Are you looking to make your battlestation setup look and feel more satisfying?
In this quick guide, we will be showing you 7 different ways on how to make your gaming setup look better, without spending a ton of money.
Spicing up your PC setup doesn't have to come with a heavy cost, there are many inexpensive methods to do right now to clean up your desk space.
Before we go on, here are some pre-requisites we assume you already have and are wanting to clean up.
You can always check out our buying guides if you are looking to grab something specific.
Below are the 7 essential battlestation parts that you will want to add to make your setup look clean and minimal
First of all, to use a monitor arm, you need a VESA compatible monitor. Most new monitors have this already.
If you don't know what VESA is, check this guide out.
If your monitor is not VESA compatible, check out our guide on how you can mount a non-VESA monitor on a VESA mount.
A monitor mount can clear up copious amounts of desk space, and allow you to hide your monitor cables with ease.
Unless you have a long and wide desk with a lot of space, the stand of your monitor is most likely taking up unnecessary space.
Look at this for example:
Monitor mounts provide you with the ability to:
Grabbing a monitor mount for your setup would be my first recommendation towards an Instagram-worthy battlestation.
Please note: People with enormous desks with a lot of desk space will probably not need one, but it can still help with the overall look, and with cable management.
The problem with monitor mounts is that the clamp must sit at the back of your desk, so if your desk sits flush against the wall, you may find it hard to maneuver your monitors.
That's where monitor stands come in, and I'm not talking about the stock stands that your monitor comes with...
Rather, free-standing monitor stands, which look like this:
Another alternative to this is to get a monitor mounting bracket and to drill it right into your wall.
Sort of like this:
This comes with some cons, such as creating holes directly into your wall, not being as easy to detach and move around as clamps or free-standing monitor stands, etc.
But hey, if you're not planning to move your setup anywhere, drilling your monitor into the wall is as minimal as it gets, and can get your setup looking mighty clean.
Cable management is a must if you want a satisfying-looking battlestation setup, just ask any PC enthusiast (most of them most likely have a slight case of OCD, even myself).
Not only does cable management make your setup clutter-free, but it also allows you to clean your whole setup with ease.
Raceways are small trays that are installed underneath, at the back end of your desk so you can place all of your surge protectors and cables, which in turn are hidden from an angle.
Here is what your setup would look like with and without cable management:
Here is what your cables will look like with a raceway:
With this being your potential final result:
This allows you to clear the ground of any obstruction and not leaving any cables hanging loose, which is a big reason why battlestations tend to look messy.
The J cable is designed to hide all cables and surge protectors, all while being accessible if anything needs to be changed.
If you don't want to put holes through your table for the raceway, you can get the easier alternative which is a cable management box.
It's not as minimal as a raceway, but it does the job. Put all of your surge protectors into the box and feed the cables through the holes located on the left and right sides.
This clears up a lot of the messiness that you would otherwise get without hiding your surge protectors.
Alongside cable raceways, you can use cable sleeves or a cable spine to combine and hide the copious amount of cable you have.
Example of a cable sleeve:
Example of a cable spine:
So, instead of having multiple hanging cables, it just looks like 1 big cable, which in turn allows your setup to look cleaner.
Definitely, a must-have for those who are into cable management.
Cable organiser clips allow you to feed your cables (or your cable sleeves) and have them sitting at an elevated position for further cable management.
The clips look like this:
These are great when you are looking to hide your cables even more.
After clearing out your desk space using a monitor mount, and then sorting out your cable management, the next step is to make your desk space clutter-free.
Most of you who don't have any holders or stands, tend to just leave your phone or headphones on your desk when not in use.
Having holders or stands for the small peripherals can make all the difference.
A phone stand is simply an elevated stand where you can place your phone conveniently, at an angle that is useable without having to hold it.
Just like in this battlestation:
Phone holders rid you of having to pick up your phone every time you feel the need to use it.
Really, it's an elegant solution and one that should be added to your desk setup.
For you gamers, music producers, or music lovers, you most likely have headphones so you can zone out to game, work, or study hard.
Having a place to hang up your headphones after a long day's work should be convenient, not just leaving them over your monitor or on your desk.
This is especially inconvenient if you want to switch to speakers instead of your headphones... where could you put your headphones without it being an obstruction?
