What's on PC Gamer's desk?

[7MMO]

I'm of the opinion that your desk space says a lot about you. Be it that you care more about function than style, or you like Hatsune Miku just a tad too much.

I'm also of the opinion that someone's desk space speaks volumes about their real life, like one person may be efficient in other areas, or another must just really, really like Hatsune Miku.

As such, I tasked the bravest of my coworkers with sharing photos of their desk spaces, alongside some fun facts, because I'm nosy like that.

If you are as nosy as I am, here's what some of the PC Gamer team have on their desks. And you can even vote on your favourite desk below.

Evan Lahti, Strategic Director​

Future

Rig details: RTX 3080, 32GB DDR4 RAM, curved ultrawide 3440x1440p monitor, an Uplift standing desk, use two mice, split gaming keyboard, Bose SoundLink Mini speaker, have had the same Corsair cube case for 11 years

• I need to replace my 650W power supply with a 750W+, which has been causing some first-person games to hard crash when there are power spikes
• I sometimes use a balance board at my standing desk to recreate my San Francisco skateboarding days
• I am a big fan of Speks' line of fidget equipment

Mollie Taylor, Features Producer​

Future

Future

Rig details: Nvidia GeForce RTX3070, AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT, 32GB RAM.

• Fun facts: Vertical monitor is exclusively to service my crippling rhythm game addiction (Sound Voltex)
• I'm a two-mouse gal (one for MMOs, one for FPS of course)
• This is probably the least tchotchke'd out the wazoo my desk has been in months

Jacob Ridley, Managing Editor, Hardware​

Future

Future

Future

Future

Future

Rig details: RTX 5080, Ryzen 7 7900X, Wooting 80HE, Noctua desk fan, Schiit DAC/amp w/ Audeze LCD-S20, an incredibly fashionable light-up mouse pad, Razer Ergo mouse/Viper V4 Pro.

• No amount of regular cleaning can contain the quantity of cat hair on my desk
• I once used a sensor that told me how many times I used my standing desk to actually stand during the day but I unplugged it because I didn't like the results
• I have a timer on my desk to try and maintain my focus for longer but my internet-addled brain might be too gone to save at this point
• I also have two mice, which from the looks of this list, is not a fun fact at all. It's 100% expected behaviour

Issy van der Velde, PC Gaming Show deputy editor​

(Image credit: Future)

Rig details: Work-provided ThinkPad, a mouse I "borrowed" from a friend many years ago, mouse pad my girlfriend had spare.

• I like to keep things minimal

Joshua Wolens, News Writer​

Future

Future

Rig details: RTX 4080, 5800X3D, 32GB DDR4 RAM, mechanical keyboard I got from eBay sometime around the Teapot Dome scandal, one (1) mouse.

• I only have one mouse, which did not heretofore feel like a thing worth pointing out but apparently marks me as a freak
• I actually much prefer to do work on my Mac (pictured) while sprawled on the settee—and I prefer to play games that way too; my PC is hooked up to my TV—so I don't actually spend all that much time here outside of meetings
• Important: I have a bronze Soviet bust of Marx and Lenin that I got at Izmailovsky Market that would be here if my desk weren't colonised by stupid devices that require charging. Imagine they're there for me. Thank you
• Speaking of which, moving my charging gear out of my bedroom and onto my desk was the best choice I ever made, as it meant I stopped taking my phone to bed and now actually get to sleep on time. Recommended!

Dave James, EIC hardware​

Future

Rig details: Hyte Y70 Touch, RTX 5090, AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, 64 GB RAM, Gigabyte Aorus 32-inch OLED, Dough Spectrum 27-inch IPS (portrait, important), Mountain Everest 60 keyboard, Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro, Steam Controller (the good one), Kanto Ora speakers, Dezctop standing desk.

1. My fishtank PC is filled with the D&D Lego minifigs collection
2. I recently replaced my motherboard because the ASRock board was doing weird things. And it booted first time afterwards. Weird
3. I'm really bad at cooling my PC, and my CPU has to be actively screaming for me to up the fan speed from 'Quiet'. I think some of the Lego minifigs have started to melt

Midas, Video Producer​

Future

Future

Rig details: RTX 5070ti, 32 GB RAM, AMD AM5 Ryzen 7 9800X3D - Tryx Panorama SE 360MM ARGB AIO Liquid Cooler.

1. I have the coolest RGB set-up, but my wire management is beyond trash—no peeking behind the desk
2. I’m a PC Gamer, but I don’t W,A,S,D—I have a drawer full of controllers. My keyboard and mouse are just for editing
3. Widescreen monitor only! Sorry, not sorry

Fraser Brown, Online Editor​

Future

Future

Rig details: RTX 4090, Intel i9-13900k, 32 GB RAM.

