean wrote:
So you're getting a $70 desk but $600 headphones?

:/

Everyone has the same idea here. Lol

Ndugu

United States1078 Posts

July 11 2010 18:15 GMT

#28

I couldn't find it on the website, but Best Buy offers a much bigger and more stylish desk for around $100. When I bought it, it came with a free, ridiculously nice office chair.

Its very large, with a blue-ish glass top. Simple, sexy, and large. No keyboard tray, but I despise those.

It also has a cable management satchel thing.

Wangsta

United States776 Posts

July 11 2010 18:26 GMT

#29

I cut back as much as possible on certain things in order to have more money for other stuff, but I can probably cut back on the guitar and some of the anime stuff to get a better desk and a new chair (or just save more money

). I mean, I do have some money to spend but I can't go too crazy with the monitor and furniture because I know that stuff can get insanely expensive

I have two options for room layout. One option is to put this stuff in my bedroom, which would be a very tight fit. I don't know the square foot measurements, but basically its like a medium dorm size bedroom that is meant to fit two beds and two desks. However, we are using a bunkbed to save space.

The other option is to put this stuff in the living room, which basically gives me one large wall to work with since my roommates would want space too. Again, I don't know measurements, but our living room is basically a large square, I would guess 1000 sqft. I can probably take a 10-20ft chunk of one side of the wall.

What do you guys think about this larger desk?
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-Metal-Desk-Clear-Glass-Top/14101405?findingMethod=rr
[image loading]

It has a larger sliding tray which could fit a keyboard + mouse. which also gives me more space on top. The only thing that worries me is that the price is so low that quality might be a concern... It does have good reviews though

@xmShake
Good points, but there are a few things that I want to mention. I know the mouse DPI on the minioptical isn't ideal but the size, weight, and shape are absolutely perfect for me and I really don't want to replace it unless there is a better mouse with the same ergonomics. That subwoofer is a downfiring design with a forward port, it's not really designed to work in a corner or very close to a wall based on what I've read, but I will definitely give it a try anyway when I get it. Also, the case I listed is a Lian Li case so I'm a bit confused, did you mean I should get a different model?

Btw, you guys have pretty much convinced me that the zen garden is a bad idea now. I'm not entirely sure what I could replace it with though (or if I should replace it at all). I really like the bonsai tree suggestion but I'm not going to get much sunshine on my desk so I don't know if I'd be able to keep it on my desk.

@geometryb
Do I need to change anything in my computer build to support dual screens or do I just need to buy another monitor? I've never really dealt with dual monitors before so I don't really know what it involves.

Empyrean

17030 Posts

July 11 2010 20:20 GMT

#30

How old are you, by the way?

Wangsta

United States776 Posts

July 11 2010 20:50 GMT

#31

21, going into 4th year of college

FragKrag

United States11554 Posts

July 11 2010 22:14 GMT

#32

Most dedicated video cards support two DVI/HDMI outs. Yours supports two DVI/HDMI and a DisplayPort out. Should be totally fine with a second DVI monitor.