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jdrch edited this page Nov 29, 2023 · 166 revisions

Note: I haven't used everything on this list. Some of these products are simply what I consider to be the best or best value for money in their category.

AC Adapters

HP ZBook 15 Power G9

Adjustable Shelving

Backpacks

Kelty Redwing 44 Tactical

Body Composition Monitors

Cabinets

Ventilation

AC Infinity

Cables

Brands

  • Monoprice
  • Cables2Go
  • StarTech.com

Testers

The following 2 items are highly rated and should be bought together:

Cases/Chassis

These recommendations are primarily storage oriented.

Desktop

Tower

Full

Custom prebuilt PCs using Fractal cases can be bought from AVADirect.

Rackmount (# of 3.5" HDDs || Max # & type of AICs)

Circuit Breaker Finders

Ideal Automatic Circuit Identifier w/Digital Receiver & GFCI Receptacle

Collators

Lee Products FlexiFile® Expandable Collator/Organizer

Computers

Specifications

I do not suggest investing in anything wireless that isn't Wi-Fi 6 or higher.

New

  1. CPU: ≥ 4C/8T for mainstream use, ≥ 6C/12T for gaming
  2. RAM: Max supported RAM (by motherboard) ≥ 16 GB
  3. LAN (mandatory for desktops, optional for laptops): ≥ 1000BASE-T Ethernet
  4. Bluetooth: ≥ 5.0
  5. Wi-Fi (mandatory for laptops, optional for desktops): ≥ 2x2 802.11ax
  6. USB: ≥ USB 3.1 Gen 1
  7. Storage: NVMe SSD at the least
  8. GPU/video out: HDMI ≥ 1.4 or DisplayPort ≥ 1.2
  9. Display (AIOs & laptops only): ≥ 1080p for < 17 in; ≥ 2160p for ≥ 17.3 in

Hardened

Note: I'm not aware of any independent audits of the following lines, but I'm also not aware of an actively exploited unpatched vulnerabilities. Generally, as long you

  1. Aggressive patch and update:
    • your entire software stack
      • BIOS
      • drivers
      • OS
      • apps
  2. Use the disk encryption with a locally stored key
    • Linux: Veracrypt or ZFS encryption
    • Windows: Bitlocker + TPM
    • FreeBSD: ZFS encryption
    • macOS: Default new installation of latest release on supported Apple hardware

you should be fine.

Used

  1. CPU: ≥ 2C/4T
    • Must be either covered by speculative execution security patches (e.g. Intel Core 2nd Gen and above) or unaffected by speculative execution vulnerabilities
  2. RAM: Max supported RAM (by CPU) ≥ 8 GB
  3. USB: ≥ USB 2.0
  4. Storage: Available port for SATA SSD
  5. GPU/video out: ≥ HDMI
  6. Display (AIOs & laptops only): ≥ 768p
  7. LAN (mandatory for desktops, optional for laptops): ≥ 1000BASE-T Ethernet
  8. Wi-Fi (mandatory for laptops, optional for desktops): ≥ 2x2 802.11ax (2x2 802.11ac is acceptable but will slow down the rest of your wireless network when you eventually all other devices on the network from that spec)

Enterprise desktop product lines

  • Dell
    • OptiPlex
    • Precision
  • Lenovo
    • ThinkCentre
    • ThinkStation
  • HP
    • Elite
    • Pro
    • Z

Workstations

CPAP

Jobar CPAP Hose Holder

Desks & Tables

For value, nothing beats a simple folding table. However, if you're looking for something a bit more permanent and classy:

Displays

Monitors

ViewSonic VP2785-4K - 27" 4K UHD AdobeRGB ColorPro™ IPS Monitor w/ USB C & HDR10

If you don't need 1:1 display mode or controls on the front bezel, get the VP2768-4K instead.

TVs

Premium

Sony X900H Series Full Array LED 4K Ultra HD TV - The most feature-complete TV on the market, by far: Multiplatform smart OS (Android TV), FALD, VRR, 120 Hz, HDR (all major specs), ATSC 3.0, etc.

