Are you looking for a cheap and simple upgrade for your desk that will improve your workspace or gaming setup in the long run? MeinMMO editor Benedikt Schlotmann bought a small upgrade for his setup, and it was definitely worth it.
I often sit at my desk in the evenings reading, working, or playing my current favorite games. However, looking at a monitor in a dark room can eventually tire your eyes. That’s why I had already bought a great lamp for my desk, but the room itself remained dark.
I was therefore consciously looking for an option to illuminate my desk better. However, I didn’t want to constantly turn on the ceiling lights or get a desk lamp that only lights up my desk in one spot.
Eventually, I bought an LED light strip that costs just 12 euros.
A simple light strip significantly improves the desk and costs hardly anything
What kind of product is this? The furniture giant IKEA has now entered the gaming world and offers furniture for gamers in collaboration with ASUS. However, IKEA has been selling LED light strips for several years now, which are sold under the name “LEDBERG”. These are usually glued or attached to drawers so that you can see your laundry or other items inside. The light strip is then connected to the power outlet with a plug.
I bought one of these light strips at IKEA and placed it on my desk behind my monitors. The light strip costs only 12 euros and can be installed in a few minutes. The version from IKEA can be interconnected, allowing the light strip to be extended as needed. You can connect a total of three pieces (each 25 cm long).
What’s so great about it? The improvement is immediately visible, and I’ve attached a photo for you. When I sit at my desk in the evenings and don’t have the ceiling light on, I have a soft backlight. Since my desk is in a rather dark corner of the room, the lighting makes a big difference.
This is much more comfortable for the eyes than staring at a bright screen. Because the eye has not just a single light source (my monitor), but it has significantly more light to work with.
I also combine this LED light strip with a monitor lamp, which I additionally mounted on my right monitor. You can read why such a lamp is also recommended on MeinMMO:
Are there any disadvantages? I had to take some time for the setup at first. Because my mouse and keyboard cables were in the way, and the rigid version cannot be attached to the monitor. With flexible strips, I quickly found myself at 30 euros at IKEA.
The second thing that could also be bothersome is the appearance. A loose light strip on the desk may first appear cheap. This hasn’t really bothered me so far, but I could consider buying the flexible version in the future. This version can be attached to the back of my monitor and will then also disappear from my tidy desk.
Other manufacturers also offer LED strips, but with more features
Is it only available from IKEA? IKEA is not the only company that offers such LED strips. You can also find smart LED strips from various providers on Amazon that you can control a bit with a remote control or via an app. Govee and Philips Hue are probably the most well-known providers:
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
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Govee LED Strip 10m, Bluetooth RGB LED Streifen mit App-Steuerung, Farbwechsel, Musik Sync, 64... | Zu Amazon |
*Affiliate-Links. Wir erhalten bei einem Kauf eine kleine Provision von Amazon. Vielen Dank für Eure Unterstützung!
I deliberately opted out of this app control option since I was only looking for a simple but effective solution for my desk. And I found that solution in this light strip.
Manufacturers like Philips now incorporate such LED strips into their televisions. My colleague from GameStar, Nils Raettig, is enthusiastic about Philips Ambilight and would like to see such a feature in gaming devices as well. Philips promises that Ambilight is supposed to counteract eye fatigue.
