Gaming Monitor
During a tumultuous time, Valorant emerged as a saving grace.
Initially skeptical, I was soon captivated by its competitive nature and discovered TenZ, a former CS: GO player turned Valorant Twitch streamer.
Ever wondered what kind of gaming setup a premier professional Valorant player has?
Is it approachable for aspiring pros?
How does it differ from others?
Let's dive in and uncover the answers to these questions and more!
Below is the complete list of Tenz's Gaming, Streaming and PC gear.
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Gaming Monitor
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Gaming Keyboard
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Gaming Mouse (Current)
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Gaming Mouse (Secondary)
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Gaming Mouse (Tertiary)
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Gaming Mouse (Benchmark)
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Gaming Mousepad
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Gaming Headphones
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Gaming Headset
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Streaming Microphone (Current)
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Streaming Microphone (Future Upgrade)
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Streaming Microphone Arm
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Streaming Audio Cable (Future Upgrade)
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Streaming Audio Interface
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Streaming Deck
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Streaming Face Camera
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Gaming Chair
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Streaming Audio Mixer (Current)
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Streaming Audio Mixer (Future)
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Gaming Chair Pillow
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Mouse Cord Bungee
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PC Case
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PC CPU
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PC Motherboard
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PC Graphics Card
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PC SDD
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PC HDD
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PC RAM
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PC Power Supply
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PC Cooling
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VR Headset
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Now, let's break down Tyson's gaming gear individually and see the intuition behind it.
TenZ’s uses a BenQ Zowie 360hz 1920x1080p monitor. Zowie has been a trusted name among CS: GO and FPS pros ever since it first came out with its competitive series of monitors.
Famous for the high refresh rate and response time. Unlike other 1080p monitors in its range, the Zowie series has had a softer colour gamut designed to be easy on the eyes, i.e. used for extended periods.
TenZ got into the Zowie family after seeing other pros in their setups. He prefers its softer saturation characteristic. Out of the box, the LCD monitor is prepped for high-frame gaming.
It is advisable to get this monitor only if your system can do a rock-solid 300 FPS in Valorant on low graphical settings. Also, remember that Valo has a ton of real-time processes, making it CPU-intensive.
TenZ had the Xtrfy K5 Compact RGB, but now it's the Wooting 60HE. The 60HE one is made purely for gaming and optimization. It's a bit of kit. Every pro player, streamer, and gamer swears by it, and Tyson picked it up as soon as it came out.
But this time, it's not just a people-chasing shock trend. It's relevant!
For me, the HE stands for High Explosive since you can control the actuation point of how far up or down any key on the entire keyboard can travel.
Yes, it's fully customizable. Yes, it works with Linux. Yes, it's got < 1 ms latency. Yes, all profiles are onboard the keyboard. And yes, it's got a universal try mount. Yes, RGB, too.
It's that ideal typing we've always wanted. In gaming, skills go far, yes, but the benefits of a good tool make your life better. And you see it when Tyson plays Valorant.
His movement is crisp, fast, and precise. It's borderline transcendental.
As for the gaming mouse, TenZ, as of August 2023, is experimenting with a Mini Pro. The mouse is light and capable in this department. The mouse has been featured multiple times on his streams.
In hindsight, the shape of the mouse is similar to the XM1 and Sora.
The Atlantis has a pleasing flat top, but its shoulder curves near the shoulders are boxy like a standard Microsoft mouse.
However, the dimensions on the mouse cater to Claw grips, though Tyson finds it comfy. I've seen him make micro-adjustments on the fly, where he traces this pendulum-esque motion like a flail.
The Atlantis Mini is a wireless claw grip mouse with significantly low latency to its wireless rivals, dancing around just <4ms of the Death Adder v3 wired mouse. This is great for wireless.
If he is comfortable playing ranked with it, it's worthwhile for the rest of us mortals.
Lamzu is aware of its target audience and packages both hard and cloth pad replacements so you can pick and choose your preference.
It has a comfy 70 hours of battery life.
TenZ also tested the Hati S+ from G Wolves. Like Atlantis, the mouse is light and wireless, but the similarities end here.
The shape of the Hati S+ is more elongated than the Atlantis, XM1, and Sora.
So it favours relaxed grips, which TenZ is quite fond of. The palm grip is perfect since the balance is at the back near the battery.
It has a higher polling rate of 4kHz, which allows it to update its position three times more than the Atlantis; with more frames, that's precisely what you need.
