(Part 3) Top products from r/AskBattlestations

• Screens:
  Your laptop appears to have a M5970 /w VGA, HDMI and DisplayPort and Eyefinity support.
  I'd recommend x2 of these IPS screens: Dell u2410. These screens have very good picture quality and their connections fits your laptop prefectly. They are pricy, but IPS provides the best picture quality.
  
  You may also check 2412 and the 2312, however they do not have HDMI.
  
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• Keyboard:
  Mechanical /w Cherry MX blue, or MX Brown if you prefer more silent keys (video comparing sound levels).
  
  Check out brands like DAS, Filco, Leopold, Ducky, wasdkeyboards.com
  
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• To connect your PS3 to a monitor you have two options: use connect laptop to monitor using DisplayPort cable and PS3 to monitor with HDMI OR purchase a HDMI switch. Then, connect HDMI cable from your laptop plus the HDMI from your PS3 into the switch and connect the switch to the screen. You want a active switchr /w it's own power supply. You can also get HDMI switches with remote control. With the switch I linked, adding a TV above your station would not be an issue at all.
  
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• For monitor mounts you got two basic options: wall mount or a desk mount/arm. I can't speak for the wall mount, but I have three of those desk mounts and very happy with the purchase. You have to decide which mount fit you best. They both have their advantages.
  
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  For your laptop you got countless options. Here's my suggestions:
  
  
• Although this does not hide the laptop in any way, I think a laptop stand like this one looks pretty awesome. An advantage with this setup is that you can tie the cables to the mount's arm and thus always be available. You will always know where the cables are, that they are long enough and you can plug them in to your PC even when sitting.
  
  
• If you have a keyboard tray but don't use it, the tray would be an ideal place to hide the laptop. It'd be completely hidden and have almost the same cable management benefits of the mount.
  
  
• Laptop stand. Just to mention it. Cables everywhere, possibly limited moveability due to cable length, terrible cable management.
  
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  Unfortunately I can't help you with iPad or chair, but I would advice against a glass desk. You will have a harder time with cable management and you will always be able to see your cables. If you get a desk such as the Galant series from Ikea, you get more options for cable management (such as trays and cable holes).

Sounds like you're about done already, but for a monitor I'd recommend either and ultrawide or 144hz.

First thing you should do if you think you'd prefer ultrawide is check if the games you play support the resolution (if they don't you'll get large vertical black boxes on either side). Below is the 144hz monitor I have and I absolutely love it, I played on my friend's 60hz monitor the other day and it felt like I was playing at like 15 fps; the difference from 60 to 144 is that big, and with a 1060 you should be able to get over 144 on a lot of games on med-high and 80-100 on high/max. If you're doing a lot of video/photo editing though an ultrawide might be best since most of them are IPS and will give you much more accurate color than a 144.

The little accessories like USB hubs would kind of depend on what your setup actually looks like and what you need. Headphone stands are pretty much universally useful though.

https://www.amazon.com/VG248QE-1920x1080-144Hz-Gaming-Monitor/dp/B00B2HH7G0

This is exactly the place to ask this. I can point you in the right direction on these things, but you'll need some prices, details, or something if you want more advice.

Yes mechanical keyboard. Its like the peripheral upgrade equivalent of an SSD, everything about it is better, and you'll never go back.

HERE is a /r/MechanicalKeyboards stickied reason why. There is no way I could explain it any better. Spend a little time in that subreddit. The stickied post up top of it will help you pick your board. Then check out /r/mechmarket since durability is one of the nicest advantages.

THIS post is all you need to get started on speaker set-ups. /r/zeos is just great and covers all price ranges. Anything less than that, it will just come down to looks and reading reviews. Unless you can cop some of the Klipsch Promedias on CraigsList or something. I got a set for $25 and it is the best deal of my life. Things sound fantastic and I can't even take em above 50% or touch the sub volume without waking the neighbors.

As for wireless headphones, no idea. I don't mind the wires for the audio quality provided.

Hmm, for $150 I would consider a couple of things.

Perhaps an articulating mount such as the ergotrong: http://www.amazon.com/LX-Desk-Mount-LCD-Arm/dp/B00358RIRC

It clears up desk space and gives your monitor a really cool look as if it is floating. You can easily switch between portrait and landscape and landscape as well. I know some people would immediately dismiss spending so much on a mount, but once you use one you'll see that they are worth their weight in gold.

