 When the Philippines locked down in March 2020 and continued to sporadically do so even until now, I realized that I wouldn't be spending on vacations, parties, or expensive meals outside. The best investment of both my time and money was going to be for my productivity and wellness at home. And so little by little, I began the slow evolution of my desk setup during quarantine. Each part was painstakingly researched beforehand and did not come all at once. Instead, I took the time to reflect heavenly on what I wanted and what I needed and if the two things were the same or conflicting. I'm Rafael from Hardware Sugar, the only PC shop in the Philippines with no BS warranty and this is my dream desk setup. In this video, I'll talk about the desk itself and all the different things on it which not only make me more productive but also brings joy to me as well. I've talked about my desk and the table extension in a video I made last year which I'll link up above. But here are the highlights. Ikea isn't open in the Philippines yet and so I had this made to order from a local furniture supplier specializing in mahogany planks. If you live in an area within Ikea or plan to get an Ikea desk, the similar equivalent is the Ikea Lindman countertop or the Carl B countertop. Go with the latter as it is real wood as opposed to the honeycomb structure of the Lindman and then pair it up with two Alex drawers. Axewoods Philippines made both the drawers and the countertop to my measurements. While it might not be as cheap as Ikea, it is made of turner stuff as opposed to what you get in Ikea and I feel all fuzzy knowing that I help support local especially during this economic depression. The tabletop is a 1.8 inch thick slab of pure mahogany. The desk arrived on August 27, 2020 and as you can see from this video taken yesterday or a year later, that there is no bending whatsoever in the middle. A common problem which I've seen happen with Ikea Lindman desks, that's the need for the third supporting pillar which I find ugly. I have literally sat on top of this when I needed to do some cable management and never felt that I placed my computer or the drawers in any immediate danger. I have no shortage of space as the desk itself has 10 drawers and the extension table made of the same material has 6 very large drawers. The desk serves as a massive space saver because of how much stuff I can hide in here and pull out quickly whenever I need something such as a hard drive, extra batteries or even a replacement keyboard. The length of the table and its extension allows me to never worry about clutter. In fact the computer itself isn't even on the desk, it's on the extension. This gives me more space to admire the natural red hue and lines of the wood. I have a strange monitor setup. My primary is the MSI Optics Mag322CQR while my secondary, which used to be my primary, is the Samsung S34E790C. So yes I have a 32 inch and a 34 inch ultra wide but the ultra wide itself isn't optimized ergonomically since I literally need to turn my whole head to see what I'm looking at there. It also would be more ideal for video editing because of the screen space but it served me well for many years and I wanted to see what life was like at 165Hz plus my move to the MSI. I'll add the link above to a video I made about these two. The ultra wide is supported by a grommet monitor arm which attaches to the desk's table top and if for whatever reason I don't want the ultra wide in my face I can just move it to the side since there's plenty of room there. The MSI Optics is an affordable and just an overall great value package for what you get, space, picture quality and gaming wise. My Altec Lansing 2 to 1 speakers are 18 years old and still look and sound incredible. I cannot gush over enough how worth it these guys have been, which have been with every game computer I've ever owned. Even the minimal compact grain metal on black matted plastic has aged extremely well as seen clearly from the fact on how it blends effortlessly in with the rest of my more recent gear. I did a review on my 18 year old Altec Lansing 2 to 1 speakers some months back which I'll link in the video description. But the summary is that not all electronics need to be replaced every 6 years and you save a ton of money in the long term by buying quality and occasionally being lucky. There is no way I would have thought these would last 18 years. I swore I would never spend on Philips Hue lights but decided to finally take the plunge 2 months ago and I love them. Originally I only had the pair of Philips Hue bars of my PC but liked them so much that I'd got a second set for my TV. The color combinations truly modify the character of the room on the fly. When I wanted to concentrate on work I set it to warm. When I'm gaming, watching TV or have a shoot I set it to the Tokyo or Motown profile light scheme. I chose the bars over the LED shifts because the bars are a lot more portable and versatile when it comes to where I can use them. The benefit of having most of my gear lined up next to the same wall is that the different bars complement each other. Installation was simple and was the basis as to why I made a video about Ethernet cables and network switches. Most people would recommend that I hide them behind the monitor however that would involve a relatively permanent placement. I much prefer having the freedom to move them anywhere in the room in case I change my mind. I control them from my S21, my old iPhone which I use as