Uses

Hardware and software I use for development and daily work. Not an endorsement, just documentation.

Hardware

ThinkPad X13 Gen 4

In service since Nov 2024

CPU AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 7840U (8C/16T)
GPU AMD Radeon 780M (integrated)
RAM 32GB
Storage 512GB Kioxia NVMe
Display 13.3" 2560x1600
OS NixOS 25.11 (ZFS root)

Great keyboard and flawless Linux support out of the box. Fingerprint reader works perfectly with fprint. Single USB-C cable to my monitor handles power, display, and peripherals. The trackpad is mediocre and I don't use the TrackPoint due to finger strain. No built-in Ethernet, so I use a USB-C adapter.

Homelab

MikroTik CRS328-24P-4S+RM

Core switch

Ports 24x 1GbE PoE+, 4x 10G SFP+
PoE Budget 500W
Form Factor 1U rackmount

Powers all my PoE devices (access points, cameras, some IoT). The 10G SFP+ uplinks connect to the server. RouterOS takes some getting used to but is extremely capable once you know your way around.

ASRock Rack X570D4U-2L2T

Virtualization host

CPU AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5750G (8C/16T)
RAM 64GB ECC DDR4
Network Dual 10GbE + Dual 1GbE + IPMI
Boot 2x 1TB WD Black SN7100 NVMe (mirror)
Fast 2x 2TB Samsung 870 QVO (mirror)
Bulk 3x 18TB Seagate Exos (RAIDZ1) + 1 spare
OS NixOS 25.11

Runs all my VMs and containers, and serves as first-stage backup target to the HDD RAIDZ pool. The X570D4U-2L2T is a proper server board with IPMI, ECC support, and dual 10GbE. ZFS handles all storage with separate pools for boot, VM disks, and bulk data. The QVO SSDs were spares I had lying around and need replacement soon due to wear. The hot spare gives me peace of mind for the large drives.

CyberPower OR600ELCDRM1U

Power backup

Capacity 600VA
Form Factor 1U rackmount
Interface USB (NUT compatible)

Sized big enough for the homelab load. USB interface works great with NUT for graceful shutdowns. Replacement batteries are cheap and easy to find. Would recommend. Only downside is some coil whine.

StarTech 12U Open Frame Rack

Infrastructure housing

Size 12U
Type Open frame / shelf

Open design keeps everything cool and accessible. Fits in a closet and holds the server, switch, patch panel, and UPS. The open frame makes cable management visible, which I actually prefer.

Software

Coming soon.

Peripherals

Kinesis Advantage 360 Pro

Current daily driver

Firmware ZMK
Layout QWERTY

Build quality is superb, except the palmrest cushions which are showing wear. The ZMK toolchain is frustrating to work with. Haven't modified the firmware yet. Split design is handy but not a must.

Kinesis Advantage 2

First ergonomic keyboard

Firmware QMK (via Kint controller)
Layout QWERTY (previously Neo)

My entry into ergonomic keyboards. Initially used with the Neo layout, later switched to QWERTY. Replaced the stock controller with the Kint controller. I think I love this even more than the 360, except for the function keys. The brick-style design is kinda cool.

View project →

Home Office

Coming soon.

Retired

ZSA Moonlander

Retired

Firmware ZMK
Layout QWERTY

Fantastic build quality and firmware tooling. Ultimately preferred the contoured Kinesis design and sold it.

Aruba Instant On 1930 24G PoE

Retired

Ports 24x 1GbE PoE+, 4x SFP+
PoE Budget 195W
Cooling Passive (fanless)

Decent switch and the only passively cooled option I could find with reasonable port density. Retired because I wanted more SFP+ 10G ports, and the web interface is frustrating. The lack of CLI access is particularly annoying when you want to use LLMs to help with configuration.