Another option would be new speakers. Something like these M-audio speakers would be light years ahead of those stock dells: http://www.amazon.com/M-Audio-Studiophile-Powered-Monitor-Speakers/dp/B0051WAM64/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1341771746&sr=1-1&keywords=swan+m10

They would be visually much more impressive than the Dells while being much better for music a gaming as well.


I agree with urkiburki, cable management is a great place to start.

I just bought the Ergotron LX arm yesterday, it shipped today and says it'll arrive on Monday (yay Amazon Prime). I heard about it from Jeff Atwood in his post on Coding Horror, and I think highly of him and the things he's done, so that was a big influence on my decision.

I expect my U2711 will also arrive Monday; I haven't gotten the shipping notification yet, but I also ordered it last night. I can come back here and let you know how it goes if you haven't yet made your purchase before then (if I forget, remind me by replying to this or with a PM).

But at $125 (USD), this arm had BETTER hold my monitor well or else it's going straight back to Amazon. It's much more than I expected to spend for a monitor arm, and I did see the far cheaper arms out there, but I'm counting on it being the best. It has excellent reviews, so I expect so.

Edit: I am very happy with the Ergotron, it holds up my monitor without problems (it has an adjustable tension, so I just tightened it until the arm no longer sank on its own). I can very easily raise, lower, and move it around. It clamped to the edge of the desk. The materials are thick and have some weight to them so I'm confident it's not going to break or fall apart. Overall I'd recommend it, if it's in your budget!

These feel sort of low-budget, but are very flexible in terms of application. Installation is part of the fun here. Start with a Hitlights 300 RGB - $30 (this recently dropped in price from $40) or a 150 kit Get as many of these are you think he'll want, depending on the space available. A 16-foot run of 300 will light up a small room. The 150s are more for accent lighting.

For each additional run, he'll want an amplifier if he needs them all controlled by one controller. You also need a power adapter for each amplifier, but this is included in each of the $25-30 kits. You can cut and splice them, but it's much easier and neater if you have the pre-made connectors - short strip-to-strip short strip-to-terminator or long terminator-to-terminator. I did my first round of installations without the connectors and it was pretty messy, so I strongly recommend getting them to ease things along.

Last, does he listen to pounding electronic music? If yes, a music controller.

Yep. If the computer is on, those LEDs are on, and they're bright as shit. I could wire in a switch I suppose, or just cut power to the LEDs.

You nailed it, my next build will have LED strips with a discrete controller so I can turn them off without powering off the PC. I still like the flashy stuff, and I'd love to have lighting that reacts to my music (both in the case and behind the monitor), I just don't want it on all the time. Something like this would be perfect:

http://www.amazon.com/HitLights-Activated-Multicolor-Controller-Changing/dp/B007RGRJ36

This build is my idea of lighting done right:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTt1dBpbC_g&list=PLbEDQ03r3af8LCi6ikcC6qZ3nduByjasU&index=3

I'm a huge fan of my Klipsch Promedia 2.1 speakers

http://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-ProMedia-Certified-Computer-Speaker/dp/B000062VUO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420532455&sr=8-1&keywords=klipsch+promedia+2.1

Then again, I bought them for $95 last year. I'm sure you can find them for around that price if you look around.

EDIT: $119.99 @ Best Buy

What's the rough size you are looking for? Anyway, given your criteria these are probably the choices I would go with. They should all have free shipping.

55" x 55" x 24" L-Shape - $143.99

55" x 23.6" Desk, looks a little higher quality - $139.99

33 7/8 " x 19.5" x 23 5/8" - L-Shape, Keyboard Drawer, little shelf - $109.00

'47-71" x 35.5" x 29.5" - Office Style Desk - $188.05

71.5" x 23.25" - Table top - NO legs - $35.00

28" hairpin table legs - 4 pack - $59.99

Also check out Home Depot or a hardware store/lumber yard maybe. They often sell table tops and counter tops, all you would need is legs.

I use 2x LG 29UM68-p ultrawides.

They, or some previous versions, are frequently on sale for ~$190, which will keep you under budget pre-sales tax and shipping.

25 inch versions of these monitors will keep you under budget with shipping and tax at $158. You lose freesync, if that matters.


1080p height is a bit vertically cramped, but for the price, I think they offer great price:performance ratio for ultrawides. They have Freesync but aren't exactly specialized for gaming. They are more all-around-utility screens IMO.

If you go with these, I would suggest vertically mounting - it helps with the cramped height issue, and mounted side by side, ultrawides require a lot of head turning.

Bought this a couple weeks ago - looks great with my setup. Listed as unavailable right now for some reason.