The mouse has a lower latency than its previous iterations and the Atlantis. Sensor performance is excellent, but it's a trade-off as the battery lasts only a day's worth of stamina until it needs a charge.
The shoulder buttons get stuck.
You have to turn it over to see battery life.
I didn't care much about micro USBs, but in this case, USB-C for connection would be a step up.
These little annoyances add up for those needing a small, light 4kHz polling rate mouse. It's the only one that's available.
TenZ keeps this as his backup, and I always see him returning to it; I surmise it's his benchmark.
The mouse is heavier and more wired than the Atlantis but with higher polling.
The shape of the mouse is more relaxed than the Hati S+, Atlantis, XM1, and Sora combined.
It favours relaxed grips. The right shoulder slopes nicely in the palm without being broad.
The V3 has a much higher polling rate of 8kHz, which allows it to update its position three times more than the Hati S+ and a whopping seven times more than the Atlantis.
This mouse is objectively technically better than every mouse we've seen at a lower price. But this is where TenZ's testing it to consider the feeling of 'lightness or power' argument.
The mouse has a slightly better latency than Atlantis. Razer sensors are some of the best, and there's no need to charge it.
The mouse supersedes every offering in terms of power and sturdy plug-and-play. No fuss, no worrying about battery life at half the cost of a wireless.
With a cord bungee, the Death Adder V3 is one of the best for Valorant and FPS games!
TenZ's is currently using the Saturn Pro Large mousepad.
Tyson has gone for Saturn for its portion of the XSOFT base. The pad has stitching on par with Artisan mouse pads. It is also pet hair resistant.
He's gone with Saturn because the poron allows it to be super grippy with the desk surface while being resistant to irregular mouse pressure on top of it.
It's the perfect pad for testing multiple gaming mice with different feet, aka skates.
Saturn is perfect for glass skates and fingertip grip, as they tend to sink into mouse pads. It's not a slowed-down control pad. Gliding feels safe and balanced everywhere.
The Saturn provides a large area of control at 500mm x 500 mm.
Tyson might turn it into a dust rag in a few months. PSA: If you do get it, NEVER roll it up. They ship it flat to prevent warping.
TenZ continues to use the Blessing 3 in-ear monitors (IEM) on his streams.
Its audiophile drivers allow you to hear footsteps very well in games like Valorant, Battlebit (especially), CS: GO, Insurgency Sandstorm, and Squad, as they have a higher bass than Blessing 2.
Its clear frame gives a signature look without compromising durability and adjustability.
Unlike headsets, these don't give you 'headphone hair', primarily for music for the vocals (mid) and cymbals (high) ranges.
They are used in FPS games for picking up footsteps very well.
They offer a better-streamlined frequency response range for sound quality than gaming headsets.
They are also compatible with current and last-gen consoles like PS5 and PS4.
TenZ also uses the H1 gaming headsets following a sponsorship with Xtrfy.
The closed, over-ear design is crafted for unwavering durability; the mechanical aluminium-framed headband ensures longevity that withstands intense gameplay.
The interchangeable memory foam and PU leather ear pads provide comfort and a personalized touch to his gaming experience.
The undeniable edge comes from the unparalleled sound quality delivered by dynamic Ø 60 mm audio drivers, enabling TenZ to capture every detail within the range of 5–30kHz.
The headset has a remarkable sensitivity of 97dBSPL @ 1kHz. In simple terms, it will pair with all your devices with a 3.5mm jack and deliver consistent clarity and power.
It has a braided cable of 1.2m with a 2m extension connected to a DAC with a Pro mic (40–20kHz) for clean and clear noise cancellation and a Casual mic (45–18kHz) for loudness.
It is compatible with PC, Mac, Xbox, PS4, Mobile, and VR systems.
Now, let's break down Tyson's streaming gear and what it is and see the intuition behind it.
You will see him sport a TC Helicon GoXLR mixer on his stream.
The multi-channel GoXLR allows him to fine-tune and balance the microphone, desktop, and game audio. GLXLR allows for four-channel mixing.
This is instrumental as his dynamic microphone requires tuning to function at its best!
The mixer is constructed with streamers in mind for fast sample recording to make those perfectly timed stream moments.
Tyson can fine-tune his microphone output and help clear up game and mic audio for steaming.
Although he'll be upgrading it to a Rodecaster Duo.
TenZ uses a Focusrite Scarlett Duo 2-Channel preamp that connects to his TC Helicon GoXLR mixer as an audio interface for voice amplification and tuning.
