5 things missing from your gaming PC (and none is the graphics card)

There is a mistake almost everyone makes when building a gaming PC: spend it all on the graphics card, then play at an uncomfortable desk, with an office keyboard, and the monitor at the wrong height.

The card makes the game run. Everything else is what lets you sit through four hours of it.

None of the five items below costs anywhere near a GPU. Together they change the daily experience more than a new card would.

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1. A three-mode wireless mouse

A mouse cable snagging on the edge of the desk is the kind of thing you only notice once it is gone.

Wireless gaming mice no longer have the lag they had ten years ago. In 2.4GHz mode, with the USB receiver plugged in, the response is indistinguishable from a cable for anything short of professional competition.

The three modes cover the rest:

• 2.4GHz for playing.
• Bluetooth for the laptop, without carrying the receiver back and forth.
• Cable, to keep playing when the battery dies mid-match — and charge while you do.

What to check: under 80g, and a decent sensor. Above that, your wrist complains before the third hour.

See the three-mode mouse

2. A 65% keyboard

A 65% keyboard drops the numpad and the function row. What you get back is desk: the space the numpad used to take becomes the space the mouse moves in.

Players on low sensitivity move the mouse with the arm, not the wrist. For them a full-size keyboard is literally a physical obstacle.

One thing to check before buying: the key layout. Many listings ship with a German (QWERTZ) or Nordic layout, and the keys end up in the wrong places. Look for the US or PT option on the product page.

See the 65% keyboard

3. A pad that fits both keyboard and mouse

A small pad has two problems: the mouse falls off the edge mid-aim, and your hands sit on two different textures.

An XL pad fixes both — keyboard and mouse on the same surface.

Two things to look for: a stitched edge, or the cloth frays along the border within months, and a rubber base, or the whole pad travels with the mouse.

See the XL pad

4. A light bar on the monitor

Playing in the dark with the monitor as the only light source is what tires your eyes fastest. The pupil keeps opening and closing between a bright screen and a dark room.

A light bar clips on top of the monitor and lights the desk — not the screen. The good ones have an asymmetric beam: the light leaves tilted forward on purpose, so it does not hit the glass and bounce back as glare. That is the difference between this and a lamp behind you.

It runs off USB, so it powers from the tower itself.

See the light bar

5. Get the monitor off the desk

The monitor stand eats about 25cm of desk depth, and almost always leaves the screen too low — which your neck charges you for after a few hours.

A mount takes the monitor off its foot and lets you set the height: top of the screen level with your eyes.

Check the measurements first: this model is a wall mount, goes up to 24 inches, and uses VESA 100x100. If your monitor is 27" or larger, or if you need it clamped to the desk instead of the wall, look for a desk arm rather than this one.

See the articulated mount

What is not worth it

• RGB for the sake of RGB. Light improves nothing. If a product sells itself on the lighting, it is because the rest had nothing to show.
• A cheap "7.1" headset. That 7.1 is simulated in software; an honest stereo headphone at the same price sounds better.
• A cheap gaming chair. A good second-hand office chair costs the same and lasts ten times longer. Your back notices the difference before the first month is out.