Buying Guides – DIY Desk PC

Building a gaming PC setup is intensely exciting. Most gamers focus on components. Choosing the right motherboard, RAM chipset, or GPU is certainly important but gaming is more than the hardware in your PC. Streamers can be on camera for up to 8 hours a day, hardcore gamers can play for more than five hours in one session. All that computer time can result in serious damage to your body if you don’t invest in the right gaming furniture. It doesn’t matter how good your rig is if you’re getting back, leg, and arm strain from bad posture; it could even stop you from being able to game. Beyond the posture problem, finding the right gaming chair can enhance your gameplay and immersion. Some chairs have built-in stereo sound systems, not only keeping you in the action but also giving you an advantage over other players by providing directional hearing. For the seriously hardcore, there are full-on motorized, triple monitor, reactive gaming stations that are more spaceship than chair. The right chair can even improve your reaction times, giving you those crucial milliseconds needed to pull off a win. Like any computer component or accessory, there are a seemingly infinite amount of choices. That’s why we’ve brought together the most ergonomic, unique, and feature filled gaming chairs on the net: IW-J20 Imperator WorksX Rocker SE 2.1Respawn 900OMEGA-R Fortnite EditionMOJO Gamer ProGTracing Gaming ChairHbada AutoFullHealGen Executive We evaluated each chair based on: Size/WeightFeaturesErgonomicsAestheticsManufacturer These chairs are as varied as they are cool. So always keep in mind your gaming needs and situation. There’s no point in buying the behemoth IW-J20 if you’re trying to fit it in a college dorm room. On the other hand, if you’re looking for total immersion, then the sleek but minimalist OMEGA-R might not be right for you. That said, we’ve got something for everyone so let’s get into the reviews: IW-J20 Imperator Works Get ready to move your desk and possibly knock down a wall to fit the 400lb monster that is the IW-J20. This isn’t a normal gaming chair, instead it’s a full immersion computer station. Standing 83” tall, 63” wide, and 98” long when maximally extended, the IW-J20 isn’t so much a piece of furniture as it is a sculpture and conversation piece. The chair itself is repurposed from a racing car. Not only does the chair vibrate with your game, it also comes with heating and massage functions, and uses hidden hydraulic motors to recline to an astonishing 128°, reaching a full, ergonomic, zero gravity position. The chair features two transparent 12mm thick acrylic armrests with extra cushioning for your wrists and forearms. One arm can be used as a mouse shelf while the other supports an adjustable, 240° rotating keyboard tray. The workstation comes with a monitor mount capable of holding up whatever optical system you desire, from three separate 27” displays or one massive 49” ultrawide curved screen. The stand is electrically adjustable in both distance and height, allowing you to create the perfect visual experience. Everything is held together by a quality high carbon steel frame. Angular styling, powder coated black paint, and color changing, hidden, RGB LEDs give the frame a genuine spaceship aesthetic. In addition to the LEDs, there is pre mounted, anti-glare, soft, work down lighting. The frame also acts as your primary cable management solution. The twin supporting arms are hollow, which allows you to elegantly route your cables around the station with no tangles or mess. All this is mounted to a wheeled base that allows you to move the entire workstation with ease. The base acts as your PC case mount and has tons of extra room for your other gaming accessories. The IW-J20’s features are adjustable from a phone sized control panel. Not only is this convenient but it completes the spaceship theme. You’re not just using a piece of furniture, you’re fully immersed in the gaming experience. The company behind the IW-J20, Imperator Works, has made a big splash in the high end gaming accessory market. They’ve even partnered with RedBull. Their most impressive feature is their customer service. They’ll video call you to diagnose the problem, ship the parts out to you, and have a second video call to help you install the new part. This, combined with their high profile website and partnerships, shows Imperator Works to be a serious, dedicated, player in the gaming chair/workstation space. From its well reputed manufacturer to its ergonomic zero gravity and massage features, the IW-J20 stands atop the pinnacle of gaming furniture. Its only drawbacks are its massive size and its luxury price tag. But if you’ve got the money and space to show it off, then the IW-J20 is a great choice. Click HERE to see the IW-J20 on Amazon! X Rocker SE 2.1 The X Rocker SE 2.1 is designed to provide an in-depth, audio-sensory experience. Its main feature is a 4” subwoofer placed in the back of the