by Do you have a pre-teen or early-teen child? Struggling to think of what to get them for Christmas to complete or complement their PC setup? It’s that time of year again when we’re just a couple of weeks away from Santa leaving presents under the tree. If you’re still deciding what to get your loved ones, you won’t have much time left before there won’t be enough time to get your goods delivered, so it’s better to think carefully about what little monster you can get for their game setup .
My son is 13 going on 26 and plays a mixture of games from Minecraft and Roblox to many a zombie game. He also enjoys hanging out with his friends on their own little Discord server playing multiplayer games together and streaming their gameplay to each other. After watching many YouTube videos, my son has become well indoctrinated into the RGB alt persona when it comes to his room decor. Studio 54 never had such a light show, not even during the disco days.
Headset: Go for quality, wireless is a plus
So, what are some affordable options for kids who play PC games? I’ve found that my son goes through peripherals pretty quickly, thanks to a mix of abuse and the fact that some devices just don’t meet the needs of an active and excited teenager.
Headsets are always the first to go. I started by letting him get hand-me-downs when he was younger, but as he matured he started to take more interest in the products he wanted to use. The cheaper, flimsy headsets would only last a few months, so I started upgrading him to more powerful name brands and quickly became a fan of the quality and price of headsets like the HyperX Cloud II, which you could often find discounted – especially during sales holidays like Black Friday .
It’s definitely worth spending a few extra bucks to get a product that’s more durable and likely to last a while. One thing he’s been wanting recently is a wireless headset, especially for use with his VR headset, since there are already enough cable hassles when using it. So this year I have chosen a HyperX Cloud Alpha wireless headset and hope it will meet his expectations.
Wireless gaming headsets are an especially good idea for kids, as they can get excited and accidentally tug on the cords of wired ones. On the other hand, you need to make sure the headsets stay charged and have decent battery life. It almost goes without saying that you want a headset that uses 2.4GHz wireless technology, not just Bluetooth because Bluetooth quality isn’t as good. If you want to find a top-notch headset, check out our list of the best gaming headsets. There are also a couple of great headset deals right now:
RGB Mouse Pads: A really cheap gift
A simple and affordable gift that I have given my boy in recent years is a new mouse pad. Sometimes it’s just a plain color, and other times it can be decorated with whatever trending interest he might have. A mouse pad is usually a bit of a stocking stuffer as they usually don’t cost much, but of course you can go crazy and spend a small country’s GDP on one with flashing lights and wireless charging if you’re so inclined.
As it happens, Tom’s Hardware maintains a list of the best RGB mouse pads, and we test them to make sure they really shine. There are a couple of solid sales on pads now too:
Keyboard: Compact and colorful
When it comes to keyboards and mice, it’s all down to preference, and prices for these range from pretty low to obscene. Consider factors such as size, space, mechanical or membrane, RGB and price. For my son it must have RGB; for him it’s more important than the functionality of the product, but I’ll make sure it’s capable of both and also a good value for money.
He has a small desk in his room and never uses the numpad on his current keb, so I’ve opted to get him a smaller TKL (Ten-Key-Less) board that still retains the functionality of F keys but offers a bit more space on the desktop. I chose a Logitech G Pro TKL that I managed to find on sale for around $50, this keyboard comes with mechanical switches and all the RGB he could want.
We maintain an updated list of the best gaming keyboards. There are also a few compelling keyboards on sale right now:
Mouse: Save by being wired
Also for a mouse I found a Logitech G Pro Wired for $30 that matches the keyboard and is priced nicely. He’s not worried about having a wireless keyboard and mouse and going wired for these two peripherals usually saves you a lot of money and eliminates the pain of your mouse or keyboard running out of juice at the most inconvenient time.
We have a list of the best gaming mice based on our extensive testing and research. However, there are also some great gaming mouse deals right now:
Screen: A dramatic upgrade, but not cheap
The last thing I bought my son for Christmas is a new monitor, as he was using a very old used monitor that I had gone through years ago, just like the PC he uses – made from all my old bits and pieces. The first thing to consider when thinking about getting a monitor is the use case, and then think about what hardware you have running it. A monitor is one of those pieces of kit that can last multiple PC builds, so it’s worth making the right choice.
My son uses his computer for schoolwork and gaming and has an older Nvidia 6GB GTX 1060 running the graphics. Space on his desk is also important, so I don’t want anything bigger than a 27-inch monitor. Being a small gamer and enjoying the FPS games, something with a decent refresh rate of 144Hz plus would be nice, but with the GPU he has, he is not able to play games with a resolution higher than 1080p. So I’m considering a monitor that is limited to a 1080p (1920 x 1080) resolution.
Going for a 1080p monitor also gives you plenty of options and keeps the price low, as high-speed 1080p monitors are available for less than $200. If you’re willing to spend closer to $250 or $300, you can get a 2K (2560 x 1440) display that will make text and images sharper. Anyway, if you upgrade your graphics card in the future, you can think about another monitor with a higher resolution and maybe convert the one you buy today to another monitor.
We have a very detailed list of the best gaming monitors you can buy, based on our testing. However, these screens are on good sale at the moment:
- Dell S2721HGF (27-inch, curved 144 Hz, 1080p): now $179 at Dell (opens in a new tab) (was $259)
- Dell G2722HS (27-inch, 165 Hz, 1080p): now $149 at Dell (opens in a new tab) (was $279)
- Alienware AW2521HFL (25-inch, 240 Hz 1080p): now $199 at Best Buy (opens in a new tab) (was $249)
The bottom line
The most important thing about buying any piece of computer, peripheral, or monitor is to think about the purpose you want them to serve, the amount you’re willing to spend, and if it’s for the holidays, whether your child will actually want them.
Be sensible and look for good offers and prices and don’t rush to buy. Hopefully you’ve already shopped away, but if not, check out our lists of the best deals on PC hardware and tech right now and the best display deals.
