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Ask HN: Any piece of hardware that was more of game changer than you expected?
11–20 of 592 posts
Re: Ask HN: Any piece of hardware that was more of game changer than you expected?
#12A very large display. I got a 4k 43” display, with a bit of retina magnification, and I can sit properly without slumping, my back fully straight on my seat.
I don’t suffer back pain anymore.
Re: Ask HN: Any piece of hardware that was more of game changer than you expected?
#13Long, LONG ago I got a MicroSolutions 300 Megabyte External Hard drive, you could plug it in to a parallel printer port, boot the driver disk, and BAM... all of your tools were available.
A decade ago, I got my first SSD drives, those were game changers. Boot times dropped like a rock, and performance went through the roof.
I got a 32" HDMI monitor just before Covid hit... I'm VERY glad I did so. I've been stuck at home with Long Covid for almost 2 years now, it makes it so much easier to see what's going on. It was well worth the money.
As for software, GIT is the best thing since Turbo Pascal. I assume you use it already.
Oh, and consider getting a 3d printer of some form, along with a CNC router. Those might come in handy for home projects.
Re: Ask HN: Any piece of hardware that was more of game changer than you expected?
#14A 3rd monitor lets me see live preview, documentation, and code all at once. I'm out of desk space to test the effectiveness of a 4th
An nvme drive made everything boot faster
A good chair (either herman miller or steelcase) fixed my back pain
Re: Ask HN: Any piece of hardware that was more of game changer than you expected?
#15If a microplane counts as "hardware", then I can't not bring up my whetstone!
Cost all of around $40, is a genuine joy to use, and keeps all of my knives sharper-than-sharp.
I started out with a very expensive knife (Wusthof classic 8", around US$150 or so at the time) but nothing to sharpen it with, and this was a mistake.
If I could do it again I'd recommend young cooks on a budget start out with a $20 IKEA knife and a stone to keep it sharp. You'll get better long term results than you would with an expensive knife on its own any day of the week.
Re: Ask HN: Any piece of hardware that was more of game changer than you expected?
#16A good coffee machine at home. Unbelievable ROI, one of my favourite purchases.
Yup. My wife and I got one when we moved in together before we were married. At the time we were very poor students and it was not obviously the right call. But we have gotten an insane mileage out of that thing from the day we brought it home. Easily worth it many times over.
Re: Ask HN: Any piece of hardware that was more of game changer than you expected?
#17A 3rd monitor lets me see live preview, documentation, and code all at once. I'm out of desk space to test the effectiveness of a 4th An nvme drive made everything boot faster A good chair (either herman miller or steelcase) fixed my back pain
>A good chair (either herman miller or steelcase) fixed my back pain
Mine too! If you're on a budget, there are plenty of individuals on Facebook Marketplace and similar that sell used Steelcase/Herman Miller chairs for about a third of retail price.
The more reputable used dealers will repair them before sale, as well.
Re: Ask HN: Any piece of hardware that was more of game changer than you expected?
#18An Android phone with a physical keyboard. It's a night and day difference for me with fat fingers and who likes to look at the text I'm writing, not the keyboard I'm using to write.
RIP BlackBerry Key2.
Re: Ask HN: Any piece of hardware that was more of game changer than you expected?
#191) Got rid of my second monitor and use just one 27” 4K monitor. My neck feels better and I’m less scatter brained. 2) whenever possible, I try to buy used pro/prosumer/premium things. They will usually last for years and years, be more comfortable/pleasurable in use and will be repairable/maintainable when they do break down.
> Got rid of my second monitor Did this also a long time ago. I still have my laptop connected which I flip open to use the webcam occasionally but I feel much more focused using 1 monitor.
Same here.
A decently-sized 4k display allows you to have documents open next to your main work app when necessary, but equally lets you use the full real-estate when you don't want to.
With two monitors, I just found myself shoving shit on the second screen and getting distracted.
Re: Ask HN: Any piece of hardware that was more of game changer than you expected?
#20A keyboard where the keys are symmetrical, and allow greater use of the thumb (and allow less usage of the pinky fingers). -- Maybe it's not for everyone, but I wish I'd gotten a keyboard like this years ago.