If you want to create the ideal gaming setup, your best bet is to build your own gaming desk so it has exactly what you want and nothing that you don’t.
A DIY gaming desk will feature the exact specifications you need to fit your PC and equipment, along with whatever storage and personal touches you’d like to add.
To build your own gaming desk, you will need all the necessary materials. You’ll need a great desk surface like butcher block wood, wood glue, wood screws, adjustable table legs, or drawer units. You will also need to consider storage options, desktop accessories, and personalization.
When it comes to creating your own battle station for gaming, you can get as creative as you want. However, most people want the same basic things from their gaming desks: enough space to fit all of their equipment, storage and cord management, and a well-crafted personal aesthetic.
Quick note: before we get too far along here, if you want to get more great ideas for your home office and connect with other home office hackers to make your space the best join my free private Facebook group, Battle Station Setup here.
DIY Gaming Desk
A DIY gaming desk can mean one of two things: a desk built solely from scratch, or multiple pre-made parts that you bring together in your own creation.
What Materials to Use for a Gaming Desk
If you are building a desk from scratch, you will likely use one or all of the materials listed above. Wood is a common DIY material. Butcher block wood is an outstanding choice.
When working with wood, wood glue and wood screws are going to be on your list as stuff you need and they’re also the best tools to use because they are designed specifically for use with wood. Other types of screws and adhesives can damage the wood, or just won’t hold the way you want them to.
Check out Wood Shop Diaries’ DIY L-Shaped Desk guide below:
What Do You Need to Build a Gaming Desk?
You can’t build a gaming desk without a few key components: a desktop surface and some type of legs or stands to hold the desk up. Whatever else you include on your gaming desk is up to you.
Desk Surface
You need a sturdy desk surface. Whether this is made of wood, laminate, engineered wood (meaning a surface consisting of bonded wood materials, essentially), metal, glass, acrylic, plastic, or whatever other surfaces you want.
You can buy a pre-made desk at the store or find a slab of material like butcher block wood that you can find in stock at any Home Depot or Lowe’s.
Whatever you use, make sure it is sturdy enough for all your equipment.
Desk Legs
Your desk surface will need to sit atop something strong that can hold it up securely. Whether you use adjustable desk legs or another creative method is up to you.
And it doesn’t have to be regular legs, per se. You could use two vertical filing cabinets to support your desk surface.
Another option is an an adjustable platform so you can change your desk height. I use an adjustable desk in my home office and I don’t know how I ever lived without it.
Extra Storage Space and Shelving
Your desk space should have storage. Most people use their gaming desk for multiple tasks other than just gaming. Even if your gaming desk is solely for gaming, having plenty of shelving and storage space will come in handy.
Power Supply
Your battle station will require plenty of power. You’ll need to power your PC, each monitor, any external speakers, any charging stations, and any lighting. Investing in a surge protector to keep your precious equipment safe is a no-brainer.
You will also want to have your power integrated into your desk as much as possible, so your surge protector power strip should have enough outlets and be something you can mount to your desk.
Tripp Lite Isobar Surge Protector Rackmount 12 Outlet
Gaming Setup
Of course, the crown jewel of your gaming desk setup will be your gaming equipment. In this case, it’s your carefully built PC and all accessories.
Gaming Mouse and Keyboard
A lot of gamers prefer to use mechanical keyboards and wired mice when gaming on a desktop PC. You can also use a wireless keyboard and mouse, however. Your accessories are totally up to your own personal preference.
Monitors
Gaming monitors are varied and you can get pretty creative with them. You can use one large monitor, or you can mount a TV to the wall and use it as your monitor. You can use a curved monitor, a vertical monitor, multiple monitors, and you can mix and match.
Monitor Risers
Using monitor risers allows you to have more accessible space on your desktop and it can relieve eyestrain while gaming. Additionally, some monitor stands and risers also include extra drawers for storage.
Cable Management
Since you’re likely to have a LOT of cords, you cannot forego good able management when building your gaming desk. Invest in desktop cord management boxes, under-the-desk cord management trays, cord clips, cord ties, and cord raceways to keep your cords in check and untangled.
Comfortable Gaming Chair
An ergonomic gaming chair is also crucial because most gamers spend many uninterrupted hours at a time at their gaming desk. It’s easy to develop back problems, joint pain, and other health issues if the proper steps aren’t taken to ensure comfort.
