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38” Ultrawide Productivity Desk Setup

To contrast our 2020 Ultrawide Battlestation Setup which focused more on play than work, our latest setup article focuses on the best 38” ultrawide productivity desk setup. With a focus on working from home this year, perhaps this will help some users refine their existing setup by adding that one missing component that might make all the difference or by spurring a complete refresh inspired by the components on display here.

Office Chair: Humanscale Liberty Task Chair

One of the most underrated, neglected aspects of many home offices is the office chair. I cringe when I see what other poor souls are using when they post pictures of their setup on r/battlestations and other sub-Reddits. This is unacceptable; in fact, my viewpoint is that office chair is among the most important pieces of furniture you own. Enter the Humanscale Liberty Task Chair. After using countless chairs over the past few years, always settling for a chair that felt “ok” or “good enough” but could never eliminate my back pain (which steadily increased year after year), I tried the Humanscale Liberty and instantly fell in love.

This chair is utterly amazing and most importantly, it feels great. I’ve never experienced such comfort in an office chair, something specifically designed to keep workers awake and on task. Liberty’s usually run between $1,200 and $1,500 but trust me it is money more than well spent. They are extremely well-made, feature generous warranties and do not require adjustment or constant fiddling with levers like competitor products. You are going to sit in this thing every day and the level of comfort, and the smile that that comfort puts on your face, is priceless!

Monitor: LG 38BK95C-W 38” Ultrawide

The first of a few carryovers from my 2020 Ultrawide Battlestation setup and the namesake piece of both articles is the LG 38BK95C-W 38” ultrawide monitor. This display is as good as it gets as far as I’m concerned. Ultrawide monitors are definitely the form factor to go with if you are a professional, gamer, video editor, you name it. They are a monumental upgrade over their 21:9 brethren, featuring more immersive experiences filled with seemingly endless screen real estate.

I’ve always had a preference for single monitor setups. I’ll admit some multi 4K and ultrawide monitor setups I see over on r/battlestations look pretty damn great and I wonder, for a second, what that particular combination of monitors would be like but I maintain my commitment to the purity of a single display.

Monitor Arm: Humanscale M8.1

Another Humanscale product and another product I couldn’t live without, the Humanscale M8.1 monitor arm. Just the Liberty task chair, the M8.1 monitor arm is a premium product that features expert level construction and materials. It’s extremely easy to install and has great cable management routing as well as the ability to be paired with Humanscale’s unique and stellar docking station, the M/Connect 2.

Monitor arms, as I discuss in our Are Monitor Arms Worth It? article, are essential components in creating a neat, minimalistic desk setup. Humanscale also makes other variants and extensions which allow for numerous monitors to be mounted together much like you’d see on the desks of serious IT multitaskers.

Computer: Sliger SM580 RTX 2080 Ti Build

I’m still enjoying this SFF rig, which was built around the beginning of the year, though it be replaced with an even more exciting SFF build that’s already in the works. To recap, we’ve got an 8700K paired with an EVGA RTX 2080 Ti FTW3 Ultra Gaming. Additional specs include 32GB of Patriot Viper Steel RAM and two WD Black SN_750 NVMe M.2 SSDs. All powered by a Corsair SF750 SFF power supply.

Mouse: Microsoft Surface Precision Mouse

My mouse of choice might come as a surprise as it’s relatively unknown, but it is the best productivity mouse I’ve ever used and trust me, I’ve tried them all. Microsoft really nailed this product and while there a few improvements that could be made in a future revision, the Surface Precision mouse is a solid performer. First, the design is perfect for a palm gripper like me. Second, it has three perfectly sized and spaced thumb buttons on the left side which I personally use for forward, paste and back. That’s all I need; I don’t want a scroll wheel or trackball or fifteen buttons.

In a future revision I’d like to see USB C, more metal, less plastic, higher DPI and a USB wireless connection option in addition to the current sole option of Bluetooth.

Keyboard: Das Keyboard 4Q Smart RGB Mechanical Keyboard

There’s no better productivity keyboard than a Das Keyboard. That should be a saying! The Das Keyboard 4Q Smart RGB Mechanical Keyboard has been my daily driver since testing it in June for several reasons. The Cherry MX brown switches are my favorites and a total joy to type on all day. Perfect amount of response, low noise and each keypress is more satisfying than the last!

Design wise, the 4Q is perfect. It has a high-quality aluminum frame which has just the right amount of heft. The RGB features can be easily toned down to a soft single color in the software. The 2 port USB hub is in an optimal position in the top right corner, making plugging in my mouse to charge and connecting a USB drive at the same time an absolute breeze. The volume wheel’s unique design and quality feel only add to what, to me, is already a perfect keyboard. No extra buttons or gimmicky features. It’s exceptional just the way it is!

Mousepad: ADATA XPG Battleground XL

Just like I’ll never go back to a regular monitor, I’ll never use a non-super-sized mouspad again. The ADATA XPG Battleground XL is a great mat and I haven’t found anything that I prefer more. Its Cordura fabric is heavily resistant to the wear and stains most mousepads will eventually succumb to. No issues with fuzz coming apart or premature wear. Furthermore, every mouse I tested loves this surface. It’s easy to glide on with practically zero resistance. It’s a really well-made product that continues to serve me admirably!

Laptop: Microsoft Surface Book 2 15” w/Surface Pen Platinum

I don’t use it much but when I do, the Microsoft Surface Book 2 is ready to impress me with its consistent performance. Yes, there’s a new revision out (Surface Book 3) but the differences were so miniscule that it didn’t warrant reviewing and that’s a good thing. We’ve reached a plateau with laptops and smartphones for that matter… The Surface Book series are the best hybrid laptop/tablet devices on the market and Microsoft continues to prove that they outperform against both their software and hardware competitors.

Desk Phone: VTech 4-Line Expandable Small Business Office Phone with Answering System

Not much exciting to say here aside from the fact that the old 4-Line Vtech desktop phone is still alive and kicking! Yes, it’s boring but it works without complaint.

Desk: Custom Italian Designed Glass Desk w/Metal Leg & Wooden Drawers

Still using this desk which I’ve still yet to see anywhere else. The unique combination of rarity and quality make my desk both a conversation piece and a stalwart surface on which I lay my portal into the digital world!

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