chair. This allows vibrations from the bass sounds of your game to travel through the chair's material and directly into your body. You’ll be more immersed as you’ll feel every action that causes an audio response in your game. In addition, there are two stereo speakers in the headrest. This partially eliminates the need for headphones by providing the same directional audio but expanding it into the environment of your game room. However, there is a headphone jack for those who still wish to use them. You can control both volume and bass via the panel on the right side of the chair. Also, there are audio input and output jacks that allow you to connect your SE 2.1 to other audio devices and even other X Rocker chairs! This means your friends can join in your immersive audio experience making the SE 2.1 perfect for local console gamers. The SE 2.1 supports wireless connection to older consoles and some PCs. The chair uses an included transmitter that you plug into your device in order to transfer audio signals. However, the SE 2.1 was designed to use RGA ports to connect to your PC/Console. On newer consoles and PCs, these have been replaced with HDMI ports. For PS4 or XBox1, players will need to buy a legacy converter in order to use the SE 2.1. The chair itself rests on a metal pedestal. This allows for full 360° rotation as well as spring supported tilting, allowing your body to naturally find its position of rest in the chair. Combined with the SE 2.1’s ergonomic curved design, this chair provides excellent lumbar and neck support. The chair does have armrests, however, they are designed for use with a controller and aren’t far-reaching enough for a desk mounted keyboard and mouse. This isn’t all bad, the small arms mean the SE 2.1 is compact and doesn’t take up much more room than a normal chair. Plus it folds in half in case you need to move it out of the way. One thing that really sets X Rocker apart is their customer service. They offer a 30-day return policy on all their chairs as long as you pay the return shipping and restocking fees. Plus you get free shipping if you live in the UK. X Rocker shows they’re willing to engage with their customers by having multiple lines of contact including phone, email, and live chat. This means you’ll be dealing with direct representatives of the company itself instead of an Amazon shop reseller. The SE 2.1 is a great chair for audio lovers. The embedded speakers provide a unique experience and the ergonomic design keeps you comfortable. It does seem to be designed with console players in mind yet it doesn’t have the now ubiquitous HDMI port. If you’re willing to overcome that minor setback then the SE 2.1 could be right for you. Click HERE to see the X Rocker SE 2.1 on Amazon! Respawn 900 The Respawn 900 focuses on comfort and utility above all else. The headrest, back, arm and leg rests are covered in segmented padding, allowing the chair to support individual parts of your body at the same time. The defining features of the Respawn 900 are its back and leg rests. Each can be adjusted independently of each other allowing you to go from a relaxed full 135° beach chair recline to a fully upright pro-gamer stance. The modular adjustment feature means that this chair is technically more adjustable than the luxury IW-J20. The Respawn 900 also comes with a built in cupholder in the left armrest. Not only does this protect your electronics from spills but by keeping liquid in easy reach it helps gamers combat dehydration which affects all aspects of gameplay (source). The chair also comes with a removable pouch on the side for holding controllers, headphones, and other gaming accessories. The surface of the chair is made from one continuous piece of material. This stops cables from getting caught in the moving parts of the Respawn 900. The chair also comes in five different colors so you’ll easily be able to fit it in with the theme of your game room. The Respawn company is one of the best on this list in terms of customer support. Not only do they offer a full lifetime warranty on their products but also free shipping in the contiguous United States. They have a fully fleshed-out website, multiple lines of contact for customer interaction, and archived assembly instructions in case you lose yours. That’s all there really is to say about the Respawn 900. It doesn’t have many features but the features it does have are well designed and focus on ergonomics. This chair would be perfect for a gamer looking for comfort and simplicity. Click HERE to see the Respawn 900 on Amazon! Fortnite OMEGA-R From the same company that brought us the Respawn 900 we have the Fortnite OMEGA-R. Just like the 900, the OMEGA-R doesn’t have a ton of features, instead focusing on delivering an extremely ergonomic and aesthetic experience. Inspired by the Tier 100, Omega skin from Fortnite, the black leather and vinyl body of the chair is strikingly accented with orange and silver highlights. The designers