Monitor, keyboard, mouse

ASUS ROG Swift OLED, 27 inches at 1440p

The monitor we sit at ourselves. OLED means black is really off, not dark grey. You see the difference in the first minute and never want to go back.

27 inches at 2560 by 1440 is the point where pixels disappear without the graphics card breaking a sweat. The same size in 4K hardly looks better, but costs roughly twice the computing power. That is why this combination is here and not the biggest number on the shelf.

What OLED really brings is not the contrast on the spec sheet, but the response time. A pixel changes colour in a fraction of the time, and so a moving image stays sharp instead of smearing. Anyone coming from a normal monitor first takes it for a higher frame rate. It is not.

Two things honestly belong here. OLED can burn in with image content that stays unchanged for hours. The devices clean up regularly by themselves, and manufacturers now give a warranty for it, but if you display the same spreadsheet eight hours a day, you are better off with IPS. And OLED only reaches full brightness on parts of the screen, not the whole picture. In a sun-drenched room without curtains you notice that.

LG UltraGear OLED

The second brand we would choose without second thoughts. LG makes the panels itself, and you can tell.

Technically there is little between it and the ROG. The difference lies in features and handling: menus, choice of ports, stand. That is best decided in front of the device, not on the spec sheet.

If you see both side by side and notice no difference, you are right. Then you take the cheaper one.

AOC, if it should be affordable

No OLED, but at a fraction of the price. For many the more sensible purchase, especially as a second monitor alongside.

The order from above applies here in particular: first the resolution to match the graphics card, then the refresh rate, then everything else. A 1440p monitor with 144 Hz and an IPS panel from AOC costs a fraction of an OLED and gives ninety percent of its impression.

Honestly: the missing tenth is exactly what you do not want to miss after a week of OLED. If you have never seen both side by side, you miss nothing. That is not a joke, but serious advice for saving money.

Wooting 80HE

The keyboard we use ourselves. Analogue Hall effect switches where you set the actuation point to a tenth of a millimetre.

On a normal keyboard, the point at which a key actuates is set by the manufacturer. On the 80HE you set it yourself, from very shallow for fast games to deeper for typing, in steps of 0.1 mm. Plus Rapid Trigger: the key is ready again as soon as you release it a little, not only when it is all the way up.

The reason it is here and not just in a top ten list: up to four profiles stay stored on the keyboard and load instantly, even without the software open. You set it up once and close the program. That is exactly how it should be.

To be honest: around 220 euros is a lot for a keyboard, and without a number pad it is not for everyone. If you work with numbers a lot, a full-size layout suits you better.

Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro SE

The mouse we use ourselves. Tall shape for a palm grip, swappable side panels, works with a cable, its own wireless receiver and over Bluetooth.

The hardware is right. The shape suits large hands and a palm grip, the side panels can be swapped, and the battery lasts long enough for you to forget about it. It charges wirelessly if you have a suitable charging pad, and that is more convenient than it sounds.

And now the catch we will not keep quiet about: we do not like the software. It runs in the background all the time, uses RAM and is more cumbersome than it needs to be. That goes against our own standard that settings belong in the device and not in a program.

Why it is here anyway: because we actually use it, for years now, and because the mouse itself is good. If you can live with a program in the background, you get a lot of mouse here. If not, take the next one.

Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2

The answer to exactly the catch above. The settings live in the mouse, not in a background program. Set it up once, close the program, done.

Under 60 grams, symmetrical flat shape, its own wireless receiver. The weight is where most people have doubts and after a week never want to go back: your hand guides the mouse instead of pushing it.

What matters to us is the onboard memory. Polling rate and button assignments stay in the mouse. On someone else's PC it behaves exactly as on yours, without anything being installed. That is exactly what we expect from good hardware.

To be honest: it is flat and symmetrical. If you rest your whole palm on it, you grasp at thin air and should stick with a tall shape. And it has few buttons. If you need thumb buttons, this is the wrong one.

And if neither fits

With a mouse, your hand decides, not the spec sheet. So instead of a third recommendation, here is the rule behind it.

Measure your hand from the wrist crease to the tip of your middle finger. Under 17 cm, a small mouse is right; over 19 cm, a large one. In between, your grip decides: if you rest your palm on it, you need height at the back. If you steer only with your fingertips, you need a flat, light one.

Any mouse that matches this shape, comes with its own wireless receiver and stores its profiles itself is a good choice. The rest is taste. Tell us your hand size and grip, and we will name two models instead of sending you through a top ten list.

beyerdynamic MMX 300 PRO

The headset we use ourselves, in its current version. Closed-back, 48 ohms, built in Heilbronn. If one recommendation on this page comes from experience, it is this one.

beyerdynamic has been building studio headphones for decades, and the MMX is exactly that, with a microphone attached. The sound is balanced rather than bass-heavy, and for gaming that is not a disadvantage but the point: you hear footsteps and directions in a clear midrange, not in a rumble.

Closed-back means it shields from the outside. Nobody in the room hears along, and you do not hear the room. For most living situations, that is the right design.

The real reason it is here and not a cheaper one: ear pads, cable and headband padding can be bought individually. A headset where you can replace the wear parts lasts ten years instead of two. That is exactly what we mean by durability, and it is why the high price is not one when spread over the years.

beyerdynamic MMX 330 PRO

The same technology, but open-back instead of closed. Much more spacious, and therefore better at locating directions.

Open-back means the ear cup lets sound through to the outside. The sound becomes wider and more natural, and that is exactly what helps with locating: a footstep does not just come from the left, but from behind on the left.

The downside comes with the same design and cannot be argued away: everyone in the room hears along, and you hear every noise from outside. In your own room with the door closed, it is the better choice. In the living room next to someone watching TV, the worse one.

beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO X and DT 990 PRO, without microphone

The same family, just without an attached microphone. Together with a separate microphone, often the better pairing for the same price.

This is already listed above as a buying criterion, and here is the concrete case: separate headphones and their own microphone beat almost any combo device at the same price. The DT 770 PRO X is closed-back, the DT 990 PRO open-back, and both have been standard equipment in recording studios for years.

Why this is still not the first recommendation: you plug in a headset and talk. Two devices mean a second connection, an arm or stand and the question of where to put it on the desk. If you stream or record audio anyway, go this way. If you just want to play in the evening, take the MMX.

That these models do not get a successor every year is a sign of quality, not of standing still. The DT 770 has existed in its basic form since the eighties.

Herman Miller Aeron

The only chair on this page that you can still repair rather than replace after twelve years. That is exactly why it is here.

Herman Miller gives a twelve-year warranty on parts and labour, even for round-the-clock use. That is not an advertising line, but a statement about how the chair is built: every castor, every armrest, every gas spring and even the mesh are available individually and replaceable. Do not divide the price by one year but by twelve, and it comes in below many chairs you would buy three times in that period.

Size matters, and that is the mistake almost everyone makes: there are A, B and C, and they are not interchangeable. B fits eighty to ninety percent of people, A is for a small build up to about 155 cm, C from about 190 cm or 95 kg. An Aeron in the wrong size is a bad chair.

To be honest: not everyone likes the mesh, there is no padding, and in a cold room it feels cooler than foam. Sit on one first if you can. And yes, it costs as much as a complete YKON Entry.