Key Takeaways
- A monitor light bar reduces eye strain and illuminates your desk for night sessions.
- Monitor arms free up desk space and provide greater adjustability, especially for dual monitors.
- Desk mats and wrist rests for your keyboard and mouse enhance comfort and prevent wrist strain.
Being a PC user, you probably know that even after building your PC and investing in one of the best monitors, you need a decent desk and comfortable chair to complete your PC setup. While a wide and deep desk and an ergonomic chair can do wonders for your daily productivity, there are still upgrades you can make to your setup for some real benefits that go beyond aesthetics. And you don’t need to spend a bomb on any of them.
These PC desk setup upgrades aim to increase your comfort and convenience during those long hours you’re working or playing at your desk. And being affordable, you don’t need to think twice about adding them to your own desk setup.
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5 Monitor light bar
Soothe your eyes, light up your desk
You might have seen these accessories adorning monitors in cool-looking PC setups on Pinterest and Instagram. Interestingly, monitor light bars aren’t just for show — they come with very tangible benefits for your eyes as well as night-time sessions. These nifty light bars attach to the top of your monitor and help reduce eye strain owing to your bright monitor screen. You can even adjust the color temperature of the light to suit your needs.
The second benefit of monitor light bars is a better-illuminated desk for those night sessions or when you prefer working in dim lighting. Contrary to desk lamps or floor lamps, monitor light bars don’t occupy any extra space on your desk or in your room. And due to the placement of these light bars, you don’t need to worry about any reflections off your monitor screen. For around $40-$60, you can enjoy a pretty big upgrade to your desk, and unlock a whole new way of working.
Quntis Light Bar
This monitor light bar from Quntis connects over USB, has automatic dimming, and features uniform, flicker-free soft lighting. You also won’t have to worry about screen glare, and you get to enjoy close-to-natural light. This bar is perfect for smaller monitors, and it’s got a pricetag to match.
4 Monitor arm
You can never have enough desk space
A monitor arm can be another huge upgrade to your desk setup, freeing up some much-needed space previously occupied by your monitor stand. Not only do you end up with a cleaner desk, but you can access a heightened level of adjustability for your display. You can now position your screen exactly the way you want it, no longer limited by your monitor stand’s stock height, tilt, and swivel adjustability.
The best monitor arms will allow you to install them in multiple ways and will fit nicely with your PC’s cable management as well. If you have a dual-monitor setup, monitor arms become all the more essential to effectively manage desk space with two large displays. For $30-$50, you can get some great single monitor mounts.
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With a sleek look and tool-less adjustments, StarTech’s Dual Monitor Arm is a premium option — with some caveats.
StarTech Desk Mount Dual Monitor Arm
StarTech’s Dual Monitor Arm is a versatile and adjustable mount that can hold up to two 32-inch monitors. There are plenty of ways to adjust the displays, including through the gas spring-loaded arms that can be shifted without any tools.
3 Desk mat
Not just for the good looks
You might think having a large and good-looking desk mat is just for appearances. But there’s much more to it. Besides providing a comfortable surface for your wrists and arms, desk mats allow your mouse to glide smoothly, which is necessary for both gaming and work sessions. Plus, even your keyboard sounds better on a desk mat compared to on a bare desk. Lastly, a large enough desk mat can protect your desk from scratches, spills, and other wear and tear.
A $10-$15 desk mat will be large enough to accommodate your keyboard, mouse, and wrist rests (if any), and still be left with space for your wrists to move around.
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Aothia Leather Desk Pad
The Aothia Leather Desk Pad is spacious, minimalist, waterproof, and comes with a 1-year warranty.
2 Wrist rest for keyboard and mouse
You don’t want carpal tunnel syndrome
Working long hours on your PC without the proper equipment can give rise to a host of conditions, the most well-known of which is carpal tunnel syndrome. If your wrists suffer repeated strain due to incessant typing and gaming, you’re likely to develop chronic pain and discomfort. An easy way to prevent or at least reduce the chances of it is to use wrist rests for both your keyboard and mouse.
While keyboard wrist rests provide support for both your wrists when you’re busy typing away, less-commonly-used mouse wrist rests help your wrist stay in its natural position when using the mouse. Even during non-gaming sessions, your wrist is likely to suffer from sustained stress from mouse usage. For a total of $10-$20, you can get decent wrist rests for both your keyboard and mouse.
Amazon Basics Gel Mousepad
The Amazon Basics Gel Mousepad has an integrated wrist rest which enhances your comfort when using the mouse. It’s simple and affordable.
1 Cable management tray
Hide the cable jungle for good
This might fall in the “just for looks” bucket, but managing the ugly jumble of cables behind your desk can have some other benefits too. Having just a PC, monitor, speakers, charging station, and a few peripherals is enough to create a cable mess that you never get around to solving. Buying a cheap cable management tray that attaches to the underside of your desk can easily give your desk a makeover.
Besides getting rid of the visual clutter, you also reduce the chances of damage to the cables or worse, the things attached to the cables. Pets chewing cables or your feet getting entangled in them are more common than you’d like to believe. For around $20-$30, you can transform your desk from something that no one wants to look at to a fine example of award-winning cable management.
Scandinavian Hub Under Desk Cable Management Tray
Cable management racks are great for holding extra cables and even a power strip.
A comfortable desk is a productive desk
You can’t argue against a clutter-free, spacious, and comfortable desk setup. After all, if your desk isn’t inviting enough, you’d hardly be motivated to produce your best work. I’ve personally noticed that adding some of these upgrades to my own setup has made me feel differently about my PC space.
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