In my last post I discussed gifts that involved the care and cleaning of your computer. Today, I’ll discuss some real gifts to spruce up your rig. Cost will be an important criteria so we won’t be getting into a new video card, know what I mean?

1. Keyboard: A new keyboard can add a whole lot of fun to your computer experience. If you are still using the plain, generic keyboard that came with your computer, why not spring for something better, something with more pizazz! Instead of the normal F keys on top and a number pad on the right side, some keyboards add a significant level of control. This means that you can manage things like the sound volume, the eject button on your DVD unit, fast forward or rewind with your media player or even such things as opening web pages or Google search. You’d have to load drivers for some of the new boards but you should be used to that by now.

2. Mouse: As with the keyboard, a new mouse will add some flare to your daily computing life. The two major prerequisites would be USB connectivity and optical (as opposed to a wheel). Every mouse sold today is  USB and I haven’t seen a wheel mouse to years but you never know. If you are a gamer, you can buy a mouse which allows you to control many different aspects of your favorite game, assigning weapons, for instance, to certain buttons. You can consider wireless with both of these gifts but I have found the battery replacement to be a pain. Wireless is mandatory if you use your computer for a media centre but there are custom remotes with digital keyboards that might be better.

3. A USB Key: You may call these flash drives but they are the same thing. Right now, a 32 gig drive can be had for around $20.00. With a drive that size, you can do a few things to make your work go faster. You could use the drive to enhance your RAM. (Here’s a post on Instructables.com about how to do it.) It’s also possible to load a complete operating system on a large flash key, allowing you to avoid using a slow hard drive. Linux has different packages for this and there are many portable apps out there which add  good amounts of fun and function. On netbooks without DVD drives, you could add movies to your flash key and play them from it instead of always using your desktop. This would be faster than streaming but not as fast as copying the movie or video to your netbook hard drive.

4. A New Monitor: CRTs are dead, LCD is the only way to go. Let me rephrase that a bit. LCD is dead. LED is the way to go. If you are energy conscious, consider getting one of the new LED monitors. Bright, long lasting and very energy efficient, these new LED units are a joy to use. Stick to a brand name such as Dell, Asus or any of the other recognizable names. If you see a good deal on a non-brand name monitor, at least do some research on it.

5. Chairs: A few years ago I sprang for a very comfortable, high back office chair. It reclines, swivels and has arms. It’s light so it rolls fairly easily on carpet. I don’t regret the purchase one bit. Ten years or so later, it still works perfectly. Head over to your local big box office supply store and take a seat in a few display models. Whatever you do, don’t get something cheap. I’ve seen a couple of  accidents with cheap chairs, one which could have ended very badly as in spinal or brain injury. Get a brand name or something that is solid. Cheap plastic legs won’t last. Watch for sales or sign up for email newsletters which sometimes include discount coupons. Have some fun with this and make sure you get something that supports your back adequately. Oh yeah, my chair goes up and down, too. To be really comfortable, you have to be at the correct height, right?

6. Speakers: I like to listen to music while I work. Cheap desktop speakers don’t cut it for me, not since I’ve been spoiled by 5.1 surround sound. Logitech is my company of choice for speakers. I have at least five sets around the house. You can choose a solid 2.1 unit or pay a bit more for a mid-range 5.1 setup. The .1 means a sub-woofer which is pretty much mandatory these days. The centre speaker of a 5.1 system usually sits on top of the monitor with the bracket already built-in. Some monitors have speakers with them but, personally, I’d steer clear of these. Multi-function devices usually scrimp on quality, I’ve found.

Happy Holidays and Happy Computing!

Thanks for reading.