News 9 Peripherals and Accessories Your New Laptop or Desktop Needs to Fly

[Admin]

From monitors to docking stations, these will make your desktop setup.

9 Peripherals and Accessories Your New Laptop or Desktop Needs to Fly : Read more

 

[hotaru251]

i'll say starts out as an ok list, but then after midway the list isnt "needs" but nice to haves.

 

[DavidLejdar]

Yesterday, in a sale I ordered me a Pico4 (VR headset). Not a peripheral per se, but it will be connected to my desktop PC.

Not sure if I will also get me a Wifi 6 router for it. Using a cable will be cheaper, and it can charge it a bit (instead of likely also needing a powerbank if I would use it completely wireless). And not sure if Wifi 6 would practically be achieving a higher transfer rate than cable, even though Pico4 does only USB (whereas a Pico3 model did DisplayPort). So I may as well wait for Wifi 7 in any case.

And tempted to get me an additional monitor (currently with a Samsung G5 model, 27-inch 1440, 144Hz, which I rarely max out with my current GPU and ultra settings). I suppose having two curved screens next to each other isn't that bad if one of them is a bit turned. And the 32-inch one would seem nice (i.e. for city builder games). But that is without HDR and it is only 8-bit, isn't it? I suppose I will sit that one out.

i'll say starts out as an ok list, but then after midway the list isnt "needs" but nice to haves.

Mind you, I would argue to my employer, that for my HO work setup, a docking station supporting three displays, that such is clearly a must have. Currently having only two monitors in HO (in the office 4). And in that context, what is missing in this article is some option for wall holder or such, as the horizontal space here is limited.

And with all that stuff in my desk corner, I could totally use a power tower. Local retailers don't have that here (Berlin) at all though - offering at best a "power cube". But Temu does offer one, including USB slots.

 

[chaz_music]

Good list, and it matches what I typically use for my setup.

One thing that I wanted to pass along was about the power strip, which is a similar problems that I find over and over. There are so many of these kind of products found on Amazon, Newegg, Walmart, Aliexpress, Temu, and other websites that don't attempt to sell items that comply with safety marked products. For the US, that would be a product with a UL / ETL mark, or in Europe, a product should have a CE mark.

If it plugs into the utility/mains, it is very important to make sure it has those safety marks to verify that it has been independently checked for fire and shock hazards. Much of my career as a consultant has been spent identifying why certain products have caused fires or caused a shock, and it usually comes from engineers who are inexperienced on how and why these standards are necessary.

So on this product, I would be checking these:

1. The MOVs (surge protectors) are safe and self fused, since they tend to catch on fire all by themselves. MOVs leakage current goes way up after a certain number of hits or a single severe hit, and can result in fire when the leakage current causes thermal runaway. MOV devices have burned down buildings before. For me personally, I often just remove the near useless 10-12mm disc size from my outlet strips when I buy them and rely on the surge device I installed in my breaker panel, which is rated for 50KA (single shot) and is thermally fused for when the device reaches end of life. I have been designing with these for over 30 years.

2. That the voltage spacings meet the minimums for user safety per UL/CE.

3. Check that the USB power chargers have the right spacings and insulation systems in place to protect the user (think: SMPS XFMR, isolation). There are countless stories of people in Asia being electrocuted by these kinds of bad designs. One of the first I remeber was a woman in Hong Kong who was killed by her charger, but the media latched onto that it was her iPhone. It wasn't the phone - it was her off brand charger that she bought.

4. If there is a heat build up, is the housing made of self extinguishing plastic? In the UL standards, that would be 94V0 rated plastic. Many CE standards are harmonized with UL on this or have similar ratings.

With online purchasing options becoming the "wild west" of commerce, it is often best to use good judgement when buying things that the old brick and mortar stores used to protect us from poor designs.

Again - if it plugs into an outlet to operate, make sure it has a UL and CE mark.

 

[Alvar "Miles" Udell]

Again with that "power tower" from a questionable brand that appears on most every list of things people should buy...

 

[Sleepy_Hollowed]

I know for gaming it does not matter that much (as one hand is usually on the mouse), but if you play and work on the same machine, consider recommending ergonomic keyboards, they're great at preventing injuries or making existing ones manageable.

Nice list otherwise.