Best monitors, keyboards and working from home hardware

Products that Australia’s e-sports gaming professionals use will help you to work — and to play — more productively.

Razer's Huntsman Elite keyboard.

The COVID-19 crisis means we’re being encouraged to work from home for weeks to come, and a permanent economy-wide shift towards more remote work seems likely.

If you’re going to be spending eight or more hours a day in the home office, you may as well do so like a pro. There are several products that Australia’s e-sports gaming professionals use that will help you to work — and to play — more productively.

Here are some easy yet flashy ways to elevate your home office set-up, and bring some gamer gravitas to your every day.

Monitor

A vivid monitor is the first step towards a souped-up work-from-home set-up, particularly if your primary device is a small laptop. Having two displays is a quick way to boost your productivity; three even more so. ViewSonic’s 24-inch curved gaming monitor offers plenty of bang for buck, including a super-fast 144HZ refresh rate and nice curves. It retails for a very reasonable $299.

ViewSonic's 24-inch curved gaming monitor.

If you want to truly level up, Alienware’s 55-inch gaming OLED display ($6000) is a real beast but will dominate whatever room you put it in, for better or worse. At a minimum you’ll want a monitor with full high definition (1920 x 1080) resolution, and make sure you note what monitor ports your computer has (HDMI, DisplayPort or something else) and that they match up with your monitor of choice so you’re not forced to shop for adapters later. If you have a spare iPad lying around, consider downloading the Duet app, which lets your iPad become an extra screen for your PC or Mac.

Laptop stand

I hate to say it, but a stack of A4 paper reams ($5) just doesn’t stack up as a laptop stand any more. A more professional option is Twelve South’s Curve stand ($100), which the company says is designed for Apple laptops but will work well with most notebooks, Apple or otherwise.

Twelve South's Curve laptop stand.

Kmart sells its own option for $10, and it just may do the trick for you even if the e-sports pros wouldn’t be caught dead using one.

Mouse

 Razer’s Viper range ($100 to $160) is a safe bet in terms of a gaming mouse that is fast, looks the part and is actually comfortable to use. Getting an ergonomic mouse is a typically underrated and overlooked step towards achieving a home office set-up you’ll actually enjoy using. For those with smaller hands, Razer also produces a Viper Mini, which is just as good as the original, only smaller. Also worth investigating is a mouse mat, like Razer’s Firefly ($90), which makes your mouse use feel that much more luxurious.

Razer's Viper mouse.

Keyboard

Razer’s Huntsman Elite ($369) is a Ferrari of keyboards. It’s fast, it’s colourful, it’s loud and it’s just really fun to use. Writing long emails (or product reviews) becomes a breeze, and spending a few hundred dollars on a keyboard should be an easy investment decision to make if you do a lot of typing. If you want something a bit less colourful, and maybe a bit quieter, the Japanese-made Leopold FC660 ($129+) looks incredibly sleek and, more important, types like an absolute dream.

If you’re getting a mechanical keyboard — which you absolutely should — make sure you check first what types of switches it uses. Cherry Brown key switches are likely too loud for a shared home office environment, for instance, but Cherry Red should be A-OK.

Chair

Secret Lab's Omega chair.

A large comfy chair is the jewel in the crown of any successful working-from-home set-up, particularly given you’ll likely be sitting in it for most of the day.

Too often people put up with using dining chairs at their computer desk or flimsy office chairs that easily break.

A gaming chair from Secret Lab starts at $549 and is worth every cent. The Omega from Secret Lab is the same chair that professional gamers use and it will fit your home office environment just as well. It’s comfortable, it’s highly adjustable, and it even comes with a memory foam lumbar pillow for some head support.

Headphones

Getting a decent headset is crucial for those all-important Zoom calls, as well as blocking out pets, neighbours or housemates while trying to stay productive at home.

Noble's Falcon earbuds.

If you want truly wireless earbuds, Noble Audio’s Falcon bluetooth buds ($259) are sweat and waterproof — perfect for home workouts — and have 10 hours of battery life, as well as active noise cancelling for reducing external noise.

If you prefer “over ear” headphones, Focal’s Elear range ($600 to $1000) or Sony’s Bluetooth-enabled WH-1000XM3 ($449) each sound sparkling and bright, and are definitely worth a listen.

Bonus items

There are some modest, extra items that will ensure you can stay fully connected and fully productive even in a trying home environment. Twelve South’s StayGo USB-C hub ($179) will mean your MacBook (or any other computer for that matter) will have all the ports it could possibly need, including ethernet, HDMI, or SD cards.

Twelve South's StayGo USB hub.

Nanoleaf’s smart light panels allow you to light up your home office however you’d like, with lights that are easy to set up and snap together like Lego pieces.

Finally, every classy home office needs a turntable, and the new Thorens TD 201 ($799) fits the bill. It’s easy to use, making it a perfect fit for beginners, and can be connected to any amplifier or receiver for smooth, WFH jazz listening.