Name: Eric
Location: Washington State
Occupation: Farm Worker/HS Student
Room size: 9,1 m² (98 ft²)
Cost of setup: ~$5K
Hello! Tell us a bit about yourself
Hi! My name is Eric.
I’m currently a high school student who has a very unhealthy obsession with trying to cure my OCD with the perfect desk setup.
My tech addiction started when COVID-19 first began, and it’s a rabbit-hole I very much enjoy.
I play guitar. I’ve been playing it for over 6 years now.
And finally, I love shredding on my snowboard up at my local mountain whenever I get the chance.
I have a very different situation job-wise compared to others due to the fact I’m still in school.
I work at a local farm during the summers and pumpkin patch season.
It was my first ever real job experience and it has taught me a great deal about hard work and dedication.
As you can tell, that dedication can definitely be seen through my setup.
When I put my mind to something, it will get done (with a bit of procrastination, haha).
Take us through your setup
| Item | Model |
|---|---|
| Main monitor | LG 32GN650-B Ultragear Gaming Monitor 32″ QHD (2560 x 1440) Display |
| Secondary monitor | MSI Optix G271 27″ 144hz |
| Monitor mount | 2× WALI TV Wall Mount |
| Monitor light bar | MELIFO L-1 Plus Monitor Lightbar |
| Speakers | Edifier R1280T |
| Headphones | HIFIMAN Sundara |
| Keyboard | Monsgeek M1 + Gateron SolDark Lubed+Filmed switches + Artifact Bloom BOW keycaps |
| Mouse | Razer Viper Ultimate w/ Charging Dock |
| Desk mat | Drop + Noctua Desk Mat |
| Desk shelf | Aothia Large Dual Monitor Riser |
| Microphone | Fifine K688 |
| DAC/Pre-Amp | MiniFuse 2 |
| AMP | Schiit Magni+ |
| Mic arm | BM88 Low profile boom arm |
| Headphone stand | urbanplus |
| Chair | Razzor Ergonomic Office Chair — Black |
| Full PC specs | |
|---|---|
| CPU | i5-13600KF |
| GPU | Sapphire PULSE 6800 XT |
| CPU cooler | 2× Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE |
| RAM | 64GB DDR5 Crucial Pro 5600mhz |
| Storage | Crucial T700 4 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 5.0 |
| Motherboard | Asus ROG STRIX B760-I GAMING WIFI Mini ITX |
| PSU | Cooler Master V750 SFX GOLD 750W |
| Case | Cooler Master NR200 |
| Fans | 2× ARCTIC P12 120mm Fans + 2× ARCTIC P12 120mm Slim Fans |
As you may have noticed, my entire setup is floating.
The idea came to me when I was inspired by Techsource’s floating setup, but my father and I took it a step further and welded an entire steel frame with a built-in cable rack to hold up the tabletop, headboard, and both of the shelving units on either side.
The mount itself took an entire week to weld together and work out all the issues.
My entire room took me a grand total of one year and two months to complete, and I’m extremely happy with the way it has turned out.
The minute you walk into my room, you know exactly what hobbies I enjoy doing in my free time.
It is a true embodiment of who I am.
I particularly love my room because of the massive window that’s in it.
I’m not into all that flashy RGB stuff that most people my age are into (though it seems that a trend has started to pick up in warmer tones in people’s workstations).
I really like the natural lighting in my room, especially during the sunset when the sun dips right between the trees located in front of my home.
The toughest part about the setup was getting the mount from the garage up to the second floor.
It was a challenge, but with the help of my dad and my brother, we got it up.
Installing the desk onto the wall was also tough.
When I tell you it’s heavy, it’s heavy.
We were able to install it with only the tabletop and headboard attached to it and screwed in the shelves after it was all mounted.
My next big purchase for the setup is going to be a new SFF (Small Form Factor) PC in the FormD T1 Case.
I’m currently rocking a Fractal North build with a RTX 3080/Ryzen 7900X.
What’s your favourite item on your desk?
My favourite item in my setup is by far my keyboard.
There is just something about a custom keyboard that hits the spot.
My “budget” keeb consists of a Monsgeek M1 White as the case, Gateron SolDark Lubed+Filmed as my switches, and Artifact Bloom BOW Keycaps from Drop.com.
In total this build cost me about $240.
Some might say that no keyboard should cost that much, but I must disagree.
Investing in a custom keyboard offers unmatched personalisation, superior quality, and a tailored typing experience, enhancing comfort and productivity.
It also opens up a whole new community of people where you can meet new friends and dive even deeper into the world of keyboards.
What apps or tools do you use to get things done?
As you know by now, I don’t work from home, but I do have a lot of hobbies that require me to use my computer.
And one of them is recording music.
I’m an avid guitar player, and in my free time, I love to record some music on my Strat.
My go-to software is Tracktion Waveform.
It’s a great DAW to learn when you’re first starting out; they even include tons of tutorials on how to use everything.
I love that everything is uncluttered and organised in the software.
It’s very straightforward, and that’s what makes it great.
What books, blogs, or podcasts recently caught your attention?
The only way I was able to afford such a setup at my age was by making smart financial decisions, and a book that helped me understand more about economics was Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt.
It was a wonderful read.
I would absolutely recommend everyone to read it at least once in their lifetime.
Knowing how the world works economically is extremely important to becoming successful in life.
Any tips for other makers who want to improve their workspaces?
Make. It. Yours. I can’t stress that enough.
You want your setup to stand out from the basic RGB setups you see on TikTok.
Add personality — for example, what are your hobbies? What are you passionate about? Try incorporating these elements into your space.
What does your typical day look like?
I usually go to bed around 1-2 am.
I enjoy reading for an hour or two before going to bed.
It’s a great way to wind down from the day and avoid exposure to blue light before falling asleep.
I wake up around 8:30 in the morning and start off my day by taking a nice hot shower, then crank it to the coldest setting to really wake me up.
I make myself some breakfast and hop right onto my computer to do my schoolwork.
I have recently been very focused on keeping my grades high while completing high school as quickly as I can (my school is do-it-at-your-own-pace).
While doing schoolwork, I like to listen to tech-related podcasts or YouTube videos in the background just to keep myself up-to-date.
I also do lawn work for my neighbours, so I head over to their homes around 1-2 PM to complete my jobs there.
It’s a great way to keep a source of income during the off-season at the farm where I work.
After finishing up everything at the neighbours’, I’ll either hang out with my friends at a coffee shop or something along those lines, or hop back onto my PC for a few rounds of The Finals with the boys.
Your tips for working from home?
Whenever I’m trying to get things done, I make sure there won’t be anything that will interrupt my focus or workflow.
I get very easily distracted, so that’s very important to me.
I find that listening to LoFi, or really anything for that matter, in the background helps keep me stimulated.
Procrastination is also a big issue for me. I overcome it by focusing on small wins.
Setting micro-goals and tackling tiny tasks one at a time has kept me on track.
Using timers, I work in short bursts, minimising distractions.
With consistent effort, these small steps have added up, leading to increased productivity.
We’re a reader-supported publication. This article might contain affiliate links. It means we may receive a commission if you click a link and buy a product that our maker has recommended. The interview was done independently.
