Best WFH Setups on a Budget
Hi everyone,
I'm an incoming SA at a BB and was recently contacted by HR and told that they would reimburse us up to just over $300 dollars for a WFH setup (monitor, keyboard, mouse). I currently only have a mac and feel that now would be a good opportunity to invest in a setup. I am willing to put my own money towards this as well, so I would really appreciate it if people could recommend their favorite setups or items that amount to less that ~$650. I've been trying to research on my own and am feeling a bit lost/overwhelmed.
I'd also really appreciate it if you all could recommend some other WFH essentials that you feel strongly about. Thanks!
I would recommend a wireless keyboard and mouse - you can get a nice package for under $60. As for monitors, that is more of a personal preference but I think anything over 24" is too big. Would also recommend a comfortable chair. Good luck!
$300 is barely enough for a good monitor but if you're investing some of your own dough I'd prioritize the following.
Desk - you'll want space and when things start to clutter it can become a huge nuisance
Monitor - you'll be staring at this thing more than you'd like so get a good one. You don't need 4k or anything, but something with good resolution and a high refresh rate will help. Either get a big curved monitor or a couple smaller ones - you'll need the screen real estate
Chair - you'll be sitting here more than you'd like so get something comfortable that won't kill your back over time.
You can get a perfectly good monitor for under $150. An intern doesn’t need a gaming screen
Get yourself a monitor or 2, an MX master mouse, and a keyboard. You don’t need to buy a $900 chair or $700 monitor.
I second the above that you should probably get 2 24" monitors, a good wireless keyboard and mouse, and a nice (but not stupid expensive) chair. One thing to keep in mind is you'll need to buy a docking station to connect everything so keep that in mind as those often run ~$100-$150. But with a high end docking station of $150 you'll still have $500 left in your budget which is more than enough for 2 monitors and a keyboard/mouse
You don’t need a docking station for your home setup. There are these things called cords And dongles that you can use
I’ve been perfectly happy with an HP keyboard and mouse ($30). Still using the same set from HS and it’s been with me to half a dozen countries.
Nextdoor free stuff ftw!
Seeing as how $300 is next to nothing for a setup I'll recommend to you what my setup is.
ASUS MB169B+ (less than $200).
Might even be able to get two of them for $300 if you look around. They're awesome to have. Not exactly 4k UltraLED quality but they're amazing for when you're traveling and just need a quick set up. Perfect for a short term WFH setup. Also get a mouse.
A lot of it is personal preference. If you have enough space, definitely get 2 monitors. Now, what kind of monitor? For banking you only need 2 ~$100-150 monitors anywhere from 21-24 in. But since you're looking to invest in a nice rig, you can feel free to splurge. Just note that, if you're not gaming, the value add of the nicest monitors isn't really that big. You'll probably end up getting a TV for 4K movies anyway. I would suggest getting mountable ones so that you can save space and get a monitor mount if you take the monitors to an NYC apartment.
Keyboards are more subjective. One thing that can save you time is a gaming keyboard with macros. It'll be annoying because you probably need to have IT set up the software of the keyboard so you can have the macros but they save you a lot of time. Pressing 1 button instead of Alt + X + Y + Z to output your Excel tables or refresh those linked presenatations on Powerpoint is so convenient. Mine also has a gaming mode where you can set which buttons are disabled so I don't need to pop off F1, Caps Lock, etc. Mine was the Logitech G613. It's $75 on Amazon now. Not the best typing experience (but still better than non-mechanical) and it's huge but it was cheap and wireless.
Mouse is the least important, get a good wireless one that can easily switch between work and personal laptop and you're good to go. Spent $60 on one but you can probably spend $40 on this and be fine. If you want to maximize the $300, you should use the mouse to fill-in whatever of the budget is left over from the monitors and pay for the keybord yourself.
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