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I upgraded my gaming PC this year after finally settling on an AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Radeon RX 9070 XT. I don’t typically have the latest and greatest hardware, but I decided to go all-out with the CPU for gaming and workflow. The GPU is one of the best AMD has to offer, though it still pales in comparison to Nvidia’s flagship GeForce RTX 5090. Still, I managed to find a way to upgrade the entire setup for less than $25, and all it took was hunting down a gorgeous mousepad with decent build quality and fabric to allow my mouse to glide across the surface. I think I did a solid job with this Japanese-inspired mousepad from Desero.

I get it. The GPU or CPU will likely be the most expensive part you upgrade a PC with, but it’s important we don’t fail to consider all the smaller puzzle pieces, such as headphones or speakers, and even a mousepad. Although not at the forefront of a PC upgrade, this relatively insignificant accessory can mean the difference between incredibly immersive and downright terrible gaming experiences. It’s what your mouse uses to glide across the surface of the desk area, allowing the sensor to accurately track movement that can be relayed back to the PC over cable or wireless signals. It’s a clever piece of kit that can have a major impact on in-game performance.

A healthier PC experience

Carpel tunnel can quite frankly do one

I’m not getting any younger ... well, none of us are. My wrist has had to endure more than 20 years of moving mice and typing on keyboards. They’re not in the best of shape, especially my right hand, which is predominantly used for just about everything in life. Ergonomics is a secret weapon of mousepads and the right mouse. I use the Keychron M3 Mini as my daily, and it supports palm grip rather well. What didn’t work was my old mousepad with its thin materials and slightly worn surface. This meant I needed to apply slightly more force through my wrist to glide the mouse over longer distances.

That’s not too bad in short bursts, but when you’re at a PC for more than eight hours each day for work and leisure, it adds up, and the strain can really take shape in the evening. Having a mousepad is better than nothing at all, but a thicker, sleeker surface for your mouse can make all the difference. I opted for a mousepad without an integrated wrist rest, however. I’ve used such pads in the past, and they do help immensely by providing your wrist somewhere to park and get comfortable for the long gaming session, but I can utilize the armrests of my chair to ensure I’m not using the mouse positioned awkwardly.

Going with larger mousepads can also help by not requiring you to physically lift the pointer as often. I used to take the mousepad seriously, especially back when I played thousands of hours in Unreal Tournament 2004 and hundreds of matches in League of Legends, but since I’ve used any old pad just to get the job done. They were low quality, didn’t allow the mouse to glide as smoothly as other options, and didn’t do much for my health.

A huge upgrade to precision

More accurate and enjoyable gameplay

But it’s not all about comfort. A good mousepad is one that lets you accurately interact with everything on screen, be it your favorite game or a simple static website. High-end gaming mice always market incredibly high dots-per-inch (DPI) values, and while we believe this metric to be largely irrelevant for most gamers and PC users, a good mousepad can help mice achieve the designed performance. Regardless of how you prefer to set DPI and other values that dictate how the mouse performs, a low-quality surface won’t help you one bit. Thankfully, the Desero mousepad rocks superfine polyester fibers to create the ultimate slick surface area.

I’ve noticed in recent weeks that the mouse pointer would jiggle around slightly, indicating that the mousepad surface is wearing away to the point that the sensor is having difficulty keeping up with movement. It’s particularly noticeable when using DKE since the desktop environment magnifies the mouse pointer, should you shake it around quickly. These quick jigger movements detected by the sensor activate this feature, so I often find myself with an oversized pointer without having to move a muscle. The best part about mousepads is that you don’t have to spend much for a decent mouse gliding surface.

$25 is all you need to spend to pick up one that offers fluid, predictable mouse movements, and they are often available in larger sizes, like the one I recently purchased. This allows for the keyboard to be placed atop the mousepad, creating quite the setup for themed desktop PCs. It’s also important for the mousepad to be durable. These accessories take quite the beating over time. A high-quality $25 mousepad can easily outlive a cheaper or sometimes more expensive alternative that isn’t made from materials that can stand up to the test of time.

It’s also quieter

No, hear me out, seriously

Depending on the surface materials, your mouse can actually sound much louder with each button press. Gaming mice and more expensive general pointers have mechanical switches for the primary two buttons. These can sound rather loud with harder surfaces and worn pads. It’s the first thing I noticed when switching to the new Desero mousepad. I don’t mind my keyboard sounding a little clicky with mechanical switches, but it’s a whole different ballgame when every mouse click is a drone too. A good mousepad looks the part, protects your desk from scratches and marking, improves mouse accuracy, and can even protect your wrists.

I’ve not spent too much on my PC this year, yet this is one of the few purchases that excited me most.