Five accessories every computer user must have

We use our computers more and more every day. Whether its for work, browsing the internet for the latest news, streaming movies or television shows on Netflix, or shopping through Amazon, we spend an awful lot of time in front of our screens. And to get the most out of your online experience, you need the right peripherals and accessories to enhance your computing needs, which is why I’m here to offer you my recommendations for the five accessories ever computer user must have.

Wireless Keyboard and Mouse

This one is really a no-brainer. Every computer user needs to have a keyboard on which to type, and a mouse to point and click on things. However, we are living in an increasingly wire-free world, so to maximize your comfort and computing enjoyment, you really should have a good wireless keyboard and mouse combo.

The benefits of going wireless include portability, as you can move the keyboard and mouse to any comfortable spot, using them to control your computer from a desk, table, or the couch, as long as the wireless signal is strong enough. There will also be less clutter on your desk, thanks to the lack of wires running from the computer to the peripherals, and you’ll never have a tangled mouse cord again, that’s for sure. So, something like the Logitech Wireless Wave Laser Keyboard & Mouse Combo would be ideal, sporting a comfortable, ergonomic design and long battery life.

A Good Printer

Everybody needs their own printer. Who the heck wants to head to a print store all the way downtown or the local big box store to print up something? Besides, printer prices have dropped so much, you can pick up something pretty snazzy really inexpensively. And, you really don’t need all the bells and whistles. What you want is something that is efficient with printing text documents, as well as photos, and that’s about it. A good laser or inkjet printer will do you fine, depending on your preferences, or if you really do want to be able to also fax, scan documents, and make copies; then by all means go for an all-in-one printer. The HP Envy 4520 Wireless Colour All-In-One Inkjet Printer is a budget-friendly and versatile printer that I would certainly recommend, as it offers the ability to produce print lab-quality photos, and laser-quality documents, plus it is wireless, so you can also conveniently print stuff from your tablet or smartphone.

A Speaker System

Whether or not you need speakers with your computer is something of a debate amongst users. Most people I know use a good set of wireless headphones with their laptops or PCs, either to cut down on outside noise and disturbances when they are concentrating on work, or to minimize the noise to others from blockbuster movies or explosive video games they’re playing.

Sure, that is pretty valid, however, considering we are using our computers more and more for our entertainment—particularly streaming movies and television—why wouldn’t you want the absolute best sound experience that you can have? Besides, sometimes you want to share that Youtube video, or particularly good Spotify playlist with someone, and headphones just won’t cut it in that situation. Personally, I spend an awful lot of time watching movies on my computer, which sports a very nice HD monitor, and sometimes I don’t want to sit with a pair of headphones on for a few hours. If I want to stretch my legs and move around the room, or keep the movie playing while I grab a snack; that’s pretty inconvenient if you’re wearing a set of headphones. But, with something like the Logitech Z506 5.1 Surround Sound Speaker system, your movies and games come to full and rich room-sized life … and you don’t get sweaty ears!

An External Hard Drive

Back it up. Back it up. Back it up. Those are the three most important things every computer user needs to do on a regular basis. Your data is crucial, whether it is resumes, samples of your work, important documents, or those irreplaceable digital photo or video memories. How freaked out would you be if your computer’s hard drive failed, and you lost all that stuff? However, backing up your data is pretty easy to do, and inexpensive with an external hard drive. Something like the Seagate Backup Plus Slim 1TB 2.5″ USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive offers lots of storage capacity in a slim design that’s super portable—plus it is compatible with both Macs and PCs. It also offers an easy-to-use one-click backup function, so all you have to do is plug it into your computer and you are one click away from protecting all your data.

A Comfortable Computer Chair

Finally, everyone who spends any amount of time in front of a computer screen needs to be doing so while their butt is parked in a comfortable computer chair. Seriously, your posture and comfort are too important to leave to an old kitchen chair and a scrunched-up pillow for support. You’ll look like the Hunchback of Notre Dame before too long. And, every computer user knows about the pains of repetitive movement injuries, especially for your mouse hand/wrist. That’s why you absolutely need good arm and wrist support if you are spending a lot of time using a computer, and that is where a chair specifically designed for computer users comes in. I mean, seriously, isn’t your butt’s comfort worth it? I recently had the opportunity to test out and review a really nice computer chair specifically designed for gamers—the Vertagear SL5000—and it really opened my eyes to how crucial a truly comfortable chair is for someone who spends a lot of time in front of a computer playing games or binging on Netflix shows. You can check out that review here.

So, do you think I chose the right top five accessories computer users need? What are your “must-haves”? Let me know in the comment section below.