Streaming and Work From Home Upgrade

[kingfurykiller]

Budget (including currency): $425 (slightly flexibly)

Country: United States

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: 5 days a week (9hrs per day) working from home (using work laptop); primarily WebEx video conferencing. 7 days a week for ~2-3hrs in the evenings (except weekends where I may game for 8hrs one of the days), gaming, streaming, and chat, including CS:GO, Battlezone, Discord, OBS, with some Spotify. 

Other details (existing parts lists, whether any peripherals are needed, what you're upgrading from, when you're going to buy, what resolution and refresh rate you want to play at, etc): I already have a solid work from home and gaming set up (laptop and desktop, keyboard, mouse, USB switch, desk, network, etc), but lately I have been less than satisfied with my video streaming presence, especially in the lighting, audio, and background perspectives. I got some bonus $ from work, so I decided to invest in equipment that would upgrade both my video call presence and my game streaming experience.

 

Here's what I already have in the areas that are relevant:

• Lighting: crappy basement florescent light that's off-center, and a window that is inconsistently useless. A small desk lamp that doesn't help
• Camera: Logitech C920 pro, for both work laptop and gaming desktop (USB switch). Works great if it has good light. Only need to change if I can fit something better in budget
• Audio: Work uses Cisco 562 multibase (thanks remote work); doesn't need upgrade. Gaming is done via a Logitech G533 wireless which is only good for battery life. Charges via Micro-b, earcups are uncomfortable after 2hrs, audio is ok, microphone is ok, build feels like it's gonna break. I want to upgrade
• Background: I have virtual backgrounds in WebEx but my poor work laptop can't handle them, so I need some furniture behind me to cover up wires and make my blank wall more 'interesting'. Gaming, I need to ask one of my graphic design friends to help me do some overlays in OBS, but a cheap shelf or 2 with some books (Expanse) and models (lego) may keep things interesting.

 

Here are my constraints and goals:

 

• Audio has to be wireless; I often get up and walk around both when working and gaming. Wired is not an option. Speakers are not an option since I share my home and don't need everything being heard
• I have to spend something on background because I will be working from home for the foreseeable future and need to look a tad bit more 'professional'
• The lighting is the single biggest area that I need to upgrade since it varies so much throughout the day and night

 

So here is what I am currently looking at:

 

• random $60 'end table' from somewhere
• Cheap blackout curtains
• E-smart LED lights: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0859FD2QF/?coliid=I18W8QZGTRT2F5&colid=1KTW02A2HZNOW&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
• Logitech Pro-X wireless

 

And that's most of my budget   Anyone got any better ideas on what I should focus on for this upgrade? Thank you as always!

Edited August 7, 2021 by kingfurykiller
adding tags

[Bombastinator]

The cheapest blackout curtain that exists is aluminum foil and tape.  Looks terrible though and was sufficiently popular at one point to be associated with squalor.

[kingfurykiller]

29 minutes ago, Bombastinator said:

The cheapest blackout curtain that exists is aluminum foil and tape.  Looks terrible though and was sufficiently popular at one point to be associated with squalor.

Yeah I already have foam nailed to my ceiling for 'noise isolation'. trying to upgrade past that

[Bombastinator]

1 hour ago, kingfurykiller said:

Yeah I already have foam nailed to my ceiling for 'noise isolation'. trying to upgrade past that

Foam isn’t all that great. Try blu fill.  It’s a bit more expensive but it’s much better at sound absorption.  Especially if the sound hits it end on.  It’s the goto material for soundproofing where weight and volume are not a concern. Has some advantages over traditional anechoic chambers because it’s not nearly as directional as pyramid sound traps. Makes it less bother to put in.  You don’t have to be a sound engineer with wild equipment. A solid foot of it is as good as a high end anechoic chamber. Weighs a lot Ian’s isn’t very thin though. If those don’t matter though it’s some of the best stuff that it is possible to get. 

Edited August 8, 2021 by Bombastinator

[kingfurykiller]

11 hours ago, Bombastinator said:

Foam isn’t all that great. Try blu fill.  It’s a bit more expensive but it’s much better at sound absorption.  Especially if the sound hits it end on.  It’s the goto material for soundproofing where weight and volume are not a concern. Has some advantages over traditional anechoic chambers because it’s not nearly as directional as pyramid sound traps. Makes it less bother to put in.  You don’t have to be a sound engineer with wild equipment. A solid foot of it is as good as a high end anechoic chamber. Weighs a lot Ian’s isn’t very thin though. If those don’t matter though it’s some of the best stuff that it is possible to get. 

you're the second person to suggest that to me. I have a crappy drop ceiling in my basement office right now, but plan to do some serious upgrades there, including blu fill and actually walling off my 'office' (as opposed to being a corner of an empty basement with curtains blocking it). Those aren't going to be part of this upgrade