Well maybe I did get something out of this topic... I thought I had made up my mind to get another laptop, but have gone down the mini PC route:
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0C7H28G2W?psc=1&smid=A26KWQ1S2A1CIJ&ref_=chk_typ_quicklook_titleToDp
No battery this time🙂
Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Feel free to continue the discussion if you want
Personally, for a generalist solution, I'd go with a Dell or HP micro. Refurbed older models are available in Woot regularly with a wide range of specs. They're relatively cheap. Powerful. Low power consumption.
And....
The rest of the story.
It was replacing an old all in one system. I did have a spare monitor, but to complete the switchover to the mini pc it needed a camera/mic and some speakers.
Lenovo 300 CDN$30 ATT
USB Sound Bar CDN$25 ATT
But I was able to re-use the USB keyboard and mouse.
And then there weren't any spare USB ports... so add a $10 hub.
Still a very decent small, quiet, value system. IMHO
My existing laptop was really acting like a desktop tower, plugged into a dock with monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc, so the mini-PC will be a good fit. I might even look a mounting it on the back of the TV I am using as my monitor.
I recently set up a dock and basically use my laptop as a desktop (after upgrading the Ram and replacing the HDD with a SSD) and just use an iPad when I need to do something quickly. Thinking longer term, I have been transitioning to the Apple ecosystem, and really that is the last piece to move. Realizing I really should still have a Windows machine available, I have been giving some consideration to picking up something in the Mac (desktop) family or mac mini mini and a Nuc-type device and just having both available on my desk. With recent work I did on that laptop I don't really feel any urgency to make a move in the near future. It still mostly just spitballing ideas.
To pick up on a minor point you made, re having also invested in a dock... And to offer a suggestion in this regard.... Basically, options for connectivity, both RF and BT....
In the recent heady days of working from home I purchased:
I also changed jobs in Jan 2022.
With that background... In my new job I was was experiencing "glitchiness" with my keyboard and mouse at home, but not allowed to install the Logitech drivers for my KB & Mouse (which I completely understood). Thankfully for my keyboard I could easily switch between Bluetooth and RF connections using a button on the keyboard, allowing me to easily switch between my personal laptop and work laptop, and more importantly fix the glitchiness I was seeing with my work laptop. For the mouse, I still needed to swap the RF dongle. By contrast... I eventually purchased a Logitech MX Series Mouse and Keyboard to take into the office (rather than taking the TKL and G502) which both offered Bluetooth and RF connection options....As much as that makes the most sense at home, the TKL form factor and the RGB lighting for both still won out...
So, my lesson..... connectivity options, where possible, are great.
(Perhaps I will come back to the Marshall Headphones... Still a great product... )
I probably could have done a bit more research than I did, but all in all, this works pretty well for my needs. now, though I can see down the road I'm going to be looking for something a bit better, especially as I start doing more Photography and need a better computer for photo processing.
Never thought I would have got into the KB niche market... And probably can't claim to be a real aficionado, but can at least appreciate the finer points of a nice KB, particularly a nice, solid TKL KB.
Not sure if you got the link wrong, but MX is certainly a nice line of KB and mice...
those are the correct links, pulled them straight out of my order history.. Needles to say may and June were kind of pricy months for me.
I picked up MX Series KB and Mouse...
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B08196YFMK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B07W6JMMNC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
They say a clean desk is a sign of a sick mind.. 
My desk is cleanish and the office looks cleanish until you open the closet where all my equipment is housed... 
Sounds like you are a sick guy like the rest of us... Just hiding it...
That picture was from right after we finished the office renovation. It is not quite that clean these days! 
New paint on walls, trim, and ceiling after ~30 years. And then IKEA for drawer units, wall shelving, and a bookcase. I made the desktop myself as I wanted it to span the entire length of the wall, and I wanted it to be deep enough. I am pretty pleased with how it all turned out.
It is cleaner than my Wife's office. But in her defense, we do animal rescue and foster a lot of dogs (41 since 2017). Currently, we have 2 fosters in addition to four of our own dogs (three of whom were fosters at one time). They all tend to hang out in her office during the day, so it is kind of a losing battle for her. What I have in electronic gear laying around she has in dogs and dog hair (did I mention one is a [mostly] German Shedder?).
That does look really nice! I ended up with a freecycle desk that I had to do some pretty extensive work to make work. It's rock solid now, and most of the seams and edges line up! That thing could likely withstand atleast and F2 tornado now.
Mum and Dad used to have 3 Newfies in the house, so I can understand what dogs can introduce into the office environment... mostly good in my opinion... for all the hair (and drool in our case).
We added a UV light to the HVAC system and change the filters monthly instead of every 90 days. The worst i have gotten on my AQI sensor since we did all of that is 12, it is usually around 4 to 8 .
But would you do anything less than change the filter for them.....
Download the Hubitat app