Value

TCL 55" Class 6-Series 4K QLED Dolby Vision HDR Smart Roku TV - 55R635

Docks

USB 3.1 Gen 1+

StarTech HDD Docking Stations

Freezers

Chest

Frigidaire 14.8 Cu. Ft. Chest Freezer FFCL1542AW

Generators

Portable

Inverter

DuroMax XP9000iH 9000-Watt 459cc Dual Fuel Digital Inverter Hybrid Portable Generator with CO Alert

Green Screens

Laptop Sleeves

Samsonite Aramon NXT

Laptop Stands

Uncaged Ergonomics WorkEZ Executive

Laser Distance Measures

Bosch GLM 50 C or GLM 50 CX - Despite the different names, these are the same product

Locks

Smart Keeper - This is the only physical port locking solution I'm aware of

Microphones

Shure MV7 Podcast Microphone

Monitor Mounts

Arm

Mount-It Single Monitor Desk Mount | MI-2751

Straight

Mount-It Ultra-Wide Single Monitor Desk Mount | MI-709

NAS

Raspberry Pi

Penta SATA HAT

Networking

Accessories

Panduit

Cable

  • Monoprice (highest Cat cable rating)
  • Commscope (for serious in-wall structured cabling; generally used by professional contractors)

Mobile hotspots

Modems

Cable

Arris S33

Patch Panels

Panduit Modular Patch Panels

Switches

Unmanaged

Assuming they have the specs and features you want, always buy NETGEAR Business for unmanaged switches. Other brands are nowhere near as reliable and NETGEAR's warranty and support are the best in the business.

NETGEAR Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Switches

PoE

NETGEAR 8-port and 16-port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged PoE/PoE+ Switches

Wired

Not all Ethernet NICs are Created Equal - Trying to Capture Invalid Ethernet Frames (Why Intel NICs are superior to Realtek, Broadcom, and ASIX NICs)

MoCA adapters

Certified products

MoCA 2.5

This is the 2.5 Gb/s standard.

MoCA 2.0

This is the 1 Gb/s standard.

Standalone Routers

The following routers offer enterprise level performance, line speed routing in specs, and easy OpenVPN functionality while still covering consumer features such as UPnP.

The following devices do not offer GUI OpenVPN or Wireguard support, but still support UPnP:

Wireless

Access points

The following AP is coming soon and may replace all the recommendations below:

Ubiquiti UniFi 6 Long-Range Access Point

High performance

You'll need UniFi Controller for all of the following. If you want to run Controller on standalone hardware, I recommend Debian 10 on a used PC orRaspbian on a Raspberry Pi 4.

802.11ac

In order of increasing performance and client density:

Value

If you absolutely need to save money or better Windows support than what UniFi Controller offers:

TP-Link EAP245 V3 + Omada Software Controller + Omada app

Routers

High Performance

802.11ac

Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Machine

802.11ax

(Wi-Fi 6)

CAUTION: Although Wi-Fi Alliance certification for this has begun, the standard has not yet been finalized by the IEEE. Buy products at your own risk.

In the router/AP's Wi-Fi Alliance Wi-Fi 6 certificate, the following should be in the:

  1. Security section:
    1. WPA3™ - Personal
  2. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6™ section:
    1. OFDMA
      1. DL OFDMA
      2. UL OFDMA
    2. MU-MIMO
    3. Maximum Supported Channel Width (20, 40, 80, 160 MHz)
    4. Target Wake Time (TWT)
    5. MCS 10-11 Rx (= 1024-QAM)
    6. Beamforming

ASUS RT-AX88U - (Wi-Fi 6 Certificate)

Value

All products listed under this heading are Wi-Fi certified.

802.11ac

WARNING: The following products canNOT be guaranteed to not be affected by Bufferbloat.

WARNING: The following product is less likely to be affected by Bufferbloat than the previous ones due to its Linux kernel version (3.x), but that cannot be guaranteed

Synology Router RT2600ac

NVMe Enclosures

Plugable USB 3.1 Gen 2 Tool-free NVMe Enclosure

Paper

Printer

Scanners

Automatic Document Feed (ADF)/Flatbed

For some reason, it's become incredibly difficult to find highly rated (≥ 4 ⭐) ADF + flatbed scanners. However, the following model comes the closest of all (the affordable ones) I've seen:

Xerox Duplex Combo Scanner

Scrapers

Anvil 4 in. Glass and Tile Scraper

Shims

These are useful for installing VESA mounts on awkward surfaces, such as folding tables.

Nelson Wood Shims DIY Bundle

Be careful with composite shims as they're often too slick to hold together in a stack without slipping out.