Monitor Stand for Desktop, Black - Aeon 60123 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B6QAT66/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_.hx7yb7BD40C6

I have also used this Monoprice variant in the past. Works just as well as the one above, friend just needed one and I switched to match my desk/build.

Monoprice Multi Media Desktop Stand 22" x 9.5" (109434) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AJHCQD8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Rux7yb8DZ5E2P

This may do the trick.. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000NJFJJK) Or something like it... Their are many usb external VGA cards out there... Not sure if you will be able to extend across all 3... That would be he best solution I can see

I have one of these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007BD0MPM

It claims it supports 3 x 27" monitors. I have 3 x 24" on it and I could believe it - there's still a lot of room to move them out despite me having them mounted in a line without too much inward tilt on the monitors.

It's not cheap and it weighs a shitton when fully loaded. I can't remember whether it comes with a wall mount in the box, so you'd need to verify that. It'd need to be a sturdy wall too.

I think you're pretty much out of luck trying to find one bracket that'll do 3 x 30", they're not only ridiculously heavy but also huge width-wise.

Fair point.

My concern would be the ease at which they adjust. If the stands are somewhere less than accessible, or are difficult to adjust, it would defeat the point of this use case.

Hopefully someone who has encountered this issue or has experience with speaker stands can chime in. I imagine a desk-based solution would be most ideal though, I'm just not aware of what that might be. Maybe some type of extension or clamp.

Obviously not suitable, but potentially a similar concept:

https://www.amazon.com/Aluminum-Alloy-Rotating-Extension-Armrest/dp/B00QMMLLOO

Edit: But I guess if the cost is high enough I would be better off just getting a bigger desk, grrr.

http://www.amazon.com/Ergotron-Desk-Mount-Tall-45-295-026/dp/B00689HXI4/ref=pd_sim_sbs_op_1

There are these, which have a 12" post. For me personally none of those options were tall enough so I ended up getting two of the standard ergotron arms with 6" posts and simply replaced them with ~$20 in plumbing piping from home depot. Overall it ended up being cheaper and taller than anything else out there.

The ergotron short and tall post versions are rated for 24" monitors according the the tech specs, but on a weight basis with the max being 20lbs. I have a 27" IPS monitor which only weighs 14LBS and it works great on one of these arms. Although I'm told that some older and thicker ( > 2 inches ) LCD monitors have a different center of gravity and that can sometimes be too much for the spring. Most newer monitors seem to be closer to half an inch and getting lighter all the time.

I'd suggest getting the PC on the floor or an under desk holder. And I'd also suggest arms to get those monitors up off the desk. I also built my own keyboard tray, it saved me a lot of room on the desktop by moving my keyboard and mouse off of it. You really only need the keyboard tray rails like these http://www.amazon.com/Metal-Ball-bearing-Keyboard-Slide/dp/B000KQ5E82 a sturdy piece of wood for that.

I have the Ergotech triple stand. It works great. Only complaint is that it doesn't handle 3 24" in portrait well. They cannot get close enough for smooth eyefinity.

Try an Ergotron Arm

I have two of these to hold my monitors and they are pretty great. You can run the wires through the arm so they are "hidden" and its pretty damn adjustable. There are other arm-things out there but they are pricier than the Ergotron brand i think.

Good luck! I've been looking for the same, albeit for 27" screens, and have had a lot of difficulty.

http://www.amazon.com/Mount--Freestanding-Widescreen-Monitors-Horizontal/dp/B00FQU7CPU/ref=sr_1_4?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1426095142&sr=1-4&keywords=3+arm+monitor+mount

http://www.amazon.com/Deluxe-Monitor-Standing-Supports-002-0020/dp/B006JG9RQ2/ref=sr_1_5?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1426095142&sr=1-5&keywords=3+arm+monitor+mount

The last link I just found myself, and might give that a shot. Currently using a dual arm mount and the third screen on a book.

Edit: Looking again, I don't think that last mount will work for what I am aiming to achieve. This is for a primarily flight sim setup and the left and right monitors are at about a 40° angle to the center. I have yet to find a mount that I can achieve that with.

Edit two: Maybe if I put wood blocks between the vesa mount and the L & R monitors, I might be able to get the angle I want. Hm. Does anyone else have suggestions?

When you say arms, I assume you mean the kind which clip to your desk.

How about individual wall mounted arms? These are usually pretty cheap ($10 - $25 each) and if you mount them properly they don't sag at all.

Here's one for $12:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003O1UYHG/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1494052047&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=wall+mount+for+monitor&dpPl=1&dpID=41mSjibmRPL&ref=plSrch

I just bought this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AJHCQD8/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1.

