5 Useful and Essential Peripheral Devices for a Business PC

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A desktop computer and attached peripheral devices

A typical business PC (branded or assembled) comes with a limited number of peripheral devices that are bundled with the entire unit. If you're going for a branded version, you may customize a model directly on the company's online store to add the required peripheral devices. In such cases, the choice of peripheral components is limited. On the other hand, if you're buying an assembled PC, you have complete freedom to choose from a large number and different kinds of peripheral devices. Sometimes, we get confused when it comes to adding these peripheral components to our computer system.

A desktop computer and attached peripheral devices

One should not only exclude unnecessary peripheral devices but should also make sure that the most essential ones are included on your list. Sometimes, this selection of peripherals can be difficult.

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Here are some of the best and most useful peripheral devices that are essential for every business PC. Feel free to search for more options available at the time you're reading this guide. Let's get started!

1. Laser Printer

A printer is one of the most important peripherals when it comes to adding one to a business PC. Although inkjet printers are quite popular among home users, for business needs, a laser printer is always recommended by the experts.

A laser printer doodle

Some of the reasons to go for a laser printer are:

  • High-Speed Printing: When compared to inkjet printers, laser printers are much faster. In a business environment, one often needs to print pages in bulk. That's where the laser printer excels.
  • High-Quality Printing: Similarly, the quality of printing is great as well it can go as high as 2400 dpi. Complex and photo-realistic graphics can be printed easily through laser printers.
  • Very Cost-Effective: In the long term, laser printers are cost-effective. When compared based on per-page cost in large volumes, laser printers win the race.
  • Easy Connectivity: You can connect a laser printer to different types of devices through different means viz., a USB cable, Wi-Fi, or a Bluetooth connection. This makes them usable in different conditions.
  • Quiet and noiseless printing: Unlike dot matrix and inkjet printers, laser printers do the job without making any noise. Again, it's an ideal attribute for a business environment.
  • Reliable and Sturdy: Laser printers are designed keeping bulk printing in mind. That's why they are sturdier than other printing technologies. Because of that, they have a low maintenance cost.

If you're going to do printing in bulk, get a laser printer without giving it a second thought. They're easy to maintain, are cost-effective, and give you the best print quality—consistently.

2. Webcam

Business professionals frequently do virtual meetings with their peers and clients. These online meetings are often in the form of group video calls. That's where a good webcam comes into play.

A webcam

Let's see what to consider when buying a webcam for our business PC.

  • Resolution: Needless to say, if you're in a business video call, clarity of the video stream is of prime importance. That's where you need to pay attention to the video resolution. In most cases, 720p and 1080p resolutions are good enough. Anything higher is going to be an overkill.
  • Frame Rate: Similarly, frame rate is yet another important attribute that adds to the quality of your video stream. In most cases, a frame rate of 30fps or 60fps is good.
  • Autofocus Ability: While buying a webcam, its ability to autofocus is often ignored or not paid attention to. If you frequently move during a video call, the webcam's autofocus capability is of prime importance.
  • Performance in Low Light: Although this one is more important for outdoor video calls, there's no harm in ensuring this if you think your room lighting is not up to the mark.
  • Zooming Capabilities: If you're giving a demo to your client or explaining something to your peers on the board, the zooming capability of your webcam can do wonders in enhancing the entire experience.
  • Privacy Controls: Make sure your webcam has a protection slider or cover to block video capture when not in use. This enhances your privacy in case malware attempts to access your webcam.
  • OS Compatibility: Although most webcams work flawlessly on multiple operating systems, there's no harm in double-checking the OS compatibility of your webcam, before making a purchase.

If you are building a business PC, you can't afford to ignore this important peripheral to supercharge your video call meetings. Webcams present in the laptops are not that good and you need to add them as a peripheral to give the best experience to the people at the other end.

3. Microphone

If you're purchasing a webcam, there are high chance you're going to purchase a microphone as well. A good microphone can enhance your video calls by many folds. So, do invest in a good microphone if you're purchasing a premium webcam.