Snow Shovels

Suncast 18" Steel Core® Ergonomic Combo

Speakers

Subwoofers

Power vs. Size

Storage

Adapters

Cloud

The only providers I recommend are (in alphabetical order):

  • Amazon
  • Backblaze
  • Dropbox
  • Google
  • Microsoft

HDDs

Generally speaking, all HDDs that lack a workload rating have the same reliability. The only 2.5 in HDDs with workload ratings are ≥ 15 mm thick, which means they consume (nearly) as much space as a 3.5 in HDD. Also, I have no experience with the former. Ergo, they are omitted here.

3.5 in

Get the 512e models of these, or the 4Kn models if the former are unavailable. Do NOT buy 512n:

Accessories

StarTech.com 3.5in Silicone Hard Drive Protector Sleeve with Connector Cap

Brands
  • StarTech.com (always check here first)
  • IcyDock
  • Vantec

SATA controller cards (non-RAID)

Throughput needs

The following are based on the highest known (to me) specified throughput values. Check the specs of the disks you're intending to connect to the controller card for their throughput values. To avoid bottlenecking, ensure the selected card's throughput per port exceeds your disks' maximum individual throughput.

  • HDDs: ≥ 270 MB/s (estimated)
  • SSDs: ≥ 550 MB/s (estimated)
    • AFAIK no SATA controller supports this much throughput per port. Users intending to use SSDs should probably use a higher end HBA instead
  • SATA 3.0: 750 MB/s
    • The above comment for SSDs applies

How to calculate throughput per port

  1. Look up the Throughput value corresponding to the card's PCI Express version and lane count (xn, where n is an integer) in the PCI Express link performance table here
  2. Divide the result in 1) by the number of ports on the card

Always select the highest PCI Express version (1.0, 2.0, etc.) for your available slot (x1, x2, etc.) OR, if you have multiple available slots, the PCI Expression version + slot width combination that gives you the highest throughput in the PCI Express link performance table in 1) above.

PCI Express version + lane count combinations to avoid

The following combinations might bottleneck the connected disks and should be avoided unless there are no other options:

  • 1.0 x1,2
  • 2.0 x1

Cards

PCI Express 2.0 x4

PCI Express 3.1 x2

SYBA 5 port Non-RAID SATA III 6Gbp/s PCI-e x4 Controller Card (340 MB/s/port) (WARNING: this card provides x2 lane width but requires an x4 slot. Use it only if you lack the slot width for the 2 preceding picks and/or need more than 4 ports)

SSDs

SATA

Performance & endurance

Value

Crucial MX500 3D NAND SATA 2.5" 7mm (with 9.5mm adapter) Internal SSD

Just buy Samsung or Western Digital. Crucial SSDs' low endurance results in MUCH lower life than the SSDs from the former brands, and other brands' BOMs aren't as stable or trustworthy.

NVMe

Don't skimp on performance with NVMe. Samsung is the fastest, highest endurance, and best supported on the market.

PCI Express 3.0

Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus NVMe M.2

PCI Express 4.0

Samsung SSD 980 PRO (Announced at CES 2020, not yet available)

Tape

LTO-8

Note: all LTO-8 drives need SAS at the minimum and do not support SATA.

Drives

External

HPE StoreEver LTO-8 Ultrium 30750 External Tape Drive

Internal

USB

Flash

The only 2 reliable brands are SanDisk & Kingston.

Type A

SanDisk Extreme PRO® USB 3.2 Solid State Flash Drive

Type C

SanDisk Ultra® Dual Drive Luxe USB Type-C™ Flash Drive

Streaming Player

Roku Ultra

Surge Protectors

Belkin 8-Outlet Pivot-Plug Surge Protector, 6 ft. Cord

Toolkits

iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit

Trimmers

Ear and Nose Hair

Panasonic Ear and Nose Hair Trimmer GN70K - Wet/Dry and Vacuum

UPS

I've heard good things about Eaton, but their lineup on their product site is pretty much impossible to filter, so I really have no idea where to start with them.

Sine Wave

Per Tripp-Lite:

All on-line and many line-interactive UPS systems have pure sine wave output.

USB

Type C

The Best USB-C Cables and Adapters

Charge + Listen adapters

Wallet

Big Skinny Hipster Bifold

Webcam

The following support Windows Hello:

Organized Alphabetically:

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