Quite the roundabout, but his Shure Dynamics mic needs it this way, and it works for him.
However, he admits that it could be more sketchy as even the slightest adjustments can lead to too much sensitivity or too little, but he puts up with it.
Tyson uses a Shure SM7B dynamic microphone. This mic costs about as much as a PS4. It's a unidirectional dynamic microphone designed with a built-in pop filter.
Simply, it cancels out background noises that may interfere with the audio output quality. Musicians and sound engineers use it for voiceover, podcasts, and studio recording.
The 50-16kHz frequency range brings out the finer shades of a voice that get lost in other microphones. Hence, it is perfect for streaming!
Its sturdily-built frame comes with a shock mount. A quality XLR cable and mixer will liven up any voice!
He'll be upgrading it to a RØDE PodMicUSB with RØDE XLR-6 Cable.
As for the desk microphone armature, TenZ has a desk mount from Rode.
This single-arm load-bearing microphone rig can adjust to any setup requirements if the table thickness is an inch and a half. Thin glass tables are difficult to mount on.
The multidirectional microphone head can handle a weight of 4.4 lbs (2kg). Its swing and arm extensions adjust to any position for uncompromised flexibility.
TenZ would like the arm on a thick wooden desk more than his glass one, but he still uses it. I hope he knows that absolutely no one is tilting at that setup.
TenZ uses an Elgato stream deck for quick maneuvering between applications in a Livestream.
The deck has 15 programmable tactile keys for him to quickly switch between applications for any professional gamer/streamer needs. Tyson rarely uses it in the stream, but when he does, it's usually to show his pets Mochi and Kuro.
As for the mouse cable management, TenZ uses a BenQ Zowie Camrade II.
This single-arm cable management rig can adjust to even the heaviest wired gaming mice like the Death Adder V3.
It's designed to prevent cable drag and entanglement with sharp desk edges.
The Camade II bungee is designed not to impede the mouse or damage the cable for those relying more on DPI, polling, and low in-game sensitivity.
Its arm extends much higher, never causing any hindrance to uncompromised flexibility.
Wired, wireless, or bungee, he'll still destroy us in a 5v1 stack!
While some prefer DSLRs for picturesque quality, TenZ, Tyler1, and Dr. Disrespect used a PC-specific webcam.
TenZ does his streams on 720p at 60fps and 1080p at 60FPS. It is a simple clip-on plug-and-play webcam that records and streams in 720p/1080p at 60fps.
The cam has a convenient effect that lets users use images as background without a green screen, but Tyson only uses the cam for unboxing and showing his pets.
It also comes with a tripod and a free three-month subscription to the streaming/recording software Xsplit.
TenZ uses the SecretLab Titan Evo gaming chair. They have sponsored him ever since he started streaming.
They gifted him a chair after his Valorant main, Jett.
The Jett Edition Titan Evo gaming chair features a white swirl on the shoulder and blue panels on the upholstery, reflecting Jett's suit design.
These gaming chairs are highly customizable, from their size to their upholstery.
The great thing about SecretLab is that they have the widest selection of support for any stature.
TenZ's gaming chair has a hybrid SoftWeave Plus Fabric material for better breathability than only leather. He pairs it with a VALORANT lumbar pillow.
It's an investment that will last a long time without getting sore while looking snazzy!
For streaming, TenZ uses the following equipment:
TenZ's Valorant Gear:
Note: TenZ alternates between his gaming mouse(s) and pads for testing.
TenZ's Gaming Setup:
It's not a gaming desk. It's a simple wooden table 30" from Ikea. It used to be a black glass table. His mum got it for him.
TenZ's Sensitivity Settings:
Sweet spot range:
Most commonly used: 0.174 and 0.2
TenZ's gaming and streaming setup is versatile– high frames, high hertz, little bottleneck, and low poly– the recipe for a happy K/D ratio.
He voids out mouse/mousepad warranties in a month and extensively tests his peripheral equipment.
Is his setup worth copying? Absolutely! Even if you don't follow it as gospel, you can take some cues.
A 3060, Death Adder wired, Zowie GTF-X, 240hz display, KZ ZSNs for audio, and a working keyboard– that's enough to be fabulous in games.
TenZ's got a straight shooter setup, and he'd say skills are key, but with a good mouse, fast GPU, some RAM, smooth mousepad, and an excellent keyboard, you'll get there sooner.
He's a die-hard gamer providing the best Valorant experience, and this hardened young veteran will entertain us for years!
