Daily Technology: 2025 Edition

I’ve spoken a fair bit about using Linux with my Embracing Open Source series, but I realize I’ve neglected to give a rundown of what I actually use day to day in a nice, easy to refer to place. So here it is, my complete technology loadout (for now)

At The Desk

My desktop computer is a workhorse. A bit old, and a bit under-powered by today’s standards, it still does everything I need and want. It’s an understated black mid-size tower, sitting on a bookshelf by the desk.

The System:

  • OS: EndeavourOS

  • Kernel: Linux 6.12.30-1-lts

  • CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3800X

  • RAM: 32 GB

  • GPU: AMD Radeon RX6700 XT

  • Storage: 1x 2 TB NVMe SSD (Linux), 1x 1 TB NVMe SSD (Windows)

  • Displays: 2x HP 24" 1920x1080 @ 60hz

Accessories

  • Mouse: Logitech G502 Hero

  • Keyboard: Logitech G815 (Clicky variant, Romer G switches)

  • Speakers: Logitech X-140

  • Headphones: Audio Technica ATH-M40X

  • Controller: Xbox Series controller (USB-C)

In The Basement

I have a home server that lives in my basement. It hosts a variety of private services for myself and my family. I eventually want to include it in my EOS series, but that’s probably going to be near the end of the series when I finally get off of most Google services. The machine itself is a smaller mid-size tower on the floor, just plugging along. I’d like to move it into a rack at some point, but this is fine for now.

The Homeserver

  • OS: TrueNAS Scale Electric Eel

  • CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600

  • RAM: 16 GB

  • GPU: some old Nvidia GPU, just needed something so the system boots since the CPU doesn’t have integrated graphics

  • Storage: 1x 128 GB SATA SSD (OS) and 3x 4 TB 7200 RPM HDD (bulk storage, in a ZFS pool)

In The Living Room

I’ve got a couple of things tech-related in the living room. Basically just the gaming machines. The switch I’ve had since the console launched. The Optiplex is a bit newer (to me) and was a corporate disposal I was able to pick up on the cheap. Toss a new SSD in there and it makes a pretty great streaming receiver for my desktop PC and can handle some light indie games on its own too.

  • Nintendo Switch (Original, bad battery life model)

  • Dell Optiplex with a 11th-gen Core i3 and 128GB SSD running Bazzite

In My Pockets

I carry a few things with me daily. It’s pretty normal stuff, but for the sake of completeness, I may as well include it. The watch might be a weird inclusion, but like my Optiplex in the living room, its a corporate disposal I was able to pick up and reset. Funny enough, the factory reset completely removed all of the garbage the company it came from loaded it up with. They didn’t even set up their apps on a system partition or anything.

  • Phone: Google Pixel 7a

    • OS: Android 15

    • Launcher: Niagara Launcher

  • TicWatch E3

    • OS: Android Wear 3.5

  • Anbernic RG34XXSP

    • OS: MuOS (Aw Banana)

    • Storage: 1x 128 GB MicroSD, 1x 64 GB MicroSD

Laying it all out I’m both surprised at how much there is and surprised at how little there is. I don’t have an additional laptop, tablet, or e-reader. I don’t have extra consoles, and I don’t have some VPS in the cloud either.