Father's Day gift guide - best PC gaming and tech gifts for any dad

Gaming headset or headphone stand

Declutter your desk in an instant

There are few ways to so instantly and effortlessly declutter a gaming PC desk setup than by providing somewhere for your gaming headset to sit. Even if you're rocking a wireless gaming headset, and don't have the hassle of a cable running across your desk, headsets are still awkward and often rather bulky objects.

Crucially, if your dad's desk is a disaster, it won't cost you much to help out. For under $10 you can grab a simple, elegant, and secure desktop stand or one that clips to the edge of a desk. I have one of each, and they both work great. The desk clip version is more secure, but if movement space around a desk is tight, the desktop version is a better bet.

To grab one of these bargain upgrades, just follow these links for the desktop version – Amazon US, Amazon UK – or these links for the desk clip version – Amazon US, Amazon UK.

SteelSeries QcK mousepad

Ideal upgrade for any gaming mouse

For just $12.50 or £14.99 right now, you can grab a quality mousepad that will give any PC gaming setup an upgrade in performance, style, and – let's face it – cleanliness. Mouse mats don't last forever, and a fresh one will ensure a clean and tidy surface for your mouse while also ensuring consistent and accurate tracking while gaming.

You can of course learn how to clean a mousepad but, for a fresh start, the SteelSeries QcK is a really affordable yet quality option. It offers a grippy foam backing and woven top surface for a soft landin,g and despite costing so little, it still provides a massive 17.5 x 17.7-inch (399 x 450mm) area.

If you want to spend a little more, you can always opt for the thicker SteelSeries QcK Performance instead, while the Logitech PowerPlay 2 mousepad can even charge your wireless gaming mouse as you game, though it does cost eight times as much as this mousepad.

Iniu Qi upright wireless phone charger

Never escape your notifications

For fathers forever fumbling their phone, this simple desktop wireless phone charger is a fantastic gaming desk addition. It includes a 15W Qi wireless charger that, while it can't offer ultrafast charging, will steadily charge any compatible phone throughout the day.

Crucially, the upright stance of this charger means it keeps your phone in sight, making it easy to keep tabs on notifications. What's more, the thin shape of the charger also makes it easy to pick up with the phone still resting on it, so you can text and charge. This function has been useful for me on many occasions where I've put my phone on the charger because it was running low on battery.

For under $15, it's a bargain and has become an everyday part of this old man's gaming PC setup. Head on over to Amazon via this link for US buyers and this link for UK buyers to grab one.

Desktop USB hub

For four ports at your fingertips

It's a basic fact that you can never have enough USB ports, and it's especially true that you can never have enough that are in easy reach. A simple USB hub such as this one offers a simple and reasonably stylish way to add four extra ports to your desktop space where they're within easy reach.

There are a host of different brands that all use essentially the same design, with an aluminum frame and either a plain metal finish with white accents or a black anodized finish with black accents, so you can get a unit to fit your style for most setups.

We've picked out a couple of options, with one made by Anker that's available here in the US and one made by Sabrent that UK buyers can grab. For under $20/£20 they're stylish and very practical gifts for any gaming PC setup.

Mug / coffee cup warmer

Cuteness for the cold-drinked

Cons

• Might be cuteness overload

Hey, dads can like cute things too… Ok, so maybe not every father figure in your life would appreciate the aesthetic here, but these types of mug warmers are fantastic. There's no need to compromise with an awkward  self-warming or insulated mug – you can use your favorite drinking vessel, so long as it fits on the warming plate.

These warmers offer three temperature levels of 113°F (45°C), 131°F (55°C), and 158°F (70°C), letting you heat the base of your drink as much or as little as you like. I keep mine set to 70°F, as I find it's best for keeping a coffee or tea as close to actually hot as possible. Top tip: pop a condensation-proof coaster over your drink to really hold in the heat.

While we've tested this specific warmer, loads of similar ones are  available in the same price range. US buyers can grab one of these ones here, while UK shoppers can snap one up via this link.

Amazon Echo Buds

Like Airpods but way cheaper

Pros

• Super convenient true wireless earbuds

For just $35 right now, the new Amazon Echo Buds offer incredible value. These super compact earbuds are equivalent to the Apple AirPods – i.e. not the AirPods Pro that have noise canceling – but cost a third of the price, with Amazon currently knocking $15 off their usual price.

The lack of active noise canceling means these aren't the best for noisy travel, such as on planes, for instance, but they're still great as a pop-in-your-pocket pair of portable earphones that aren't going to worry you too much if you happen to lose them.

You can grab the Echo Buds from Amazon via this link. This version of the Buds isn't sold in the UK, though you can get the higher-end ones with active noise canceling via this link.

Razer Viper V3 Hyperspeed gaming mouse

The best gaming mouse around

The Razer Viper V3 Hyperspeed sits atop our best gaming mouse guide for four simple reasons: it's comfortable to use, it provides great gaming performance, its battery lasts for ages, and it's incredibly cheap. We actually remarked in our Razer Viper V3 Hyperspeed review that we were shocked that Razer even made this mouse, because it's so much cheaper than other alternatives with similar specs.

The reason for its long battery life and low price, though, is what some will consider its big compromise, which is that it uses an AA battery, rather than a rechargeable battery. This means you can get 230 hours of use per battery – that's at least 2x longer than any rechargeable wireless mouse and enough for nearly ten whole days straight of use. Then, when it does run out, you can just quickly swap the battery for a freshly charged or new one.

Along with the potential downside of needing to stop mid-game to swap a battery – unlikely though this is – the battery does make this mouse a little heavier than some gaming mice, at 82g. However, it's ultimately still a mighty mouse that costs just $59.99. Click this link here to buy it on Amazon US or this link here for Amazon UK.

Amazon Echo Spot

The best clock / speaker combo

The Amazon Echo Spot is the best iteration of Amazon's various Echo smart speakers yet. It's the perfect bedside or desktop clock and smart speaker, bringing you a convenient screen to spot the time and other useful data, while playing music at a decent level of quality.

At its heart, it of course uses Amazon Alexa to respond to your voice commands, so your dad or other family members might not be down with that, but if you don't mind, then this is a great-value and really versatile device.

Never again will Dad need to fumble with his phone in the morning to check the weather and bore you with the details. His alarm clock will have told him already. Click on this link here to buy an Echo Spot from Amazon US for a discounted price of $64.99 ($19 lower than usual), or UK buyers can click this link instead.

FBL Flip 5 portable Bluetooth speaker

The king of Bluetooth speakers

The JBL Flip is our go-to recommendation for the best Bluetooth speaker almost regardless of your needs. It's super compact so great for travel, it's waterproof so it can work poolside, and it sounds great too.

Crucially, this portable powerhouse is a stereo speaker, so it works well for enhancing sound when, for instance, using a gaming laptop or gaming handheld. I'm a huge fan of the Minirig Bluetooth speaker for music listening on the go, but the JBL Flip is the one for watching video or gaming.

In the US, the new Flip 6 is still demanding a high price, so grab the Flip 5 instead – it's just as good – which you can do via this link. Our lucky UK readers can grab the Flip 6 for the same price as the Flip 5, so you might as well get the newer one via this link.