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Pro gaming in 2022 is much more than a creaking wooden chair and your dad’s old, smelly mousepad.
Optimizing and decorating your gaming setup for performance can increase your success (& fun) in the gaming world by a lot, and you’ll need it if you have any thoughts about going professional in gaming and esports in 2022.
Having a professional gaming setup implies that you’ve put some thought into your gaming peripherals, and this guide is here to help you navigate the jungle of available gaming gear to create your own pro gaming setup.
We’ve had a look at what the pros use, and most of the gear you see here is inspired by their favorite picks.
part One: the essentials
- Computer
- Monitor
- Mouse
- Keyboard
- Headset
Part two: Desk & chair
- Desk
- Gaming chair
Part three: accessories
- Lighting
- Cable management
- Posters
Why Having A Great Gaming Setup Matters
If you’re reading this guide, you must atleast be a little serious about your gaming hobby, or maybe you just want to start out on the right path.
That’s a good starting point.
Having an optimized gaming setup from the beginning of your gaming journey can save you a lot of hassle (and money) down the road, and will set you up for the best conditions in whatever game you like to play.
And as you may know, it’s not just about having the right technical specifications. When talking about gaming setups today, it’s equally important to think about your gaming environment, and how you can make gaming a sustainable hobby for yourself.
Here’s what you’re gonna need, and what we will go over in our guide below:
- A high-end PC
- A monitor in the appropriate size, and with the right specifications
- A gaming mouse with enough DPI
- Keyboard in the right format
- Headset w/ proper microphone and quality sound
- An ergonomic desk & chair
- Accessories, such as lighting, posters or plants to decorate your space
Part One: THE ESSENTIALS
Gaming PC
Your choice of gaming computer will have a direct impact on your ingame performance.
To cut things down, here are the key factors and questions you need to consider when choosing a gaming PC:
- Processor: Will it be able to run the games I want to play at a level that doesn’t hinder performance?
- Graphics card: Will it be able to display my favorite games in a quality where I won’t miss any important details visually?
- Storage space: Is this PC only for gaming purposes, or will I be storing other things, such as photos, videos, and other unrelated gaming things on it as well?
We’ve added 3 options for you to choose from. If you’re opting for the budget option, then you may need to crosscheck the settings with the game requirements for the game you want to play if you’re going to be playing a new game. You can check the minimum requirements for every game here.
Our picks
HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop
Lets you play most new titles at a satisfying quality
Prebuilt by HP. A well-renowed PC manufacturer.
Customizable LED lighting
CYBERPOWERPC Gamer Xtreme 11400F 2.6GHz
Suited for competitive gaming
Comes with the powerful NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060
Custom RGB Case Lighting
CYBERPOWERPC Gamer Xtreme 11600KF 3.9GHz
Ideal for high-end games that are graphically demanding
Superb graphics with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
Will last a long time
Monitor
The monitor is your visual gateway into the games you’re playing, and you want to make sure that your eyes catch every little fine detail, right?
Key factors when choosing a monitor for your pro gaming setup:
- Screen size: The average gaming screen size is 24 inches. Choosing the right screen size for yourself can be based on personal preference, but if you’re going to be competing, then you want to limit your screen size to 24 inch. Having a screen that is too big will make it difficult for your eyes to catch everything that’s going on and react in time. If your primary goal with gaming is game immersion and relaxing you-time, then going for monitors above 24 inch is just fine, and you may even find it more enjoyable on a large ultra-wide monitor due its more vibrant feel.
- Refresh Rate (Hertz/Hz): If you plan on playing shooters or any competitive game where things happen fast, then you’ll need to go for monitors have a minimum refresh rate of 144Hz
We’ve added 3 picks. One budget-friendly, one for game immersion, and one that can do both.
Our picks
GIGABYTE G34WQC A 34″ 144Hz Ultra-Wide
Suited for immersion & story focused games
Ultra-wide 34 inch
Amazing color specifications
BenQ Zowie XL2540K 24.5 inch 240Hz
240Hz
Perfect size for competitive needs
BenQ is well-regarded for their monitors
Mouse
Alright, whether you’re going to be gaming or just using the PC, a mouse is absolutely essential for any gaming setup. When it comes to picking a gaming mouse, these are the key things to have in mind first:
- What game genre will you be playing? Shooters/FPS such as Counter-Strike, Valorant, Fornite? Or maybe you’re more into games that are less demanding like World of Warcraft, Roblox, Minecraft? Some may even like to play all of those games, so we’re including an option for those of you aswell.