This is where a headphone holder comes in, a nifty little stand where your headphones will reside.
It's a convenient stand to hang your headphones and looks neat when combined with everything else.
This is pretty self-explanatory, in order to have a battlestation worthy setup, you need to able to maintain a tidy desk. That's where these tools come in.
The great thing about this specific brand of compressed air is it comes with different shaped heads, and different types of brushes, so you'll never have a problem cleaning those hard-to-get places.
Blow away your troubles... especially on the inside of your computer as that's where most of the build-up of dirt occurs.
Here is a video of the compressed air cleaner in action:
Once you have cleaned up your space nicely, now is the time to add some flair to your battlestation setup.
LED light strips to make your battlestation setup pop, and you have the ability to match the lights with your color scheme.
Here is an example of a <pick a color-themed battlestation.>
These also help with you not needing a typical desk lamp to work, you will have different types of illumination that are easier on the eyes.
Best yet, these lights can be controlled by a downloadable app in which you have the chance to change the color to your liking.
The final thing to add some pizzazz to your setup is to grab some nano leaves and install them onto the back wall.
This combined with your LED lights will make your setup truly stand out.
Considering you have cleared out your desk, and managed your cables, your setup will go from a clean and simple design to next-level glamour.
Nano leaves just add that technological, futuristic look to your setup, almost like what you would see in sci-fi movies based in the future.
Just have a look at this prime example:
Lastly, get a plant. Yes, I'm serious, a plant, have a look at this battlestation:
Not a fake plant, a real plant, that you water, nurture, and watch grow. It doesn't have to be a big plant, it can be something smalland compact. It will add that little bit of life to your battlestation.
Your setup would primarily be surrounded by technology, products that we would've never thought we would be using back in the '90s.
So go back to basics and add some nature to your life. Not only does it add some color, but having a plant changes the atmosphere and makes it feel lively.
If you're a serious gamer, looking to make your setup more immersive, my recommendation would be to add more lighting.
Whether it'd be LED lights or Nano leaves, this allows you to turn your lights off, change them to a certain color, and be immersed in whatever game you are playing.
Here is an example of a Cyberpunk 2077 themed battlestation that showcases their lighting scheme perfectly.
Literally, everything on the list above you can add to make your setup better.
Having your setup clutter-free will make you feel more at peace when you're gaming.
Afterward, it would be all about performance. If you play a lot of FPS, you need a quality headset.
You can check have a look at the best headphones under $100 to find you the perfect headset for your FPS experience whilst you're on a budget.
That, coupled with a decent mouse and mouse pad will get your aim feeling sharp.
If you like more of an MMORPG based game, you need a decent graphics card to be able to deal with the crazy amount of people that are being rendered into the world.
Getting a compressed air cleaner is your best bet. It allows you to clear out all of the dirt and dust in places you would normally not be able to reach.
Dirt buildup within your PC is also a thing and can be solved with some compressed air too.
Having a 'clean' setup, to begin with is also important. Clear out your desk and only have what you absolutely need on your desk.
Everything else should be stored elsewhere in your room.
Remember the rule KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid. (Or Keep It Super Simple), like this example below:
This is a question I have pondered myself when I first started building my setup.
Free, meaning you need to be efficient with what you have. For starters, clean your setup, whether it's cleaning all the dirt, or clearing up space so it's clutter-free.
Secondly, cable management. Since you don't have the actual cable management products, you are going to have to use some things that you should have at home already.
Things like:
These aren't the best since they're not the most durable, or they will be hard to undo if you ever need to dismantle your setup due to an upgrade or other reasons.
But these can be a solution and can make your setup tidier and in turn, be nice and clean.
At the end of the day, having a clutter-free desk with some decent cable management goes a long way.
Just have a look at this battlestation here:
Just keep in mind that the best looking battlestations are:
Whether you're a gamer or you work from home, if your setup is clean, you can sit on your computer and be relaxed, focused.
Have a look at inspiration from the r/battlestation page and look for inspiration for your own battlestation.
Implementing these tips will give you a place of zen that you can go to time and time again.
And hey, if you do end up doing up your battlestation using some of these tips, feel free to submit your battlestation and be featured in our battlestation setups video!
