Tag Desk

Attack of the clones?

MSI recently introduced a microphone aimed at streamers; the MSI Immerse GV60. At first I was not immediately enthusiastic when I saw the microphone, as it strongly reminded me of the Blue Yeti. But is it just a clone or does MSI know how to add value in this category?

Packaging

The if we look at the box of the MSI Immerse GV60, it looks quite sober. The box only consists of white, black and grey colors. In my opinion, this is not a wrong choice. MSI clearly shows that it does not only puts focus on a young gaming audience with this product. On the frontside is a large image of the microphone with the model number listed. You will also find an MSI logo on this side. The main specifications are listed on the side. It is striking that both the sample rate and the bit rate are higher than with the major competitor; the Blue Yeti. Instead this is more in line with the more expensive Blue Yeti X.

Inside the box

After the outer box has been pulled off, the inner box can be opened. First you see the manual, which is thicker than your wife’s average romantic pocketbook. The microphone can be found in a thick foam bunker, wrapped in a plastic jacket. The foot is already in place. On the side is a flap containing the USB-C to USB-A cable, an included pop filter and two caps to cover up the screw holes, more about this later.

The Immerse GV60 unpacked

The microphone gives a good first impression. It is sturdy, quite heavy even compared to an already hefty Blue Yeti. The design is slightly less rounded, but still very sleek. The MSI Immerse GV60 has a sleek, uniform dark gray finish in matte aluminum. On the front there are 3 buttons of equal size for the various recording modes, headset volume and microphone volume. Below that is a small button that mutes the microphone. The microphone comes on a stand that feels sturdy. The Immerse GV60 can be screwed in on both sides and does not fall down when positioned, for example, at an angle. At the bottom you will find a USB-C connection, a screw connection for a boom arm and a 3.5 inch microphone connection.

Specifications

Noticeable specifications include an USB C port and a higher then average sample- and bit rate.

In practice

I bought the microphone mainly because of its clean look and lack of software. I have experience with a Blue Yeti Nano and a HyperX Quadcast microphone. These are my personal frames of reference.

Appearance of the Immerse GV60

The microphone has a matte finish and no eye-catching logos. MSI has subtly put its name on the front in a dark color. On the back if the mic you will find an MSI brand logo. A small light indicates the status of the microphone; green for active, red for mute. As mentioned, the buttons have a uniform look with a white text and logo to indicate the function. In my opinion, the buttons could have had some ridges for just that little bit of extra grip. The MSI Immerse GV60 looks sleek and will not distract during a teams meeting. Speaking of which, check out this article about monitor arms for a cleaner desk.

Ease of use

The microphone can be used immediately, no separate software is required. My windows 11 system recognized the microphone immediately after connecting it. In windows itself you can indicate if the MSI should or should not do all the recording work instead of any other microphone present, such as that of a webcam. MSI has not developed any software for the microphone. If you want to use certain filters or adjust other sound effects, you will have to do this with your streaming software. The advantage is that no unnecessary resources are used by software that not everybody will be using. The stand is easy to remove if you want to place the microphone on a boom arm. the screw holes are then neatly covered with the supplied caps.

Recording quality of the Immerse GV60

I have used the Immerse GV60 from MSI for online gaming, a video call through teams and for communication during a phone call. In all cases, according to the person on the other end, I was very easy to understand. Voices came across true-to-live, with no noise or distortion. I have largely made use of the cardioid setting. If you want to make a podcast interview, the stereo mode is ideal. For people who like to play with ASMR, there is the stereo mode. I notice I find it very convenient to be able to adjust these settings without having to reach to the back of the mic. This was one issue I had with the Yeti Nano I used before.

Conclusion

MSI has released a very nice microphone with the Immerse GV60. The appearance is initially reminiscent of the Blue Yeti. However, to put the MSI away as a simple clone would do the product injustice. For about the same price as the Blue Yeti you get a higher sample and bit rate with the MSI. If you want the same level of recording quality with a Blue Yeti you will need to step up to the Blue Yeti X. I haven’t used that before, but it seems to be a nice mic as well. The appearance is not disturbing when it comes into the picture and the operation is simple. A pop filter is included, although any threaded adapter will have to be purchased separately. All in all, a very solid entry from MSI. For the price I paid, which was around €110,- I can highly recommend this microphone. For more info visit the official product page.

Summers are getting hotter and hotter and we can all use some extra cooling on our desk. Usually provided with by a desk fan. Unfortunately a desk fan can introduce annoying sounds around you.

What if one Noctua, a company well known for making one of the best and most silence fans stepped in the ring? Twitter user @dejayooh asked them?

Noctua quickly responded and confirmed they are planning on releasing a desk fan Q1 of 2023.

knowing Noctua though this release estimate should be taken with a grain of salt. Noctua is the kind of company that only releases something when it’s really done.

