During this pandemic, many of us find themselves working from home. Where before often internal policy forbade it, suddenly it became the only possible way to continue working at all. Lucky who has a gaming rig at home already, a dedicated place to now also get work done. For those without the needed equipment yet, let’s have a look at what is necessary and what might be useful.
The PC
If you have a good laptop already you can of course use this instead. In that case ignore this section and get a docking station, to be able to connect the laptop easily to monitor, mouse, keyboard and headset.
But if no laptop is available or if it is just too weak a real PC can be very helpful. And for typical office tasks it does not need to be expensive. Here we stay below $300 and have a bunch of upgrade options:
| Type | Item | Price |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Athlon 3000G | $54.99 @ newegg |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte B450M DS3H | $72.99 @ newegg |
| Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws V DDR4-3200 (8 GB) | $47.99 @ newegg |
| SSD | Crucial BX500 (240 GB) | $30.99 @ B&H |
| Case | Fractal Design Core 1000 | $39.99 @ newegg |
| Power Supply | EVGA 400 N1 (400 W) | $37.75 @ Walmart.com |
| Total | $292.76 | |
The processor with its 4 threads is strong enough for what office work will usually throw at it. Its integrated graphics will even power older games. 8GB ram are at the higher end of what a laptop usually has, that it is fast ram to give the processor a push. A small SSD, a basic case and psu finish the build.
If later there is need and budget to upgrade this build, that will also be possible. The motherboard supports many stronger Ryzen processors, up to the 8 core/16 thread Ryzen 7 3700X. There are free ramslots to get more memory, free SATA slots and one M.2 slot to add more storage. And after a psu upgrade a better gpu could even transform it into a gaming build.
The peripherals
For the monitor, look at something that is not a TN panel and not too small. It’s about having an upgrade compared to a laptop, to make the work from home easier. That’s why small monitors should be avoided, right along with the bad viewing angles and colors of a TN panel.
My pick right now would be the Asus VZ249HE, a 24” IPS panel.
If you use a laptop, a nice mouse and a separate keyboard will reduce the strain on your hands. If you get a PC that’s necessary equipment anyway.
I’d even start directly with an ergonomic mouse. After a few hours of getting used to the new shape you won’t even consider a regular mouse for when you are not gaming anymore. A reasonable priced option is the wireless Anker 2.4G. For the keyboard something simple like Amazons Basic Wired keyboard is a good starting point. If it has to be mechanical for the right feel when writing - something I personally support, that’s why I mention it despite the idea colliding a bit with a budget build - consider the Plugable mechanical keyboard that also gives you a white backlight.
In case you need a microphone for video conferencing, a gamery headset like the Corsair HS35 will provide you that and also drown out some of the noise of your surroundings.
Don’t use the kitchen table
If it is in any way possible, dedicate a space to be the place where you always work. That’s even if you opted to work with a laptop. Why not just sit wherever it’s possible and work from the couch? Because in practice it just makes it harder. First, it makes it harder to mentally disconnect from work when the working hours are over. That’s a lot easier if there is some physical distance between you and your workplace, even if it’s just the few meters out of the home office room. Second, with a proper table and chair there is a bigger chance to sit comfortably (and with proper posture!).
It is Ikea that has cheap and good options here. First the table: The combination of Linnmon and Adils is $39 and will give you a sturdy enough work desk. For the chair, there are two options: The first is Markus, which is an excellent office chair with a high backrest. There is also a leather version for a bit more, but in my experience that’s neither needed nor as comfortable. If Markus is too expensive for your liking the smaller Millberget is less than half the price and also quite comfortable. All of these are available for delivery.
Working from home can be a very nice experience. Against the backdrop of a global pandemic it is of course less enjoyable. But at least it is a way to stay home and to stay healthy. I hope the recommendations here can make the necessary changes a little bit easier.