I’ve been working from home for over a year and a half. In that time, I have used a variety of options for desk space including a kitchen table, a reclining chair with a laptop, and a hideous 80’s L-shaped desk that is so heavy it can only have been made from pure granite. I was able to hoist the monstrosity out of my basement and upgrade to a desk I didn’t know I needed. The NTENSE Xtreme Riser Desk has been a godsend in my home.
NTENSE offers a variety of desks, but I need a good amount of space and something that can help hide the ridiculous amount of wires my PC and gaming devices splay everywhere. NTENSE offers a desk with a riser which is the best option for someone like me.
The Setup
The gaming desk comes in a well cushioned box. I am impressed with how well it is packed to avoid damage. There is a minor scratch on the surface of one of the portions, but my keyboard and mouse pad cover it anyways. The instructions are straightforward and there isn’t any mystery to putting this thing together. It just takes time.
I set it up within about an hour and revelled in my newfound space. I like that NTENSE has you use glue (provided) in addition to some of the connectors. Whether or not it makes any difference, it gives the impression they want your desk to be solid and stable, and it is.
Why It’s Great
There’s a lot to love about this desk. For a desk you put together and for the money, it is sturdy and well built. Outside of the build, there are three features I love. First being the ability to hide my cables behind the desk. Sure, the riser hides a bit, but the desk has a hidden area built in the back.
It is basically an attached hidden shelf that allows you to run cables and plugs inside of it. It conceals well and gets rid of the unsightly mess cables cause. It is a relief to not have this issue any longer. You can never fully hide cables, and I can obviously still see where they plug into the wall, but this is 99% better than my previous setup.
The riser itself is a brilliant addition to a desk, and I wish I would have discovered this desk option sooner. I love having my monitor up just a tad higher, and I feel like I have additional space to design for either gaming or productivity.
I have two Edifier shelf speakers on the outside of my monitor with a few additional knick-knacks for decor on the riser. My keyboard, mouse, and a laptop sit on the main desk portion. All of my additional connections (Audio Interface, USB switch, etc.) sit just below the riser allowing me to still use them but also putting them out of sight.
Finally, I love the cupholder and headphone attachments. My cat knocked over a glass of water on my previous desk – no bueno. My laptop was doused, but it somehow escaped damage.
This will not be a problem with the NTENSE desk. Why? The cupholder feature hangs off of the front of the desk and encloses your beverage. I suppose you could use it as a pencil holder if you wanted, but the holder itself is a fantastic feature.
Additionally, the headphone holder saves a ton of space. It is probably designed for one set, but I hang two headsets on it, and it works great. The headsets are there when I need them, and they are no longer a nuisance sitting on my desk and taking up space.
By the way, you can decide where you prefer your holders on the desk as well. I have my cupholder to the right and headset to the left, but you can switch them around or even install one of them on the side of the desk.
A close runner up for best features is the included RGB light strips and additional USB charging ports that come with the desk. Honestly, my RGB lights did not work when I received them, and I had to cut and tape the wires to get it to work on a single solid color.
Thankfully this isn’t why I wanted to test the desk in the first place. These lights create an awesome glowing ambience to the desk when the lights are off.
The USB charging ports are great for my phone and the RGB lights. I no longer need to use my computer ports for these devices.
What Could Be Better?
The NTENSE Xtreme Riser Desk is a great desk, but there are a few things on my wish list. First, I wish the bottom portion of the desk (the main keyboard area) were a bit deeper.
Sure my PC fits under the desk just fine, but I also have a laptop on the desk that hangs off just a tad. I also have an extra large mouse pad that goes under my keyboard and mouse that doesn’t quite fit. I can resolve the laptop issue with a docking station, but I prefer to use it on its own.
Secondly, I made an attempt to put a monitor mount on the desk but the screws for the mount were too long to fit in between the riser and the main portion of the desk. I put some deep scratches under the riser trying to do this. You cannot see them as the riser hides them, but perhaps the riser could be moved up an inch or so.
Finally, I wish the riser was attached from the sides rather than in the middle of the main portion of the desk. Two bars attach to the top of the desk, and while it looks cool, they can get in the way a tad. My mouse pad would fit on the desk if these could just be redesigned.
Summary
The NTENSE Xtreme Riser Desk is a phenomenal addition to my work and leisure life. It is sleek and modern. It has the right bells and whistles, and it comes at an affordable price. If you are looking for a desk to play games or work from home, you will love it. If you know a gamer who needs a good desk for their rig, pick this one up for the holidays, and they are sure to love it. I certainly do.