Gaming Desk Specifications
When it comes to desk specifications, you need to figure out what size, height, width, and depth your gaming desk needs to be. Regardless of whether you are building your desk from scratch or creating your desk setup from pre-built desks, ask yourself the following questions:
- How large are your PC and monitor?
- Will your computer case be on your desk or on the floor?
- Will your monitor be mounted or on the desk?
- What kind of keyboard and mouse do you use?
- What other items does your desktop need to hold?
You also need to be sure your gaming desk can bear the weight of your gaming equipment. A sturdy gaming desk is best! The correct size for your gaming desk will depend on your particular needs. In addition, the perfect height for your gaming desk will depend on your height and the height at which you play your games.
Custom Features for Gaming Desk Setup
When building your gaming desktop setup, consider what custom features you might want to add to your battle station. Whether you are a professional gamer or a casual gamer, you can customize your gaming space with custom features. Common items include:
- Biometrics: Biometrics measure the body to create additional security. Common biometric additions include fingerprint scanners and facial recognition as methods for logging into a PC.
- Built-in USB ports: If you use a desktop surface with built-in USB ports, you can avoid cluttering up your outlets and your PC’s USB ports with charging cables.
- Smart assistants: Smart assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant can fit on your desktop without taking up much room. You can program them to handle lighting, thermostat, music, and other tasks while you game.
- Custom RGB lighting: Plenty of gamers use custom RGB lighting around their gaming setups for aesthetic purposes. Hexagon lights,
and custom gamertag neon lights are popular choices.
- Collectibles: Those who love gaming also tend to have other interests. When building and designing a gaming desk, you can showcase your other interests like Funko Pop! figures,
anime figurines, and other collectibles on display shelves.
Check out the setup below uploaded by Pinterest user DeskStuff. It includes bright, crisp lighting and display shelves to show off posters and figurines.
IKEA Gaming Desks: A DIY Favorite
Gamers on Reddit have popularized a very simple trick that involves creating custom gaming battle stations using IKEA’s Alex drawer units (shown further below) and any sturdy desk surface. The Alex drawers can be used in place of desk legs because, when used in multiples, they can hold up a desk surface with ease.
All you need to create this DIY IKEA gaming desk for yourself are a couple of the Alex drawer units and a desk surface to your specific surface specifications. You just need to know what size your desktop should be based on the size of your PC, monitors, etc. Then, you can add items to organize and personalize your desk.
Linnmon Desk
The Linnmon desk with drawers comes in both 47-inch and 59-inch desktop options, both of which featuring five large drawers for maximum desk storage space.
Unlike some other pre-made desks, the back of the Linnmon desk is finished, so it will look great no matter where it is set up within a room. Drawer stops prevent the drawers from coming out too far and falling out of the desk. Additionally, drawers can go on either side of the desk.
Adils Desk Legs
The Adils desk legs are simple, functional, and can be paired with all kinds of different IKEA desks. With adjustable desk legs, you can create your gaming desk at the ideal height for gaming time.
Alex Drawers
The Alex drawer unit is a stylish drawer unit that matches the Linnmon desk drawer set. With no drawer knobs or hardware, they are sleek and understated. Pair the Alex drawer unit with another IKEA desk, and you have an excellent option for storing video games and equipment.
IKEA Gaming Desk Accessories
To further build up an IKEA gaming desk setup, consider the following popular accessories that can keep your gaming desk comfortable, stylish and organized. IKEA desk components are popular and affordable, with enough options to allow for customization and control.
Cable management is essential when building a desk of any kind, but especially when building a desk for gaming. Gaming requires lots of cords and wires. An IKEA cable management tray is a simple solution for keeping trays untangled and heading in the right direction.
An IKEA monitor riser or shelf will do double duty on your desk. For example, an Ekby Alex desk shelf, which features the same drawer style as the Alex drawer unit, can lift your gaming monitor off of your desktop while providing extra storage space. You can stack multiple if you prefer.
A desk pad prevents the need for a mouse pad. Instead, it covers the entire desktop with a comfortable, cushioned surface. This is great for gamers who need to rest their wrists during long hours playing on the PC.
The Markus chair’s mesh backrest is a staple of ergonomic chairs. It allows for airflow during long hours online. In addition to that, there are plenty of adjustable functions of this chair ideal for each individual gamer’s comfort.
LED lights are wildly popular with gamers and others who spend a lot of time at a desk. Gaming PC interiors, LED keyboards, and LED mice can feature RGB lights that create bright and fun atmospheres. IKEA’s Dioder LED lightstrip is a great option to add to the underside of your desk to match your other LED options.
Next Steps
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