A PC microphone doodle

The following features should be checked when purchasing a microphone.

  • XLR vs USB: Unless you're looking to create audio content for professional or business purposes, going with a USB microphone is a better option. The XLR ones are often used in recording studios.
  • Cardioid or Omnidirectional: If you're going to use the microphone for podcasting to record your voice, a cardioid microphone should be purchased. Otherwise, go for an omnidirectional one to capture sounds from all directions.
  • Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR): If you're using your microphone for podcasting, go for a model with an SNR of at least 70 dB or higher. This way, you'll get crystal clear sound with any background noise.
  • Mounting Options: Also check for the available mounting options for your microphone. The most common ones are the desk stands and the boom arms. The latter is often used for gaming and podcast recordings.
  • OS Compatibility: Almost all modern microphones work flawlessly on all the major operating systems. So, no matter which model you purchase, OS compatibility is not going to be an issue.
  • Portability: While purchasing a microphone, look for its size and weight, its battery life (if used), and the carrying cases available for that model. Purchase the one that fits nicely in the space available in your setup.

Remember, a room with enough cover to minimize outside noises is also a must. Unless you do not pay attention to that, purchasing a premium microphone is not going to help with high background noise levels.

4. External SSD or Hard Drive

Data is one of the most critical resources or assets. If your work generates a huge amount of data, consider purchasing an external SSD drive to take regular backups of the same. Keeping a secondary copy at the local level can give you peace of mind even if you're taking backups on a remote cloud storage service.

An SSD drive

The following features make an SSD drive an ideal backup and storage option.

  • High-Speed Data Transfer: The average read/write speeds of a typical SSD drive are 550 MB/s and 530 MB/s. It's way higher than a typical hard disk drive.
  • Compact in Size: Nowadays, a high-end SSD drive comes in the form of a RAM stick and can be used in thin laptops too. It's compact, light, and saves a lot of space.
  • Durable: The average lifespan of a high-end SSD drive is about 10 years. And, if the usage is below normal, it can last much longer.
  • Energy Efficient: When compared with hard disk drives, an SSD drive consumes less power. This makes them an ideal choice for smaller computing devices.
  • Silent Operation: Because these drives do not have any moving parts, their operation is completely noiseless. On the other hand, some hard disk drives are very noisy.
  • Reliable (Low Failure Rate): A very low failure rate of less than 1% makes SSD a preferred storage solution when it comes to buying them in bulk for data centers and cloud services.
  • Connect to Any Device: An SSD drive can be connected to almost all modern devices that support the interface and ports compatible with the former.

If you're looking to buy an external storage solution for your PC, look no further and opt for an SSD drive. They're value for money in every way.

5. Port Hub

Nowadays, a computing device is often connected with several peripherals through a port hub. It gives you extra ports and that too of different types to connect an array of peripheral devices. If you're building a business PC, a port hub can add more power to do more with your PC.

A port hub for a PC

Look for the following features while purchasing a port hub for your business PC.

  • Number of Ports: The first thing you should check is the number of ports available at your disposal. Depending on the number of peripherals you're going to use, the port count should be checked before making a purchase.
  • Port Types: Next, you must check the type of ports available in the hub. For example, HDMI ports, Thunderbolt ports, USB 3.x ports. Again, the requirement depends on the peripherals you're going to use with the port hub.
  • Power Delivery Option: If you're looking to charge or power peripheral devices through a port hub, you must see if it is providing any such option or not.
  • OS Compatibility: Like any other peripheral device, this one too must be checked if it's going to work with your desktop's operating system or not. Most port hubs work with all the popular desktop operating systems.
  • Mounting Options: If you have less space, look for the mounting options available with your port hub. It'll ensure you can mount it on a wall attachment.
  • Protection: Another important thing to look for is protection against a power surge. It may damage the attached devices if this protection is not present in the port hub.
  • Extra Features: If required, look for additional features like a card reader or an audio jack.

No matter which port hub you select for your PC, its full potential is only realized when you're using all of its ports regularly. So, think before opting for one that has more ports than what you need.