managed to capture the essence of the Omega skin, and this chair is definitely flashy, made to catch the eye and make a statement. This could be great for a Fortnite enthusiast; a real-world connection to the game to further immerse the player into the world of Fortnite. However because it is a themed chair, it may have a hard time blending with more aesthetically diverse gaming accessories. If you’re considering this chair, carefully think about whether the OMEGA-R will accentuate or dominate your gaming setup. The OMEGA-R features Respawn’s characteristic dedication to ergonomics. The headrest isn’t just a pillow hanging on with a couple of strips of velcro, rather it is integrated directly into the body of the chair. This provides much better stability and comfort but if you’re someone who likes to fine-tune your neck comfort, this could be a turnoff. The back has segmented padding to better support individual sections of your spine. This, combined with the extra lumbar support, built into the base of the reclining section, means you will never have to worry about muscle or joint pain while lounging in the OMEGA-R. Even the armrests are padded and they can be flipped up and out of the way if you prefer to rest your arms on your knees or desk. This chair gives you a lot of freedom of movement. The back has a generous 118° rocking recline and it has a full 360° swivel. The recline tension can also be adjusted, providing the perfect amount of support even during extreme gaming sessions. Plus the chair is incredibly strong, supporting up to 275 lbs. Like the Respawn 900, the OMEGA-R is simple but incredibly well made. It evokes the spirit of Fortnite with its aesthetics and provides excellent comfort through its ergonomic design. It isn’t oversized and can fit comfortably in any gaming setup. Respawn says the chair was designed with console gamers in mind but the movable armrests allow the chair to be positioned close to a desk without any problems. Overall the OMEGA-R is well designed if simple, and a good choice for any Fortnite enthusiast. Click HERE to see the OMEGA-R on Amazon! GTracing Gaming Chair Where Respawn focused on simplicity and elegance, GTracing packs every feature you can think of into a chair. The first thing that catches your eye is the Bluetooth speakers mounted to the back of the headrest. These have an onboard battery that takes three hours to charge but delivers five to six hours of audio. The speakers have a five-meter range, giving you a huge amount of flexibility with positioning, without worrying about routing yet another power cord. This makes the chair versatile. You can use it with your desk for a close up, action packed, gaming experience, or move the chair back and relax while watching a movie on your TV. However, if you want to connect to your console, you will need to purchase an additional USB bluetooth adaptor from GTracing. Ergonomically, the chair is incredible. The metal frame supports high-density foam cushions covered in PU leather. There are adjustable head and waist rests to ensure that the two most gaming pain prone areas, your neck and lumbar spine, are protected. The back of the chair has a maximum of 170° recline that can be locked at any point along the arc. When combined with the retractable footrest, this allows you to modify the Gaming Chair from a full beach chair recline to tight, upright, pro gamer stance. In addition, each armrest is vertically adjustable, giving you further comfort customization options. Instead of a pedestal, this chair uses a five star, roller feet design, allowing you to adjust the position of your chair quickly and easily. This is perfect for limited space setups since you can move the chair around your room for more room when needed. GTracing is a new company and they’re hungry to make their mark in the gaming chair world. Their website offers over five different methods of customer service contact, a flexible 30 return policy, and a generous one year warranty on most items. Their openness is refreshing in a gaming world where many companies hide behind premade email forms or limited and confusing warranty agreements. The GTracing Gaming Chair is a tour de force of features and ergonomics from a great company. This is reflected in their 4.5/5 star rating on Amazon. If you’re looking for an incredibly versatile and comfortable chair, look no further than GTracing. Click HERE to see the GTracing Gaming Chair on Amazon! Hbada AutoFull Quality is the keyword with Hbada. The AutoFull is visually similar to many of the other chairs on this list but it stands apart in design and materials. The metal frame has an all-in-one design featuring extra support struts in both the back and seat. The cushions are made of viscoelastic memory foam, which they claim is 50% denser than their competitors. The tilt and lift hydraulic mechanisms both use thicker than normal cylinders for extra support, plus pure nitrogen for a smoother and more stable user experience. The