Other gear

Updated 7/18/24

I’m a bit of a nerd when it comes to electronic gear, as are many radiologists. Some of this is useful (such as having your own great mouse) and some of it is purely for entertainment purposes. There is a wide range of products that you can get, and much more comprehensive sites when it comes to reviews. However, this is just a few of the products that I find useful.

*disclaimer: links on this page are Amazon affiliate links. I get a small referral fee which helps fund this site if you purchase through these links.

Mice/Keyboards

As a radiologist, you spend a lot of time at a computer. Sometimes this is your own computer at home, and sometimes this is a work PACS station. I think having a really nice mouse makes your day that much easier. Moreover, many of these mice and keyboards have programmable buttons that can really streamline your workflow and make you more efficient, whether reading studies or working on other projects, such as grants or educational work.

I’ve moved away from recommending Razer mice or keyboards because I’ve had several devices fail, including individual key failures, problems with mouse button clicks, etc. For now, I’m mostly recommending Logitech products.

Wireless mouse – Mainstream – Logitech MX Master 3S

I’ve been using the Logitech MX Master series mice for a long time, and this is the most current edition. This is my personal favorite wireless mouse. I have several of them, one for the office and one that I carry around and use as my personal mouse on various PACS workstations. The bluetooth connectivity is great because I can use bluetooth on my own laptop and the dongle on the workstation, switching between them easily with the button on the bottom. The high quality scrolling (which includes high speed freewheel scrolling), excellent fit to your palm, and long battery life make it excellent. The most recent version has new quiet click buttons, which are slightly off putting when you first start to use it but I’ve really started to dig. If you want to save a little money, you may consider the also excellent Logitech MX Master 2S, the slightly older version of the same product.

Wireless mouse – More buttons – Logitech G502

If you want more buttons, then you should get a mouse with… MOAR BUTTONS. For that, Logitech makes some great mice, including the G502. The advantages of this mouse are that it has onboard memory, so you can program your button preferences using your computer at home and then it will remember your settings. Since PACS workstations often don’t have administrator access, this prevents you from having to install a second software package to control the other buttons. This mouse has a long battery life, ergonomic design, high sensitivity sensor, and is overall an excellent mouse. Plus its angular looks give you serious nerd credibility.

What are the downsides? No bluetooth, so you have to use their dongle. It’s not compatible with the regular Logitech dongles so you have to use the gaming one. No big deal there. Sometimes this mouse is expensive but you can often find it on sale for 30-50% off. Still not enough buttons? Try the G602

Wired mouse – Logitech G502 wired

For a while I was using a Razer wired mouse at home. I liked the look and the button customization, but again I had some problems with reliabililty and had to replace a few different mice. For that reason, I switched my home computer to the MX Master 3S above. But, if you prefer a wired mouse so you don’t have to deal with charging or worrying about a battery, I’d recommend the wired version of the G502. Same features, just a wire so you don’t have to charge it. Also a reasonable choice if you don’t want to worry about your battery life or don’t change workstations often.

Keyboard – No current recommendation

I was recommending a Razer mechanical keyboard because I like the clicky keys and RGB lighting. I recently had an RGB LED fail on a second Razer keyboard, and the media volume control doesn’t work. Razer seems to have a quality control issue on these products. I’ll probably get a new keyboard at some point and try out some other options. I kinda want to try this Corsair K100 but I’m still trying to justify the high price tag. Maybe later.

Webcams

In the era of so many online meetings, having a good webcam is the difference between looking and sounding good and being garbled and blurry. Personally, I prefer the camera with integrated light, which makes it much more versatile in different lighting situations. If you don’t need it, there are other options.

Webcam with integrated ring light – Razer Kiyo

While I’m moving away from Razer products for mice and keyboards, they still make the Razer Kiyo, one of the best webcams because it comes with an integrated ring light. This makes you look much better for those meetings, particularly in dark rooms. The light is adjustable with a little ring around the webcam. If you need to carry it around with you, it’s portable and won’t take up too much space in your bag. It has a decent quality integrated microphone as well. 

Webcam without a light –  Logitech C920x

This webcam has very high quality images and microphone without a light. You can see a theme developing here, and it’s that Logitech makes very high quality peripherals that are good overall. You can go with a cheap unknown brand but it’s probably worth that $25 extra for a device you’ll be using all the time.

Audio

I can’t tell you how much time I spend listening to music or videos when working alone, either at home or in the reading room. When I don’t want to disturb anyone, I start with one of the headsets. A small portable bluetooth speaker is a great thing to have in your arsenal for those long call nights too.

Headset (with microphone) – HyperX Cloud II

This is a great gaming headset if you need and want a built-in microphone. When you’re not using it, you can just detach the microphone. One other advantage of this is that it has it’s own USB sound card, so you can use it on any computer that has an available USB port, like a laptop that may not have a headphone jack. The sound quality is great, the earphone design is comfortable and high quality, and it comes with exchangeable pads so you can easily exchange them if you prefer felt over smooth pleather. This is an older model which performs great and is a great price. It comes in a wireless option if you want, but I’ve never been a fan of wireless over ear headphones since I mostly use them at a workstation.

If you want to save a little bit of money, consider the older model, the Cloud II, which is still great.

Headset (no microphone) – Audio-Technica ATH-M50x

If you don’t want or need a microphone, these headsets are still affordable, will last forever, and have outstanding audiophile quality. They periodically make updates, such as the current version having a detachable cable, but this headset hasn’t changed much in a decade. The earpieces are super comfortable and sound replication is great. Bass levels are a little less than what you may be used to if you listen to a lot of other brands, but this may be preferred in many settings as it is the preferred listening profile.

There is now a wireless version if you want to ditch the cables, but for my desktop headset I prefer wires.

Bluetooth speaker – JBL Flip 5

There are a bunch of bluetooth speakers out there. You can find cheaper ones, sure, but do you want to be stuck with them on call when they don’t stay playing for your entire call? It’s expensive but ask your mom to buy it for you on your birthday. This one sounds great, fits in your bag nicely, and will fill your call room with noise. I’ve found that playing rap deters people from interrupting your workflow, but maybe that’s just me. This is going to make your call nights better, trust me. Plus it comes in colors so when your co-resident steals it you’ll know it was them.

On a budget and your mom won’t buy it for you, try the Anker Soundcore 2. At least your getting a reputable inexpensive brand.

Accessories

There is really no end to the amount of things you could use to accessorize your workstation. There are better guides out there, such as Ben White’s guide to the best radiology setup.

Summary

This is just some of the stuff I like to use at work and at home while working. I think having good equipment to use can make your work life a lot easier and more fun, so I’ve enjoyed having these things and personally recommend them. I’m sure everyone has a preference, but these have worked well for me. Let me know if you like them or have other recommendations.