Pretty cheap, and actually good loooking!

More monitor space is good for several windows side by side, as well....more than extra vertical pixels.

What about this, only one I can afford: https://www.amazon.ca/LG-Electronics-21-UltraWide-25UM58-P/dp/B01BV1XB2K/ref=sr_1_20?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1468748832&sr=1-20&keywords=monitor

Is your desk big enough for three monitors? If so, just get a 1x12x(however long you want) board from Lowe's and a keyboard slider and do it yourself.

Also, are you sure you need a full sized keyboard? There are really only two reasons: ip addresses and calculations. You could talk probably get away with an 80% and maybe a separate keypad.

I have one of these at home: http://www.amazon.com/Mount-It-Freestanding-Monitor-Widescreen-Monitors/dp/B00FQU7CPU

I have the 2 monitor version at the office.

Both work very well and I have had no issues. The Trip stand has been at home for well over 1.5 years without any problems. You even have the option with these stands to drill through the desk and bolt it down.

It seems that your comment contains 1 or more links that are hard to tap for mobile users.
I will extend those so they're easier for our sausage fingers to click!


Here is link number 1 - Previous text "one"



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^Please ^PM ^/u/eganwall ^with ^issues ^or ^feedback! ^| ^Delete

Ive had this for a while now https://www.amazon.com/VG248QE-1920x1080-144Hz-Gaming-Monitor/dp/B00B2HH7G0

My second monitor is not 144hz and I dont notice a difference when just browing the web and what not. But Ive never played a game across them at the same time which I also would not recommend with just 2 monitors, 3 seems like it would be fine but only if they had the same refresh rate.

Thank you for the reply. I am little weary to mount something to the wall so I picked up this one.

Look up “J channel”, this stuff! https://www.amazon.com/Channel-Desk-Cable-Organizer-SimpleCord/dp/B06XZPYP7Y, it also means cables can come out cleanly where needed.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F7O5OY0/ref=sspa_dk_detail_3?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B01F7O5OY0&pd_rd_wg=z8GJ1&pd_rd_r=GDBARZSY4VNFBHDACXFS&pd_rd_w=ARMQV

A wooden L-Shaped Desk. That has a below desk mount for your PC. And monitor/console stand to the left. And a keyboard tray that pulls out. But that is optional when you put the desk together.

If not that. You could do two IKEA countertops, with Alex Drawers on the left and right most areas, and table legs or a trestle in the corner part.

I use this one in a side by side configuration with a 32" and 2 27" monitors on either side.

Dang. These are the ones I have in my cart: for power strip, for my cable slack. I’m gonna be using command Velcro strips to hold everything in place. Zip tie/mounts to lead cables where they should go.

What about doing what that guy suggested in one of the reviews of the arm rest and attach a flat piece to it.

I have my cable run under my desk through most of my cable management then use a clip to keep it close while I am sitting. These are the clips I have:

https://www.amazon.com/Plantronics-06439-20-clothing-clip/dp/B0006H5IC2/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1468908172&sr=8-19&keywords=headphone+clip

Get a switch. Plug ethernet from basement into switch. Get two new ethernet cables and plug each into PC and Xbox.

If your monitor has standard VESA monitor mount screw holes in the back you will have a whole universe of alternate stands to pick from.

What is a VESA mount?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_Display_Mounting_Interface

Some suggestions:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005C29QN8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_FPCQyb8A9EJED

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MIBN16O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_BQCQybE7RETW7

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0052ATODM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_vRCQyb0EF3WCH

My bad, I totally thought I linked it. https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236051 The only thing I can see are two..... holy shit they have VESA screw holes. Couldn't see them because they were filled with a rubber stopper. Oh man -.-

So they are 13' tall. Looks like around 11' tilted maybe 25-30 degrees. I'm kind of worried about the main monitor being too high ( I adjusted it up to about 9' off the table and my eyeline is right below the center of the monitor with my chair raised up.)

I been fooling around with different orientations and I think I'll just do two vertical monitors on each side instead. At about 8' up and the two monitors to the side it makes a flush, door-frame shaped п orientation. Which mount would you recommend for that? (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=triple+monitor+desk+mount&i=electronics&ref=nb_sb_noss_1)

Thanks a ton!

Edit: Looks like I'll have to go with this one for that setup? https://www.amazon.com/Mount-Monitor-Adjustable-Displays-MI-2753/dp/B06X9D7JWP/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=triple+monitor+desk+mount&qid=1554931481&s=electronics&sr=1-4