Desk Setup Peaked 30 Years Ago
Thank you to Vernal for sponsoring, check out their new Core3 series at https://bit.ly/3Po36Ag (USA) https://bit.ly/4uN5SPV (UK)! ~ I miss my old desk. I don’t mean a recent desk, I mean my 1996 PC desk. It was tiny, it was cramped, and it had a hulking 486 desktop computer atop of it. But, it was glorious. I decided that I need the peak 90s desk setup back in my life, so in this video, I decided to recreate it.
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Thank you so much to the amazing @saradietschy for helping evaluate the sheer 90s sophistication of this setup.
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⌚Timings⌚
00:00 Introduction
00:42 Vernal
01:51 My 90s Desk Setup
03:36 90s Desktop PC
09:46 90s Desk Accessories
12:11 The Build
18:25 Sara Dietschy
20:13 Vernal 2
20:42 Closing Thoughts
21:29 Credits
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🎥 Equipment 🎥
Panasonic Lumix G5
Rode NT-1 Mic
Corel Video Studio Ultimate 2020
Corel Paint Shop Pro 2020
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Right Here, Right Now by Fatboy Slim, https://t.lickd.co/l/ZNYj4oE5dl2
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#desksetup #standingdesk #vernalcore3 #desk
@quietusplus1221
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
Well, at least you have shelves. Most hoarders don't XD
And yes, the early days of personal computers was a special time. It was all new and exciting, unlike today.
@chrisbekker9698
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
I also take pictures of my desks. Glad I'm not the only one
@charlesd4572
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
This is the greatest office furniture advertisement ever!
@19sea78
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
Tonight on Pimp My Office
@retronostalgiapodcast
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
is that your house or a flea market?
@billybollockhead5628
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
I still use a Natural Keyboard .. I cant type on anything which isnt!
And I wanted to know more about that phone mouse! Bah
.. And the Chase HQ mouse mat!
@McTwistedTwisties
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
10:30 you should make a homelab video about snipeIT and organizing and cataloging your hoard.
@SkullMan---
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
That Rise of the Robots drawer is boss.
@B_T_B
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
God.. I had those curtains!
@sherizaahd
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
my grandma had a kneeling chair in the early 90s, we loved it and played on it non-stop.
@barryleslie7727
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
Oh lord! We were totally into the same stuff in the 80s and 90s (especially the ghost books)
@kuolematonkuolaaja
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
So nice. Wish I had that setup as a kid.
@bsdjunkie1805
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
We've all been there, get it all set up, fresh copy of 98SE, sit and stare at it, then think, now what?
@woodand
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
the magic-eye poster !! had them all over my wall
@Nickelbawker
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
I wonder if they make high hz screens in beige. I'd feel silly painting something so expensive. Personally I feel like it's primarily just a vibe but combined with modern times being rough it's easy to see how we long for the past. We used to have family. Now a lot of our family is gone or betrayed us
@InsaneWayne355
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
Love the end result. Way cool.
@RetroFett
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
Retro-Recipes/ PeriFractic has entered the chat…
@nathnathn
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
I actually custom made my desk because of the the entire thing of them changing computer desks (with the computer shelf underneath and the top section for printers/etc) to just standard laptop/misc desks with a mark-up.
Currently planning to rebuild it without the top section as im going much more multi-monitor and they just don’t fit well.
Also the tower section is made sized to my current ultra-tower case and its hard to get them without being wider now (also I’m considering making a custom case partly due to price partly due to almost all of them being built for only 2.5” drives anymore)
@MaxBashx
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
Hey Peter! I saw your piece on the Million Dollar Homepage and I loved it. I just build what I think it should have been all along: a billion-square interactive map you can zoom into like Google Maps. Your channel would look amazing on it. Thank you for your time.
To anyone who read this, If you have a project, a brand, a community, anything you want people to see… Tag me here. I'm giving away permanent free zones to early supporters. No catch, I just need cool stuff on the map to start.
@RandomThoughtsofDrew
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
I was going to say you need the cd rack. 😂 also did we all have that same keyboard back then?
@ForgottenMachines
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
0:20 We GOTTA get you those exact drapes/curtains! Those are AWESOME colors and pattern!
@thevintagecomputer
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
This came out really nicely! Thanks for showing!
@zatozatoichi7920
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
Ready Computers Budapest? Wtf? That's where I got my first PC in '95.
@allocater2
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
The best part is the CRT. No motion blur.
@KeithJusticeUnlimited
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
For NO GOOD REASON I just noticed I'm not subscribed. This one and your work up to your point earned it years ago.
Loved this.
I've seen maybe three people do this.
The next challenge I'd love to see you give a try is The Tech Dweeb Challenge.
Make a retro set up you have ever intention to use and make it grow into the ultimate modern retro set up.
What mix of new and old can you use to make something fun for today?
Great job on this and thank you!!
@geordieal
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
Oh man, the kneeling chair… I bought one of those back in the 90’s…. ‘It’s ergonomic”. I think I used it for about a month then went out and bought a proper chair. Kneeling chair ended up in basement for about 20 years then got taken to a charity shop!
@dreadpiratekristo
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
Upvoted for "Right Here, Right Now".
@GhrollHugg
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
The Detective’s Handbook! It guided my life choices for a year or so way back when (fun fact: in my school there was a girl who also had it, loved it, and went with me into sleuthing adventures. Yes I know how privileged I was)!! For this memory unlock alone, this video is worth on million internets! Thank you kind sir, you are a gentleman and a scholar!
@TFHC_cc
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
It is in the vibe : )
Nice!
@BollingHolt
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
BTW – I love what you said about "enjoying the process" when trying to make a video. I often get flustered trying to make a good video, them never turning out like I anticipate, but it is ALWAYS fun… especially when the equipment cooperates 😉
@PaulStenning
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
Please turn the music down, it’s distracting and annoying. I gave up watching.
@BollingHolt
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
I took pictures of mine at that age, too… multiple times 😉 When I got my L-shaped one Summer 1993 to house my self-built 486DX-33, I also wanted that feel of being enveloped. I had a writing area on the left to do my handwritten homework, computer area in the center, and on the left I had various things throughout the years, telecom stuff and my VCRs, etc. I miss that desk.
@robd1365
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
I have photos of my room and stuff from 2000-2002 and built my own cupboards, desk and shelving as I was doing my apprenticeship in carpentry with my Dad. Nowadays, my desk is an Ikea Malm oak dressing table I found on marketplace for £20 which has 4 drawers, for all my handy crap. I use a P16 Thinkpad with wall mounted screen and separate keyboard and mouse so plenty of space on there. That’s a great looking retro setup, I have some late 90s hardware, slot 1 intel board and a voodoo 3 system running 98 but no space for it to be set up permanently.
@stride87
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
Great vid as always. Since you're a Norwich bor, you might appreciate that the Fast Show chaps Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson met right here at UEA—Higson was even the student union entertainment officer back in the day!
@reallllcoral
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
I like the L-shaped layout, nice desk setup!
@saracade69
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
Hell Yeah, nailed it!
@TheCounty90
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
Nice Renault 19 convertible I see there.
@craigpeacock8295
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
Nice change of pace… Don't do it too often as I like your usual stuff, but this kinda weird offbeat episode was pretty cool
@PicsBoson
May 21, 2026 at 7:25 pm
8/10 Not enough Spice Girls and Jennifer Aniston posters.