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Article updated on March 1, 2024 at 1:00 PM PST

Best Desks 2024: Standing Desks, Gaming Desks and Everything in Between

Having a desk when you're working from home can make all the difference as a working professional. Check out some of the best desks we've found.

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Written by 
James Bricknell
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James Bricknell Senior Editor
James has been writing about technology for years but has loved it since the early 90s. While his main areas of expertise are maker tools -- 3D printers, vinyl cutters, paper printers, and laser cutters -- he also loves to play board games and tabletop RPGs.
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Our Picks

$949 at Secret Lab
Image of SecretLab Magnus Pro XL
The best standing gaming desk money can buy
SecretLab Magnus Pro XL
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$699 at Branch Furniture
White legged standing desk with wood top on a purple background
Great for WFH offices and commercial spaces
Branch standing desk
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$100 at Amazon
Image of Fenlo writing desk
A budget-friendly writing desk with added extras
Fenlo writing desk
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$280 at Amazon
Two dark wood desks back to back
A writing desk meets standing desk
Fezibo midcentury modern electric standing desk
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$499 at Branch Furniture
Image of Branch Duo standing desk
Best small standing desk
Branch Duo standing desk
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$1,870 at Homary
A glossy white desk with gold accents
Executive cost with build quality issues
Homary Executive Desk
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$84 at Monoprice
Image of Monoprice Steel Frame Computer Desk
Your first gaming desk
Monoprice Steel Frame Computer Desk
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Almost everyone has a use for a good desk. You could need a place for your kids to do homework or for you to work from home. Whatever the reason, you'll want to have a desk that's comfortable and sensible to make it match your needs and your space.

CNET has had a "best standing desks" article for a while now, and we know what the best office chairs and gaming chairs are, so now is the time to give you options beyond standing desks. This article has everything you need, from standing desks to small writing desks and beyond. 

I've spent hours building desks, moving desks and sitting at and on desks, all to give you the lowdown on the greatest around. I keep getting more too, so watch this space for more of the best desks as they arrive.

$949 at Secret Lab

The best standing gaming desk money can buy

SecretLab Magnus Pro XL

I have used a lot of desks over the course of my career, but I can honestly say I've never used a desk quite like the Magnus Pro XL. It is at once the most industrial-looking table, while also giving off huge gamer energy. Measuring 70 inches long and made almost exclusively of metal parts, this desk isn't meant for one-person assembly. It took nearly two hours to put it all together, but once it is finished, it's a work of art.
It has a five-setting standing system, and the motors are some of the quietest I've heard in my testing. The motion is smooth, and even though the desk weighs quite a lot, it rises quickly and without hassle. I never thought of using a standing desk for gaming before, but it really helps to break up the hours of sitting.

If you can manage the cost of getting the extras I would recommend it. The cable management is already excellent with the built-in power supply unit, as well as the large trench down the back, but the optional magnetic conduit lets you hide all of your wiring sins. I especially liked the PC mount that connects your gaming tower to the leg, making it rise with the table so your cables don't stretch as the desk moves.

The cost of this desk is my only sticking point. Fully loaded, it will set you back $1,500, though you could reduce that with fewer optional extras -- and it's currently on sale. But if gaming is your job and you need a large desk to help you, I cannot recommend the Magnus Pro XL enough.

$699 at Branch Furniture

Great for WFH offices and commercial spaces

Branch standing desk

At first glance, the Branch standing desk looks pretty generic, but the level of craftsmanship is apparent on closer inspection. All of the materials feel premium, with a weight that only comes from good engineering. 

Putting it together was simple and took only about 30 minutes, though I think having two people would reduce that significantly. It was also extremely well packaged -- something that Branch does with all its products -- so it was in top shape once I had it all together. 

The Branch desk can remember four separate heights and has a handy cable door at the back to keep your desk clear and tidy. While the desk can feel a little too business-like -- I received the white top and white legs -- if you choose one of the warmer woods and the gray legs, it will likely blend into your home office better. 
Of course, if you are furnishing an office then the Branch desk and Verve office chair from our best office chairs is a great combination.

$100 at Amazon

A budget-friendly writing desk with added extras

Fenlo writing desk

This light writing desk is a lot like many of the others I tested. Writing desks tend to be easy to put together -- this one took 10 minutes -- and are small in stature. It can hold maybe one monitor and a laptop comfortably, but not much else. 

The beauty of that, though, is it can be placed in almost any room and still look nice. There are a lot of finishes to choose from, too, and each one comes with a lamp to illuminate your work. The best feature, though, is the outputs. The Fenlo desk has a standard power outlet, two USB-A ports and, impressively, built-in wireless charging. It is much easier to manage cables for your laptop, tablet and phone when you can access them from the front.
The Fenlo is very light, so it does suffer slightly from the wibble-wobbles, even when its legs are tight. This only happened when I loaded it to its max weight though, so if you are using just a laptop you should be fine. 

