Starting with nothing, what’s your $3k tech setup?

[tweaknmod]

I’m deliberately keeping it modest (we’ve all built super macs in the apple online store).

I’m curious to hear how you would build a tech setup with $3k (I’m in Canada, but let’s say USD to make it go a little farther for my fellow Canucks).

Let’s hear it! Main rig, mouse, keyboard, headphones, smart speaker? What’s your setup look like?

(I’m on mobile, so not gonna look up exact numbers right now, but I’ll add mine when I get back home)

 

[maflynn]

I’m deliberately keeping it modest

I don't think 3k is deliberately modest but rather pretty expensive.

I have a nice setup, where I have an older ultrawide LG monitor (3440 x 1440) - I think I paid 400
a desktop PC that's running an 11th gen intel i7, 64gb of ram and a RTX2060. all told I think that cost me about 1,000+
Keyboard is a keychron - 100 bucks
Mouse - cheap MS mouse.

It looks like I'm all in at around 1,500-ish dollars and that outlay of money wasn't all at once. The monitor was purchased in 2019, and the desktop, was late 2021. The GPU was probably 2019

 

[ArkSingularity]

* 14" MacBook Pro from the refurb store (base model is enough for me, screw it) - $1700
* ultrawide monitor (Samsung and LG make good ones in this price range) - $300
* MX Keys Mac - $100
* Microsoft Surface Mouse - $40
* Cheap $50 desk from Amazon

$2,190.

 

[TSE]

$1400 13" MacBook Air
$600 Performance PC Laptop
$60 stand to hold the PC vertically and the screen aligned just above the MacBook Air screen
$40 Keychron M3 wireless Mouse
$50 Synergy software license to allow me to control both computers with the MacBook Air keyboard and the mouse

That's what I'm using right now and that's after playing around with huge external displays, etc. And this is finally my perfect setup.

 

[tweaknmod]

I don't think 3k is deliberately modest but rather pretty expensive.

I have a nice setup, where I have an older ultrawide LG monitor (3440 x 1440) - I think I paid 400
a desktop PC that's running an 11th gen intel i7, 64gb of ram and a RTX2060. all told I think that cost me about 1,000+
Keyboard is a keychron - 100 bucks
Mouse - cheap MS mouse.

It looks like I'm all in at around 1,500-ish dollars and that outlay of money wasn't all at once. The monitor was purchased in 2019, and the desktop, was late 2021. The GPU was probably 2019

In an Apple forum, $3k is fairly modest, considering how quickly you could sail past that on the Apple Store.

But fair enough - the value and expense of money is purely subjective. To me, $3k is relatively modest for an entire tech setup, but there are people who spend that on headphones alone.

 

[maflynn]

In an Apple forum, $3k is fairly modest,

But you posted in the alternatives to Mac forum - so 3k is actually quite expensive.

 

[tweaknmod]

But you posted in the alternatives to Mac forum - so 3k is actually quite expensive.

1. I posted to general - mods moved it.
2. My comment on subjectivity stands - expensive is completely subjective to the individual.

Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Thanks for participating in the discussion 👍

 

[LeeW]

Given the forum you are in, it excludes anything Apple. I recently built a new PC.

• Fractal North Case
• MSI Pro B760-p Motherboard
• 2x 1TB NVMe Drives
• 13th Gen i5
• RTX3060 12GB
• 32GB Ram
• 750W PSU
• Fans, clips, etc..

$1,500 (rounded up). A lot in there that could have been 'better' but would still kick the butt of M2 in most tasks. Still, a lot left over to get whatever else would be needed. So yeah $3k as @maflynn suggests is quite expensive.

 

[TheOtherAndy]

I've spent far too much money, time, and mental effort on computers only to use them for mundane tasks such as reading this forum and working on spreadsheets. If you took all of my computers away tomorrow and gave me $3,000, I'd spend $150 on a used Thinkpad T450s*, another $150-200 for an external 1080p monitor in the 20-24" variety, and pocket the remaining cash. That's all I really need right at the moment as far as computers go.

Maybe I'd throw in another monitor for my basement office (it's not anything special, trust me). Possibly a used ThinkCenter TIny or other small form factor PC as well.

*the T440s was my favorite laptop of all time, the T450s is iirc the same thing with a more sensible trackpad

 

[LeeW]

I've spent far too much money, time, and mental effort on computers only to use them for mundane tasks such as reading this forum and working on spreadsheets.

Well, that's an insult to 75% of members on this forum who only use their expensive Mac just for that 😂

 

[JPack]

A monitor is at the heart of any good computer. There's no use having a good computer without a proper ultrawide and a hub/dock/KVM.

Dell U3824DW - $1,100

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 with 32/512GB - $1,500

Logitech MX Mechanical + MX Master 3S - $250

Nothing Ear (2) Truly Wireless - $150

 

[maflynn]

Well, looks like the price I've spent on a desktop computer is going up. I posted in the AMD RX thread that AMD has unveiled the RX7800 a decent midrange GPU that should put the 4070 to same with more vram, lower price