How we research, test and correct these guides
Short answer
Every guide here follows four rules: each claim traces to a named source, every calculator publishes its formula, the limits of the evidence are stated on the page, and corrections are dated. This page explains the standard, and the parts of setup advice that are convention rather than measurement.
Most setup advice sounds the same because it is copied. The distinguishing question is not whether a page says the screen should be at eye level, but whether it tells you which rule it is following, what that rule measures, and where the rule came from.
On this page
The four rules
- A named source or our own arithmetic, never a vibe. Ergonomic targets cite OSHA, CCOHS or Ergotron with the page linked. Geometry is shown as a formula you can check with a calculator. Marketing specifications are attributed to the manufacturer that published them.
- Calculators publish their method. Each tool on this site lists its inputs, the formula and the assumptions underneath, in the order the calculation runs. You can disagree with the formula rather than with the conclusion.
- We state what we do not know. Ergonomic guidance on viewing distance and angle differs between bodies, and CCOHS says so itself. Where the sources disagree, the page says they disagree and gives both figures rather than picking the one that sounds tidier.
- Corrections are dated. When something substantive changes on a page, the change and its date go on the page.
What we will not do
| Not this | Why |
|---|---|
| Invent statistics or attribute them vaguely to studies | A number with no source is worse than no number, because you might act on it |
| Publish fake reviews or padded review counts | This is a shop. The guides are allowed to say a product is unnecessary, and sometimes do |
| Hide the commercial relationship | Straferz sells desk mats, monitor stands and setup accessories. That is a real conflict, and disclosure is the honest answer to it |
| Copy a competitor guide and reword it | Every page here is built from the source, the arithmetic, and our own measurements |
| Treat convention as a standard | There is no standard definition of an extended desk mat, and no standard mouse polling rate. Pages that imply otherwise are selling certainty they do not have |
Sources we rely on
| Question | Where the answer comes from |
|---|---|
| Viewing distance, screen height, tilt limits | OSHA computer workstations eTool and CCOHS office ergonomics fact sheets. OSHA gives 20 to 40 inches and the top line of the screen at or below eye level; CCOHS illustrates 40 to 74 cm with the centre about 15 degrees below horizontal. |
| Chair, elbow and keyboard height | CCOHS and Ergotron guidance, treated as ranges rather than single figures |
| cm/360, eDPI and yaw constants | The standard converter formula, cross-checked between two independent calculators that agree on the arithmetic. Yaw values are described as engine behaviour documented by the converter community, because the studios do not publish them. |
| Panel dimensions in centimetres | Arithmetic from the advertised diagonal and aspect ratio, not a manufacturer claim |
| Desk mat footprints and size labels | Current retail listings, including the manufacturer that publishes the dimensions, because the labels are not standardised |
| Polling rate timing | Arithmetic (1000 divided by the rate in Hz), with manufacturer statements cited as claims rather than facts |
One limitation we cannot engineer aroundWe do not have a laboratory, a force gauge or a test bench, and we do not own every product we write about. What we can verify, we verify: arithmetic, published specifications, and cited guidance. What we cannot verify, we label as convention, opinion or manufacturer claim. If you need a measured number, we will tell you when we do not have one.
Convention versus standard
Three things on this site are convention rather than standard, and the pages say so where they appear:
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Desk mat size names (extended, XL, 2XL) | Marketing convention. Brands apply the labels to different dimensions |
| The 15 to 30 degree downward viewing angle | Convention drawn from ergonomics guidance and research on where the eyes come to rest, not a fixed regulatory figure |
| The half-turn lane rule used by the mat calculator | Our own working rule: pad width should cover half your cm/360 rather than a full turn, because most players reset mid turn |
| Mouse polling rates above 1000 Hz | Manufacturer claims about input delay, bounded by game and display latency |
Corrections
If a page here is wrong, out of date, or cites something that has changed since publication, tell us and it gets fixed and dated. The fastest route is the contact page.
Two things worth reporting specifically: a figure that no longer matches its source, and a calculator that returns something you can show is arithmetically wrong. Both get fixed before anything else on the page.
On conflicts of interestStraferz sells the products discussed here. The guides recommend the right size and height for the job even when the answer is a smaller, cheaper mat or no riser at all, and they say when an accessory is not needed. If a guide reads as a sales pitch, that is a fault worth reporting.
Use these next
- Desk mat size calculator and its method list
- eDPI and sensitivity converter and the formula behind it
- Desk mat size guide: measure before you buy
- Monitor height and viewing distance, worked out
- Gaming desk setup checklist
Sources
- OSHA. Computer Workstations eTool: monitors and workstation components — www.osha.gov/etools/computer-workstations/components/monitors
- CCOHS. Office ergonomics, positioning the monitor — www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/ergonomics/office/monitor_positioning.html
- Ergotron. The Ergonomic Equation: monitor and keyboard placement tips — www.ergotron.com/en-us/ergonomics/ergonomic-equation
- Calculator Academy. cm per 360 calculator, one of the two converters used to cross-check the formula — calculator.academy/cm-per-360-calculator