Autofull also offers a wide variety of comfort customizations. It sports both head and waist rest cushions for extra spine and neck protection. The back reclines 155° and can be locked at any point throughout the arc. Once locked, you can adjust the resistance of the back to allow for up to 25° of rocking. In addition, both armrests can be adjusted to seven different heights, you can even rotate them sideways! The wing-backed design cradles your spine and shoulders, giving you even more support. Finally, the five-star, roller feet design, allows you to move the AutoFull with ease. Hbada, as a company, is a mystery. It doesn't seem to have an official website (that I could find anyway), but what documentation does exist, shows an intense dedication to quality reflected in their 4.4/5 star rating on Amazon. Their Amazon store is well curated so buyers shouldn’t worry too much. They offer a 1-year warranty for damage, installation problems, and missing parts. That’s on top of a 30-day money-back guarantee if you aren’t satisfied with their product. The only question I'd have is how do I actually take advantage of these if they don't have a website? Maybe information is provided in the documention when you purchase. The Hbada AutoFull is a great choice for anyone looking for a well rounded, well made, gaming chair. It might not have built-in speakers or a footrest but Hbada’s dedication to quality and customer satisfaction make the Autofull a good choice nonetheless. Click HERE to see the Hbada AutoFull on Amazon! Healgen Executive At first glance, the Executive might seem like any other gaming chair. To be certain it shares a lot of the same features as the other chairs on this list. Healgen seems to have looked at the massive amount of features available on other chairs, picked the most common ones, and integrated them in a way no other company has. A great example of this concept is the armrests. Normally, when you deeply recline a chair, the armrests are left standing straight up, which not only makes them almost unusable, they can also get in the way of your arms. The Executive fixes this problem in an extremely elegant way. When the chair reclines it moves the armrests as well, since they are secured to both the back and seat of the chair. It's a deceptively simple change, but it eliminates the need to engage in the annoying process of removing the armrests when you want to comfortably recline. Speaking of reclining, Healgen included an extendable footrest to maximize user comfort. In another triumph of simple design, the footrest is quietly tucked under the seat, blending in with the overall design of the Executive. Footrests on other chairs often stick out physically or visually but Healgen once again focused on elegance and it shows. Other ergonomic features include a substantial built-in headrest, breathable mesh fabric on the backing, and an anti-slip, high elasticity, seat cushion. The back reclines to a maximum of 155° with a 20° rock and full 360° swivel. One unique, ergonomic choice was the inclusion of a USB rechargeable, massaging, lumbar pillow. Many chairs have waist rests but the Executive is one of the only ones that include a massage feature. This choice continues to show Healgen’s commitment to upgrading the gaming chair experience, not with LEDs or Bluetooth speakers, but simple design inclusions that make all the difference. This is especially true when you consider the prevalence of back injury in gamers. The Executive comes in four colors, which should allow it to fit in with your particular setup. If you’re unsatisfied with the product, Healgen has an any reason, 30 day, return/money back policy. If you do end up liking the chair, you’ll enjoy a five-year warranty on all components of the Executive. Though the Executive is a great chair, Healgen doesn’t seem to be a well-established company. We couldn’t find an official website for them and their Amazon store is sparse. However, the Executive maintains a 4.3/5 star rating on Amazon and the reviews are glowing. Click here to read reviews and get latest pricing (link to Amazon). The Executive appears to be a great chair. It doesn't have the fanciest of features but it delivers strongly on all that it offers. It definitely deserves consideration. Conclusions Every chair on this list offers benefits specific to the user it is intended for. The IW-J20 is a monster packed with more options and features than some cars. The OMEGA-R is simple but a classic, well-made gaming chair and a perfect fit for Fortnite fans. When you’re looking for a gaming chair you need to remember your personal needs. There’s no point in buying the IW-J20 if you have to knock down a wall just to fit it inside your house. There’s a lot of choices and it can be overwhelming; don’t settle for a sub-par gaming experience because you rushed to buy the first thing that caught your eye. Use this list and your experience with your own gaming setup to find the best solution for you.