$280 at Amazon

A writing desk meets standing desk

Fezibo midcentury modern electric standing desk

Most standing desks have a clinical look to them like they are designed to be in a drab office rather than your home. Not so with the mid-century standing desk. Its design with dark wood surface, black drawer fronts and antique gold handles gives an air of '50s sophistication. 
The standing desk portion works well too with four programmable heights and a sturdy structure that feels secure even at full extension. I especially like the center drawer that can fit your wireless keyboard and mouse to hide them from view and keep the midcentury aesthetic. 

$499 at Branch Furniture

Best small standing desk

Branch Duo standing desk

The Branch Duo is the company's latest line of standing desks and uses a very simple control mechanism to set heights. The display is simple and clean, and all of the accessories just ooze quality. Building it was simple, taking less than 30 minutes, and the size is perfect for smaller spaces. It's big enough for a couple of smaller monitors or one big one, with plenty of room on the top for a laptop.
I especially like the notifications that you can set to remind you to stand or sit throughout the day. Standing desks are designed to help with your health, but they only work if you rememebr to do it! The Branch Duo removes that problem.

Other desks we tested

Not every desk we test makes it onto the best list. Some of them aren't even good enough to get a mention. Some though are close to being good enough and we are willing to mention them here. These desks had something wrong that kept them off the top spot, but are decent if you can overlook the specific issue.

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$1,870 at Homary

Executive cost with build quality issues

Homary Executive Desk

This desk from Homary looks fantastic when it is all put together. The glossy white finish and antique gold accents give it the luxurious feel a $1,500 desk should have. All of the individual parts have the weight that you expect from an executive item, and once it was all put together it looks absolutely stunning.

Unfortunately the desk we got to test had the wrong holes drilled for the hardware to build it, and it arrived damaged despite being strapped to a pallet. Homary did replace the broken part with no issues or complaints but was unable to fix the incorrectly drilled parts. This meant I had to go to Home Depot for new parts to fix it myself. 

Now, do I think that this happens all of the time to all of Homary's products? No of course not, otherwise it wouldn't still be a business. Unfortunately, I couldn't test it properly if I had to buy the parts myself. 

$84 at Monoprice

Your first gaming desk

Monoprice Steel Frame Computer Desk

Gaming desks can often be extremely expensive, especially when you add extras. This desk from Monoprice is simple, cheap, and stable -- all good things -- and also has some neat extras like a headphone hook, cable management tray, and an off-desktop cup holder. Having your beverage off to the side of the desk is a great idea. If you knock it over, it's going on the floor, not on the expensive electronics on your desk. 

The work surface is grippy, with grommets in the rear to push cables through. I wish these were a little bigger, but they do the job as long as you don't have too many cables. There is also a notch in the front that lets you get closer to the work surface while maintaining a good posture.
At the price, the Monoprice is a decent entry-level gaming desk, though I did note -- and I've seen this in many of the desks I tested -- that not all of the holes that should have been predrilled were. When the manual tells you to screw something in a specific place, there should be predrilled holes to make that happen or you could end up splitting the wood. 

How we test

Testing desks is something of a subjective game. Much like office chairs, the tests are based on comfort, reliability and ease of setup rather than things you can test in electronics such as wattage and battery usage. I still tested each one rigorously however, and will continue to test them for longevity in the coming months.

I tested these desks by asking three people to try each one. Each of them used the desk for at least 16 hours and then gave me their impressions. The three people were 6-foot, 1 inch; 5-foot 8 inches; and 5-foot, 4 inches tall, respectively to give me a good cross-section of average user height.

A busted up box containing a desk
James Bricknell / CNET

Setup time and package quality

Building desks can often be difficult and time-consuming. For each desk, I timed how long it took to unpack and assemble, and I noted if the manual was easy to follow or not. I followed the instructions as closely as possible so that each build was performed as if I had never built one before. I also thoroughly checked the packaging, to make sure it wasn't damaged, and if it was secure enough to carry the desk it had in it. Any damage was noted, and images were sent to the manufacturers for review.

Structural integrity 

Modern desks need to be able to hold a good amount of weight. If you're at a writing desk you might only have a small laptop, but if you're using a gaming desk, it likely has two monitors and a giant gaming PC as well. For each desk, I checked the maximum load specification, and I tried to match that with the materials we actually use on our desks.

I used:

  • A heavy gaming PC tower
  • Two 27-inch gaming monitors on a dual monitor arm
  • A MacBook Pro
  • Two different keyboards and assorted mice and trackpads
  • My Oculus Quest 2
  • My phone stand and USB hub
  • A podcasting mic and headphones

Depending on the length and weight capacity of the desk, I mix and match these items, then check for any bowing of the top or inconsistencies in how the desk felt as I worked.

Giant black standing desk with rainbow lights
James Bricknell / CNET

The wibble-wobbles

This is a bit of a throwback from when my dad used to make furniture. Anything my dad built would be critiqued by my mum, and if it didn't pass muster she would say "It's a bit wibbly-wobbly, isn't it, Dear?" Once I have built each desk and loaded it for normal use, I would check it for the wibble-wobbles. This means rocking it from side to side and forward and backward to check that all the screws, bolts and fixtures kept everything rigid. 

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