Also on my desk:

• A bust of a cockapoo, which I use to hold my sunglasses
• A medieval helmet, which I put my hats on
• Assorted Lego
• Pins
• Junk

Jake Tucker, Editorial Director, PC Gaming Show​

(Image credit: Future)

Rig details: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, RXT 4080, 32 GB memory.

• Half of my desk is taken up by my FLX4 DJ controller, because apparently I'm having a midlife crisis after I picked one up as a hobby a year ago. I'm about to upgrade to an all-in-one unit, and I'm scared of how much of my desk that will colonise
• I was given the mousemat as a gift and after declaring a glass mousemat too fancy to use, I now can't use anything else
• I've spent the last five years trying to find a sound setup I like, even moving to in-ear monitors for a bit. The SteelSeries Nova Pro headset has finally won out because charging batteries is easy to do with the on-desk control station. I need a wireless headset too because my ADHD brain makes me get up and walk off from my desk when I'm loading into games or matching and I keep garroting myself with the headphone wires
• I, too, am just now learning that everyone I work with uses a collection of mice for different tasks and I do not like it

Andy Edser, Hardware Writer​

Future

Future

Future

Future

Rig details: RTX 5070 Ti, AMD Ryzen 7 7700X, 32 GB DDR5, custom Glorious GMMK 3 keyboard, Logitech MX Master 4, Fractal Design Scape, Audeze Maxwell 2, Razer Wolverine V3 controller, Razer Cobra HyperSpeed, 32-inch 4K BenQ Mini-LED monitor.

• See that little doohickey behind my mouse? It's a cooling gel wrist rest I've cut out of a lesser mouse pad so I can move it around my desk
• I use a single 32-inch 4K monitor, as the good lord intended
• I have two gaming headsets, and two mice. The Logitech MX Master 4 and Fractal Design Scape are my daily drivers, while the Razer squeaker and the Audeze Maxwell 2 are for serious business gaming
• The most useful things on my desk are the little block of neon green post-it notes and the Sharpie pen. I write things down because I'm getting old now and my brain looks like a block of Swiss cheese
• Oh yeah, that speaker placement—I use headphones when I'm in front of the PC, while the speakers are for playing loud music across the rest of the room. I am wonderful to live with, and my neighbours are big fans

Tim Clark, Group Editorial Director, Games​

Future

Future

Rig details: iBUYPOWER HYTE Y70 RGB, Intel Core i9-14900KF, 32.0 GB memory, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, 2 TB storage. Alienware 34 240Hz QD-OLED, NuPhy Air96 Wireless Mechanical Keyboard, G903 Lightspeed wireless mouse, Xbox Elite Series 2 Controller, Ora by Kanto, Razer Seiren mini.

• The two rectangular lights on my desk use dimmable Hue bulbs, which are great for making you look less dug up on calls
• Though I don't stand that much these days, the Uplift Standing desk was a huge upgrade to the office
• I have an enormous digital clock right in my eyeline because I am a fiend for losing track of time
• I also have a couple of scented candles because I am bougie and confident in my masculinity

Jess Kinghorn, Hardware Writer​

(Image credit: Future)

Rig details: iBuyPower RDY Y40 Valorant VCTA R003, AMD Ryzen 7 7700X 8-Core Processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER, 32.0 GB memory, 1 TB storage.

• I really wasn't joking about my army of Miku Hatsune figurines
• Believe it or not, I actually tidied up for this photo. This is what I mean when I describe my desk as 'cluttered'
• I did have the Creative Stage Pro for sound, but that's been commandeered for the living room. That leaves me with only headphones, jumping out of my skin every time someone tries to get my attention
• I also bought one of the Govee x Evangelion gaming light kits based on our review, but I've not set it up yet. I think the best gaming set ups ought to feel a bit like you're piloting a giant robot
• You can't see it on account of the Be Quiet! Light Mount TKL, but my mouse pad features cool art from 2019's Control—specifically this image

James Bentley, Hardware Writer (that's me!)​

(Image credit: Future)

Rig details: Ryzen 7 7800X3D, RTX 4070 Super, 32 GB memory, Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II, Audeze LCD-S20, 8BitDo Retro R8, GameSir G7 Pro 8K, one 1440p OLED monitor and one 1080p IPS monitor. Creative XF1. Epomaker HE75 V2 TMR.

• Yes, I am hoisting one monitor on the Creative speakers, and I only feel a little bad
• That red block is from Naraka: Bladepoint, a game I quite enjoyed for about two weeks, and then decided never to go back to
• Though I no longer use the NZXT speakers, I do still use the NZXT Switch Mix, hence the two pairs of headphones.
• I love charging docks
• I only use one mouse, but now I'm wondering if I should use two

Continue reading...