a Spotify controller, my iPad and my Elgato Stream Deck. The Stream Deck is the newest addition to my desk setup, something which I never thought I needed because while I do stream, it isn't as frequent as a professional. Oh shit, let's go, let's go, I got one, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go. However when I realized that the stream title is misleading and that tons of people use it for all sorts of things such as opening up stock portfolios, frequently accessed websites or folders, twitching from speakers to headsets and even turning on and off or restarting my PC with a single button makes things go a tad faster and convenient. No one truly needs a stream deck because you can do the same thing by just putting in more time. Nevertheless, all those extra seconds you save while using the stream deck not only add up but it makes doing regular work and even chores a little more enjoyable. Knowing you control many of the things you frequent quite literally at the tip of your fingers. I'll make a separate video about the stream deck in the near future however the extremely customizability and the infinite layers of programmable buttons you can add to it makes me highly recommend it. You can even add gift-cess icons, one downside of the stream deck however is that it is always on even when your PC is off. Although not entirely on, it is still taxing the screen. Other YouTubers have commented that the overall stream gets dimmer over the years. So at night I unplug it and then re-plug it in the morning. You don't really need to do this but it gives me peace of mind in case it truly does extend its life. One of my concerns about getting the stream deck was that it wouldn't have a wire trail. Thankfully, in order to avoid more wires that I can see, I stuck it together with that of my Corsair K7, the keyboard mark 2. My keyboard is going more than a year old now and I dig it very much. I have mine and blue switches and it's very satisfying to type on this every day. A single straight wire going down the center helps keep things looking neat. I position my stream deck next to my K70 so that it would always be a finger press away from my hand which is usually on the keyboard. In a way, the stream deck becomes an extension of my Corsair K70. In terms of cable management, I used a combination of velcro rolls and cable adhesives. It's actually one of our most popular videos which I'll link up above. Mostly all the cables are hidden alongside the width of the wooden plank and held together by adhesive cable ties and reusable velcro rolls. Even when I'm not at my PC, I enjoy looking at it from afar while I'm on my bed or my couch. My end goal was to see nothing beneath the desk from afar and if I achieved that, I didn't care about the spaghetti behind it. One update I wish to make to that video though is that I swapped out the blue wire cables with these black ones. I found that the adhesives which come with these are infinitely stronger. I cannot highlight enough how helpful it is to get these velcro rolls which you can use over and over again and are very inexpensive for the convenience it brings. In order to cut down on more uncontrollable wires, I got the wireless Corsair iron claw which I have had for a year now with no problem whatsoever. It feels perfect in the hand at the cost of it being rather heavy to move about compared to FPS gaming mice. It has a total of eight program buttons which come together on a design which reminds me of a stealth tank than anything else. In case I need to charge my iron claw, I just pull out an extension cable from behind my ultra-wide and hide it back again after it's done. I am rocking a Herman Miller Aeron carbon chair size B. Similar to my experience with my speakers, I bought this chair with the goal of it being one of the last chairs I will own in my lifetime. The Aeron is made out of a combination of high industrial plastic and a weave of durable mesh string lining. Mesh chairs last infinitely longer in these tropics because you don't need to worry about fake leather peeling off and it is more breathable. Hell, regardless of where you live, you will appreciate how your butt naturally feels cool while sitting on this. The Aeron is known to be one of the most ergonomic chairs created in modern history and while everyone's backs and needs vary, the Aeron gives a lot of options on how you may want to sit without compromising on your health and a desired posture for productivity. It leans back but it also leans forward with an option of locking the forward tilt in place. A variety of comfortable sitting positions keeps a person's butt more active thus making long hours in front of the computer more tolerable. Our view of the Aeron is still in the works but after two months I can definitively say three things. One, it is gorgeous to look at from afar. Two, all of my lower back pain has vanished. And three, I am extremely curious what it will be like if I add a headdress because one of my favorite pastimes on my old chair was the great feeling of being able to recline and lounge about. My microphone is the original Blue Yeti. When I researched microphones, this always seemed to be an extremely popular recommendation. So much so that there are a lot of YouTube videos denouncing how it doesn't deserve such praise. Nevertheless, it is very difficult to argue with the evident boost in sound quality from the original microphone I was using last year. Uh, like I used the same desk ever since I was a kid and I only