What do you think? Is this a homerun for Noctua or should they keep focussing on their desktop fans and coolers? At least it should have that love it-or hate-it brown look.

Why you should invest in a monitor arm.

While a monitor is often an essential part of your (home) office you don’t have to sacrifice half of your deskspace for it. An easy way to tackle this is by getting an adjustable monitor arm. Luckily most monitors these days can be adjusted in height. They still have big clumsy feet though. A monitor arm can give you back your space and clean your desk up. On top of that they can add some ergonomic benefits.

Space

On your desk you probably have a mouse and keyboard, maybe some speakers like the Razer Nommo Chroma. Or maybe a picture of you spouse or cat…. Now look at your monitor…Chances are the monitor stand takes a lot of precious deskspace. With a monitor arm you can take back a lot of that space! Most monitor arms also come with a cable management system which will further help you clean up your desk.

Ergonomics

Sitting behind your desk, especially for prolonged hours can cause some serious issues. While more and more feet that come with monitors offer things like height and swivel adjustments a monitor arm also lets you change the distance between the screen and your eyes. It will also help you adjust for things like conference calls or meetings in front of your webcam. No longer will you need to maneuver yourself in awkward positions. With a monitor arm you can easily adjust you monitor to give you the center stage.

Important things to consider

Height adjustment on a monitor arm

Most monitor arms offer on the fly height adjustments by using a mechanical spring or gas cylinder. A mechanical spring monitor arm will usually last longer. On the other hand a monitor arm with a gas spring will operate more smoothly and silent. Gas spring monitor arms are the most commonly used by people who want to easily adjust their monitor. There are also monitor arms that don’t use either but instead use a screw mechanism to adjust their height. This is most suitable for people who tend to leave their monitor at a fixed height.

Size and weight

Knowing what size and weight your monitor has is important. Most monitor stands specify the maximum weight they are able to hold. Check if both your monitor and arm are VESA compliant. The VESA standard is there to ensure a monitor uses a standard hole pattern on the back. There are different sizes here so check is your monitor and arm offer the same options. For example 100 x 100 or 75 x 75 are sizes commonly used.

Mounting to your desk

Mounting the monitor stand itself can be done by clamping or a screw-in hole. If you don’t mind drilling a hole in your desk the latter is usually the most secure option. Clamping gives you more flexibility though if you want to change things up.

Here’s are some great options

Arctic Z1 (Gen3)

The Arctic Z1 is a good option for those who need a set and forget solution. This stand offers easy rotation and tilt options. It comes with an USB 2.0 hub for pass through of your keyboard and mouse for example. There is no gas-lift mechanism though so adjusting the height is something you wont be doing on the fly. Arctic also offers models with usb 3.0 hubs, without USB hubs and multiple monitor support.

The Arctic Z1 (Gen3) supports up to 34″ monitors or 38″ Ultrawide models with a maximum of 15kg.

You can check the current price on Amazon.nl here

Iiyama DS1002C-B1

The Iiyama DS1002C-B1 is a dual monitor stand which supports up to 10KG monitors. The stand doesn’t come with an USB hub but instead offers a clean looking desk solution. Monitors up to 30″ are supported. Iiyama also offers a triple monitor version which can be found here.

The Iiyama dual monitor arm supports monitor of up to 10kg per monitor and supports both the VESA 75×75 and 100×100 standards.

Amazon Basics Monitor Arm

The Amazon Basics monitor arm is a great bang for buck option. Its sturdy, has a built in cable management system and takes up little space. The Amazon basics arm is actually a rebranded Ergotron monitor arm. You can also buy a laptopstand to mount on the arm instead of the monitor backplate. So if you want to have both you will need to buy either two arms or a dual monitor arm with it.

The Amazon basics monitor arm supports up to 32″ monitors with a maximum of 11kg.

Dell Single monitor arm MSA20

The Dell MSA20 isn’t cheap but it is a very solid option. It is very sturdy and very adjustable. For those people who own a Dell monitor this is a very convenient option. For most Dell monitors you can just click the backplate right on the back of you monitor just like the original stand that came with you monitor does. If you don’t own a Dell monitor you can still use a normal screw-in connection thanks to its support for the VESA 100x100mm standard. The dell also offers a visual scale which will tell you if the monitor is too light or to heavy with your current adjustment settings.

The Dell arm supports monitors from 19″ to 38″ with a maximum weight of 10kg.

Final words

So there you have it, some examples to improve your ergonomics and take back your deskspace. There are of course more ways to achieve this. You could consider going with a wireless ultralight mouse and wireless compact keyboard for example. There are also ergonomically shaped keyboards like the Akko Alice and mice like the Logitech MX Vertical.