The SecretLab Magnus Pro standing desk just solved my cabling nightmare
Clever cable management, hidden power sockets and sit-to-stand features are a neat freak’s dream
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Your support makes all the difference.SecretLab launched the Magnus Pro gaming desk back in 2022, adding a much-requested standing desk function to what was already one of the best gaming and productivity desks around.
On top of now being fully height-adjustable at the push of a button, the Magnus Pro retains all of the features that made the original Magnus such a joy to sit at: clever cable management, attachments for your gaming headset, sleek yet sturdy design and premium build quality.
SecretLab could’ve just stuck a couple of motorised legs on the original Magnus and called it a day, but instead the brand took the opportunity to hide even more cabling. The left leg of the Magnus Pro is an integrated power source, delivering juice to a hidden socket inside the cable tray so you can avoid any unsightly wires running from the back of the desk down to the floor.
These features make the Magnus Pro a neat freak’s dream desk. Not just for gamers either, it’s ideal if you’re working from home as the desk’s slim profile and extensive cable management options can save your spare room looking like a server farm. We’ve been testing the Magnus Pro to bring you our verdict.
Read more: The best laptops in 2024
SecretLab Magnus Pro: From £729, Secretlab.co.uk
Assembly and design
The SecretLab Magnus Pro is intimidatingly heavy on arrival, needing a pair of couriers and a trolley just to wheel the two boxes to the front door. So, you’ll need some help if you plan on lugging this thing upstairs. The weight is down to the all-metal construction, specifically the colossal, 1.5m slab that comprises the desktop itself. But, while the weight makes it unwieldy to move around, it gives the Magnus Pro rock-steady stability and sturdiness, even at maximum height.
Assembly is more straightforward than the bulkiness of the overall package would suggest. The desk is mostly constructed when it arrives, so you’ve only got three main components to piece together: the desktop, the two motorised legs and the cable management tray, which runs the length of the underside of the back of the desk.
Everything screws together with the tools provided, and some spare screws are included in case you lose one down the back of the sofa. Assembly instructions are clear with big IKEA-style visuals as well as text, and there are no weird intermediary steps to slow you down. The most challenging part is simply manoeuvring this beast into place – flipping it rightway up is possible with one person, but it’s worth enlisting the help of a friend for peace of mind. Dropping the desk mid-flip could cause some serious damage – to the desk, the floor, and anything within a half mile radius.
It took me about an hour and a half to unpack and assemble the SecretLab Magnus Pro. Things are packed with Apple-levels of care, in neatly labelled boxes and copious protective padding. How long it takes to migrate your existing setup to a new home obviously depends on how much stuff you’ve got, but the cable management tray makes adding monitors, speakers and your PC incredibly straightforward and painless.
Cable management
The Magnus Pro easily has the best cable management of any desk I’ve used, not because it does anything particularly inventive, but because it’s clearly been designed by somebody who’s laid awake at night worrying about cables. All of your unsightly wires are hidden away in a compartment at the back of the desk, with ample room for at least a couple of multi-point extension leads, plus all of the various cables leading into them.
As well as being spacious, the compartment has neatly angled sides, like a trough, to stop cables getting wedged into corners. And instead of a single cup-sized opening in the desktop for all of your cables to collectively slither out of, there’s one long slot running the length of the desk, meaning monitors and microphones can take the shortest route to their destination. Underneath there are large gaps at either end of the trayfor feeding wires through to your PC or subwoofer. It seems so obvious and convenient that it’s a wonder desks have ever been built another way.
The desk itself plugs into mains power using a low-profile socket at the base of one of the legs. From there the power is routed upwards, through a concealed cable in the desk leg, and into a dedicated power socket inside the cable tray itself. It’s a clever solution that means the entire setup works with just a solitary power cable running from the wall to the base of the desk’s leg. Naturally, the cable tray and its socket get raised and lowered with the rest of the desktop, so that changing the desk’s height can’t cause any slack or strain on the cables. Everything moves as one.
Accessories
If you truly can’t abide the sight of wiring, you can take things even further. The optional PC mount, which suspends your PC from the underside of the desktop, means your PC and anything wired into it will move up and down with the desk too. An optional set of magnetic cable anchors can tidy up any excess wiring, which is especially useful if you’ve got lots of accessories running from the desk to your PC. SecretLab also offers a monitor arm with yet more magnetic cable routing built in. These add-ons are each sold separately and, while incredibly useful, they don’t come cheap.
The motors are quiet and smooth, and the Magnus Pro feels reassuringly sturdy even in the tallest standing position, with barely any noticeable wobble when hammering away at the keyboard. The control panel – neatly integrated into the edge of the desk rather than protruding from it – has a physical standby switch to avoid accidentally button presses. You can also assign three preset heights to buttons, a useful feature if you plan on sharing the desk with someone taller or shorter than you.
Verdict: SecretLab Magnus Pro
The Magnus Pro is the best standing desk we’ve tested, not just for gamers but for anyone wanting a well-designed, neat and cable-free workspace at home.
The base price is reasonable for a desk of this quality, but keep in mind that the optional accessories quickly rack up in cost, and some are less optional that others. The PC mount is a near-essential add-on if you want to completely avoid cables being yanked or tangled when raising the desktop – but we’d stick with regular cable ties over SecretLab’s branded, expensive magnetic clips.
However you customise it, the base desk’s clever cable managment tricks are a genuine game changer, maximising your available desktop real estate while keeping your workspace effortlessly organised. An intelligently designed standing desk, the Magnus Pro is a highly recommended home office upgrade.
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