Building a gaming room has probably been on a lot of modern-day bucket lists ever since the hobby exploded in the past couple of years. Coming home to a custom-built battle station makes a better and more exciting unwinding experience. A purposeful room for enjoyment takes you away from the stresses of reality, helping you with the next endeavors and challenges of tomorrow.
It’s easy to do if you have money to throw around, buy, and upgrade as you go along without financial worry. However, doing it right the first time is ideal to avoid wasting money and expending effort changing things around too much. This is, after all, an investment that should be maximized for years to come.
Crucial Parts of a Gaming Room Setup
Here are the biggest pieces of the puzzle that you will need for building a battle station that you can be proud of.
The Perfect Desk
Desks now come in all sorts of shapes and sizes to suit every need or desire, but they also become more “high-tech” and complex to cater to demand. Pricing also varies, but there will be a lot of options even if you stay at the lower budget limits while shopping. The point is there will be a perfect option for you, so check out these key characteristics.
Tall or Adjustable – Desks often have standard heights, but you will find some that are taller to accommodate our bigger brethren. However, height-adjustable or ergonomic desks are now quite common, even if they are more expensive. The latter type is also great for your health since it allows you to use your PC while standing up and avoiding being sedentary.
Shape and Space – Desks are usually rectangle, but you can find L or circular shaped variants now. Space is the only enemy of bigger and unique designs, but sky’s the limit if you have a sizable area or gaming room. The desk area they offer is also a consideration, so plan your gaming room setup carefully.
Price and Materials – Premium materials also mean premium pricing, so watch out for this aspect while shopping. Most budget options should be okay with extra care, but they typically have chip board surfaces instead of real wood. However, what matters most will be the weight capacity if its enough to safely accommodate all your gear.
Storage – Some desks have built-in storage options or are upgradable with shelves and drawers. That’s preferred to keep things neat, but it can add to the cost or lessen the space you get.
Protect Your Back – Computer Chair
The community is divided when it comes to chairs simply because some prefer the gamer-centric offerings while others swear by ergonomic models. But what truly matters is your comfort and well-being, so we recommend going with something that you can test and feel comfortable on the moment you test sitting on it.
Back/Spine/Lumbar Support – Most modern chairs already offer a solution for this, so there are lot of good options out there. However, no memory foam cooling gel pillow can compete with a true ergonomic chair when it comes to preventing back issues. The downside is that they are heavily expensive, so go out and test all that you can find to discover a compromise.
Ergonomics – Ergonomics also includes back support, but there are other less noted parts in a chair. Check out models with directional armrests, reclining backs, or adjustable angle and seat depth so you can get a perfect setting that will keep you comfortable for extended periods.
Fabrics and Aesthetics – A flashy gaming chair doesn’t always feel comfortable, but some variants with “cooling” fabrics can often be too dull. Again, going out and hunting for the best compromise is ideal here. Choose fabric types if you are in a hotter climate, while leather on the other hand, works best with an airconditioned gaming room.
Peripherals
In the gaming world, your main peripherals are your arms, legs, ears, and eyes. Getting high-quality parts will ensure that you get the best possible experience for the money you spend.
Monitor – Get a monitor with the latest technologies at a resolution that’s suited for your graphics card. Performance scales with price, with OLED gaming monitors at the forefront of every wish list gamers have.
Mouse and Keyboard – Get something with mechanical switches for maximum reliability and responsiveness. Form also follows function here, so get what suits your typing position and grip to reduce wrist sprain and the injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome.
Speakers and Headsets – Gaming-tuned sets are preferable since they are poised towards maximizing explosive effects and directional sound. However, it’s a proven fact that audiophile-grade variants are much better at everything, but going that route is a deep rabbit hole that can cost a small fortune.
Streaming Accessories – If streaming is in your stars, then investing in high-quality items will ensure that your content looks and sounds great all the time. A great camera is your first step, followed by a clear and crisp microphone setup. Other accessories like stream decks are nifty, but they are not completely essential at the start.
PC Build
This is the centerpiece of your gaming room, so it is crucial to make it a very good and capable unit. Choosing the right parts instead of the flashy ones is ideal, but a little RGBling won’t hurt if budget permits.
Processor – Choose a good gaming processor that won’t take up too much of your budget. Flagship chips with more cores typically aren’t your best bet since they have lower clocks to stay within thermal limits. It would also be easier to cool a midrange chip with a modest amount of cores versus a higher-tier model with a larger TDP.
Graphics Card – This is where you should pour your money since it will dictate in-game and visual gaming performance. An upper-midrange card costs $600 to $800, so it will take a sizable chunk of your building budget.
Power Supply – The PSU is equally as important as the other two since sufficient wattage and stability will prolong their lives and keep you happy. Buy a high-efficiency rated model from a reputable brand, and you should be golden.
Motherboard – The motherboard will hold everything together, so get a decent variant to maximize performance and longevity. This is the hardest part to choose since its quite complicated, but we recommend getting one with multiple power phases and plenty of slots for storage drives, USB ports and cooling connectors.
Storage – Storage drives can be expensive, but you can split the cost by being smart about the purchase. You get a top-end model as a primary with limited capacity, and go with a cheaper but reliable large-capacity module to keep your game files in.
Cooling – Adequate cooling ensures optimal performance since it will prevent downclocking which happens when CPUs and GPUs get hot.
Accessories
Custom built gaming rooms exploded in recent years, so there are plenty of valuable accessories you can get to sweeten the deal.
Sound Deadening – Sound insulation can be had for cheap, and you don’t have to fill the room to enjoy its effects. You only need to cover some sections of your wall that are close to speakers or opposite them to curb reverberation and echoing.
RGB Lighting – RGB lighting can add pizzaz to your setup or help set a mood as needed. There are lots of LED strips with remotes that are cheap, but you can also end up with a lot of cost if you go form premium lighting solutions like Nanoleaf or Philips Hue systems.
Décor – Décor for a gaming room can mean many things depending on what you are into. Most like to build display shelves of action figures, scale models, or statues, but some also use other collectibles like comics or sports jerseys. The sky is the limit when it comes to choices here, but the budget will also play a large role in what you can collect and show off.
Electrical Setup
Buying high-quality components ensures that you get gear that will last longer, but what about your power source? Surges and power-related issues can still kill your expensive gear, so some investment in protection is ideal. Here are some items that can mitigate this issue without having to pay an electrician to rewire your house:
Voltage Regulators/Surge Protectors – AVRs and surge protectors can guarantee that your devices receive clean and controlled power all of the time. These will protect them from over and under voltage, and in many cases damage from lack of grounding.
UPS – An uninterruptible power supply is basically a battery pack that keeps your gear powered on even if the lights go out. Adverse weather can sometimes introduce blackouts, so having a layer against it will prevent damage and data loss. These are more expensive, but they also have the benefit of voltage regulation and stabilization.
Editor’s Note: Remember that anything that has to be built takes time. Don’t rush into purchasing everything even if you have the full budget for it to avoid mistakes and wastage. Research each component of your build, and savor each step taken until you reach that ultimate gaming room goal. Trust us, it will be worth it!
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