- Extra buttons on the side? This can be great for some games, and less important in other games.
- DPI. Having a high enough DPI is crucial for competitive games.
Keyboard
A gaming keyboard is another part of a pro gaming setup that comes in many sizes and variations. Some players prefer to go for larger keyboards with more keys, while others may go for smaller ones because the games they play don’t require as many keys.
Does Keyboard Matter in Esports?
Yes. Your keyboard is just as important as any other piece of your pro gaming setup, but how much it matters is gonna depend on your subjective experience. It needs to feel good for you, and this is gonna come to a few things such as the quality of the keys, having a wrist cushion, the size and so forth.
These are the the key things to keep in mind when selecting a keyboard that you won’t regret buying:
- How many keys do you need? More keys lets you have more keybinds. This can be a great thing to have in games like World of Warcraft or other MMO’s, while games that are mostly navigated with the mouse may require way less keys.
- Mechanical keyboards are usually the go-to for gamers, but what sort of switches do you want? They each have different sound, tactile feel and responsiveness. Check the below video on how to choosing the perfect switch for you.
Our picks
HyperX Alloy FPS (Pro)
Created specifically for shooters/FPS
No distracting features
Sturdy design that will support longevity of the keyboard
Logitech G Pro
Among pro gamers, Logitech is the most used brand for keyboards
You can activate “gaming mode”, which turns off the windows key and other useless keys that might interfere with your gaming keys
Uses Romer-G tactile switches
Headset
Sound can both be the greatest sensory experience, or the worst. It’s all going to come down to the quality of the gamesounds. To support that experience, you want to have a headset that’s both comfortable on the ears, outputs good sound AND cancels the noise in your surroundings. Key features to look out for in a headset includes:
- Comfortability on the ears
- Choose a headset that allows for complete game immersion, so you can hear those important details like footsteps, or rain pouring down
- Microphone: If you’re like us then you’re likely playing alot of multiplayer games, in which case having a good microphone is equally important.
Our MMO headset suggestions can be found here, while our headsets for FPS games can be found here
Part Two: Desk & Chair
Opting for an ergonomic desk and chair will help turn unhealthy gaming habits into sustainable ones. Your back and body will thank you for doing so now, and not in a few years.
Desk
Having the correct desk is mostly gonna come down to personal preferences, how many monitors you have and how much gaming gear you want to fit on it. However, since we are focusing on ergonomics in this chapter, the desk you choose should also help you in that regard.
Things to consider:
- How much space do I want to take up in the room I’m playing in?
- Aesthetics: Do I care about how it looks, or do I just want a really well functioning desk that does it all?
Flexispot EP4 Classic Standing Desk
Height adjustable (Motorized) to fit both sitting and standing
Can easily fit two monitors
Smooth and minimalistic design
Chair
The most important ergonomic part of any gaming setup is the chair, and it’s also very likely the part that’s gonna fluctuate the most depending on personal preferences and much more.
There’s alot of gaming chairs on the market. They have cool color combinations, look great aesthetically, and come at a high price (usually). These factors should be your second focus, as having an ergonomic chair that’s good for your back is way more important than how it looks.
Things to consider when going for a gaming chair:
- Ergonomic & adjustability: You want a chair that provides you with customization options, so you can let the chair adapt to you, and not vice versa.
- Comfortability: Choosing a chair with the best and highest quality fabrics for comfortability is the way to go.
Part Three: Everything Else (The Nit-Picky Stuff)
So you’ve made it this far. You’ve selected the most important things, and now it’s time to add your own personal flair to your gaming setup. This chapter is gonna cover lighting, nice-to-have objects for your desk (that will be useful to you), and practical things like equipment for cable management.
Lighting
Lighting is an essential part of your gaming setup vibe. Not only is it cool to look at, it’s also great for helping you get into the right headspace for gaming. It’s not a mandatory thing, but it can make any bland black and white gaming setup look absolutely fire.
When it comes to lighting, you’re gonna want to use LED light strips, as that’s by the far the easiest way to install it in your room. The package listed below should contain everything you need to get it up and running in no time.
100ft Bluetooth LED Strip Lights by TJOY
Plenty of length to reach around your gaming space
Comes in both 50ft and 100ft variations
Average 4.6 score on Amazon (3900+ ratings)
Cable Management
When it comes to having alot of cords, cable management is important. That is, if you care about keeping your gaming space tidy and free from unnecessary distractions that might take away your focus ingame.
This Cable management kit should contain everything you need to organize everything.
