The link between a technology expert and his desktop configuration It’s special, to say the least, because of the amount of time, effort, and money that goes into creating something that really works for them.
From building your own PC to selecting all the peripherals that will go with it and choosing a desktop to tie it all together, a lot of thought and consideration goes into setting up your desktop. Whether it’s a work-from-home setup where you spend hours each day or a battle station with one of the best gaming PCs You come home after a long day at the office, placing a desk on one of the best laptops gives you ample customization opportunities.
Since starting Jugo Mobile, my own desktop setup has gone through multiple iterations based on the devices I have tried and the task at hand. While Add a smart display below my main monitor I changed my way of working, changing it for a mini monitor It was a real game changer as I now had two screens instead of one. Unfortunately, that mini monitor just didn’t have what it takes to be a permanent part of my desktop setup, as it suffered an untimely death three months after I got it.
While I love my desk, I bought a ThinkPad last year for when I need to do some work on the road. However, since one screen is never enough for someone who has become accustomed to working on an ultrawide monitorI bought a cheap portable monitor from UPERFECT ($129, Amazon) on a whim to accompany him. In CES In January, I enjoyed using it so much that when my mini monitor unexpectedly broke, I knew where to look for a replacement.
Here’s how I integrated it into my desktop setup and why I think I’ve finally found the perfect display under my main monitor.
Become a permanent item on my desk
Since the mini monitor I loved so much had a touchscreen, I knew its replacement needed to have one too. There is something special about being able to reach and interact with her desk like you would with one of the best tablets. The problem, however, is that, despite their usefulness, touch screens are not the kind of things you often find in best monitors with the Dell P2424HT being the exception to this rule. Luckily for me, UPERFECT has several different models of portable monitors that come with a touch screen.
While I considered the company’s Unify Y monitor ($219, Amazon) at first because of how all of its ports are integrated into its stand, my colleague Alex Wawro convinced me that his USteam G16 monitor ($280, Amazon) was the best buy after looking at them both thanks to its 120Hz refresh rate.
Another interesting thing about this particular portable monitor is that it also has a built-in 10,800 mAh battery. Sure, I don’t plan on removing it from my desktop now that I have it set up. However, if it did, I could see its battery being useful for those times when I want to conserve my laptop battery, as it wouldn’t need to power the screen.
While a 120Hz refresh rate is great for scrolling web pages and especially for gaming, I had a new challenge I needed to solve. The other monitor I considered had all of its ports built into its stand, but on this one, like most other portable monitors, the ports are on the sides rather than the back. This makes it difficult to manage cables and set up a clean desk. To this end, I purchased a two-pack of USB-C elbow adapters and also a full-size mini HDMI to HDMI adapter. With these adapters attached to the portable monitor, I could cleanly run the necessary cables to the back of my desk instead of having them sticking out the sides.
Since portability is their true purpose, all UPERFECT portable monitors come with either a built-in stand or a detachable magnetic stand. The USteam G16 came with the latter and although it did its job quite well, I swapped it for one of the best laptop stands for a little more versatility. Although I did not write that guide, I did prepare one similar guide for TechRadar A few years ago and I had the Brocoon laptop stand ($38, Amazon) available as a result. What I like about using a laptop stand instead of the included magnetic one is that it almost makes my portable monitor appear to float below my main screen.
To work or play
So what’s it like to use this new touchscreen under my main monitor? Well, it has been even more useful than that mini monitor since instead of a 12.3-inch screen, it has a larger 15.6-inch one. This has given me more space to work, plus my browser and other programs display as they should since it has a 1920 x 1080 resolution instead of a smaller 1920 x 860 resolution. Another thing I really like about my new monitor is that it has a matte screen instead of glossy.
Since I’m using it with a desktop computer instead of a laptop, I still need to have two USB-C cables connected instead of just one. While the best Windows laptops can offer touch functionality and video output using a single USB-C cable; If you’re using a desktop computer with a touchscreen monitor, you need one cable for power and another for sending touch input data to your PC.
At the same time, just like with my previous monitor, this one also needs to be set as my primary display in Windows for the touchscreen to work properly. If you have another display set as your primary, touch still works, but instead of controlling what’s on the smaller monitor, it actually works as a giant touchpad to control your primary monitor. This might be useful in some situations, but I prefer to be able to control what’s on the screen I’m tapping on.
Since keeping up with the latest news is a big part of my job, I often have Google News or Flipboard open on the touch monitor. This way, I can easily use my finger to scroll through the news and see if there is anything worth covering. When I’m not searching for news, I often have Slack open to communicate with my team. However, I noticed that when I tapped on a channel, Windows brought up the touch keyboard, which isn’t helpful in my case since my mechanical keyboard is just a few inches away.
Fortunately, this can be easily disabled by going to Begin > Settings > Devices > Typing and deactivating the option Show the touch keyboard when not in tablet mode and no keyboard is connected low touch keyboard. This was a little annoying at first, but fixing the problem was pretty easy.
While gaming on an ultrawide monitor will give you a much more immersive experience, my gaming PC is a bit old and upgrading my graphics card right now just doesn’t make sense. Fortunately, many of the games I play when I take short breaks, like Rocket League or skate simulator, Session They are not as graphically intense. Still, my ultrawide monitor is primarily for doing things, and as such, it doesn’t have a high refresh rate. However, this new portable monitor does, and playing the Session at 120Hz is a smoother experience. Since I am using one of the best standing desks After all, I can always lift it up so I don’t have to look down while playing and avoid putting extra strain on my neck.
I decided to buy a new touchscreen monitor to replace my failed mini monitor because of how useful it was to have a second, smaller screen below the main one. However, being able to game on a high refresh rate display is just an added bonus as part of the latest update to my desktop setup.
Setting up your desktop is never really done
Every desktop setup is really a work in progress at the end of the day. Sure, you might think you’ve finally achieved your dream setup, but then a new device or gadget comes along and you’re back to the drawing board. However, this is part of the fun of using a desktop computer with a monitor and a pair of best computer speakers after all.
While the screen under my main monitor has changed, I still use one of the best mechanical keyboards and my trustworthy trackball mouse to do more things throughout the day. Although I liked how useful it is to have a Nest Hub max. under my ultrawide monitor, I reduced the size of my smart display and now I’m using the Echo Show 5 to control my smart lights and control my indoor and outdoor security cameras.
I’ll probably end up redoing my desktop in a few months, but for now, I’m very happy with how this latest update turned out. Hopefully this new touchscreen monitor will stand the test of time better than my old mini monitor.
- I just upgraded my office chair for under $30.
- This is the most underrated accessory for your desk and it’s super cheap.
- I turned an old monitor into a digital board and it changed the rules of the game
