Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 stars3-Months in and Still 5-Stars
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2020
Quick Summary:
As someone who is budget-aware, I'm extremely really happy I went with purchasing this desk 3-months ago. Though it's up $40 more now, I'd still repurchase at the higher price. Instead of a gaming desk, I use it as a bit more of a work from home station.
Advertised Construction design and my thoughts:
1. Overall design for gamers: great setup for WFH desk. .
2. Durable steel leg construction - Solid without being too heavy to move (recently moved from 2nd floor to basement by myself). Legs are solid, tabletop is solid, the wire holders on the side are decent but will come out if abnormally large force is pushed down on them.
3. Charcoal colored carbon fiber laminated top - Decorative and functional. Feels great, thick that it won't chip away, and I'm happy with it. I still chose to use a mousepad, and the large I have (35.4x15.7) fits and looks great. Silent mouse with the pad, laminate top works with with my mouse too...
4. Curved desk front - More cosmetic than beneficial for me, but it's still cool.
5. Monitor Stand - Good and bad things with this. If you only want 1 monitor, this is great! The stand puts the monitor right at the perfect eye level. If you plan a Laptop+Monitor, it's a little awkward. as the laptop will be off to one of the sides and can't be up with the monitor. 2 Monitors (Get yourself a dual monitor stand to add to the desk). Set it up right and you can keep the included stand for your laptop to free up desk space.
The Advertised Features and my thoughts this far in:
1. Charging Stand - Barely use, moved to the right side since my laptop was originally on left side in a Laptop+ single monitor setup. I personally like my phone closer, but I see myself keeping this just in case. No reason to remove it.
2. Speaker Stands - These are helpful, I personally added Foam Isolation for padding. Unless you're doing studio work with proper monitor speakers, isolation pads are probably a bit overkill. The game storage hasn't been used on my end, but I am clipping a few LED ring lights to them to store the lights when not in use, so it's something.
3. Under-desk basket - I haven't really found a use for it, but I don't think I'd remove it.
4. Controller stands - I never installed as I did need one side for a laptop, but now that I have the dual monitor setup, I don't even think that I'll add it back. Probably only due to the fact it's a PC desk, but it's nice to have the option and much more important if you're actually gaming on this and need the controller handy.
5. Built-in wire-management - This is great and helpful! Cable slots where you need them... Added Suggestion: Get Yourself some Velcro cable ties, to clean up the look of wires, they can be easily hidden and its sleek. Don't let the beauty of this desk be ruined by cabling everywhere.
6. Rear power strip holder - This is way better than I ever though! Everything flows directly into one spot, it's off the floor, easily hidden, and makes the desk look sleek. I don't have to worry about kicking wires! This is a fantastic added feature and never thought something this simple would be so great.
7. Cup holder - Great feature, keeps it off my work area. Personally I find myself sitting my cup on the surface often, but that's likely habit more than anything else. I did move this to the right side of the desk so the left side can be flush with a planned bookshelf. Had to add a few small lead holes drilled and the included screws went right in and hold it perfectly.
8. Headphone Hook - Fantastic! Great to have this close by for when I have to get them for video meetings or anything else. It holds 1 comfortably, 2 easily, and I've had up to 3 different headphone sets on at once.
My Use
Originally had a single monitor with the laptop offset as my second display, but found it much better for a full dual monitor setup. For that, I added a dual monitor Arm stand, for which I would recommend the separate arms that meet at the base instead of a single post up to split at cross bars. As you can see with that setup, you can still have the original monitor platform makes a perfect holder for my laptop itself. That way, the laptop isn't taking up ANY desk space! Plus, when I want to use the webcam, I just move the monitors apart by about an inch...
Benefits:
- Solid Desk
- Laminate top feels great
- Heavy feeling without being too heavy to move.
- Lots of surface space (esp. with the holders on the sides)
- Big enough to have tons of space, but isn't too big
- Monitor Stand holds laptop off surface (when I added the dual monitor stand)
- Power-strip basket
Less than Ideal Features:
- Monitor Stand (if you plan on having more than 1 monitor)
Customization that I did:
- Moved the Cup-holder to the right side
- Moved the headphone holder back (making way for cup-holder)
- Moved the charging pad to other side
Helpful add-ons that
- Dual Monitor Stand (Helpful for 2 monitors, they won't both fit well otherwise)
- Large mouse pad (really helpful for a soft surface)
- USB plugs mounted underneath (2 direct to pc, 2 direct to power strip)
- Echo dot with a smart power strip. Quickly turns lights/fans on/off for video calls/meetings
- Velcro Cable Ties to keep it looking clean
Final conclusion: understanding this wasn't the cheapest I could find, $18 more (than the Atlantic basic gaming desk), I'm 100% satisfied with my budget-friendly choice. Originally put a lot of thought into the Atlantic Basic/Pro, going back and forth many times, and very glad I did spend the extra for the Pro. Overall it's useful, does add some nice style, solid construction, and the perfect balance of feature rich with being reasonably priced. Would gladly purchase again and have recommended to a quite a few coworkers and friends.