changed it now. By itself, the Blue Yeti is able to stomp out most pops in audio and so I've never gotten the urge to attach the pop filter I bought for it. Also, the Yeti looks mad awesome on top of my desk because of its matted black metal build. I also enjoy pinging it up because it feels substantial in the hand, a reminder of its premium nature. My headset is the Wireless Corsair Void Pro. It looks cool and fulfills its purpose of getting rid of cable snag. I'm not a fan of how the microphone sounds. That's why I always pair it up with the Blue Yeti instead whenever I need to use the microphone. I've never really taken care of a plant before but during the pandemic, I've gotten extremely attached to these three guys. Their natural greenery mixed alongside a wood countertop adds a color contrast to the synthetics among them. The first one is a Lucky Bamboo Plant submerged in a glass of water and the other two are Devil's Ivy Plants or also known as Golden Pothos. In fact, the strands you see in this pot on my desk actually come from the Mother Plant which I have been pruning and planting the leaves of, thus its partially naked branches. Golden Pothos and Lucky Bamboo require practically no output from you whatsoever other than watering them once a week. These are the plants you give a friend who is known to be a plant killer. Next to my printer is my charging station which is just a fancy way of saying that it's a cable manager which holds USB-C, Apple Lightning, and a USB-A. This little organizer is very inexpensive, easy to install, and provides a lot of organization and convenience. Gone are the days in which the wire I need has fallen behind some piece of furniture or that so-and-so charger was plugged into a different outlet. No, with this, everything I ever need charging can be charged here or at my bedside. My printer is the HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 2676 which is wirelessly connected to my PC via Wi-Fi. Scanning and printing documents are convenient for the most part. I say for the most part because I think all of us have one point or another. Why not throw their printer out the window for doing stupid things? Until then, though, this printer has earned its right to live a little longer. My PC is made of a Ryzen 73700X, Gigabyte RTX 2080Ti, MPG X570 Gaming Edge Wi-Fi, cooled by an H1155 RGB Platinum 280mm Liquid Cooler, 32GB 6-of-course air vengeance RGB Pro 300MHz RAM, and housed in an NZXT H700 case. When I originally made my PC back in August 2019, I had no idea that I would be video editing on this nor that a once-in-a-lifetime global pandemic was about to occur. In retrospect, everything worked out because I was able to get my parts before supplier prices skyrocketed for graphics cards during the pandemic. I guess a strange life lesson I learned was that it is always a good time to build a good gaming computer because you never know what you'll need to use it for. This guy is my best friend and has been my number one tool on learning new skills such as video editing which I only began experimenting with last October 2020. One thing my setup always gets criticized for is that I can't see the RGB lighting of my rig, which is a fair point. However, I realized that too much RGB can be too stimulating to the point that I get lost looking at the lights rather than finishing my script or replying to an email. I really like the clean aesthetic Apple Macs give because the CPU and monitor are merged together. I tried to recreate this illusion for PC by placing the PC away from the monitors. Thus, at certain angles, my desk can pass off for hiding the CPU entirely. Also, I have a glass window next to my door which reflects back the RGB so it's not entirely forgotten. On top of my PC is a small digital clock square which is plugged into my PC directly. It turns off alongside it as well and has no battery supply in case I want to take it with me on the go. I have a glass of pens, markers, highlighters and an invisible ink pen, all of which come in handy more often than you might think. By the way, I highly recommend the Donga ball pens. The way it glides on paper is the writing equivalent of ice skating. I also have a Darth Vader who looks angry on the outside but is truthfully a sad puppy on the inside. Finally, I have an elephant given to me by my girlfriend which is made from the same material as the Taj Mahal. In conclusion, most people don't need even half of the stuff here. I was quite happy with my childhood setup well into law school and even after law school. My advice for those who wish to improve their setup is to focus on prioritizing a good working computer, getting a second monitor and a desk and chair which is optimized ergonomically. So that means your eyes are aligned with that of the screen without too much head tilt needed, your armrests are leveled with that of your desk and your feet are firm on the ground. If your feet aren't firmly placed on the ground then invest in a foot rest. If you have any questions about this setup let me know in the comment section below. I have however attached as many web links as I can for both our local and international viewers. Like always, stay safe everyone. We want to give an extremely special thanks to our top fans who helped make all of our work possible. ITX addict Rafael James, Ian Meru, Liam Magnae, Richard Ong Kinko, John Rubin Otia, and Christian Espinosa. It's good seeing all of you so regularly during our streams and again thank you so much for the support.